Wondering if BGE ( Brenda ) arrived in Paris? Has anyone heard from her since she left Florence last Wed.?

I'm here!
Busy, with pre-arranged stuff...the day in Chartres, the day at the Louvre and the Tuillieres Jardins...tomorrow being a holiday and getting bread and produce before the Sunday closing...
I'll start my new page from Paris hopefully tomorrow...
Thanks for asking, June!
Au 'voir...

"Paris in the spring...flowers blooming, days warm and mellow, bread fresh from the bakery...such a beautiful thing!"
Brenda

Wow! You've been busy!
I am wondering how your flight on easyJet went from Florence to Paris? How was the baggage limit and the transfer to your apartment?
Good to know you're there. Have a wonderful time in Paris. J.

...well, the flight with Easyjet was/is an experience...
At the airport in Pisa, the people checking us in were not allowing any baggage as carry-on that violated their size restrictions...my carry-on didn't pass their criteria, despite the fact that it has been my carry-on for over years and I measured it to make sure it WOULD pass.

Long story short, there were many of us who were made to check our carry-on luggage, and certainly not given much time to unload any valuables from the bags, before we handed them over to the staff...

When I arrived at my apartment in Paris, and began unpacking my luggage, to my shock I discovered that my former carry-on/now checked bag had been vandalized...the zipper hashed, the contents looked like someone had dumped everything out and then threw it back in, totally messed up. After getting my head around this and realizing what had happened, I began cleaning up the broken toiletries and hand lotion, which had been smashed and now covered everything, as you can imagine...

It was then that I realized that the gold bracelet that I had purchased for my daughter, plus the 2 pairs of gold earrings that I bought for myself were not there...the bag that the boxes containing the jewellry had been sealed in at the store was ripped open, the boxes lay open...and empty.

I know a few choice four-letter friend-getters in Italian, and believe me, they flew through the air thick and fast...I'll leave it at that, as I am in contact with my rental agent in Florence, who is being a total gem in helping me...I don't want to give any other details here, until I know what the outcome of this will be...let's just say that I find it extremely interesting that only my former carry-on/currently checked bag was the ONLY one touched. My other luggage was intact. I checked in near the first of the line of people at that gate...and my luggage, which should have been last off, in that case, was among the first luggage to appear on the carrousel in Paris...

So, that will explain my absence here...I've been dealing with this since I arrived...now, I'm off to call a number in Pisa, provided by my most kind rental agent in Florence...I'm nominating him for a special award, for going above and beyond what has been required.

If anyone knows a big, mean, bodybuilder-type, who has a few friends, let me know...there is a person or two at the Pisa airport I'd like to have them "talk" with!

Paris is lovely, and I'm not letting this incident ruin the precious days I have here in this exquisite place. More later...

"When life hands you lemons, make limoncello!"
Brenda

Oh Brenda,

I'm so sorry about your bag being vandalized. After reading your post I remembered we had some clients a couple of years ago who said their bags had been broken into also in Pisa. I hope you can resolve this speedily and to your satisfaction. Darn them!!!

Ginger

Oh Brenda,
I am so upset for you-what an awful experience! Besides being pissed off, I feel your pain in losing the items you probably spend much time over picking out and debating whether the cost was worth it. What a gem your rental agent has been! I hope you can put it temporarily behind you to enjoy the very beautiful Paris.

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that this happened to you. Did others have this happen as well?
My son had his suitcase vandalized in St. Martin on a package tour...between the airport and hotel. It really put a damper on his first day there.
I hope you get your valuables back.
And I hope the rest of your trip goes well. J.

Brenda,
I'm so sorry to hear your story. We are planning to fly EasyJet from Milan to Paris next month. I will be traveling, as usual, with just a (legal limit) rolling carry-on. I wonder if I should I just go ahead and check it rather than risk a scene at the gate? Sounds like locks wouldn't do any good either - a knife could probably go through any soft sided luggage....

-Krista

The carryons that EasyJet allows are less than what a typical American airline allows. Double-check the EasyJet site and based on Brenda's experience, be careful even then.
The sizer I have seen at EasyJet check-in is fairly small - a 22" suitcase is too big. EasyJet says 55 x 40 x 20 cm on their web site and 55 cm = 21.65", but it didn't look like it would work.

Edit: I posted something incorrect about Ryanair. This is what they say as of today: Cabin Baggage Allowance:
Ryanair allows each passenger (excluding infants) to carry one small piece of hand baggage on board. The hand baggage must not weigh more than 10kg and be less than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm, in dimensions. For the safety and convenience of all passengers, hand baggage must fit underneath the seat or in the overhead compartment.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: WillTravel,

Oh, Brenda...what an off-pissing event.

This business with checking carry-ons. A few years ago I went to Florida with my husband, who was already rather sick. We were staying at a nice hotel and I brought some good jewelry as we would have a safe in the room. Long story short --- I planned to carry my carry-on, then checked it at the last minute. When I arrived home I found that someone had gone through my bag and taken ONLY THE GOOD STUFF --- the gold necklaces, my diamond studs and a gold-and-topaz brooch that my MIL had given me. I guess last-minute checked carry-ons are a starred item. Can't blame the Miami airline staff but the baggage handlers in either Miami or Newark.

Now I only travel with jewelry I can wear. And I never replaced the diamond studs.

But of course it is much, much worse when it is things you have specially picked out on vacation. Hope you get to enjoy Paris a bit, despite the infernal vagaries of travel.

Every airline has its own peculiar regulations; for example, I found that Air France was much less accommodating than Alitalia.

M

quote:

Originally posted by Marian:
for example, I found that Air France was much less accommodating than Alitalia.

How so Marian? Just curious, since we will be making a couple of Air France connections both in and out of Paris.

Jody

{ fixing quote }

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pauline,

Brenda, sorry to hear about your experience with your luggage and your belongings. Gotta love those fun little unexpected airport experiences!

In the meantime, hope you enjoy your time in Paris/France. We rented an apt in Paris last year and enjoyed "living" in the city so much. We've rented another place along the Cote D'Azur and will be there next week -- cannot wait!!

Will be anxious to read about the rest of your trip. Have a great time!

Jody

I think Brenda should be on her way home now. Hope she had a great trip for the most part.

Jody --- When I checked in for my Air France EWR/Paris flight, they had a little wire bin. My 22" roll on, which I've used for years, did not make the cut. It was fine for Alitalia on the return trip, and other flights on Continental as well. So check the AF website, and make a printout of their requirements.

M

Will do Marian. Thanks for the heads up.

Jody