Up, Up And Away

Well its official. We are finally on our way to Montreal for our first 5K walk in three years, and a visit with our brother on the side. The Sisterhood had been training for this, and we could not wait to get our kicks on and start the walk, but we had to get there first which was an adventure in itself. We travelled over four provinces, two time zones, and a language barrier. Let’s go girls!

Ready For Takeoff

The first leg of the journey consisted of Big Sis and I meeting up at the airport, to catch our connecting flight to Calgary. Because he was running late, hubby dropped me off at the International Terminal instead of the Domestic Terminal. If you’ve ever been to YVR, you know how far that is. By the time I found Big Sis it felt like I had already done a 5K.

Once we got to our gate, I offered to go to Starbucks for some much needed refreshment. The line up was a mile long, but all was going smoothly until it was time to pay. Lo and behold they did not accept cash. Can you believe it? I was stunned. This was a crisis of epic proportions! I had to pay using my credit card, which I usually avoid as much as possible. (You never know who might be lurking in the background trying to steal your identity…according to my hubby.)😲

Note: This would prove to be prophetic, as I presented cash at several other points during the trip and found that there was often surprise and confusion when doing so. It seems that I am somewhat of a dinosaur in the world of “reimbursement for services rendered.”

We arrived in Calgary, to catch up with Middle Sis. She had texted our gate number so we set out to look for it. We wandered confused and dazed for about 5 minutes until we finally asked someone. Bottom line, we had turned right when we should have just stayed put. Apparently, we arrived at the same gate we would be departing from on our next leg. Oh well, the Sisterhood was reunited and ready for the final lap. Excitement was in the air!

Once we boarded the plane, we briefly discussed the seating arrangements. Big Sis graciously took the hated middle seat (we later realized that she was laying the groundwork and leverage for the sleeping arrangements.) More on this to come.

The Eagle has Landed

Once we landed, reality poked us in the face. The signage at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport is mostly in French. Who Knew? Fortunately, we were able to find the taxi stand, and then reality decided to keep on poking. Unsure whether or not the driver actually knew where we wanted to go, we recklessly hopped in his cab and crossed our fingers.

It was about a forty minute drive to the hotel, and its true what they say about Montreal drivers. Our cab did more bobbing and weaving than Muhammad Ali. As we rocked back and forth in the back seat, the Sisterhood was uncharacteristically subdued. When we reached the hotel and touched on solid ground, the relief was palpable

We settled into our hotel room which was very nice, and spacious enough for us to spread out a bit. But when we could no longer avoid it, we had to approach the crucial sleeping arrangements discussion. You guessed it, Big Sis used her ace in the hole, middle plane seat argument, and it was a done deal. She got the single bed and Middle and I took the King.

We were of course very aware of the need for accurate “photo documentation” of all aspects of our trip, and decided that it took precedence over all else. So we staged a quick practice session. As an added element of interest, we included our tiaras and drink preferences in the mix. Sadly, it turned into an hour or so of frustration, attempting to find the correct lighting and background and the unfortunate realization that we were going to need a lot more practice to generate a final product that was flattering to all of us. (Of course Big and Middle had to point out that I was always in the middle position which is usually the most complimentary.) Oh well. That’s life. Deal with it.😊

Food and Drink

As consolation, we decided to head to the roof top lounge.The view at night was stunning and we were tired and hungry. The stage was set! (Just to clarify, in the past, lounges have provided us with a lot of interesting experiences and this was no exception.)

Our server was a delightful young lady from the UK who had become a Canadian citizen that very day! We offered to stand up and sing Oh Canada with her, as a celebratory gesture, but she graciously declined. In appreciation, however, she gifted us with a complimentary bowl of nuts.

The lounge was relatively small, so a man sitting at the table behind us overheard our Oh Canada conversation and approached our table. At first, we were afraid he was going to offer to sing the national anthem with us (which we would have of course declined) but it turned out he was just a bit tipsy and quite interesting to talk to. Big Sis asked him where he was from (a typical Big Sis question). He said “Ottawa,” and Big Sis was off….. Did he perhaps work for the Federal Government? His reply was, “Have you heard of CSIS?”

When we finally stopped laughing, and asked him what his real job was, he told us he worked for Health Canada and then changed it to Banque Nationale, which led Big Sis to ask if he spoke French. Which of course led to other ridiculous questions and answers. We never did find out who he really worked for, or his real name because he wasn’t even sure himself. It’s a long story.

Ultimately it became apparent that we were the only customers left and we realized we should leave. As we rode the elevator down together, Big Sis was still asking questions. Sometimes you just can’t stop her, but we have to admit, a good time was had by all.☺️(Turns out, that was an expensive evening but well worth the entertainment value.)

And so, our first evening in Montreal came to a close. We were tired, but excited because I had spotted a UniQlo store just around the corner, Eaton Centre was just around the other corner and a street lined with bars and restaurant patios was within easy walking distance. So many exciting adventures awaiting us! Life is good. Nite nite😴

We do a post every Monday so stay tuned for the next one entitled “One Foot in Front of the Other”