2004 France Trip

In October, 2004, I took a business trip to Toulouse, France, for a couple of weeks. Then toured on my own for a week through the cities of Tours, Bordeux, and the Pyrenees.

• Photos

This trip was back in the old days when we could take more than 3oz of liquid on the plane. I discovered that I could get the half-sized bottles of pretty good wine for $3-$4 at the grocery store. This was the perfect size if I didn't want to open a whole bottle just to have a glass or three with dinner. So I stuffed 16 bottles in my carry-on.

I made it through 3 flights from Toulouse to Paris to Chicago to Dallas. Then on the final flight to Austin, they said my carry-on was just a little too big since it didn't fit in the size thingy. I tried to argue it was fragile but they said I would either have to throw out the bag or check it. I checked it. After I arrived in Austin while I was waiting at baggage claim, I could smell the wine before the bag came out. I only lost two bottles. The flight was less than an hour, but already the bag was completely dry. I am sure someone must have been pissed because my broken wine bottles must have soaked someone's bag with red wine.