I Need Some Sleep

I was right, it was a short sleep, but I think it will be enough to help us make it through till this evening when we can do our ‘Europe’ thing and got bed at the right time and wake up fresh in the morning. But back to the flight over here. By the time we woke up, we were just south of Cork and only had a couple hours left to Zurich. That meant it was time to make up the beds and get breakfast service underway.

Cereal, muesli, fresh fruit, croissants with jam/butter followed by cheese and meats. Then came the hot food, eggs, sausage, ham, and mushrooms. Can’t say I had them all, but I certainly tried. George, on the other hand, not so much. Seems his migraine was creeping back slowly. He said he would be fine though and wanted to continue on.

When we landed in Zurich, they had a double bridge set up to the plane. One set for the same door back in business class where we boarded and the other bridge to the door at the front of first class. So once everything was hooked up, they opened our door first, so we could disembark ahead of everyone else. That meant I would be leading the pack into an airport I’ve never set foot in before. Good thing that I can follow signs.

Zurich airport does work very efficiently, much like the Swiss. We had arrived at area E and had to connect out of the A wing. That meant a quick visit through security. I don’t understand why since we had to pass through security to get on the plane), but someone asked and they said that was the way Europe was. They just wanted to double-check everything others do. Then it was around the corner, back the direction we came from, down the stairs, on the train to transfer between terminals , went through immigration, and then off to our gate. That is after we made a stop into the Swiss business class lounge which was right  beside/over the Senator lounge.

As we were only resting in a quiet place before our next flight, it gave George and me the opportunity to cool off. The plane was really warm and he thinks that may have contributed to his issue earlier, as the migraine seemed to ease off a lot. We left the lounge about 40 minutes before our flight, as we weren’t sure how far the walk would be to the gate. Well we could have sat for another 20 minutes. The gate was almost literally around the corner, less than a 5-minute walk away. But since we were there, we decided to wait it out.

The gate agents made an announcement that since this was a small partner flying the route, anyone with roll board carry on would have to check it at the plane door and pick it up at the baggage area when we arrived in Prague. It was going to be a strict 1 piece per person, including business class passengers. Since I had my backpack and laptop bag I wasn’t sure if that included me or not. The gate agent had been going out into the people hanging around the gate and tagging everyone who had a roll board bag but when I pointed out mine, she signaled it was all right. So I wouldn’t have to short check anything at all.

We boarded the aircraft and as expected there really wasn’t a business class section. Only a few seats blocked off by a sign designating them as business class. The problem was the sign was on row 2 designating only the first 2 rows but not the 3^rd row where we sat. Not that it appeared to make a difference in the seats, because it didn’t. It was rather that a different, albeit not a lot, service was offered to those in business class seating.

The lady in front of us had been boarded early as she had a walker with her and her son had to have her wheeled down from the boarding area to the aircraft. What was also strange is that he was not seated with her, but rather near the back of the aircraft. This lady made it known that she wanted her son seated beside her and was demanding that the flight attendant comply with her wishes. The attendant told her that they would look at it after the boarding process was complete, so we thought it best to wait to query our seating. The lady was persistent and kept on going, when finally one attendant explained to her that she and her son were on two different types of fares as she paid for business class and under no circumstances would they move him forward but offered to move her back. She was not happy with the answer but the attendant would have no more of it and moved on…to the gentleman across the aisle from me who also had a business class ticket like us. When she check it out she apologized and said they only told her to block off 2 rows. Since we had mentioned we had the same type of tickets and since the two rows on the right were open, she asked the 3 of us to move up to the empty 6 seats, meaning the cantankerous lady was no longer in front of me but rather across the aisle. When the attendant brought out bottled water for our 2 rows and then newspapers, she asked the lady if she would like an English one. The lady grabbed a paper from the back of the box and when she was told it was in German, she said ‘I know’. The attendant asked her if she spoke German or would prefer an English one. The lady had one more rude comment stating, ‘my language is English, why would I want to read a German paper’. I was now not sure if moving up helped or not.

