It goes without saying that the most snafu-riddled trips can be the most memorable ones. Actually, I just said it, but it's true.
An example of this was a four-day stay in France with my community-college professor wife, who had been invited to give a paper at the 2007 Emile Zola Society conference.
After arriving at Marseille's airport, Laurel and I wanted to visit the city's port area before going to the conference town of Aix-en-Provence (where 1840-born novelist Zola grew up). So we headed to the airport's luggage-check counter, got there at 12:05 p.m., and ... found it was closed for lunch from noon to 2!
We then decided to leave our suitcases at Marseille's train station. After riding a slow bus and walking a circuitous route to get into the under-renovation station, we discovered that the luggage-check room was locked because of a railroad strike.
"Why don't we just bring our bags with us to the port?," said Laurel, ever the can-do trooper.
So we bumped our luggage down the (broken!) escalator of a Marseille metro station, boarded the subway to the port, emerged at about 1:50 p.m. into a stiff wind that threatened to blow down our suitcases, and looked for the restaurant a friend of Laurel's had recommended. The second we spotted it in the distance, the steel gate was being pulled down!
Then we approached several other eateries, but they were all closed now, too. So -- hungry, tired, and jet-lagged -- we gave up and boarded a bus to our modest but nice hotel in Aix.
We did return to Marseille two days later, and took a boat to the island of If to see the former prison that figures so prominently in Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo -- the best novel about revenge ever (though no Fox News commentators were harmed). It rained, of course, and we got drenched -- but the visit was more than worth it.
Unfortunately, a guide who just wouldn't stop talking attached himself to us on If, and we nearly toppled over rushing down the rocky wet path to the boat we needed to catch in order to get back to Aix in time for a dinner connected with Laurel's conference.
During our last full day in France, Laurel and I joined conference attendees on a bus to see the Provence countryside and the magnificent Mont Sainte-Victoire peak that Zola's childhood friend Paul Cezanne often painted. No one was told we had an arduous hike ahead of us, so I was wearing dress shoes and some of the female professors had on heels! We stumbled up stone-strewn mountain paths for about two hours before reaching a dam that Zola's father built. One of the hikers was Zola's great-granddaughter, so that was cool! But boy we were exhausted. We had to trudge back down, too -- luckily on what was (almost!) a road.
The next morning, Laurel and I flew from Marseille to Paris, where the wrong gate was listed for the connecting flight to New Jersey's Newark airport. By the time we reached the correct gate, the plane door had just closed. We tried to book another flight, and -- sure enough -- most of our airline's agents were at lunch as we waited on line for more than an hour.
Actually, I don't begrudge French citizens long lunches. I wish more of America's overworked employees had that opportunity. And French food -- yum!
Anyway, there was no other plane to Newark until the next day, so we instead flew to New York's JFK airport, from where we had to ride two buses and a taxi before getting to our New Jersey home more than four hours after the plane landed. "Taking the long way," as the Dixie Chicks sang.
So that was our trip, which would not have been as memorable if everything had gone right.
Our cat Angus wasn't happy, though. He was so irked about us getting home more than eight hours after the pet sitter last fed him that he hasn't read Zola to this day.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.