Deal....Or No Deal?

OH, I SHOULD HAVE GONE FOR IT!!!

And by "it," I mean PARIS -- the beautiful city of Paris! I had a 7.5 hour layover in Paris on my way to Johannesburg, so I'd planned to head into the city and take in a quick site or two, grab a bite in a cafe, and dash back to the airport. But I bailed on the plan!

My flight got in on time, but we didn't have a gate, so we sat on the runway for an extra half hour. Then we were in some random terminal that was affected by airport construction, so we had to deplane and be bussed around for another 20 minutes before being let out to enter the terminal. From there it took me a bit to find the train station (they don't call me "Everlost" for nothing!). And once finally there, I got into a horribly long line with a gazillion other American tourists (we really can be an ugly bunch!). Anyway, I took a pole of the Americans in line with me, and they all thought I was crazy, and that I didn't have time, and that I shouldn't risk missing my next flight. So I wound up abandoning my spot in line and then regretting that decision as I sat in the airport for the next 4.5 hours!

Takeaway lesson learned: GO FOR IT next time...unless of course "next time" winds up being the bungee jumping line at Victoria Falls...then I give myself another "chicken" pass!

Mere