First to the French Consulate in San Francisco

May 25, 2010

We had all the required paperwork and copies, we had our confirmed appointment, and the sun was shining beautifully. So far so good!

We arrived at the Consulate promptly at 2PM (our appointment time) along with four other people. A stern guard was there to screen us all, and only three of us actually got in. (She definitely looked like she could handle the job!) The gentleman in the Visa section looked quite stern but turned out to be a very pleasant person with a sense of humor. And, he only wanted originals- not the copies the website said we had to have. He read all our various documents thoroughly and approved of everything, and then we had our fingers scanned for the biometric visas. He said our passports and visas should arrive early this week. "No promises, of course, about the visas, but there shouldn't be a problem." (The guard even smiled as we left.)

We stopped for a glass of wine to celebrate and then got on BART for the ride back to the eastside.