Soooo, after hanging around awhile, they decided that the flight wasn't likely to happen AT ALL, and re-booked us on a flight the following day, Thursday, can't remember what time, but it was LEX/ATL/CDG/BOD with the ATL/CDG leg on Air France as was the not happening Detroit/CDG, rather than Delta (the food and service on Air France carriers is FAR SUPERIOR to that on Delta carriers, a fact not to be taken lightly...stay tuned). They did give each of us a $100 Delta voucher for our "inconvenience" although, as the guy pointed out (!) they didn't have to, since the delay was caused by the weather... So we went back home, after a detour to El Chico, as we were looking at two months without Mexican food. Problem there was that they didn't have the jalapeno relish I like so much, but this was minor...otherwise it was vintage El Chico...
Thursday...I don't remember all these times, but we went to the airport early, as Martin had to go to work...e.g., before noon. Got there and, guess what, another problem...All the people whose flights were delayed and/or cancelled on Wednesday were there now, trying to get out of town (don't you just love air travel these days?!? EVERY FLIGHT from wherever to wherever is overbooked, what with the airlines terrified of sending a plane out unless EVERY SINGLE SEAT is filled...everything into and out of LEX being one of those baby jets ((hey, at least they are no longer prop planes...)), and Delta having discontinued service from LEX to CVG)...
So, here we are, luggage and all, and the flight to ATL is seriously overbooked on account of the problems on Wednesday. So this guy (all the Delta representatives at the airport were really nice, and what a ghastly job...) asks us if we would be willing to not go through ATL and instead be driven up to CVG in a cab (at their expense, a $150 voucher to the cabbie), have $10 vouchers for lunch up in Cincinnati, and take a direct flight CVG/CDG, connecting (unfortunately six hours after we arrive at CDG) with the same flight to Bordeaux, and as compensation get a $600 Delta voucher EACH.
We said "yes" immediately. The cabbie was nice; I gave him a tip. The lunch at the Cincinnati airport wasn't all that bad. The flight was uneventful, although the food on the Delta flight was inedible (seriously...I had the chicken and Phil had the pasta, and neither was edible...only the green beans on my plate, which were out of a freezer bag, but were undercooked yet warm, crackers and cheese were edible, hey, the "butter" for the dried-out roll was some sort of "butter spread" that was 4% butter...it was basically ghastly, and they don't give you anything to drink anymore to ameliorate the suffering...). It was an uneventful flight, though, we arrived in Paris, had a six hour layover until the flight to Bordeaux, but arrived on time, which meant we didn't have any problems with the car lease/rental. And because I messed around and didn't book it until rather late, it's bigger than we usually get (it's a Peugeot Cielo station wagon), and also, IT ISN'T gray or silver. It's dark blue. Has AC but that doesn't work all that well.
So our "compensation" for the inconvenience was, put together, $1400 toward flights, e.g., it almost paid half the cost of this trip...the vouchers are welcome, but I ask you, did Delta make any money off us?
So we're here, still jet-lagged.. I didn't get up until nearly noon today, after getting up at 10 or 11 or something yesterday, but spending all afternoon running around shopping. Had planned to go to the Issigeac market today, but sorta slept through it; Phil slept through yesterday.
And that's the way it is, Sunday, May 29, 2011, as Walter Cronkite used to say...photos in next message (I have to download them...)
Lillie
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