The snack cart rolled out shortly after takeoff since it was only a 1 hour and 15 minute flight, but it rolled right past us. Rather than nuts and paper cup drink service, we were brought a food tray of a bowl of mixed fruit, yogurt, and croissant as well as our drinks in real mugs and cups. Nothing over the top by any means, but it certainly does make a difference. Even though it seemed like we just ate, it was nice to have a snack like this for the short hop to Prague. No further disturbances from the lady next to me, which was a joy unto itself.

Arriving in Prague we made our way to the baggage area to pick up the luggage we checked in at Montreal. We just got to the belt when it started and the first 2 pieces out were ours. That NEVER happens to me. By the time we got our baggage off the belt, others were still waiting and we were off on our way through customs. I usually wonder if anyone gets checked in Europe, but this time I actually saw someone who was pulled aside. I mean, its usually just a walk through this door (if there even is one), and out the other door. I seem to rarely see anyone about. Surprisingly easy.

We then went to the transport booth and bought a 32 koruna ticket each to take the bus and train into town. That was about $1.60 and was good for 90 minutes. It involved one bus ride to Zlicin and then a train/subway to Karlovo Namesti where we would walk to our hotel from there. Far too cheap and easy, until we got off the train, what direction do we go from here? Right? Left? We chose left as most people went that way but then realized that was the direction our train came from and based on the map our hotel should be the other direction. So after going up 2 sets of escalators, one of which was the fasted moving one I have ever been on, we turned around and went back only to have to do another 2 sets of escalators moving along at the same speed. We get up into the street and see the park and street crossing in the middle of it in front of us. We started walking down the street to our hotel at the end of the park. We get there only to find out that we were at the wrong end and corner of the park. We had to walk all the way back times two. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t work up a sweat by the time we found the Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel. My shirt was definitely showing the heat.

As expected, we were too early to get into our room, as there were still people to check out and rooms to be cleaned. We went through the formalities and then waited in the lobby for 2 hours before our room was ready. I didn’t think that was too bad and given the fact that they gave us our Internet access codes while we waited made it all that much easier. When the rooms were ready, our key cards were walked over to us and up we went. I really wanted a shower before we went out to explore a bit but when we got to the room, none of the lights worked. It seems only the TV was working. WTF? So back down to the front desk where I was told that we needed to insert our card keys into the special slot by the door, which would activate severything. DOH! How were we to know?

After our shower we went for a preliminary walk through old town and ended up finding a lot of the places we plan to visit more closely, including the astronomical clock and Wenceslas Square. We were pretty much just wandering around trying to stay awake but the tiredness was wearing us down. That and the cobblestone streets everywhere make it more difficult to walk on than regular pavement.

So here we are back at the hotel. I’m writing this in the room and going to head downstairs in a few minutes to use the internet to load it up or you. No pictures right now. I may add a couple later, but will likely just move on to the next day when I’m back here.

So I will leave you for now so I can head downstairs, get done what needs to be done and then come up and go to bed. We’re tired and want to enjoy the rest of the days here. Have a great one!

Suite Day

Woke up just before 06h00 this morning to find George already awake. I checked how he was feeling and he said better and felt he was fine enough to travel, so I guess we’ll be on our way later today. We went down for breakfast and had far too much to eat. Don’t know why I do that, but I certainly enjoyed it. Then it was upstairs to finish packing and we would be ready to check out at the last minute so as we aren’t at the airport too early for our flight. Check-in doesn’t open until 14h00 and we want to maximize the lounge time where we can..

After packing was done we still had time to zip out to the local pharmacie and look for something to ease George’s migraine, should it rear its nasty head again like it did yesterday. The closest one to us was closed today (for the holiday), the next one wasn’t open until 10h00 (it was 09h25) so we wandered up the street a little more to one that I remember shopping at a few times when I used to visit here regularly. Sure enough the Jean Coutu Pharmacie was open. One of the pharmacists helped George pick out the right product after asking numerous questions as to what exactly he was experiencing. We got enough to last for the trip should he have problems more than once, but he is confident that he is able to continue so we will move on.

