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In the Footsteps of Franklin
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In the Footsteps of Franklin

After eight years of being away from the polar regions, we will be scratching our "Ice Itch" with a Quark Expeditions voyage that will take us into the Canadian High Arctic. Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 29, 2022
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    A closer look at our "hoped-for" itinerary on Quark's Ultramarine.
    A general peek into the Arctic region that we will be exploring.

    To the Canadian High Arctic We Shall Go

    January 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Cold? Yes, it will be cold in the High Arctic. But we don't mind. It will be worth it for a chance to scratch the "Ice Itch" that has been plaguing us since our first polar voyage in 2007!

    The specific itinerary we booked with Quark Expeditions, our go-to operator for polar adventures, is called “In the Footsteps of Franklin” — a reference to the fateful and fatal British expedition that set off to explore the Northwest Passage in 1845. A little more than two months into the voyage, after being spotted in Baffin Bay one last time, the two ships simply disappeared. Until, that is, the wreck of HMS Erebus was found in 2014 and that of HMS Terror was found in 2016. Even yet, the mystery of the disappearance remains a tantalizing chapter in polar exploration history.

    No worries … we do not intend to disappear as that expedition did.

    For one thing, we have modern technology to guide us. More importantly, though, we don't have our egos invested … nothing to prove to anyone. We’re not motivated by glory-seeking. We only want a “ light adventure” in one of our favorite places in the world … the icy Arctic. We know when it’s time to bow out. And even if we don’t, Quark knows when to draw the line between adventure and safety. They will not push the boundaries as I’m sure Sir John Franklin did in his quest to be the first to make it through the famed Northwest Passage. When Arctic conditions say it is time to stop, we will heed the warnings and call a halt … reverse course if necessary. Bottom line, we will respect the “unconquerable Arctic." Respect … the ultimate essence of exploration.

    The voyage is roundtrip out of Toronto, with pre- and post-hotel stays included. We’ll be flown up to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland by charter flight and transferred to our ship via zodiac. We’re pretty familiar with this routine as the process was similar for the Greenland expedition we did in 2013 … although our base of operations then was Ottawa instead of Toronto.

    Once we sail from Kangerlussuaq, the itinerary will be flexible. After all, we’ll be at the mercy of polar weather and sea conditions … in true expedition style.

    The "hoped-for" itinerary has us heading slightly south along the Greenland coast with two stops there … one new-to-us spot and the other in Nuuk, which we stopped to explore in 2013. Nuuk is the capital of Greenland and its largest city, so I am sure we’ll find more things to see and do other than visiting the mummies of Qilakitsoq as we did the first time around.

    Next, we’ll cross the Davis Strait and begin exploring Baffin Island from south to north. Up into the Canadian High Arctic we will go. Our final stop will be Resolute. I’ve heard say — or maybe I read it somewhere — that Resolute is not the end of the world, but that you can see it from there. That says something about high up we will be. An exciting prospect even if we have already been all the way to the North Pole.

    A charter flight from Resolute will return us to Toronto where we will bid our fellow expeditioners adieu. What we will do next is TBD.    Read more

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    Deck plan and suite layout for our Explorer Suite on Ultramarine.

    Explorer Suite

    January 14, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F

    For our expedition, we opted for a cabin on deck #3 … a category that sells as an Explorer Suite. No veranda … just a picture window. The approximately 285-sq foot cabin has all the amenities we need … including heated floors in the bathroom. Now that’s a nice luxury to have up in the Arctic!Read more

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    Reminiscing: Our Quark Polar “Chariots”

    January 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 37 °F

    We’ve been to the polar regions — north and south — several times since we began traveling extensively after 9/11.

    Some were land-based trips … such as the one we did in Alaska, traversing the entire state to dip our toes in the Arctic Ocean.

    Most, however, were seagoing expeditions … all but two of which were with Quark … on a variety of ships ranging from Professor Molchanov (built in 1983), which took us to the Falklands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula; to Sea Spirit (built in 1991), which took us around coastal Greenland … west to east around the southern tip; to 50 Let Pobedy (launched in 1993), which took us all the way to the North Pole.

    None of these vessels were purpose-built for polar tourism. The Professor Molchanov began its career as a Russian research vessel … Sea Spirit as a cruise vessel … 50 Let Pobedy as a Russian nuclear ice breaker. They were chartered to take people like us to the polar regions.

    Ultramarine is different. It was purpose-built by Quark to take people like us into Arctic and Antarctic waters. I’m sure I’ll be writing more about the vessel that will take us “In the Footsteps of Franklin.” In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to just share photos of the Quark vessels that have helped us scratch our “Ice Itch.”

