From the Say It In French Spring Update Newsletter

What are we doing in Amsterdam?

Bonjour les étudiants et les étudiantes,

First, I'd like to share my most recent  travel experience. Bill and I
did a quick two week visit to Monflanquin in April. Our son Michael, the
master renovator, and his brilliant wife, Erin joined us for about a
week, in which they worked like demons and renovated our kitchen. We can
now enjoy a full size instead of a dorm size fridge and additional
convenient counter space. Bill assisted Michael and Erin. I took on the
job of Support and Communications Department. Michael and Erin met every
building obstacle with unwavering optimism. I cheered them on, offered
sustenance, and French language assistance.

We left the village on Saturday April 23, took the train from Bergerac
to Bordeaux, and then the bus to our airport hotel from the Bordeaux
train station. I was already exhausted. Once settled in, Bill checked
his email. Our flight from Bordeaux to Amsterdam, the first leg of our
trip was cancelled without explanation and without rebooking. I finally
managed to find a toll free number for Air France. One hour later, I was
connected to an agent. The first available flight out of Bordeaux to
Amsterdam was Monday. We would then proceed to Seattle and Portland as
planned. This meant retaking our Covid tests.  We grudgingly accepted
our fate. We ate dinner at Au Comptoir, the only restaurant open near
our hotel. Au Comptoir, turned out to be a very popular English pub.
Almost all the dishes come with fries. I ordered a panche,my new
favorite drink, half beer, half lemonade. The next day, we felt lost.
With our Covid tests scheduled for early afternoon, we had just enough
time to sit in the breakfast room and discuss possible sight seeing
options. Not only was it Sunday, but it was election day in France.
Going anywhere meant a long shlep on the bus into the city so shlep we
did. People kept offering us seats on the bus. Do we look that old? The
only seats I wanted were in an airplane.
We decided to walk along the quais and track down the Miroir des Eaux,
the Water Miroir, a not to be missed Bordeaux sightseeing highlight. 
Maybe the Miroir des Eaux does not really function on Sunday on an
election day in France because it reminded us with disappointment of a
big Portland puddle. At least the adorable French toddlers found it
amusing. We shlepped back to our hotel and another dinner at Au
Comptoir. Our server seemed delighted to see us again. After consuming
more fries, we returned to our room  ready to fly out the next day.
Again, I felt very uneasy because were  unable to check in online. But
the next morning all proceeded smoothly until once seated in the plane
came the announcement that our flight to Amsterdam would be delayed over
an hour. What did this mean for us? We would miss our connection to
Seattle.

Apparently, we were not the only passengers with missed connections.
Judging from the incredibly long line for the transfer service desk,
hundreds of people fell prey to the same predicament. Due to all the
cancelled flights the day before, the back up proved to be significant.
We waited in the transfer line at least five hours. I made friends with
two women from Scotland ahead of us. Greta threatened to burn her
fashion boots. She wore them to look classy in Paris not to run through
the Amsterdam airport in a mad and hopeless  attempt to make her
connection. The people waiting in line worked hard all afternoon to keep
up their spirits. KLM distributed sandwiches and water. I bought
emergency chocolate covered almonds and offered them to those close to
us in line. I kept thinking about Michael and Erin's unwavering
optimism. Then at 6 P.M. KLM announced that there would be no more
flights that day. We would be getting an email rescheduling our booking.
I felt lost AGAIN. I doubted we would ever receive that email. In a
panic, I called my sister to ask her help in rebooking. Our airport
internet kept cutting in and out. Beth did a great job. She re booked us
with the help of an agent online, but before I could even breathe a sigh
of relief, that booking disappeared. KLM finally sent us an email with
re booked flights for the next day. It was now 10 P.M. We needed to get
a hotel, the cost of which would possibly be reimbursed. Our Covid tests
would hopefully remain valid.

I felt that same feeling of unease. Would we ever get home? I had always
hoped to visit Amsterdam, but not this way. The rest of this story
involves a lot more shlepping and waiting three hours to get through
airport security the next day. We managed to make our tight connection
from JFK to PDX. The silver lining of a delay in Amsterdam -a lovely one
hour canal tour. I definitely want to return to Amsterdam under
different circumstances. The plane ride back was uneventful until right
before landing when a little girl feeling sick did not quite make it to
the bathroom and managed instead to throw up on me. Somehow this seemed
like a fitting end to this stressful journey. Will I travel again soon? 
Hopefully this summer, but with more of Michael and Erin's unwavering
optimism.

Spring classes: I will be offering private French lessons in person and
on Zoom. Want to improve pronunciation, master French verb tenses, or
prepare for a trip to France? I would be happy to help you meet your
goals with confidence. Tuition for private lessons is $50 per hour and
can be shared for up to three people. Please feel free to email me with
questions or contact me at 503 314 4695.

Thank you as always for your support. Vous êtes formidable!