Now we’re back at the hotel just waiting for check-out time to arrive. It had rained over night and was supposed to today, but so far we’ve been dealing with a few clouds and lots of warm sun. Needless to say that by the time I got back from our jaunt I was sweating up a storm. It seems that ever since the chemo four years ago it has been an issue I’ve noticed more and more. Don’t know if it is from one of the drugs or what, but I really wish it would stop. I guess I’ll just sit here and cool off with the air-conditioning blasting for the next hour or so.

We decided we would head down around 11h30, checkout and get a cab to take us to Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport, thinking we would be there no earlier than 12h30, maybe 13h00. Little did we know we had Mario Andretti for a cab driver. If the speed limit said 40kph he went 100, if it said 60 he went 120. Needless to say, we arrived at the airport by 12h00, long before we had intended. So what to do, well, we both needed something to eat and the migraine pills George got at the pharmacie required food, so it was off to the little food fair that exists outside the check-in area at the airport.

We ended up eating at Brulerie St-Denis and both ordered the turkey and spinach salad with strawberries, almonds, and goat cheese with a raspberry vinaigrette. I must say it was delicious and George liked it too considering he has always had an aversion for spinach. Turns out the spinach, turkey and almonds are all good things for him to eat to help ease migraine issues. The salads were actually quite large considering and we were both able to finish them and be full, but not stuffed like we were after breakfast. That took up about an hour of our time so we did a quick tour of the airport, found nothing of interest and will now wait for check-in to be opened at 14h00. Then it’s on to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge until our flight departs.

We managed to check in earlier than expected and got George moved from the aisle across from me to the window behind me. He’s happy with that, as we both now have window seats and hopefully will be able to see something as we fly in over the alps on our way to Zurich. Check-in was fast and efficient. We were greeted ever so friendly even though we checked in at the business line-up. I thought it was the first class stanchion, but it was actually just one person next to her. Since she wasn't busy, she was more than happy to help us and send us on our way to the lounge in no time. It actually turned out to be a bit of a wait there anyway, as the lounge didn’t open until 14h30 today so we had to wander the halls a bit before we could get in. When it was close to opening, we wandered over and started talking with another person who had just tried to get in She was on her way to Budapest for business which we learned was running in marathons. She had just gotten back from a pleasure trip to Rome and was barely adjusted to the time when she had to turn around and start all over again. I don’t know how she does it. I have enough trouble on my single trips let alone multiple trips. Alas, the life of a world traveler.

So now I’m sitting in the lounge enjoying a red wine from Australia (something Blass for Karen). I tried the American cabernet and it was like swill. I’ll have to see what’s on the menu for eats. I just had a couple pieces of bread with the wine, which made everything just about perfect. Now to sit back and wait for departure time.

At around 16h15 we decided it would be a good idea to head down to our gate, as we did not want to miss out on the actual boarding experience. When we reached B56, where our plane was, we decided to take pictures of the part of the aircraft showing in front of the bridge. Little did we realize that the first 3 open windows would be for my seat, while the 3 open ones behind would be where George sat. The gate agent identified passengers by class as they were all milling around and trying to be first to board. She moved the business class passengers to one side, the economy to the other, letting those who would board last  know. When she reached us, she quickly brought us up to the front where she asked us to wait until the small children and families as well as unaccompanied minors were boarded. We were then brought to the gate counter and directed to make our way on to the aircraft. It felt strange yet exciting to be leading the pack before all others were allowed to board.

Once on board we walked up to our cabin where I was overwhelmed at the size of the seats and TV’s. We took a couple of pictures while the flight attendant offered us some champagne (Laurent Perrier Grande Siecle) to start off. She then brought out a small plate of roast beef and some type of salad appetizer as well as some hot breadsticks. By this time George had joined me at my seat, 1A, and sat in the guest seat (can’t be a foot rest unless you have major long legs) while we enjoyed the experience. The attendant offered to take our picture and told us if there was anything we needed to just let her know. If we wanted to change seats that would be fine too as there were only us and two others in the 8-seat cabin. We did notice a few people from business class poke their heads in up front to have a look at what was here, as well the couple who were standing beside us at the gate were taken aback and gave us a surprised look when we were boarded first because we were in first class.  I now know how some passengers must feel when others (including myself) look at them and prejudge who they may be.

