Welcome to the Entropic Universe Society. Entropy describes a lack of order or predictability. As is the nature of the universe, this blog will follow this thermodynamic phenomenon. There will be no general theme, topic, or general direction. Contained in the writings here will be broad range of thoughts or ideas on a broad range of topic ranging from travel to finance to recipes. I hope you, dear reader, find some joy in this chaotic universe.
Click here to watch the video on youtube in fullscreen.
Tour Eiffel was standing tall in the bright sun of day outside my plane window as we descended toward Charles-de-Gaulle Airport. I had arrived. The strange part of travel is you never really feel like you’re thousands of miles from home. Stepping off the Boeing 777, I couldn’t believe I made it. I’ve had a recurring dream where I get on a flight to Paris, but I always wake up in real life before the landing. But here I was, hustling with several other passengers through the gargantuan airport that is CDG.
A french family of three sat in front of me the entire flight and disembarked behind them. I hustled behind them knowing they probably knew where to go. I followed them until we were separated by custom lines. The customs officer opened my passport and stamped it without question. I’m not sure if he even looked at my picture.
I collected my baggage and wandered through the airport following signs that said, “Paris by Train.” I read that I needed to take the RER as it was the cheapest way to get into Paris at €10.30 or about $11.40. I bought my ticket at the automated kiosk and asked an airport worker for directions to the train. I saw the train at the bottom of the escalator and hustled toward it. There was a gypsy there that said, “This train for Paris,” in english. I was actually under the impression she might have been some ununiformed cleaning woman or something, but she went around the train asking for money afterward. The RER was off and I was headed to Gare du Nord, speeding past the parisian suburbs.
When I arrived Gare du Nord, I was confused. I was underground in a foreign country. I had planned on taking a taxi to my hotel from the station as it would be cheaper from Gare du Nord than from the airport. I looked for exit signs, but I couldn’t find one in my tired state. I saw an entrance to the subway, so I used my RER ticket to transfer into the station, hoping to find an exit. That ended up being a bad idea as I learned both directions led to subway trains. I tried to use the ticket to exit the station, but it wouldn’t let me. I was trapped.
So, it seemed I was destined to take the subway to my hostel. I used my phone to route the best way to Les Piaules, my hostel. The subway was on tracks up the stairs, so I carried my heavy luggage up the stairs. A frenchman offered to help me with my bags, but I was too paranoid and told him no thank you. He started walking away annoyed, but then I said, it’ll help me build muscles, and it made him laugh. I took the subway to my transfer point where the train dove underground again. The transfer point was above ground, so I had to carry my luggage up the stairs again. I transferred and that train went underground as well. I disembarked at my stop and climbed the stairs once more. The french seemed to love building steps.
I had taken plenty of subway in New York City and some in Chicago. After taking subways throughout Paris, I realized quickly that once you learn how to take them in one city, you can do it in every city. Subway trains are more or less the same around the world and can be navigated as such.
I checked into my hostel and stored my baggage in a locker downstairs as the rooms were not ready yet. It was time to explore, Le Paris!
Anxiety still fills my mind thinking back on this day. I was awake early on the morning of July 4. I wasn’t worried about missing my flight. I had signed up for a sketchy cash-only shuttle to take me from the hostel to the airport. I was scheduled to leave for the airport at 9:30…
Anxiety still fills my mind thinking back on this day. I was awake early on the morning of July 4. I wasn’t worried about missing my flight. I had signed up for a sketchy cash-only shuttle to take me from the hostel to the airport. I was scheduled to leave for the airport at 9:30 A.M for my 1:10 P.M flight to Seoul. That should be plenty of time. I was awake at 6:30 A.M, took a walk at the nearby Parc de Belleville, and had a satisfying breakfast consisting of coffee and a french pastry. Today was going to go smoothly.
The shuttle picked and another passenger up a little late, but nothing to panic over. I met a woman in the shuttle from Wisconsin who had just completed a bicycle trip through the Netherlands. Her phone was stolen on the train to Paris, so she didn’t know her flight details. I let her borrow my phone to check which terminal she needed to be dropped off to.
The shuttle hit a little traffic, but there was still plenty of time. I walked inside the terminal, crowded to the max with passengers from all over the world. I found the baggage check-in counters for my flight, but the line stretched down the hall. It was 10:45 A.M. I did the math in my head, if I got through this line in say, 30 minutes, and security in say an hour, I would be fine. I’d even be able to wander the terminal a bit.
