I'll Be Back

The last morning on board. I was up at 5:30 AM. Finished packing, returned the extension cord, and left our rooms for the last time. We went up to the buffet for some much-needed coffee. Since we have kept our luggage, we can get off whenever we want to.

We have a coffee or two and then start on breakfast. I have confirmed our car for the morning, so it looks like we are all set.

Disembarkation goes as smoothly as embarkation. It has just started to rain a bit here in Miami, hopefully we can find our car easily. Yep, there he is! A nice black suburban all for us. Off we go to the airport. Traffic looks terrible, but Arnie, our driver, says one-half an hour. He is right.

Hopefully, the airport is good.

Yeah, the airport sucks! We get here at 10 AM and don't get through security until 11:30! Then we trek to our gate and get there at 12 noon. We settled in for a couple of hours waiting to board. We grabbed some sandwiches for the plane. Boarding is called, and we get on board.

We make it to our seats, store our luggage, and sit down. We have 3 children about 3 - 7 years old. The parents sit across the aisle with a 6-month old who is not happy. You know that high-pitched squeal? The flight is 2 hours and 44 minutes. As we taxi away from the terminal, the pilot says that flights are grounded due to weather. They are trying to reroute us, and we will be delayed for a bit. Finally, at 2:42, we are up. Only 45 minutes late.

We're in the air, and we stay in the air, yeah! The kids in front of us are typical misbehaving kids. The baby screams, one torments the other. The parents don't have control. Seat belts are optional in that row as well. Why do people think that it is okay for other people to be inconvenienced by their kids? It is going to be a long flight. We picked up some sandwiches and cake from the terminal and had those on the way home.

Once home, we have to go through customs. In Toronto, which means using a machine to declare. Then we show the receipt not once, not twice but three different times as you make your way through to the exit. Talk about government redundancy! Once through customs, we then have to walk another kilometer to get to our door for the car we hired to pick us up. Apparently, Pearson Airport will only allow pickup at one door, which is the farthest from where you exit customs. Ken and Gabi are toast by this time, and I'm fuming.

The ride home is okay. The driver has to slam in the brakes hard a couple of times, which scares the daylights out of me. Finally, I'm home safe and sound. In the quiet. Where's the scotch?Read more