Au Revoir, Paris

So Wifey said she had a dream about celebrating our 25 year anniversary: just the two of us in Paris. I told her that if we went to France, I also wanted to visit Normandy, and tour the beaches where my father was NOT killed during WW II (but for a stroke of amazing luck, he might well have been, and then this blog would be blank space).

I booked the airfare and she booked the hotels and tours, and we were set to leave on April Fool's Day. The old English major in me can't resist symbolism, and anyone foolish enough to stay married so long ought to pay homage to that holiday, I figured.

And then, alas, Wifey's bad back reared its head. We thought she had fully recovered from the crippling times she had some years ago, but you can't really ever be cured of a bad back any more than you can be cured of, say, alcoholism; it's always there, dormant, and flares up.

She went to a PT, who told her to continue with therapy, but to not walk for more than 10 minute periods of time, for the next month or so. Being in Paris and Normandy requires walking more than 10 minute periods, of course.

I called American Airlines, and told them about this, and would they waive the normal cancellation fees. The agent checked the records, saw that I was a Gold Member with nearly 1.5 million miles, and the least they could do was refund all the fare money, and wish Wifey a speedy recovery. Ha! As if! They charged us $500 per ticket cancellation, and told us we'd have to use the remaining credit by the end of the year or lose it forever.

We thought the hotels were non refundable, too, but it turned out there are relatively small fees involved. So the bottom line is it cost a total of about $2000 to NOT go to Paris...

As Tony S says, what are ya gonna do?

Wifey already seems to be on the mend, fortunately. I have some business trips I can use the credits on, and Wifey wants to go visit her best friend in Atlanta soon (you don't have to walk for periods greater than 10 minutes in Atlanta).

And there's plenty of fun stuff going on here, like the rapid decline of my father in law into an Alzheimer's fog, which Wifey, as his only child, must deal with.

I plan to heartily celebrate St. Paddy's Day, right here in Miami. Ireland is on the same continent as France...