An early start to the day. 6:00am. Up to see Dylan, Christy, Taylor and Rick off to work. Considerable effort to re-pack the backpack and cinch it down to dimensions that joule pass airline regulations, but still concerned the height may cause problems.
Next a wait for the Community bus to PoCo station, a fare upgrade to catch the Trainbus to Waterfront Station, then a short hike over to the Skytrain to the airport. Arrived before noon. Flight doesn’t leave until 4:00. At the White Spot for lunch , the feature was a burger with prosciutto, portobellos, and Fontina cheese. A good baseline meal for comparison when we land in Rome later tomorrow.
Check-in and security were ridiculously simple. No concern about bag, no security inspection, just a stroll to the gate and a two– hour wait to board.
The plane, ‘Old Rauma’, a KLM 777 arrived soon after we did, and boarding was smooth. We had booked upgraded aisle seats across he from one another, but my row Ed up with no other passengers, so I slid over to window and Sherry took the aisle with an empty seat between us.
Right now we’re crossing the Saskatchewan-Manitoba-Nunavut border. We’re two hours and a bit into the flight. According to the on-board display, our ground speed is 565 mph, we have 5924 km remaining to fly,and another 6:50 minutes to. Once we arrive in Amsterdam, we transfer to an Alitalia flight after a two hour wait, then fly a couple of hours into the Fulmicino airport, then a short train ride on the Leonardo Express train to our hotel.
Five hours later: about to pass over Scotland, just north of Belfast. A short nap for me earlier, and a couple of movies — Hugo and excruciatingly Loud something or other — a post-911 coming to terms with it flick where Tom Hanks died early and Sandra bullock did not much of anything. Only 974 km left. Outside air temperature has warmed to –47 C.
Unfortunately, Sherry had a bit a discomfort a few hours ago. Felt faint and hot. Called the stewardess who brought cold compresses and a Mars bar. that and a mini Mars bar seemed to do the trick. She’s managed about 3 hours of sleep and seems to be better now.
I’m finding the trip much more comfortable than I was expecting. I may feel different by the time the rest of day is done, but so far so good. Traveling always energizes me, and I really looking forward to the next month.
10:45 am Amsterdam time (3:45 am Vancouver): On the ground in Amsterdam twenty minutes early. Changed terminals, went through security and waiting at our gate for a 12:30 departure. Next stop, Roma.
– Posted from my iPad
