Return from Provins via Montois and Brie, and maybe via Vaux-Le-Vicomte (all in our power) Chalotre-la-Pitet Saint-Loup-de-No Donmarie-Dontilly Rampillon Brie-Comte-Robert Gros-BoisSin to rush away from Provins, without examining its unique treasures and without climbing the charming

Flight-grass To fulfill any desires, you need to tame this amazing grass, but this is not so easy to do, since, according to stories, it is transported from place to place by itself. All of it shines with rainbow colors, and on a dark night in its flight it looks like a falling star.

Chapter 3. The Comedy of Charles Ponzi: Great Secrets and the Origins of Pyramid Schemes “Ponzi turns one dollar into a million and does it by rolling up his sleeves. You just give him a dollar and Ponzi puts six zeros on it.” Boston Traveler, July 1920 “Reinvest and tell

1901 Fessenden patent for radiotelephone, Marconi transmission across the Atlantic In 1901, Reginald Aubrey Fessenden received the world's first patent for radiotelephone communications. In 1901, on December 12, the 1st long-distance wireless communication (Morse code S) was

Ask any person: “Who was the first to fly across the Atlantic?”, and 90 out of a hundred people will answer: “Charles Lindbergh.” Lindbergh was an incredibly popular character in the 1930s, the hero of numerous newspaper publications, films, historical studies and fiction novels. However, he was not the first to fly across the Atlantic.

In 1913, the British newspaper Daily Mail established a special prize of 10 thousand pounds for the first air flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The prize aroused great interest, and several aviators and engineers began to make plans to win it. But in 1914, the First World War began, and put an end to all plans. In 1918 the war ended and competition for the prize resumed with renewed vigor. The competition was made more intense by the fact that during the First World War, aviation made a qualitative leap, turning from an exotic toy into a real fighting force. The design and production of airplanes has ceased to be the lot of eccentric enthusiasts, and has become a powerful industry with serious engineering teams, large production capacities and considerable cash flows. In addition to money, the first transatlantic flight promised good advertising for the developers, so aircraft manufacturing companies did not stand aside.

In May 1919, pilot H.G. Hawker and navigator Mackenzie Grieve took off on the Sopwith Atlantic airplane. The attempt was unsuccessful - the plane fell into the Ocean, fortunately, both pilots were saved. Around the same time, several US Navy flying boats flew from Newfoundland to Portugal via the Azores. The purpose of the flight (initiated by none other than Richard Bird) was to practice flying over seas. There was no record, since the flight lasted 19 days, and the planes had a large number of landings.

On May 26, 1919, a container with a Vickers Vimy aircraft was delivered to Newfoundland. The airplane was unpacked and assembled in a couple of days without any troubles or delays. The wait for suitable weather began. In the meantime, it was raining, interspersed with sleet. The crew consisted of two people - the pilot, Captain John Alcock, and the navigator, Lieutenant Arthur Brown. Both officers were assigned to the Royal Firing Corps (the prototype of the Royal Air Force). The goal is a direct flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
The fates of these people were in many ways similar - both fought in the World War, both experienced the severity of captivity: Alcock in Turkey, and Brown in Germany, both returned to their jobs after the war, both were inspired by the idea of ​​​​a direct flight across the ocean. Captain John Alcock was born in 1892 in Seymour, Old Trafford, England. He began to show an interest in flying at the age of seventeen, and during the War he became an experienced pilot. Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown was born in Glasgow in 1886. He worked as an engineer in the development of aeronautical instruments. Having heard about the upcoming flight across the Atlantic, he expressed a desire to take part in it and was chosen to be John Alcock's partner.

By that time, the Vickers company had already taken one of the leading positions not only in Britain, but also in Europe. By the beginning of the twentieth century, this company was well known as a shipbuilder. In 1908, His Majesty's Navy turned to its long-time partner with an unusual order - the Admiralty needed an airship. Thus, the Vickers company moved from the sea element to the air element. Over the next few years, the company's factories produced French airplanes under license, and in 1913 they also produced their own design - the F.B.I. At the same time, the Vickers flying school was opened in Brookland. By 1918, the number of Vickers military airplanes reached 4,500 copies.

