Last Trip Entry

After hauling myself out of bed this morning at 7:30 Paris time (1:30 EST), I somehow managed to shower, shave, down a half litre of OJ, and checkout in 30 minutes. Oh yeah, I also dressed myself *proud*

Caught a taxi to DeGaulle airport, where I breezed through pre-board screening, and ate breakfast in the Air Canada lounge (pain chocolat, fruit, pineapple juice, cookies, danishes, cheese, etc.). The flight back from Paris to Toronto is 8+ hours. At this point, I'll make an admission: I drank quite a bit to kill the time on the plane. My recollection is a glass of champagne, 2 glasses of port, and a Heineken. If it helps, I also ate quite a bit to help offset the liquor. Another great thing about travelling business class is the movies/tv terminal. I managed to get through 3 movies: Year One (dumb), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (great quote: you're meant to lose the ones you love; how else will you know how much you care about them), and the Time Traveller's Wife (decent, except for the last 2 minutes).

After arriving in Toronto at around 2:30pm, I almost got on the 3:15 to Ottawa...but they couldn't transfer my luggage. The 4pm to Ottawa is full, so I'm stuck on the 4:50 flight, which boards in about 30 minutes.

Since I wrote my first trip entry in the Air Canada lounge in Ottawa, it's only fitting I write my last trip post from the Maple Leaf (read: Air Canada) lounge at Pearson. I had a Guiness and 3 cookies to help me keep awake. My goal is to stay up til 10pm tonight, and I'll let myself sleep in tomorrow as long as my body wants.

There was this kid...well, actually young man (20ish) at the L'Ouvre (G will likely correct my spelling on that *haha*) who I overheard say "I never thought I'd see the Mona Lisa in my life". At the time, I thought it was just a typical, cliche expression. After reflection, I understand and sympathize with what the kid was saying. In my mind, and at heart, I'm just a country boy from a small town (Pembroke - population 13,500 when everyone is home), who managed to get through the first 29 years of his life without a passport. I saw and experienced so many different things on this trip that were...pardon the cliche...beyond my wildest dreams. On this trip I've stood at the feet of Big Ben, took a ferry from Europe to Asia, wondered around Grand Place, walked through the red light district, and got overwhelmed by the light show at the Eiffel Tower. I know there are people my age, from my type of background that have done more, ane experienced more than I have...but I feel so lucky right now. I'll never be a chique, affluent, jet-setter...but my hard work at my job allowed me the opportunity to experience different cultures, explore 6 countries, and most importantly, broaden my horizons.

Happy travels friends!