Monday, May 1, 2000
Michael O'Brien dropped me off at the airport today. I'm going to Europe for the first time! I'd gotten my passport, gone to Rick Steves seminars, bought my money belt and backpack/suitcase, and bought lots of guide books I didn't have time to read. I left Seattle at 10:28 AM on Boeing 757 via United. Arrived in Chicago for a 75-minute layover, then switched to a Boeing 777 and arrived in Paris at 8:35 AM on May 2. The planes were great—each seat had an LCD monitor showing the flight position on a map, the outside temperature, origin and destination local times, airspeed, and altitude. 9 channels of video, 21 channels of audio. The map also showed multiple views from the pilot's point of view. Cool! Exchange rates at this time were: 1 British Pound = US$1.53. 1 Dutch Guilder = US$0.43. 1 French franc = US$0.15. 100 Spanish pesetas = US$0.57. (The euro was not yet in place by a year or two.)