All good things must come to an end and so it is with sadness that I pack my bags and head home to California. Sadness to leave the amazing AMA Waterways crew behind; sadness to have to say good bye to amazing travel advisors from #DirectTravel #VisionTravel and other agencies I’ve met this week; and finally, sadness to depart France 🇫🇷 – a beautiful country with an unbroken “Joie de Vivre.”
The daily news remind us that the pandemic has not vanished completely yet and all of us fortunate to have been aboard AMAKRISTINA this week were highly aware. Our daily hiegene regimes were thorough and masks were used in public spaces on and off the ship. Our collective feeling was one of safety and the French people were all extremely courteous and considerate in all situations. AND – did I mention the French were genuinely happy to see Americans and Canadians. We felt at times like we were part of a Hero’s welcome.
After a week here, I have no reservations recommending France for those travelers that are comfortable with some ambiguity and willingness to be flexible.
TIP – Pack a variety of masks. Surgical single use, N95 (without valves) and multi-layered cloth masks to fit antlers situation. Some stores and museums require N95 while others don’t. Cloth masks are not widely used in France but allowed in most settings.
Blogging about airports is not usually my thing but this is a continuing story of two worlds. At SFO one week ago, the terminal was packed at close to pre-pandemic levels. Paris CDG today was empty and closed. No stores, food, or duty free – only empty corridors and bathrooms. What a difference in experiences. Thank you for following this week-long adventure. Stay tuned for future trip blogs in a few weeks’ time.
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