7:55am, checked in. There are two security lines in CDG Terminal 2C. One
has a 30 minute wait; the other is empty, opening at 8am. So I wait.
8:00, 8:05, 8:10. The friendly French passport officer is sitting there looking
at you indifferently across 20 feet of roped off entrance. Security
screeners behind him, lounging around. When will they open?
It took a Frenchman used to the ways of French civil service to solve the problem. At 8:12am he simply opened the lines himself and walked in, presenting his passport and then whisked through security screening. They may or may not be open at 8:00, but they sure as hell aren't going to make any effort to let you know. |