Aero: Henry Livingston – France 2018 – Travel
Aero: Henry Livingston – France 2018 – Travel
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Henry Livingston
Traveling in foreign countries can often times be a mixed bag of moods and experiences, they can be exciting, interesting, and enlightening, but travel can also be exhausting, complicated, and tedious. Throughout our experiences in France we traveled to many different places through a variety of means, which all had their own set of pros and cons. Previous to my travel in France I had visited London the previous year and had traveled to various areas of the United Sates, all of which gave me an understanding of travel and the ways it varied in foreign countries. However, my experience in France allowed me to see how differently transportation varied among the different European countries, when compared to my previous experiences, and it allowed me to experience a wider variety of transportation means.
The initial fight to France – or the two fights that brought us to Paris were both made more exciting by the promise of the forthcoming experiences. The second flight got old really fast, and the eight-hour flight time felt like forever. Additionally, I was unable to sleep on the plane which contributed to the exhausting nature of the experience. Overall, I found the baggage process fairly easy, as I didn’t bring that much with me, and it allowed me to have better maneuverability when moving from place to place. As far as the packing itself, it wasn’t too hard to fit all my possessions into a single piece of language and in hindsight I don’t think I brought any unnecessary items. While it was exciting to be going to France, the flights did get uncomfortable, but it was pretty standard for flying. The food and service on the plane was fair, keeping with my expectations. The layovers were manageable, they weren’t too long and allowed us to explore the vicinity while we waited. The airports that we landed in were both pretty standard, although Charles de Gaulle seemed much bigger than the previous two and was harder to maneuver around. When we went through customs in France, the line was much longer than I’ve previously experienced and the officers barely looked at my passport before stamping it and handing it back to me.
The subway system was our main means of transportation while in Paris. Their system seemed older than most others, with fewer escalators and buttons/latches on the car doors. I didn’t see any public buses while in Paris, unlike London and New York, there really was only the subway available to the public. However, the metro was about as busy as other subways, with peak points of traffic in the morning and evening, which made the experience very cramped, but not unexpected for a subway. The high-speed trains that we took from Paris to Vitré were unusually smooth and comfortable, which made the experience much more pleasant, enjoyable, and allowed us to see more of the countryside. I didn’t see as many taxis in France, as in places like New York. Trains were definitely the predominate mode of transportation in France, even being available in smaller towns throughout the country. Additionally, the metro maps appeared easier to read than in New York city. The cars that I saw and rode in were much smaller and more fuel efficient than American cars, as it is more expensive to buy and maintain a car in France. Traveling on foot was our most common method of transportation, which did hurt the feet after a while, but for the most part this was a great way to see the city in-depth, and navigation was fairly straight forward. I feel that if I were to come back to Paris, that I would be able to easily navigate the city, and with the people who are always willing to give directions I don’t think I would get lost.
Henry Livingston
Study Abroad – France 2018 @ FLCC
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(Click here to browse the entire FLCC @ France 2018 Gallery!)
