Today began at 4am in the morning, that's 11pm Canadian time. As we were coming back today, it's important to note the time difference. It's now 8:20pm Canadian time as I am typing this and we've had practically no sleep since the ridiculous hour in the morning when our wake up call came.
Miraculously, and I do mean it must've been an act of some deity, Dad was functioning this morning. We even made it downstairs as the breakfast was opening at 5am. The first thing we did is caffeinate Dad.
Somehow, we were able to eat, go back upstairs, close up the suitcases, and checkout by 6:20am. Mum and Dad were all ready for OCS when they arrived, and I turned into the pack horse I usually am on travel days, lugging the luggage all around the airport.
One of the security who greeted us this year actually remembered Mum from last year. No one ever said Mum was forgettable.
OCS was their usually helpful self, lifting the luggage onto the belts, wheeling Mum and Dad everywhere, and being generally well-organized. I've said this before and I'll say it again, Glasgow Airport needs to give lessons on how to deal with people with mobility issues. This will be relevant to an airport later.
Kindly, the OCS gentlemen dropped us off at the cafe across from our gate, which meant we could indulge in more coffee. It also meant we could watch our plane the entire time,
Boarding was smooth and we left within minutes of our scheduled departure time. So long Scotland! See you next year, hopefully!
No one tell on me that I had my phone out during takeoff!
Unlike when we left, there was no sudden call back to the gate, or a screaming toddler on board. A little piece of luck was that the seat next to me was empty. It allowed me to stretch out a little and not bother anyone. It also meant that while I didn't sleep on the plane, I could relax. I had podcasts to listen to!
Sadly, someone had a medical emergency onboard so the flight got a little hectic. At one point, an attendant had to stand on Dad's seat to get some oxygen for the man. It caused lots of disruptions to regular service, but the important part was that the man was able to walk off the plane under his own steam with the paramedics, when we landed in Toronto.
Speaking of Toronto, hello Canada! Since I had my phone out during takeoff, what's having it out during landing?
Pearson was an unmitigated disaster in organization. Is anyone surprised? No? I didn't think so. At one point, Mum and Dad were left unattended because some bean-counter can't bother having enough attendants on duty. Really, Pearson is a terrible introduction to Canada, though a pretty accurate introduction to Ontario's current government.
Dad would have more to say about Pearson. None of it is appropriate to put here.
What was on time and organized? Our ride home. We had the same driver who took us to Pearson three weeks ago, so the ride home was both pleasant, and quick, with one stop off at Tim Horton's as we needed coffee and doughnuts. Apparently, Dad needed two doughnuts to get through the day and considering how long the day has been, two doughnuts is fair.
Our driver helped us bring all our luggage (including the two bags labelled "heavy") into the house but we were anxious for something else. As soon as our driver left, Mum and I went to collect the most important member of the family.
The one sad part about our trip is that Thora can't travel. While she was perfectly safe with a neighbour who looks after dogs professionally (no fly-by-night care for our baby girl) and apparently a very good girl for the whole time we were gone, it's still hard to leave her for any period of time. She's now all settled in the front bedroom for her usual evening snooze. All is right in her world.
Stats:
Dogs: 1 (the most beautiful dog in the world! Yes, I'm biased.)
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