Time passed by… 15 minutes… 30 minutes… 45 minutes… the line barely moved. I could see the mass of people still in front of me. I started to get a little nervous. But I still had plenty of time. It was only 11:30 A.M. The line slowly inched forward until I finally got the check-in counter at a little before noon. Okay, I was running a little tight. I checked my bag and sprinted to the security line.
To my dismay, the security line was worse than the baggage check-in line. I nervously stood in line as it creeped forward. I could see the line zig-zag back and forth to what seemed liked miles ahead. There was an American family in line that asked a security person if they could move up as their flight was leaving in 20 minutes. I waited painstakingly in the line, praying it would move faster.
It was 1:00 P.M when I finally reached the checkpoint. This entire time, I thought it was a line for security. No, this line was only for passport control. Security was later. I checked my passport through and suddenly it was the Kentucky derby as I sprinted toward the signs directing me to my terminal. I reached a dead end where I realized I was being directed to an entire separate terminal. I had to take a tram to this other terminal. I waited again, watching the clock anxiously. The tram came and I anxiously hopped on board. I met a guy from Taiwan who was flying home. We talked about how we were anxious about missing our flights. The tram still hadn’t left the station, and I remember verbalizing angrily that this train needed to move.
The tram took several minutes to get to the next terminal. The guy from Taiwan and I both wished each other good luck as the tram arrived at the next terminal. The doors opened, and it was Preakness as we sprinted through the airport, up the stairs, and hit, you guessed it, THE SECURITY LINE. The line stretched a long way. Not as long as the passport line, but long enough to where I knew I was going to miss my flight. I stood in line with the Taiwanese man in disbelief that I had come so far and I was going to miss my flight. In my mind, I was at least thankful I had purchased travel insurance to cover this. A message arrived on my phone from Air France explaining that the doors were closing.
I begged a worker as she walked by to move me up in line, showing her my ticket and the time, but she told me she only helps business class passengers. Another flight attendant walked by, and I begged her to move me up. She did not understand english very well, so I pointed to the time on my ticket. My new Taiwanese best friend spoke french to her and explained my situation. Thank god for that man. She nodded and took my ticket up to the security line and came back. She motioned me to follow and moved me to the front of the security line.
I threw my belt and shoes off into the tray. I ripped my laptop out of my backpack. I stuffed everything into the security trays, my personal belongings loose. I went through the metal detectors and was cleared. I put my shoes on halfway and grabbed all my loose items, belt and laptop in my arms. There was no time to repack. If earlier was Kentucky and Preakness, this was the Belmont stakes, and I was determined to win the triple crown. I sprinted up the stairs and through the terminal, the bougie french airport shops a blur as I read the signs directing me toward my gate. With my belt in hand, my pants began to fall down, so I had to continue to pull them back up. I sprinted to the gate like my life depended on it.
I saw two women at the check-in counter. They saw me coming in hot. I slammed the ticket on the counter and they scanned it. I walked briskly down the ramp to board the plane, followed by a flight attendant. I boarded the plane and watched as they closed the door shut behind me. I found my row. A french woman in the aisle seat and a Korean woman in the middle stared at me in my frazzled state. I handed the Korean woman a bunch of my loose items and asked her to set it on my seat. I shoved my carry-on in the overhead compartment and the two women got out to let me into my seat. I checked the time, it was 1:11 P.M. A whole 11 minutes after my flight was scheduled for takeoff. I took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from my forehead. I made it. I was going to Korea.
Image taken from my window at CDG as I barely made my flight.
Click here to watch the video on youtube in fullscreen. Tour Eiffel was standing tall in the bright sun of day outside my plane window as we descended toward Charles-de-Gaulle Airport. I had arrived. The strange part of travel is you never really feel like you’re thousands of miles from home. Stepping off the Boeing…
Click here to view the video in fullscreen on youtube.
By Kim L. O’Connell 김현승
In May of 2019, I graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Chemical Engineering. As part of my plan before entering the workforce, I wanted to travel. Every summer of college, my friends were able to go on amazing study abroads while I had to stay in the U.S. to work and complete internships. That said, it was all worth it. The internships gave me valuable experience that resulted in me getting an amazing job that I love today. But my heart still yearned to see the world.
I knew I wanted to go to Korea. It was the country I was born in. I wanted to see where I had come from and experience the culture. Growing up, I always wondered what the faraway peninsula that I was born at was like. However, flights to Korea are quite expensive, especially flying from the midwest. I did quite a bit of research and noticed an interesting flight out of Toronto. The flight was listed as 40 hours and included a 20 hour layover in Paris through Air France. The return trip had the option of going back through Paris or Amsterdam through KLM. It then gave me an idea, what if I used the multi-city option on google flights and made the trip include three days in Paris and three days in Amsterdam. The option existed and didn’t raise the price. I booked the flight through KLM for $1411 CAD or $1080 USD. Air France was more expensive for some reason even though it was the same flight. Not a bad price for three countries! I was extremely excited to go on this trip of a lifetime.
