The LONG way home

Travel is always such"fun!" So many people think it's glamourous to travel, but it's not. Perhaps if you travel for pleasure, there's a bit more fun in it, but I don't think it's fun to be shuffled around in cars, planes, and trains with your possessions in a bag or bags. However, I won't say no if I have the chance. And I wouldn't say NO to a trip to Montreal. 

Once I'm done with my task, I want to get home. So we finished the sessions around 4 PM, and I had a flight booked for 8:30. Everything got packed away, and I caught an Uber to the airport. I was a bit worried about the traffic as it was raining and the time of day, but I had a very skilled Uber driver, and we made it in less than one hour, so that was good. 

Here's the view from my hotel room. Very dull, when the river and the Olympic Stadium were on the side! 

View from the hotel

But there was a plane INSIDE The hotel. I'm not sure about the connection with the hotel, or maybe the owner loves planes? 

Inside the hotel

Here's a picture of the Olympic Stadium. Not bad when you consider it was taken from a moving car! It was built in 1976, a few years before I moved to Montreal. 

The Olympic Stadium

I didn't get a chance to get out and walk, which was a shame since there was a walking path right by the river. There was a lot of rain, and I didn't even have a jacket, let alone an umbrella. Besides, we didn't really have time. I'll just have to make up some extra miles this week. 

So while the trip to the airport was uneventful, getting through security was NOT. I didn't choose the priority line as the regular line wasn't busy. It amazes me how long it takes some people to put their belongings in those trays to go through the X-ray machine. Perhaps some people don't travel much or have forgotten over the last two years. But the laptop comes out of your bag and goes into its own tray. Take your jacket off, and everything then goes into the trays. Super easy. I know -- some people haven't traveled in a while, so patience is required! 

Then I walked through the machine and BEEP. And it was a LOUD BEEP. The guy points at my watch -- I take it off and hand it to him. Walk back through - BEEP. Good grief --- this never happens to me. My hairband? Nope. So he directs me to stand aside while he calls over a female security person. 

In the meantime, my stuff has come through, and I made an effort to collect it. Then everyone was yelling at me to stay put. "DO NOT MOVE and DO NOT TOUCH anything." OK OK!!! But I always worry that it's super easy for someone to pick up the laptop sitting there in the open. But no one did. 

The female security person comes over and proceeds to wand me. Everywhere it beeps, she touches me  -- she did warn me. So under the arms, my button on my pants, the sides of my waist. I had to show her the bottom of my shoes, she swabbed my hands, and I had to show her my waistband, and she proceeded to feel inside the front of my pants! WAIT A MINUTE --- we are in a full public display! Now she didn't reach far, but still! I didn't mind the rest, but that one? 

I suppose some people smuggle all kinds of stuff in all sorts of places. So we never did find out why the thing beeped, I had NOTHING out of the ordinary, and I've walked right through those X-ray things in the past with the same watch and headband and NOTHING. 

Is that one overly sensitive? No idea. The plane was full, but that was OK. It's a short flight. But people have forgotten how to get off a plane. The aisle is FULL, yet the lady next to me stands up and tries to get her suitcases out of the overhead bin. Now, where exactly will you put that suitcase, when we are already packed up. And she was with other people, and she tried to butt in front of me. Since I was alone, I was NOT waiting for them to organize all their stuff. I made her go behind me! Sigh.............

Toronto is a HUGE city and flying in makes you realize that, especially in the dark. And it's small compared to other cities in the world. But it seems to go on forever! If you look right under the wingtip, that's downtown. It looks small from the air. 

The big city at night

But I'm always fascinated to see it. Shoot -you can't really see it in the photo, but you can see the blackness of Lake Ontario, and we were able to see the lights of Buffalo, New York, on the other side of the lake! 

DH was going to pick me up, but he was in an Uber coming from downtown. OK -- so this should work. However, I have no idea what was happening last night, but the pick-up area was a PARKING LOT. Cars were parked three and four deep outside the airport, and it was a total nightmare. The TWO lanes of traffic to get to that area were jammed. And I'm outside with only a sweatshirt. OK -- so I didn't pack well!

I was chatting with a fellow who had just come back from a cycling trip to Majorca. He was pretty upset at all the traffic and went on and on! But it was frustrating. People just parked, waiting for their peeps to come. There is a cell phone parking lot, and you circle around - you don't just sit and wait!! The entire length of the airport building (domestic and international) was jammed! 

Thank goodness for cell phones -- I managed to walk to the beginning of the mess and got in the car, but it still took time to get through the mess, but at least we were moving. The vehicles that were caught at the curbside were stuck. There was a parking/traffic person, and she should have been sending those cars on their way. This system works if people do it properly! Then no one has to wait. Sigh...............

Needless to say, the girls were pretty excited to see me. And probably not because it was me, but because they will go for a walk this morning! Silly girls!

I'm glad I came home last night, although it was late when we arrived. But now I'm here, and that's a good thing because I have a ton of stuff to do, and once the girls are walked, I can get right to it. 

Did you love those pieces from the Out of the Box challenge that I posted yesterday? I love how everyone is so darn creative and how everyone interprets the same color and message in such a totally different way. 

It was my Dad's birthday yesterday, and I finally got a chance to call him while waiting for the flight. He's 89 and still going strong! 

Don't forget the Virtual Retreat this weekend. With the weather being so cool, especially in the evenings, this is perfect. Sew and enjoy each other's company!

Saturday, April 30 -- 6 PM - -9 PM 

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday, May 1 -- 10 AM - 8 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81693717518?pwd=STNoVVQzbDd4ZnROQndNNlpvcC90QT09 Meeting ID: 816 9371 7518 Passcode: 579285

It's time to get moving -- I have to finish my Cherrywood Challenge, and I have stuff to prep for three classes this weekend. It's going to be a busy day!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!