    (P.S. Our non-Quark expeditions were on Silversea’s Silver Explorer, which took us to Svalbard; and Oceanwide’s Ortelius, which took us from the tip of Argentina to New Zealand by way of the Antarctic Peninsula and the Ross Sea.)    Read more

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    Our cabin on Professor Molchanov (2007) — Antarctic Expedition.
    Our cabin on Sea Spirit (2013) — back-to-back Greenland Expedition.Our "suite" on 50 Let Pobedy (2014) was the Chief Engineer's Cabin — North Pole Expedition.Our cabin on Ultramarine (2022) ... Canadian High Arctic Expedition.

    Reminiscing: Where We Slept

    January 16, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    Quark’s Ultramarine, from what photos I’ve seen, looks to be quite different from the vessels that previously took us to the polar regions. I already reminisced about those ships. Now to take a look at our accommodations.

    Our cabins were utilitarian on Professor Molchanov and 50 Let Pobedy. Even the suite we were upgraded to on 50 Let Pobedy, which turned out to be the Chief Engineer’s cabin, cannot be described as anything but practical and functional, with the sofa serving as the second bed. These ships, after all, were designed to be “working vessels” — to conduct research in the polar regions in the case of the former, and to break a path through the thick sea ice for other vessels to follow in the case of the latter. But those cabins had everything we could possibly need on an expedition, so we were more than OK with them.

    Our cabin on Sea Spirit was more like a cruise ship cabin. Not surprising as the vessel used to be owned by Renaissance, a cruise line that went defunct in the aftermath of 9/11. Though we booked a cabin with a picture window, we were later offered an upsell to a veranda cabin, which we took since the difference in price was quite reasonable.

    What will our accommodations be like on Ultramarine? We’ll have to wait and see.    Read more

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    DEN to YYZ … ✔️

    January 19, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 28 °F

    Booked our airfare to Toronto today. That’s the YYZ in the title of this footprint. The DEN? Well, there are no nonstop flights out of our hometown airport, so we decided to fly out of Denver.

    We had some electronic travel certificates in our United Airlines wallet from previous flight changes and cancelations. Thus we decided to use them for this flight. Our departure date is set as 29 July, which will give us a few extra days in Toronto to do some sightseeing and to reconnect with friends. We’re especially excited about the latter and hope that our schedules will mesh long enough to at least have dinner together.

    You’ll notice the title of this footprint doesn’t return us to DEN. That’s because we have subsequent plans that will take us across the Atlantic. So, we’ll actually be flying out from YYZ to … hmmm … not ready to share those plans yet 😉😀    Read more

  • Two to TravelIn the Footsteps of FranklinTwo to Travel
    A nice place to stay pre-expedition — Toronto, Canada.

    A Place to Sleep in Toronto … ✔️

    February 2, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 14 °F

    … and eat … and do laundry … and relax.

    Since we added a few days on our own in Toronto before we join our expedition group, today Mui found us a place to stay … a condo in what is known as the city’s entertainment district. The view and the balcony with comfy seating is what sold me on the place when Mui showed me the VRBO listing.

    Now we need to decide if we need to rent a car. Or if we can use Uber and public transportation to get around to the places we want to check out. That’s a decision for another day.    Read more

  • Two to TravelIn the Footsteps of FranklinTwo to Travel
    Zodiac cruise in Paradise Harbor — Antarctic Peninsula, 2007.
    Zodiac cruise in Bernstorff Isfjord — Greenland, 2013.Breaking through polar ice — En Route to the North Pole, 2014.

    Reminiscing: The Ice

    February 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 36 °F

    Honestly, there is such a thing as an ice virus! And once you catch it, there is no treatment. You have to live with it 🤪

    In our case, we were “infected” when we did our very first glacier cruise out of Whittier, Alaska. That was in 2001. Since then, we’ve been back to Alaska several times. And to the polar regions as well. But in this footprint, I am only reminiscing about our Quark expeditions … to the Antarctic, Greenland, and North Pole.

    Saying that I have thousands of “ice” images would not be an understatement. So, picking just three images to share here was more or less like throwing a dart blindfolded and using whatever photo that was thus selected. As it turns out, they were detail shots rather than expansive ice views.

    I never tire of ice images … and hope to add a couple thousand more to my collection in August.    Read more

  • Two to TravelIn the Footsteps of FranklinTwo to Travel
    If the schedule holds, we'll be getting to Toronto 15 minutes earlier.

    AC Planning to Get Us to Toronto Earlier

    February 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    With plans for our EuroCrossing, the earliest of this year’s trips complete, today I turned my attention to the next international trip on the calendar — our Quark expedition to the High Arctic.

