Off to Paris!

I arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, yesterday afternoon. My friend Helene picked me up at the airport, and we spent the night at her place in Bridgetown. Today we return to the airport and head to Paris--first class!

I have never flown first class, but Helene is an Air Canada retiree and so gets breaks on air fares. This is going to be quite a treat, from what I hear from those who have flown first class before.

Helene and I rented an apartment in the 3rd District of Paris for six nights, then we are off to visit our mutual friend Khadidja, who lives in Monton, a little town about three hours southeast of Paris. All told, I will be gone 15 days.

This may be my last trip on dialysis. Yippee! Not only is travel complicated and burdensome because of all the supplies I must lug with me, but airport security is a hassle. Every time I am patted down, and often I am taken in a back room so that the guards can check out my dialysis tubing and insulin pump. And of course my luggage is thoroughly searched and dusted for drugs. If I believed that the world was awash with terrorists, as our government wants us to believe, I might--might--think this is OK. But as I believe that all this Homeland Security bullshit is simply a means to surveille and subjugate the citizens, I am impatient with it, to say the least.

As I travel, though, my supplies will be diminished, and by the end of the trip, I will probably be able to fit everything into one checked bag.

Bon voyage!