Travels to Toulouse Part I

I am exhausted. I got a decent amount of sleep last night, I think, but it is just that time when I need a bit more. I will probably pass out when I get to Toulouse. Hopefully I get there without a problem. I packed everything into my book bag except my sweatshirt, rain jacket, vitamins, flip flops, water shoes, and sunglasses, suntan lotion and another pair of shoes. I did not need this many shoes until this point, but I may in the future so I am keeping all of them. In case I do get hassled about having a second bag (shopping bag) I will put on the sweat shirt, jacket, and glasses. I think I have enough room for the vitamins and shoes. I may chuck the flip flops (got them at old navy for $5 when walking around Atlantic Station in Atlanta with heels and I could not take it any more). If need be I can drop the suntan lotion too. I am surprised that everything seems doable. I am glad that I am here early…so early I do not know what terminal I am in and none of the screens have my flight listed yet.

So I left for Toulouse about 9am and am just arriving in my hotel at 6pm. After finding out what terminal to go to I was able to check in and go through security without a problem. The lady at check in did tell me that I had to consolidate my second bag and I told her that I would. I had lots of time and decided to use the restroom again, this time free of charge. I got to my gate and there was a little girl playing. I was listening and assumed that they were visiting as it did not sound like French. Then a little boy came and started to play with her. It is funny how parents here let their kids wander. And they do not tell the kid to stop until they have done something bad. Like picking up a magazine does not get a “no no put it back” or anything like that. They wait for it to be something that the child should not be doing to get told to stop. Anyway, I realized that the little boy and girl were communicating with words…holy crap am I at the wrong gate? Did they change the gates like they did in Brussels and I just did not hear or understand? Where should I go?! I looked for a screen with the departure gates and times and there were only two listed, neither mine, one of which was at the gate I was at for Corsiva.

It reoccurred to me that I was about two hours early and that is why there were people going to places other than Toulouse there! I calmed down and settled into a new seat. While waiting two teenage girls and their mother, had to be from America, were so rude. I cannot believe it. They must have thought that the French do not speak English (total bull in Paris, they sometimes are uncomfortable but they speak it) and she was saying how someone should shut the baby up, she hates kids, blah blah blah. Each one of them had a suitcase and two personal items…I wanted to see them being told only one personal item, but I did not.

As soon as “Toulouse” came on the screen everyone jumps up to line up. It must be a European thing. I knew that they would do it based on the two other flights I have taken for this trip, and we wound up standing for an hour and a half. Then we get to the bottom of the stairs and there is a bus. We get stuffed into the bus like sardines and shipped to our plane. They open one set of doors when we get to the plane, the ones farthest from me, but we are not to get off. We stand in the heat and sweat for about 15 minutes. Then we board. I get on and sit next to two French girls, only understood when they saw Jessica Biel in a magazine and called her beautiful and pretty and magnificent. I am starving and ready for some food. I flip through the magazine and see everything from soda to a snack costs money. I have none as my book bag is in the overhead in the front. I sit. I wait. We all wait. About an hour later the captain comes on and says that we were delayed 2 hours, but after talking to the system control this whole time we will be leaving in three minutes. By the time we get out of the air we were about an hour and 45 minutes late. I get served water and suck up the hunger.