The others - day 23 (Lecce to Paris)

Travel always throws up interesting circumstances! We had booked our cab for 6.30 this morning to go from the hotel in Lecce to the bus station for the 6.55 shuttle to Brindisi airport. Up at 5.30 and were lucky to find the breakfast room open as they have been accommodating some Cabinieri (police) and they were having an early breakfast. Easy carbide (apart from the rough road) to the bus station where the cab driver left us with the instruction "stay right at this spot as this is where the shuttle will pick you up" - stood there with some other travellers, luggage etc and exactly at 6.55 a bus pulled in - are you the airoporto shuttle? No. Another bus came in behind. Are you the aeroporto shuttle? Driver nodded and put our luggage in the luggage compartment. Joined the line and got to the driver and presented money. ??? - no no not aeroporto- lady sitting in front row informed us this was the bus to Naples and that the airport shuttle had just left! Driver went to get our luggage back out of compartment and same lady emerged from the bus and spoke (animated Italian of course) to the driver who then put our luggage back and signalled for us to get on board. Explained in sign language that he would meet the shuttle bus near Brindisi and we would swap. More animated conversation by driver on his mobile and we were off with applause from all the passengers! Sure enough, rapid detour into a servo just outside Brindisi and "arrivaderci" and " molto grazie" to driver and passengers and we were on the shuttle! Still not sure how that all happened but again human kindness and helpful people saved the day! Got on-time flight from Brindisi to Rome where we had a three hour transit but enjoyed a really nice panini with pork etc for lunch. Plane to Paris was tgen delayed an hour so we had a FOUR hour wait time but finally got off on what I think was the most beautiful flight I've experienced - right up the Italian coast and then across the Italian/Swiss Alps which still had snow on the high points. Across Switzerland with its lakes and villages end mountains - absolutely spectacular flight. Arrived in Paris at 4.30, transferred to terminal 3 by auto shuttle and bought our tgv tickets for the trip to Rennes tomorrow from a machine! So clever. Also found our way to the citizen m hotel which has check-in via a computer and everything in the room is run from an iPad. Where are you Claire and Jessie and Tom? Actually had a really good (late) dinner - all ordered and delivered high tech of course - curried lamb and a chicken/potato dish plus cab sad- very good. All the serendipitous nature of travel - that's what makes it such fun! Unfortunately o photos from todzy as my camera was in tge overhead locker whilst we flew over the alps but got a couple on tge phone to show later. A couple from the ride-