We returned safely to Phoenix this past Saturday evening after a long, bumpy day of air travel.
The last several days in Montpellier were pretty typical of other times I’ve spent there working, except that this time Kathryn was with me. She adjusted well to my workweek routine and schedule, and she used her free time to prepare some outstanding dinners with our remaining fresh ingredients. We also enjoyed a few lunches out together before my work day began. It went as well as I could have hoped.
Air France used to have a 6 am flight from Montpellier to Paris seven days a week. Recently, they eliminated the one on Saturdays. The flight we took from Montpellier at 8:20 am would have put us in Paris just in time to miss the one direct flight between Paris and Phoenix. Instead, we booked a two-stop with an additional connection in Atlanta.
We flew Air France as far as Atlanta, which was an error on my part, as a Delta flight would have probably allowed us a slight upgrade. We then boarded a Delta flight to Phoenix. The flight to Phoenix had an Atlanta-based cabin crew, and we were treated to articulate, thought-provoking announcements like, “We axe that you not conjugate in the aisles.”
The ride was bumpy enough that the flight attendants had to take their seats, interrupting the drink service shortly after our row. I don’t think it ever resumed. The aircraft changed altitude several times in search of smoother air, never finding it. Eventually, a little behind schedule, we landed in Phoenix, shaken but not stirred.
