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When a friend asks if you want to join him in France, you say “yes.” July 2022 in Bordeaux…

When I met Chris, he was already obsessed with Burgundian wines. Since he’s the oenophile in the house, I drink Burgundy. Of course, I’m aware that there’s another top-notch wine region in France, Bordeaux, but I just don’t have much knowledge or experience with those wines or that region. But like any good student of life, I try to be curious and open, so when friends proposed spending a week in Bordeaux, we said “when”? And when they proposed going for Chris’ birthday, we said “Absolument!”

Getting there: paid economy (boring!) for direct flights on AA, where I was Executive Platinum. Applied SWUs, but the upgrades didn’t clear (unsurprising). AA economy for trans-Atlantic flights are pretty much run-of-the-mill, although it does help to have airline status to get our pick of MCE seats and access to the Flagship Lounge in ORD.

Where we stayed: I don’t love AirBnb, but for two couples traveling together, where one partner in each couple loves to cook, Airbnb is undeniably convenient. We pulled this trip together relatively last-minute (just a couple of months in advance), so selection for accommodations were slim. I found a gorgeous apartment in the heart of Bordeaux and only later realized that the apartment didn’t have air conditioning. We got lucky: the weather was perfect and opening the windows for air circulation did the trick in keeping the place sufficiently cool. But had we been there even a week later, this mistake would have made us miserable: a nasty heat wave (adversely affecting that year’s grapes) came through soon after we left.

Getting back: I applied my SWUs to the trip back, thinking the upgrades wouldn’t clear but hey, might as well try! And initially the trip did not begin auspiciously: I got hit with the dreaded SSSS. As I submitted to additional security, the gate agent informed Chris that our upgrades *might* clear and that we should stand by. Secondary security was conducted on the jet bridge (WTF!?!), so Chris waited in the gate area as I went to deal with SSSS. After my bag was checked (again), I waited on the jet bridge as Chris texted me updates on whether we were going to get upgraded. Finally, our upgrades were processed (sorry to the couple who missed this flight!) and Chris met me on the jet bridge with our new boarding passes in fancy class!! Getting upgraded on a summer flight between Europe and the US definitely counts as a minor miracle in my book.

Would we choose Bordeaux over Burgundy? Nah. Worth the visit? Bien sur!