Vickers Vimy 4

At the end of the war, Great Britain began developing a twin-engine bomber designed to bomb German fortifications at the front and factories in the rear. The aircraft (heavy by the standards of those years), designed by engineer R.K. Pierson and built by Vickers, was named Vickers Vimy IV. A crew of two was required to operate the aircraft. The length of the aircraft is 13 meters (43 feet), the wingspan is 21 meters (69 feet). The power plant is two 12-cylinder Rolls Royce Eagle engines with a power of 350 horsepower each. Like all aircraft of those years, the Vickers Vimy was made of wood, and the three-meter propellers were also made of wood. Maximum speed - 160 km/h, cruising speed - 145 km/h. The maximum flight altitude is 2100 m. Vickers decided that this aircraft was the best suited for the flight.
The aircraft was built at the Weybridge plant in Surrey (Weybridge, Surrey). The cost of a production copy was 3 thousand pounds. It did not have time to take part in the First World War, and was never used for its intended purpose. The aircraft was slightly modified for the transatlantic flight. Firstly, all military equipment was removed from it, and secondly, additional fuel tanks were installed. In order for both pilots to feel a little more comfortable during a long flight, the cabin was slightly expanded. The pilots sat side by side on a narrow wooden bench, on which a thin bedding was laid.

Finally, on June 14, the long-awaited improvement came, and at 16.12 GMT Vickers Vimy 4 took off from a pasture near St. John's on the island. Newfoundland. The fuel capacity was 4,000 liters (1,050 gallons), giving a theoretical range of 2,500 miles (4,000 km). When fully loaded, the aircraft weighed 6 thousand kilograms (13,300 pounds).

Taking off from Newfoundland

There were enough problems during the flight; the danger of a forced landing (which in their situation meant almost one hundred percent death) did not leave the pilots during the entire flight. Radio communications failed immediately after takeoff, and the engines periodically failed. The fog that shrouded the plane prevented the pilots from seeing anything for most of the flight. At some point, the plane stopped obeying the controls and, spinning randomly, began to fall. Falling out of the fog, the pilots saw that the surface of the ocean was already very close. Fortunately, at this moment Alcock was able to regain control of the controls, and the plane began to slowly gain altitude. Orientation in the fog was almost impossible, and throughout the entire journey Brown had a very rough idea of ​​their location. An undoubted success was the brief clearing, during which Brown was able to decide by the stars.

Landing in Ireland

The next morning - June 15, 1919 at 8.25 am - Alcock and Brown crossed the coast of Ireland. The fog stretched all the way to the ground, but the pilots managed to find a suitable clearing and land. The landing was quite hard, the plane was damaged, but the pilots remained safe and sound. Behind us was 15 hours 57 minutes of flight and a journey of 3000 kilometers. The landing site turned out to be next to the Clifden Wireless Station, from where Alcock sent news of the successful completion of the first transatlantic flight.

Brown and Alcock were celebrated as national heroes. The Daily Mail hosted an incredibly grand celebration at the Savoy restaurant, with guests served Oeufs Poches Alcock and Poulet de Printemps a la Vickers Vimy, specially created for the occasion. The pilots and the Vickers company received a special prize of 10 thousand pounds. The plane was taken to the London Science Museum, where it is on display to this day.

In addition to the prize from the Daily Mail, participants received 2,000 guineas from Ardath Tobacco and £1,000 from Lawrence R. Phillips. Both Alcock and Brown were knighted. Much later, in 1954, a monument was erected at Heathrow Airport in honor of their flight. A memorial sign was also installed at the landing site.

