On this date in 1974

"someassemblyrequired" (someassemblyrequired) 03/08/2017 at 13:15 • Filed to: None

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Charles de Gaulle airport opened in Roissy, France. Video is in French, but has a great walkthrough of the original configuration. Plus lots of vintage airplanes and Citroens!

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > someassemblyrequired 03/08/2017 at 13:20

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TIL that Roissy is a real place.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > someassemblyrequired 03/08/2017 at 13:22

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This is entirely why I “love” the French.

“Zis is not zhust an Ahirport , zis iz ahrt . Whe haf made an ahirport on zee level wiss Michalango’s Dahveed and zee Sistine Chapel.”

“Um, it’s a sprawling mess of concrete.”

“IT IZ AHRT YOU PHILISTINE! Mon dieu !”

someassemblyrequired > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 03/08/2017 at 13:24

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I think it’s actually in like six or seven different communities, but Roissy is the one everyone seems to use.

someassemblyrequired > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 03/08/2017 at 13:28

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TRUTH. Plus CDG T1 lifts many elements of YYZ’s old Terminal 1 (64) and TPA’s terminal (72). Which makes it even more French.

Sir Halffast > someassemblyrequired 03/08/2017 at 13:41

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That’s a long time to be the shittiest major city airport in the world.

someassemblyrequired > Sir Halffast 03/08/2017 at 13:48

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Hey hey hey, just because you got lost in the tubes there don’t be hating.

Sir Halffast > someassemblyrequired 03/08/2017 at 14:10

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Didn’t get lost, just spent the entire time in transit wondering if it was going to collapse on me.

someassemblyrequired > Sir Halffast 03/08/2017 at 14:25

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This is a valid fear.

ivnic8 > someassemblyrequired 03/08/2017 at 16:28

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My wife and I flew out of CDG to come home from our honeymoon in 1998. The taxi to the airport was in a Passat wagon, and the driver was C R A Z Y. He was doing about 100mph (160kph) through morning traffic as if it was nothing - it scared the Hell out of us.

At CDG, we were through security, walking around the 2nd level, and we heard a loud explosion. We could see smoke rising from below. Looking over the railing, I could see that security used a shotgun to blow up a package that was left on top of a pay phone. You could see the hole in the phone, and guys poking through the package. Most people seemed to take it in stride - just another day in a busy European airport.

someassemblyrequired > ivnic8 03/08/2017 at 16:59

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That’s a great story. To have been a fly on the wall while those cops were talking strategy. Cop #1: “We should call the bomb squad.” Cop#2: “Or we could just blast it with a shotgun. Haven’t you always wanted to shoot a payphone with a shotgun?” 

tromoly > someassemblyrequired 03/08/2017 at 17:55

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Neat place, had a ~6 hour layover there last year, unfortunately my flight in there was >2 hours late otherwise I’d have hopped a train into Paris. Still was a decent time, I’d fly through there again.