Menus were handed out before takeoff so we had plenty of time to decide what we would like for appetizer, main course, dessert, and drink. Once all were boarded, we left the gate and started our journey across the Atlantic.

Dinner service began shortly after our orders were taken. I started off with Filet of Balik salmon with blinis and sour cream. It was so delicious that when the attendant asked me if I wanted a second I couldn’t say no. This was followed by a shrimp and fennel bisque, flavoured perfectly. George ended up eating the Tuna Tataki and seaweed salad, guacamole with tomato and corn chips followed by a seasonal salad with gorgonzola and walnuts (the salad was huge).

For the main course We actually had 5 choices, the three main ones on the list plus one of the appetizers could be turned into a full course meal and there was a Taste of Switzerland featuring some sort of Swiss sausage as the main feature. I decided on the Sautéed filet of beef with truffle demi-glace, roasted potatoes, buttered broccolini and carrots. The attendant came around offering more vegetables, green beans and potatoes just in case we didn’t have enough. George picked the poached salmon in white wine sauce, fingerling potatoes, buttered broccoli and cauliflower.

Then came the selection of cheeses and finally dessert, a raspberry and vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and berries for both of us. I was stuffed! Oh and there were a couple glasses of wine with dinner, a Rauzan-Segla  2007 (for those who are interested again).

In no time, after all was done, the attendant came around to make our beds and we could change into the pajamas they provided if we chose to, but we decided we’d rather just take them home. It was a little warm in the cabin, so I didn’t need the quilt covering me too much. It was going to be a short night, as breakfast will be starting in a couple hours. I’ll update you with all that once we get settled in.

Under The Weather

I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep in during my holidays. Was up at 06h00 (which is 03h00 back home), so that's just insane. Of course it gives me time to relax a bit in the morning before heading down for breakfast. Enjoy a pot of coffee in the room and catch up on the news of the world. I meant to show you the view from our room last night. We were on a lower floor last time we stayed at this hotel and didn't get to see much outside except the building across the street which was really boring. Now that we can see beyond that building, we get a view of Montreal City Hall, right next to Vieux Port (Old Port).

Went for a long walk after our breakfast this morning. The hotel, the Holiday Inn Express Centre-Ville, includes a continental style breakfast for its guests which includes scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, cereals, fruit, juices, toast, yogurt, coffee, tea, cinnamon buns (deadly). Its nice to be able to have a big breakfast and then get out to walk it off after. I think we've been experiencing too many cooler and rainy days on the coast though because we're finding it hot here. It's one of the cooler days Montreal has had lately, but 23c at noon time with nary a cloud in the sky (I caught one) is hot for us. Walking slowly in the shade (when we could find it) even got us sweating.

We walked down  to Place des Arts where they are setting up for the Montreal Jazz Festival next week and then all the way down to rue Crescent. Then it was up to Boulevard de Maisonneuve and a leisurely walk to rue Panet where we turned to head back along rue Sainte-Catherine through The Village. I really like that they've closed off rue Sainte-Catherine to traffic throughout the Village and up by Place des Arts for the summer (mid May until September). It's great for pedestrian traffic now to leisurely stroll and people watch from all the cafes that have now extended out into the streets.

We've been cooling off for a bit now and are just waiting to meet up with Jean for a bit. It won't be a late one, as he has to work in the morning and I really think I need some sleep already. Better to get it now as the journey overseas is going to be a busy one exploring new territory.

No sooner had I thought it, when we got a call from Jean who arranged to meet at the edge of the Village a half hour later. We walked over and shortly after we got there Jean arrived and we decided to walk through the closed off street to have a look and decide where we wanted to end up. We walked from one end to the other this time and finally decided on Sky Cabaret since they had a nicely set up patio with lots of umbrellas where we could enjoy a pitcher of sangria. We sat and visited for a while, but George had to leave early as he had been dealing with a nasty migraine from earlier today. So while he made his way back to the hotel, Jean and I continued our visit and finishing off the rest of the sangria.

