Some of the people arriving into San Francisco International Airport Saturday afternoon on a direct flight from France had mixed feeling about being back in the bay area. They wished they were back home in Paris to show solidarity with their countrymen who are mourning the tragedy that struck Friday.
Loraine Mignot is visiting her boyfriend in the Bay Area but wishes she was back in France to honor the victims.
“Today you have to put candles in your window to show how much you care for those who were there, so it’s a little sad to not be there for that moment,” Mignot said.
The other travelers we spoke with describe Paris as a war zone last night: as police and military patrolled the streets with automatic weapons. Julien Cssignas, who is visiting the Bay Area, was just a few blocks away from the Bataclan Theater which is where terrorists stormed and killed 89 concertgoers.
“She was running down the street, she escaped from the show, it was pretty incredible,” Cssignas said. “First I thought she was crazy or talking about the movie, then 10 minutes later, I found that it was a real thing.”
Cssignas said he ducked into a café to watch the coverage on TV. He ended up getting stuck in there until 2 a.m. in the morning since the café closed its doors and locked people inside to keep everyone safe.
Flights going to and from Paris are experiencing delays due to increased security measures at airports.
