DAY ONE.....FLIGHT OVER

So, here we go again!!  And I gotta tell you travelling with a young able bodied, clear thinking, speedy person is a much different experience than travelling with Spod was!  Bless his heart.

We decided to take a third suitcase for shoes, first aid kits, sewing kits, ablution kits, hairspray cans, hangers, clothespins, luggage scale, boots, coats, umbrellas and all things necessary, but usually not takeable due to weight restrictions.

From the moment we hit the airport, April has taken charge of that bag.  What a treat!!!

I like to have nothing with me after I drop my bags.  Nothing.  I am forced to take a small back pack with lap top and pills, but thats it.

Well Spod thought differently.  He would pack his polysporin, endless pills, book, sweater (not sweater but extra t shirt) cords and plug ins and an endless supply of lotions and potions.  That would be his drag along carryon suitcase.  Then he would have a backpack full of underwear, spare pants, socks, lap top and a book.  THEN he would have his cpap (gasper we called it) tote type bag.  I would tell him he can’t have three things.  He would puff up his chest, stick out his chin and in an important voice “Its medical equipment.  We are allowed medical equipment.”  

One day he got a hefty envelope from his cpap rep.  Upon opening it a big important imposing heavy duty plastic tag fell out.  Written on it were those magic words “MEDICAL EQUIPMENT”  Well shit, he was totally ecstatic!!  Ever after that he would put it on that cpap bag, rearrange it and rearrange it until it was at its most prominent visableness.  “Just let them try to tell me I can’t take this with me.  MEDICAL EQUIPMENT doesn’t count!!!” 

He also had a cane.  Now I don’t know about you and me, but this slow moving, not overly co ordinated, oblivious to his surroundings older man was not going to be able to swing three bags with only one available arm and hand.  But guess who, with careful planning I might add, had two arms and hands free.  Yeah, that would be me.  So I would end up with a medical equipment bag in one hand,(which he would actually tell me how to carry so the MEDICAL EQUIPMENT was more obvious) a drag along suitcase in the other and herding a distracted slow moving Spod.  Travelling with April is completely and entirely a different experience.

Another thing that happens with April is attracting young gentlemen.  All of a sudden here nice youngish men are all friendly and talky talky with us.  Oh they talked to me lots, but their eyes didn’t really leave April!  We picked up one in Vancouver.  A super nice guy about forty years old.  He was very funny and quite charming and interesting.  A lovely distraction.  But he ended up sitting in the same row of three seats as us!  I groaned in my head...I think April did too.  The guy was a talker....five hours to Toronto?  Egads!!  But as soon as he sat down he put on headphones and watched his ipad all the way.  Whew!! 

April and I pretty much were glued to the window the whole way.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky all the way to Toronto so we really saw Canada!

We switched to Air France in Toronto.  Now, I am totally flumoxed on how this happened, but when I bought the tickets back in May, they were really cheap.  I was amazed at how cheap.  I then went on Seat Guru to pick our seats, and I discovered that front rows (not first class of course) were available.  So we got two seats in row 11.  That turned out to be two rows from the front and something called premium economy.  The seats were huge...so much space that the drop down tables had to be doubled.  There were first class headphones, not those awful earbuds but real over the ear headphones, for each seat.  And beside the extra large screen on the back of the seat in front of us was a special holder holding bottles of water.  We had awesome fluffy blankets and full wonderful pillows.  The flight attendants handed out zippered purse size bags full of socks, eye thingies, chap stick, toothbrush and toothpaste, mouthwash etc...  Like I said, I do not know how that happened.

Before we left I arranged for a driver to meet us.  He didn’t.  After forty five minutes of

READING MAPS

BREAKFAST GARDEN

EATING FRENCH BUTTER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG LONG TIME

waiting and trying to phone we gave up.  We got a taxi and it took a full hour of awful traffic, scary scary taxi driving to get here...and here is the most awesome beautiful hotel.  Its old old old and rickety and totally charming.  I put some pics on facebook, I will try here but the wifi is awful.  Today I think we are just going to motor around and get our bearings.  I slept all night but April didn’t so right now its nine in the morning here and she is sound asleep and I am starving!  TTYL