Today's travel arrangements are a 10.55 flight from Manchester to Heathrow, hang around terminal 5 for five hours and then a nine hour flight to Vancouver
Wake up at 5am, as usual, and semi-doze through to 6.30 before getting up and making cups of tea
We did our final packing last night, having to swap out our largest suitcase for something smaller as we simply did not have enough stuff to fill it. Maybe once on our Alaskan cruise I will regret not taking my tuxedo and patent leather shoes. All told we have two cases weighing in at 35kg, which is almost one third of our allowance of four cases and 92kg. It is also the first time we have laid out all of our holiday packing and then not have had to cut back to a final selection. So difficult to know whether we've underpacked or overpacked
Storm Floris has arrived and it's a grey skied and wet morning. I reflect that there's something satisfying about leaving in the rain, especially when going abroad
It's a 15 minute taxi ride to the airport, through the light traffic of the school holidays
We arrive before the bag drop opens, so a short wait. Vera's cabin bag has to be checked in, for reasons that never make sense. It leads to a frantic repack as her essential items move to my bag. It also means that she is traveling without any spare clothing should her luggage go astray
At Heathrow Vera seeks out the BA customer service desk and manages to get us both an upgrade to business class, feeling that a nine hour flight would cripple her back for the beginning of the holiday. That's my girl!
The upgrade also provides entrance to the business class lounge, with fine wines, decent food, and comfortable seats. We while away a few hours playing Rummikub
The distinctive click-clack of the plastic tiles can be heard a few seats away, and we go to say hello to our fellow players
"Do I recognise you, were you at Harriet's wedding''? we are asked. Yes to both, as we re-meet Dave and Kate who we had been seated next to nine months ago at the aforesaid event. It's a small world
I acquire a hat that someone has left behind in the airport lounge. I quite like it
It's a nine hour flight to Vancouver, over Iceland and Greenland. The plan is to sleep away as much off this as possible.
We are wined and dined, and then manage to sleep for at least five hours
Vancouver airport feels extremely calm and stress free. There are no crowds and no queues. When I flew into Toronto three years ago I was interrogated extensively by the border staff as to what I was going to be doing in Canada. But here nothing, we are just waved through.
I realise that my new hat has been left behind on the plane in the overhead locker. It is doubtless continuing on its many travels and adventures. If only hats could talk
The city centre looks quite close to the airport and it's a very easy 20 minute train journey with our train arriving just as we get to the station
As we go over the Fraser river there are huge logs floating in the water, waiting to be processed by the lumber mills
We emerge blinking from the subterranean city centre station and must be looking a little lost. This technique never fails in Canada, and a passing stranger asks where we are going and points us in the right direction
We are on the 15th floor of the Sutton Place hotel, and a sign for a pub 15 floors below on the opposite side of the road.
We do the minimum amount of unpacking and head out for a few beers before bed. Sitting outside it's a lovely temperature, maybe 20 degrees and no wind, and we watch the world pass by
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