John Alcock and Arthur Brown

John Alcock died on December 18, 1919, while flying a Vickers Viking to the Paris Air Show - in Normandy his plane fell into fog and crashed into a forest. Brown continued his work for the company and lived until October 4, 1948, but never flew again.

In 30-40 Vickers was a leading company in the British aircraft industry. Suffice it to say that bombers such as the Wellington and Lancaster and fighters such as the Spitfire were developed by this company. And the production of Vickers military aircraft in World War II already amounted to tens of thousands of units.

The historic British flight fell into obscurity after Charles Lindbergh made his solo flight in the single-engine Spirit of St. in 1927. Louis Lindbergh was the first to fly from continent to continent, which caused an immeasurably greater stir among the public. Well, it should be noted that his PR situation was much better.
The flight of Alcock and Brown ushered in the golden era of propeller-driven aviation, when the romantics' desire for adventure and the general public's interest in their achievements was successfully combined with the desire of the air force to create and demonstrate aircraft with ever greater speeds, payload capacity and range.

Sources used.

In the center of Rio de Janeiro, on the waterfront near the ultra-modern Museum of Tomorrow, there is a model of the world's first airplane, the 14-bis or "Oiseau de proie" (in French, "bird of prey").
Today, Brazil occupies one of the world's leading positions in the field of aircraft manufacturing. Brazil's Embraer (E-Jet) leads the world in the medium-haul (regional) aircraft market.
Thanks to the dominance of the American media in the world, there was a belief about the priority of the Wright brothers, who made the first flight on an airplane. In Brazil and France, undeniable primacy is given to a native of Brazil, holder of the Legion of Honor, aeronaut, pilot and inventor Albert Santos-Dumont(1873 - 1932), who lived for some time in France. The Brazilian was the first in the world to prove the possibility of regular, controlled flights. Santos-Dumont made a public airplane flight in Paris on October 23, 1906. It was the first heavier-than-air vehicle to take off, fly, and land and, unlike the Wright brothers, did not use catapults, high winds, launch rails, or other external devices. The inventor was against the use of aircraft for military purposes.

***
The first transatlantic direct flight was made from Newfoundland (Canada) to Ireland by British pilots John Alkon and Arthur Brown on June 14 - 15, 1919 in 16 hours 28 minutes at an average speed of 190 km per hour. The effect of the jet air current in the Northern Hemisphere from west to east was used. In the opposite direction it would have taken more time, and there were no aircraft with the appropriate resource at that time. The first non-stop 36-hour flight across the Atlantic from Europe (Dublin) to North America took place only a decade later in April 1928.

***
Today, flying across the Atlantic to South America is an everyday affair and requires only patience (up to a 14-hour flight from Paris to Santiago). I first saw the monument to the first airplane (seaplane) and crew that flew from Europe to South America many years ago in Lisbon.

On an English-made Fairey 17 seaplane, Portuguese pilots Gago Coutinho and Sakadura Cabral made the first dramatic flight from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, dedicated to the centenary of Brazilian independence. Aircraft of this type were produced from 1918 to 1941, and took an active part in the Second World War.

During the flight to South America, a new attitude indicator device was tested, allowing one to control the position of the aircraft beyond the visibility of the ground or sea surface.

On March 30, 1922, the pilots took off from the Lisbon naval base and reached the Canary Islands (Las Palmas) late in the evening to refuel. On April 5, another rush was made to the Cape Verde Islands (San Vicente), where engine repairs were required. On April 17, the pilots continued their journey to the rocky uninhabited island of Sao Paulo (St. Peter and Paul). Here, during splashdown in a stormy sea, the airplane lost one of its floats and sank. The aviators were rescued by the Portuguese cruiser Republic, which assisted in the flight. The cruiser delivered the pilots to the port of the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha.

But the epic did not end there. Enthusiastic Brazilians and Portuguese watching the flight forced the government in Lisbon to send another seaplane to the aviators.