It was getting busier as the day got on and by the time we left, the patio was pretty much full of people. We had decided to go back to our homes for a bit and would meet later to go out for dinner at a restaurant we've been to a few times before in little Italy. Jean would pick up a bottle of wine to take with us to enjoy over a pasta dinner. I got back to the hotel and found George resting in bed, trying to sleep through the migraine after taking another Advil. I'm hoping it goes away soon as I don't want it spoiling the rest of our vacation. We'll have to see what happens though as he doesn't want to turn back now.

Little did we realize that when we chose the restaurant Pizzeria Napoletana, which is in the heart of Little Italy, that Italy would be playing England in the Euro Cup 2012 for a spot in the semi-finals. Sure enough, Italy won and there was plenty of excitement happening on the streets. By the time we got up to that part of the city, we entered into the traffic chaos that is caused by everyone driving, running, walking, standing everywhere, yelling, cheering, blowing whistles, waving flags. And once you're in this mess, you pretty much have to carry on which is what we did. We found a parking spot right across the street from the restaurant and so with wine in hand we went to see how long the wait would be. The waiter/greeter told us about 25 minutes, but luck was on our side and we were inside in less than 10 minutes (probably closer to 5). We cracked open the wine and picked our appetizers and main courses and ordered shortly there after.

The antipasto della casa prosciutto crudo, bocconcini, piments rouges grillés as well as the Salsiccia alla Rocco were the appetizers of choice. Silly me forgot that prosciutto was a type of meat and unfortunately would not work for George so he had to just go right to his main course, a Fettucine sauce tomato.  I had the Ravioli Pasticciati farcis de viande et gratinés avec sauce tomate, crème, parmesan, mozzarella while Jean dined on Tortellini alla Rossini crème, sauce tomate, parmesan. As usual, it was a great dinner, and we left with full stomachs and food to go afterwards. The drive back was a lot quicker than the drive there as by that time, those partying on the streets had moved inside, so we were back at our hotel in no time.

I don't know if the quick trip back did poor George any good, as he was still not feeling well by the time we got back to the hotel. I went out in search of bananas and ginger ale for his stomach, hoping to calm it down. I was half successful, finally finding a depanneur that was open on the holiday. I picked up a ginger ale, but was unable to find a banana anywhere. He's now gone to bed and is hoping that by morning everything will have gotten better. He also plans to visit a pharmacist in the morning and see if there is anything he can get to help. I've also advised him that if he doesn't feel well enough to continue this journey to let me know and we will turn back. We can always continue where we left off at a later date, as long as we start within the next year from here and either downgrade to business class or pay the extra for first (since we got these tickets on a sale). I'm prepared to do whatever he wants to do as he can best determine his health for traveling and I certainly don't want him to jeopardize that.

So tune in tomorrow and see what happened, actually if we decide to go ahead you may not hear from us until the next day as the flight would be in the late afternoon, and we don't get to Prague until Tuesday morning. But there could also be an update from the lounge, so only time will tell. Talk to you later.

Another Journey Begins

Well we've made it to Toronto and are waiting in the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and it thought I would let you know how my days gone so far while I enjoy some nachos and chardonnay.

Well today started off early, 03h00 to be exact. Needed to have coffee and some final preparations before heading out to the airport to catch our flight. All went well, and we were in our cab by 04h55 and on what seemed like the express run to YVR. Good driver, little traffic and lights that worked are always a great thing to have.

When we arrived at YVR and paid the driver, we headed on over to the business class check-in to get our boarding passes and George fixed up so that the DHP would be removed from his check-in. It was actually easier than I had been told. Just a swipe of his passport and it knew that he was not the same person, so voila, out comes his boarding pass. We chatted a bit with the agents and then left to go enjoy our visit to the Maple Leaf Lounge. When we got through security, it was just a few steps away, and we were welcomed into the lounge.