During my last semester of college, I worked an internship with CertainTeed/Saint-Gobain. I continued this internship after graduation until the trip. My last day at CertainTeed was on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. My co-workers took me out to lunch at Ichiban grill. It was a great conclusion to my time there. While I enjoyed my time there, I was ready to see the world.
The next days, Thursday and Friday, were reserved for packing and my last days living in Michigan. I also got new tires for my car on that Thursday.
I said goodbye to my parents and left for Buffalo, NY on the morning of Saturday, June 29 and my journey to foreign lands began.
I drove to Lexi’s house in Buffalo, NY on the morning of Saturday, June 29. I had originally planned to drive through Canada to get there, but opted to go through Ohio instead. I was already going to be doing several border crossings and did not want to add more. I arrived without issue to Lexi’s house. That night, Lexi, her parents, and I all went to Duff’s for famous Buffalo wings for my last All-American meal. It was technically my last day in the U.S.A.
The next morning, June 30, 2019 at approximately 7:30 A.M. EST, Lexi and I left for Toronto to celebrate my last day on the North American continent. We parked at the Eaton Centre. We’ve always had good luck finding inexpensive parking in such a central location. We visited several sites that day including Kim’s Convenience, the store featured in the hit CBC show. We explored the waterfront and had lunch at the Amsterdam Brewhouse. Lexi and I had a craving for Fish n’ Chips and this was what we could find.
Afterward, we explored the mall at the Eaton Centre, which was much larger than we first thought. From there, we headed to the hotel. I had booked a night at the Four Points by Sheraton – Toronto Airport. I chose it as it was right next to the airport and also provided a shuttle. While reading reviews of hotels before booking my stay, I came across this entertaining hotel review on trip advisor:
The hotel service was probably some of the best I ever had. They were just so attentive and made me feel welcome. They made the shuttle signup easy and offered complimentary late checkout. I declined the late checkout, as I was planning on relaxing in the Air France/KLM lounge. Later, I would realize not taking the late checkout was a mistake. Lexi and I enjoyed the hotel amenities such as the pool and hot tub. For dinner, we had souvlaki at a nearby greek restaurant called Zets. To this day, Lexi exclaims at how good the meal was.
The next morning, I said goodbye to Lexi as she headed back to Buffalo. She had left early, so I did some repacking. I was completely ready by 9:00 A.M. and already bored. I scheduled myself for the 11:00 A.M. shuttle as I could no longer contain my excitement for travel. The shuttle came and I promptly made it to the airport for my flight scheduled to depart at 6:25 P.M. Upon arrival at Toronto-Pearson International Airport (YYZ), I printed my ticket at the kiosk. I was alerted that my flight had been delayed by 45 minutes. No problem, I was planning on going the airport lounge all day anyway. I just needed to check my bag. I walked around the airport looking for the Air France baggage check-in counters. They were nowhere to be found. I checked my phone, ticket, and signs to make sure I was in the right terminal. I was. The only Air France baggage check-in counters I could find were closed. This was a problem as I couldn’t relax in the airport lounge until I checked my bag. I made a call to Air France customer service and they informed me that as Air France only had one flight per day from Toronto, the counter would not open until 4:00 P.M. At the time of my call, it was around noon. The only food available was a Wendy’s which did not sound appetizing at the time. I had not eaten breakfast and all I had in my backpack were cliff bars. The terminal was awfully crowded, so there was nowhere to sit, but on the floor. I regretted not accepting that late checkout. I sat down on the floor and passed the time on my phone for three more hours. Yeah, I know this is all a first world problem. Looking back, it wasn’t that bad, I was just really excited to experience an airport lounge for the first time.
The baggage check-in finally opened up at about 3:00 P.M. thankfully. The long wait had finally come to an end as my electronics began to run out of battery. I finally checked in my bag and made it through security. I headed through the airport to the destination I had been waiting all day for.
The Air France/KLM Lounge cost $35 CAD or about $26 USD. I paid for my entrance and the woman at the counter informed me that my flight was delayed again to 8:00 P.M. At least now I was in a quiet lounge with food and unlimited drinks separated from the chaos outside. I charged my devices and ate lots of food at the buffet.
After an entire day of waiting, at 8:02 P.M EST, my flight departed from Toronto International Airport (YYZ) on Air France Flight 0351 with service to Paris, France.
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