The new plane was delivered to the island and on May 11, the pilots took off... in the opposite direction to the island of Sao Paulo to resume the flight from the crash site. However, engine failure forced them to make an emergency landing in the ocean again. The seaplane successfully sank again, and the pilots were picked up by a British cargo ship and taken back to Fernando de Noronha.

But this time, with the support of the Brazilian government, the brave aviators received a third plane, on which they were able to complete the flight with stops in Recife, Salvador da Bahia and Vitoria. Finally, on June 17, the flight was completed in Rio de Janeiro, where the seaplane landed in Guanabara Bay. Brazil greeted the aviators as heroes; at a rally of thousands on the embankment, aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont gave a welcoming speech. The journey lasted 79 days, of which the actual flight time was 62 hours and 26 minutes. The aviators covered a distance of 8,383 kilometers (5,209 miles) by air.

Flight map

***
In 1930, a French pilot Jean Mermoz made the first non-stop flight in history across the South Atlantic. From Toulouse, France, he flew to the African port of Saint Louis (Senegal) located on the Atlantic coast. From here, with 130 kg of mail on a converted plane, he completed a transatlantic flight to Rio de Janeiro in 21 hours. In 1936, the pilot and the plane disappeared on a regular flight over the South Atlantic.

***
Over time, regular passenger flights from Europe to South America began. On July 10, 1962, regular transatlantic flights of the Soviet Aeroflot began to Latin America to Cuba along the route Moscow - Conakry (technical landing) - Havana, and then through the North Pole with an intermediate landing in Murmansk. The specially modernized Tu-114 could accommodate only 60 passengers, but had a large fuel supply. The flight took over 20 hours.

On May 27, 1973, regular flights to Peru and Chile began on the route Moscow - Rabat - Havana - Lima (Peru) - Santiago (Chile). For that time, it was the longest passenger airline in the world (18,000 km), travel time was 23 hours. Today, people fly from Moscow to South America with connecting flights through Paris, Amsterdam, Istanbul and other aviation hubs.

***
One of the largest aviation disasters occurred on the air route between Europe and South America on June 1, 2009. The Air France airliner Airbus A330-203 operated flight AF447 on the route Rio de Janeiro - Paris, but 3 hours and 45 minutes after takeoff it crashed into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and was completely destroyed. All 228 people on board (12 crew members and 216 passengers) were killed. This is the largest disaster in the history of Air France and the largest crash of a passenger aircraft since 2001 until the Boeing 777 crash in the Donetsk region (July 17, 2014, 298 dead).

The causes of the disaster are indicated as freezing of the pitot tubes, the subsequent disconnection of the autopilot and uncoordinated actions of the crew, which led to the stalling of the aircraft, from which the crew was unable to recover. Inconsistency of actions, poor preparation and panic of the crew (co-pilot and trainee who were in the cockpit during the commander's rest). The called commander made the right decision and at an altitude of about 600 meters the plane began to pick up speed, but it was not possible to stop the stall in time. Experts point to shortcomings in the design of modern aircraft and in crew training. Computer systems control the aircraft for the vast majority of the flight, depriving pilots of direct piloting experience and reducing their preparedness for emergency situations.

The national air carrier of Russia - Aeroflot airline - is the most famous in the entire post-Soviet space. The successor to the airlines of the Soviet Union, the leading Russian airline, which accounts for the vast majority of flights. Where does Aeroflot fly? Almost all over the world! As befits one of the largest European air carriers.

Affiliated companies

The main Russian carrier is a very large and reputable company. Aeroflot is considered abroad the best Russian air carrier, and also has some prestigious awards. The company has long been famous for its reliability, quality and comfort in flight, level of service and attitude towards passengers. We can say that every flight will be comfortable, although exceptions do happen, but rarely.

Most of the company's shares belong to the state, so Aeroflot can easily be called a state carrier, but the situation is completely different with its subsidiaries. Where Aeroflot flies least often, its subsidiaries fly there, often acting as independent companies. A huge advantage of such carriers is the cost of a seat on board the aircraft. Most often these are low-cost airlines or charters.

