We definitely thought we’d sleep on the overnight flight from L.A. to Paris.
But we were mistaken.
Instead, we arrived at Paris-Charles De Gaulle airport in an exceptionally groggy state with an hour to get through the passport line, collect and re-check our baggage, and catch our connecting flight.
But we were misinformed.
Our bags wouldn’t be coming down the luggage conveyor we were watching so intently. By the time we realized they were booked through and already on the plane for Madrid, we almost didn’t make the flight, arriving breathless at the gate as final boarding calls were announced.
The plane took off, and we could see the Seine below us through breaks in the clouds.
A couple hours later in Madrid, we found ourselves once again staring down a baggage carousel, so we could switch airlines for our last flight.
It was around 11pm when that flight landed in Rome, and we went – one more time – to wait for our bags.
And that is how you tour three European capitals’ baggage claim areas in one day.
