Yes, it was all my fault.

@xFiacre (12536)
Ireland
November 29, 2022 3:40pm CST
Can there be any better way to arrive in Paris (or any other European city) than by train? It felt good to glide into Gare Montparnasse last week in the early afternoon on the sleek, steady train from St Malo. No fuss, no horrid ride in from the airport jostling with other weary travellers, most of whom could do with a little bit of freshening up. The journey was quiet, in a carriage without WiFi, and everyone behaved with decorum. We had a small snack from the buffet car and followed that with an espresso on the sprawling concourse of Montparnasse station before braving the explosion of human activity that is Paris. This was our second arrival in Paris this month: the other was by plane. Not bi-plane, just by plane and it was dull, although my serious faux pas added a bit of colour. In my impatience to escape the airport I lifted the first black suitcase to arrive on the luggage carousel and of course it wasn’t mine. My error only came to light when my wife opened it to make sure that she had packed her hot water bottle, and out fell a pair of bright blue socks. It took us a while to realise that it wasn’t just the socks that were strange, but all the contents, especially the green and gold under linen. Not my suitcase. We were still in the airport at this time - the airport in Paris has just become much more vast and time-consuming to escape. So we tried to put things right, but since everything in now automated and done on line there are few real live officials on hand. Eventually a kind lady sorted things out for me and I was mightily relieved. Normally nothing in France happens with out three general strikes and a referendum along with a few public holidays and mush shrugging of shoulders, but this took just two and a half hours to sort out and we were on our way.
8 people like this
5 responses
@CarolDM (203478)
• Nashville, Tennessee
29 Nov 22
I hope to travel by train one day. Sounds very peaceful.
2 people like this
• United States
29 Nov 22
It sure does.
1 person likes this
@popciclecold (35025)
• United States
29 Nov 22
Sorry about the suitcase. But the train ride sounds almost unreal. It actually sounds peaceful.
1 person likes this
@xFiacre (12536)
• Ireland
29 Nov 22
@popciclecold Train is the way to go here in France.
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Nov 22
@xFiacre It sounds like it.
@LadyDuck (454979)
• Switzerland
30 Nov 22
I cannot believe how lucky you have been. Only two and a half hours to sort this luggage problem, they were incredibly fast working that day. I HATE Parisian airports.
@LadyDuck (454979)
• Switzerland
30 Nov 22
@xFiacre Exactly! You remember very well.
@xFiacre (12536)
• Ireland
30 Nov 22
@ladyduck at Charles de Gaulle we had to walk for 15 minutes then take a shuttle train to get luggage then walk another 15 minutes to get to the train into the city. Never again.
1 person likes this
@xFiacre (12536)
• Ireland
30 Nov 22
@LadyDuck Yes I’ve seen it! I remember that Ford’s wife ordered a “café au lait ” from room service in an American accent and the waiter replied sarcastically “Oui Madame, un café crème”
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323673)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Nov 22
You are every travellers' worst nightmare - taking the wrong case! How could you?
@RubyHawk (99437)
• Atlanta, Georgia
29 Nov 22
That must have been nerve wracking to have the wrong suitcase. Yours could have been lost forever.