The first ones are famous for their inconvenient places, not the newest ships, but at the same time affordable for almost everyone. Today, many economy class tickets are cheaper than train tickets! The latter do not have a regular schedule and delight with unexpected discounts on comfort class seats.

In total, Aeroflot has three such subsidiaries. Namely, airlines such as Pobeda, Aurora and Rossiya.

Surprise on insufficiently popular destinations

On unpopular routes, passengers often encounter problems. The most common of them is changing an Aeroflot flight to a flight with a subsidiary carrier. This happens especially often when booking tickets online. The order details contain the name of the carrier and the flight number, but this does not mean that passengers will fly with Aeroflot. Don’t worry if, instead of an airplane in the national carrier’s corporate colors, a plane in the “Victory” livery appears. Legally, such manipulations are not a violation. When the main carrier does not have enough ships, it can use the aircraft of its subsidiaries.

Main directions

Where does Aeroflot fly? Almost all over the world, and this is true. The company's aircraft make regular flights to more than 51 countries. The most popular destinations are flights to the countries of the European Union, CIS countries and Asia. Popular world-class tourist countries have more than one destination for a domestic carrier. Also, countries belonging to the CIS have more than one direction. The scheme is simple - if there is great demand, the company provides the route by plane.

Domestic flights

Where does Aeroflot fly within the country? At the moment, flights of this company to almost any Russian airport are carried out non-stop. In some cases, for example, with the Crimean direction, aircraft of subsidiaries are often used. This is due to the congestion of popular tourist destinations.

An interesting feature of domestic flights is the planes. International flights are carried out on the best aircraft from well-known manufacturers. However, within the country, many flights are carried out by domestically produced ships. No, there are no old Soviet aircraft in Aeroflot's fleet. Mostly Russian Superjets are used, and in the future there are plans to purchase new MC-21s.

Transatlantic flights

Aeroflot transatlantic flights operate to 5 destinations. Moreover, 4 of them are carried out in the USA in cities such as Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Flights on the fifth route are to Cuba.

A few years ago, the number of transatlantic destinations was greater. Some flights were to Canada. Currently, Aeroflot planes do not fly to this country.

Transcontinental flights

Aeroflot's transcontinental flight routes are more popular. In total, the airline operates flights to 12 transcontinental destinations. Flights are made to such famous and interesting cities as Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and even Ulaanbaatar.

It is interesting that formally, flights within the country can also be called transcontinental. Especially long flights - such as Moscow-Vladivostok or Moscow-Norilsk. Flights to some of these destinations are longer than transatlantic ones.

New directions of Aeroflot

It is known that only demand leads to supply. New directions depend on demand. Within the country, destinations appear as new air terminal complexes come into operation. International flights are carried out only to those countries with which the airline has an agreement. The inclusion of new countries in the route network (for the most part) does not depend only on the carrier.

Our main destination in the United States was Atlanta, Georgia. It is clear that there is no direct flight from Ukraine, it was necessary to choose the optimal transit. Fortunately, in 2008 there was still a direct flight Kyiv - New York with Delta airlines. Now they have canceled the flight, tentatively until the summer. Well, from New York on local airlines to Georgia. The conference organizers themselves found a travel agency that not only found a convenient flight for us, but also gave us discounts.

It was planned to stay in Atlanta for 6 days and another 2 days in New York (an excursion program was organized for us). But Andrey and I decided to extend our stay in New York for another 2 days so that we could wander around the city ourselves.

Therefore, at the preparation stage, we changed the date of the return flight and extended our hotel reservation in New York.

We took off at lunchtime on January 27th. Flight to New York 10 hours. Then transfer to local airlines and another 3 hours to Atlanta. I was very worried about how I would cope with such a long flight. In the last 3-4 years, I have become somewhat afraid of flying by plane. I don’t know why all of a sudden, but the dream was worth such a sacrifice.

