getting there

An early post for you! Right on the tail of the previous one!

I really wasn't sure I was going to get anywhere tonight. A call for airport strikes usually affects the short haul flights within France and I was to travel from Biarritz after all (it's far cheaper to buy a ticket from Biarritz to Warsaw than from Paris to Warsaw and connect to Paris by train). I counseled myself to be patient and to take things in stride.

The day began with cloudy skies and cool temperatures. Ah, this is what I was expecting all along from the Atlantic side. I had been lucky to have had two summery, mostly sunny days. Still, the innkeepers close the doors to the patio and so I take my last Biarritz breakfast indoors. Which is a shame, but the excellent bread product more than makes up for it.






I have to make a dash to the post box to mail back my WiFi hot spot device (I had only rented it for France) and in doing this, I have a chance to take one last fond look at Biarritz...






... and the ocean.






I see that the number of surfers seems to have multiplied ten fold. Are there to be waves? It looks pretty calm right now...






And then I wave a fond farewell to my wonderful little hotel...






... and I'm off to the airport, where I learn there are no cancellations so far. What good luck! I travel without incident to Paris (I would say, coming in to the airport, it looks almost like Wisconsin. Almost. The clusters of houses rather than the isolated farmsteads I think gives it away)...


 



At the airport I grab this insignificant lunch...






... and then I get ready to board the late afternoon flight to Warsaw.

That's it for photos for today. I'll be staying with my sister -- probably for the last time ever, as my next trip here should be to my own old but soon to be freshly new apartment.

I really will have only two full days in Poland. The first is going to be spent on matters pertaining to the apartment and the second -- well, it will be nicely relaxed and I will eventually amble over to my friend's home to meet up with the usual gang for an evening of joviality.

I've already been teased that I chose to travel to Poland at the same time that Obama is coming here (actually he's arriving on Wednesday, but still, we overlap). There is sort of an ironic coincidence -- the president (whom I like so much, by the way) from my adopted country, passing through this way while I'm here. Maybe I should stand on the street and wave a little flag? No, I've never been a flag waving type. Still, I'll let you know if Warsaw is topsy turvy for the momentous arrival of all NATO heads of state.

Until tomorrow then!