Settling down, I was getting out my laptop and then reached for my iPhone and realized that the phone was not in my pocket. Frantically checking all pockets and my carry on, I discovered nothing. I then thought I had left it on my desk by the computer but George reminded me that I called the cab from the lobby so I had to have had my phone. Quickly signing into my laptop (after I figured how to get through the Data Valet Wi-Fi service, I signed onto ‘find my iPhone’, and started the search. It located my phone at YVR, so it was somewhere close. I wasn’t sure how accurate in placement the icon was, so when I saw it just outside the airport entrance, I assumed it was in the airport. Quickly sending a message to the phone and a ring so that if someone heard it, they would know where I was and where to return it. Since I still had lots of time, I decided to head out to the check-in area and see if I had left it either at security or at the check-in counter. Nope, nothing at either places. I went back to the lounge where George was waiting and thought I’d try to see how accurate it placed my laptop. Well that was the kicker. It actually showed what part of the terminal it was in, so I decided to venture outside again, this time to the road and see if my phone had fallen there, out of my pocket. No luck in locating it there either. On my third trip back through security, I ran into my friend Jenny who said if she heard of it being found, she would message me on Facebook and wold hold it at the airport until I got back.

So back to the lounge it was. I told George what had transpired.  He had also called the cab company just in case it was in the car but they did not find it. I went back on the laptop and saw that I could refresh the location finder and when I did, I discovered that the phone had moved from outside the terminal to somewhere down by the gate we were to be boarding at.! Quickly sending another message, I decided I would head down that way, so we packed up our stuff and went down the stairs to exit the lounge. On the way down, George got a call from someone at information who said they had my phone and would bring it to us in the lounge. Woohoo! So we waited in the entrance and sure enough, in a couple minutes a YVR employee walked in with my phone, screen completely cracked and only half viewable, but intact and working otherwise. I guess someone from West Jet found it and because of the messages they learned who I was, went to Air Canada who found my file, saw Georges cross-referenced file and called his cell to let him know.. I was so ecstatic that I had to give her a hug. So, with my smashed screen iPhone (it reminds me of the many we saw in Paris last year), we went to the gate, boarded our flight and we’re on our way. Not really the way I wanted to start off the vacation, but I’ll be fine with it. I probably will not use the phone while I’m gone, so no instant pictures posted to Facebook, but that’s fine too. I’ll wait until I get back from holidays and decide if I want to buy a new phone or wait until there’s a new release. Likely it will be a new phone sooner than later, but we’ll see.

So we’re on our way, and will see what the rest of the day has in store. It’s not even 09h00 at home and so much has happened. I kind of hope the rest of the day is quiet. I’ve been watching ‘Mirror, Mirror’ and it’s not bad. Not something that needs the big screen though. It was just fine on the small one. Also got to see Journey2: The Mysterious Island. Fun, cute, not much thinking required. Good for a chuckle or two.

And as I said, I'm now here at the lounge. Our aircraft has had an upgrade so we will have the pod seating on the short flight to Montreal. For anyone planning on texting me, you're better off emailing and I will check when I have the laptop fired up (unless it's urgent). And on that note, I'll try to update you later today if anything new transpires.

It’s going to be a quick flight enjoying the pods. Not much time to catch any sort of TV, but I’m going to try. Decided on a quick, TV show, Eat Street, a show about street food vendors. Vancouver has a great number of street food carts that have seemed to grow enormously the last few years. I have only been able to try a small number of them, but the reviews I have read make me wish I was working downtown more so I could pop in and try them for lunches. I enjoyed this episode and now want to head to New York City and search out the 'Big Gay Ice Cream Truck'. I mean who would think of putting sea salt on your ice cream cone along with all other sorts of concoctions. They look absolutely delicious and I think I can understand why there's sometimes an hour line up to get served.

Even though our flight was only an hour, they managed to serve us a hot chicken pie and a salad with, I believe, quinoa. I really enjoyed it. Would have loved to post a picture for you, but with the phone not working so well, I passed t on it his time. I’ll dig out the camera when we move onto the First Class cabins of Swiss and Thai. I also got to enjoy another glass of chardonnay from Chile, but I must say that the one in the lounge was much better than this one. I found it rather sweet for my taste so I’m glad it’s only an hour flight to our next stop.