Since Delta cannot have its own terminal in Kyiv, and the check-in procedure for flights to the USA is different from all others, a special zone has been allocated for them in Kiev Borispol. Those. Immediately at check-in, we went through a separate window with the snake so beloved by Americans - a corridor made of fencing tapes. Registration and inspection were carried out only by Delta employees, and some of them were Americans. They even put stickers on our passports indicating that we had passed the inspection.

There was no flight delay, and we boarded the Boeing 747. It was the first time in my life that I flew on such a huge plane. Andrey and I got the side seats near the window. We had to ask at check-in not to be seated in the middle row. Otherwise, there are 4 rows of seats and getting into the center would not be at all comfortable.

After takeoff, I was nervous for probably three hours, when all the passengers, having already eaten, were sleeping peacefully. But the plane flew smoothly, without turbulence, and gradually the fear and anxiety began to go away, since nothing was happening at all! Only slight floor vibration. This is the advantage of such a large aircraft - its stability.

Flying Delta turned out to be very convenient. Nice staff, American women with difficulty, but they speak Russian. We fed him 2 times, which was quite good. Of course, individual packages with socks, pastes, creams and headphones. They gave out more blankets, because... it was cool in the cabin. The monitors under the ceiling reflected all the information about the flight, altitude, temperature, wind and speed, and there was also a map and our trace in real time, i.e. at any moment you can know exactly where we are flying.

And we flew to the northwest through Europe, then England. Then in a wide arc across the Atlantic Ocean. We crossed it closer to the North Pole at its narrowest point. Then along the east coast of first Canada, and then the USA. As I understand it, the flight path is designed to fly over land as much as possible. Although, when we flew across the ocean, there was slight turbulence. It was very interesting to watch the huge ice blocks below from above. Such harsh beauty.

Most of the people were asleep. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t sleep. I entertained myself with everything: I read, played the handheld, and watched videos. By the way, the entertainment on the plane was also great. In the back of the seat in front of each passenger there is an individual monitor, on which films were broadcast non-stop throughout the entire flight, all fresh from recent film releases. All you had to do was plug the headphones into the jack and select the channel with the desired translation. Russian, of course, was. And also on other channels you could listen to various music or news, but this was in English.

In a word, if I had slept more, then the flight could be considered easy, although not fast. I would rather say - boring.

Along the way, I was tormented by the question that if I myself am so needed on the road, then if I fly with children, what should I do with Christina? She'll harass everyone if she doesn't fall asleep!

Since we were flying west, the sun was above us all the time, although night had already fallen at home and the next day, we still had January 27th.

Approaching New York, for some reason I thought that we would be landing from Manhattan, and I would be able to look at the Statue of Liberty. Which one is it! Naive...

But still the view below was quite interesting. Cities, large and small, highways, residential areas and some enterprises. Fields and lakes, rivers, bays... And on them are yachts and boats.

View from the porthole. Below is the US coast and New York.

The sun was already quite low and the photos, already cloudy due to the plane windows, turned out to be pale.

We landed at Kennedy Airport. Delta has its own terminal here. Although the terminal is an understatement. A full-fledged, separate airport, much larger in size than our Boryspil. Later, upon arrival from Atlanta, when we were driving into the city by car, I saw the full scope of the international airport in New York! This is just a colossus that stretches for kilometers and kilometers. Each major airline has its own terminal the size of a standard airport in a capital city. I don’t even know how many of these terminals there are, we drove and drove, and they alternated with huge parking lots. How do people navigate here?!

We were supposed to fly to Atlanta using the same Delta, but since these were already domestic lines, we first had to go through customs and border guards in order to move to another block.

We walked through long gray corridors to passport control. Long queues. I envied the owners of blue passports with an eagle; there was a separate corridor for them, and they walked through it quickly.

And on one of our carry-on suitcases, a wheel came loose, and every time we moved in line, it squeaked disgustingly.

When our turn came, we got an officer of Asian appearance, either Chinese or Vietnamese, a typical nerd with glasses.

I didn’t even realize then that it depended on this guy whether we would be allowed into America or sent on the next flight home. They have such power, despite having a visa.

We were sure that this was just one of the officials who was incredibly bored. He questioned us for a long time about our lives. What kind of business are we doing, how many employees are there, what are the salaries of builders today, and everything in the same spirit. We thought that he was just entertaining himself, but it turns out that this was the final test of our intentions to return to our historical homeland.

Having once again specified how long we planned to stay in the States, he gave us a mark that we could stay in the USA for exactly that number of days and not a day more. So there is no need to confuse the validity period of the visa and the permitted period of stay. If we had violated this deadline by staying an extra few days, the visa could have been cancelled.

And here’s another thing: in films, after they check your passport and visa, they always say “Welcome to America!”

But this uncle didn’t tell us anything, he just gave us our passports and that’s it...

Then again long corridors, a suitcase carousel, our things and customs.

We went through customs quickly, since we did not have anything prohibited, and all the vials, bottles and jars, as well as piercing and cutting objects in the form of a manicure set, were transferred to the main luggage in Kyiv. In hand luggage only the most valuable things, documents, equipment and laptop.

By the way, at the Boryspil airport, when we passed through the frame, they forced us to take off our shoes, but there were shoe covers. But in New York we had to stomp along with Indians and Arabs from parallel flights. Not much pleasant. And yet, we have never taken off our shoes during security checks anywhere else, only in the States.

It turns out that switching from external to domestic airlines is not so easy, much less quick. We had people with us who had flown to the States more than once; they confidently guided us through the labyrinths of this large airport. To cross, we had to use the underground train and go through a number of stops.

One of the long corridors - transitions, on the sides there are conveyors for those who are no longer able to walk.

The wait for the flight to Atlanta was about 30 minutes. We had enough time to look around and have a coffee at the famous Starbucks. Fatigue was already showing, because it was already late at home. Andrey went for a walk, and I looked at the people around.

These Americans are strange, just like from another planet. I'll probably never understand them.

For example, this is the situation. In terms of toilets at the airport, and everywhere else in America, everything is excellent. At the airport they are located every 10-20 meters. Everything is organized so that you don’t touch anything with your hands again. Everything is LED, water taps and soap dishes, paper towel unwinder also works automatically, even flushing the toilet. Those. hygiene at the highest level. And at the same time, having come out of the toilet so clean and sterile, they easily sit on the floor on the carpet (in the waiting area), while leaning on the garbage bins. Well, how can we take them seriously?!

Registration began, but Andrei was not there. I began to actively look out for him, naturally getting nervous. For some reason this alarmed the young ladies at the control. Therefore, when it was my turn to register, I was taken aside and examined. Well, welcome to America, as they say.

Before Atlanta, the plane was no longer so big and the third person sitting with us was a very overweight American. The TV no longer showed Russian films, but I still couldn’t fall asleep. So the three hours to Atlanta was harder than the ten to New York.

When we flew, it was already dark. I looked out the window all the way. We flew along the coast to the south. I was amazed that all of America at night from the height of an airplane looks like a luminous continuous grid with nodes of brightly lit populated areas. Those. the ground below was illuminated all the time. There is probably a high population density in this area.

Atlanta airport is also not small. It was also well modernized for the Olympic Games. Having quickly gone through all the procedures, we received our luggage, which arrived safely, and nothing was lost.

After such a long and tiring flight, it was so nice to be back in the air, standing on solid ground and breathing the warm night air. I hadn’t slept for almost a day, but emotions overwhelmed everyone who found themselves on American soil for the first time. Behind the airport doors was not just another country, it was like another planet. Everything, absolutely everything is different!