We’ve just passed Brockville, directly south of Ottawa and it appears we are starting a descent already. Very quick, indeed. I’ll have to pack up the laptop now but will likely be back with more updates later this evening. We’re going to catch a cab into the city to our hotel and then maybe wander out for a bit before dinner. I’m calling for an early night as I don’t think we got enough sleep last night at all. Tomorrow we meet up with our friend, Jean for St. Jean Baptiste day in Quebec. From my understanding, it s a very big celebration in Quebec, much like Canada Day would be to the rest of Canada.

So now we're at the hotel, after a crazy cab ride from the airport to Centre-Ville in Montreal. Love the driving here. They are crazy, but most of them seem to handle it well. Perhaps its just a rush to get past certain points on the roadways as they are concerned about the infrastructure with everything falling apart.

We're off now to have a bite to eat at Bâton Rouge, a chain in Quebec and Ontario. We've eaten there before and have always enjoyed it. See you in a bit!

We sat in on the upper floor in the back area while we dined tonight. We are definitely not the late diners like most people out here seem to be. The restaurant wasn't really busy yet and the majority of diners seem to be anglophones like us. I decided to have the BBQ Pork Back Ribs and Chicken served with fries (also had a choice of mashed or baked potato) and a side of baked beans (or coleslaw or apple cinnamon apples). I've had each before and have usually enjoyed it. This time, I did find the chicken a little dry and the beans needed some work. Never the less, it was a filling meal.

After dinner we walked up to Ste. Catherines street and walked down there back to our hotel. When we got to Place Des Arts, the were set up in preparation for the upcoming Jazz Festival. I remember being out here in 2000 for the Jazz Festival and it was a great time. I would recommend Montreal to everyone during the summer time as they have all kinds of festivals going on. It's kind of like Edmonton in the summer that way, only on a grander scale. The walk back was nice as it was still light out and it is so warm. When we got back to the hotel we have had to have the air conditioning blasting to cool down the room. Of course now it is so cool we will probably have to turn it back off but will likely heat up again overnight. I kind of miss that, as we haven't really seen weather like that in Vancouver for a while now.

So now it's off to bed. Not getting up too early in the morning, but need to get up to catch the breakfast downstairs. I'll fill you in tomorrow on my doings and if there are any more misfortunes (let's hope not). Until then, have a great evening and see you back here tomorrow.

Packed

Packed! Yes, all packed and ready to go. Going to check in early tomorrow. George is classified as DHP (deemed high profile), so we need to have the agent contact corporate security once they see his passport. No problem though, we'll just head to wait it out in the lounge in the morning.

Keeping it short. It's late and have an early day tomorrow. Will update you tomorrow night.

Prague Preparation

How can it be? This is my third 'Seinfeld' day in a row. Sure there was work but don't want to talk about that too much other than to say if I could tweet about it, it would have the hashtag #epicfail included in it. My friends Wes and Iris would know what this means if I also said 'Beta is not always better'. Enough said.

I still haven't packed. We did the rest of the laundry so it's ready to go now. Like always, I'll end up packing after work tomorrow, probably in the evening like we always end up doing. I did also check a little more about getting from the airport in Prague to our hotel, and I think that it is doable via transit in a reasonable length of time and should be fairly easy. The walk from the transit stop (we have a choice of 3 nearby) is 350m from all of them. My only concern is the things I've heard about Prague and the pickpockets and such that prey on the public. I try not to think about it too much but just want to make sure I'm aware of the possibility. It's funny that I really don't think about this when we are in London or in Paris and they have problem areas as well. Maybe its the anxiety of a new city and since I haven't been there before there is always an apprehension of what to expect. George has also sent an meal to a friend of a co-worker who lives there to ask what she recommends for getting into town, just in case she has a better suggestion.

And that's pretty much it. Tomorrow will be a big day as we really have to get down to some packing, so I may not have a lot of time to write here then. I will let you know what happens, one way or another. We'll also try to find out whether or not George will have trouble checking in. Hope not, but at least we know what to expect if he does and how it will be handled.

So I'll say good night and see you back here tomorrow, the last day of work before vacation. Have yourselves a great night!

Ditto

Ditto! You heard that right, ditto. Same as yesterday. That's all.