    Coincidentally, I got an email from AC [Air Canada] today. You got it. A schedule change. But nothing major. Our new ETD has us flying out of DEN just 15 minutes earlier … and arriving at YYZ earlier by the same amount of time. These kinds of changes I don’t mind. We always give ourselves plenty of time to get to the airport anyway, so no change in our planned departure from the house.

    With a Quark expedition, I don’t have a great deal of planning to do. They will take charge once we join the group. I’ll do some reading of articles on the Quark website that pertain to our itinerary … watch some video clips … read a couple of books about the Franklin Expedition. In fact, I just finished reading “Ice Ghosts,” which documents the various search efforts for the lost expedition … over a period of some 160+ years … concluding with the ones that found HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

    Most of my research and planning will center on our pre-expedition days in Toronto. We already have a place to stay. So, my focus will be on figuring out places that are of interest to us and coming up with a loose plan of what to see and do. Unless advance-purchase admission is required, we’ll play it all by ear in Toronto. I will also check out local transportation options since we have pretty much decided against renting a car … unless, that is, I can find better rental rates. At the moment, $100+ per day seems a bit excessive to me.

    On the COVID-19 front. Entry requirements for Canada have eased a bit. An antigen test taken the day before will now suffice. The requirements might ease again by July to remove the testing entirely 🤞🏻. I’ll look into all that in the weeks leading up to our departure.    Read more

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    Collage of Wildlife Memories — Greenland Expedition ... 2013.
    Collage of Wildlife Memories — North Pole Expedition ... 2014Collage of a Memory — King Penguin Colony @ Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island ... 2007 Antartica

    Reminiscing: The Wildlife

    February 21, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    One of the things we most enjoy about our polar expeditions is the wildlife encounters.

    It's amazing really to see how comfortable the wildlife can be with the presence of a ship or human beings in their domain. Of course, there are strict rules by which we abide to make sure the animals are not stressed by our presence.

    Today's reminiscence, probably the last one for this trip, focuses on some of the wildlife we've encountered on our Quark expeditions.

    P.S. Let me remind everyone ... there are NO penguins in the Arctic. The one image I included here was taken on South Georgia Island, which was on the Antarctic itinerary of our first Quark expedition in 2007. Were there other wildlife encounters on that trip. Plenty, but since this year's expedition is going to take us north, I decided to only share the one (actually two) photo.    Read more

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    Cha-Ching ... Quark Paid Off

    March 29, 2022, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Any other time, I'd play around on the computer and come up with an image to include with this post. At the moment, however, we are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, sailing towards Funchal, Madeira ... the next port of call on our European Crossing. The internet signal is not the greatest. So, I'm going to skip browsing the internet.

    Besides, photo or not, the end result is that our Quark expedition to the Canadian High Arctic is now paid off. I managed to do so by calling the Quark agent I've been working with when there was a decent wi-fi signal earlier today.

    Thus ... another checkmark on the items to do for this adventure has been "virtually" placed. Next ... well, who knows? I think everything else can wait until we get home in early May.    Read more

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    Another AC Change

    April 24, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Our European Crossing on Oceania's Insignia is over. We flew from our disembarkation port in Greece to Turkey on 18 April to spend a couple of weeks visiting family. But that's another trip. The only reason I mention it here is to explain why our Canadian High Arctic trip has a footprint in Turkey.

    We got notified by Air Canada — the AC reference in the title — about another schedule change. The second one I believe. And again, it's not a biggie.

    We'll be flying out of DEN 20 minutes early and arriving at YYZ 20 minutes later. Fingers crossed, of course, that no actual delays pop up on our travel day.    Read more

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    Toronto Condo ... 2nd try the charm? We hope so!

    Toronto Condo Redux

    May 14, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    We survived our European Crossing and Turkey trip hale and hearty. Only to get caught in the COVID-19 trap after we returned home earlier this week. Sigh! The good news is that our symptoms are little more than that of a head cold. In fact, when I catch a cold I usually feel much worse. Thank goodness for being vaccinated and boosted.

    At the moment, we're quarantining as per the CDC guidelines, which means that we have time on our hands to take care of a logistics matter that cropped up a few days ago.

    You can bet that the email from VRBO advising us that our condo in Toronto was canceled didn't go down well when it popped up in Mui's inbox. A family matter ... that was the reason given. The refund is already posted to the credit card.

    So, back to the drawing board we went today.

    Nothing available through VRBO for our dates. The Monday after we arrive on 29 July is apparently a provincial holiday in Ontario ... and other places in Canada as well. Luckily, Airbnb had a property available in the same vicinity.

    We once again have a place to sleep ... and eat ... and do laundry ... and relax between all the fun stuff we hope to do while we're in Toronto.

    Perhaps the best part of the new condo is that the terms and conditions of use stress that this is a "quiet property." That's an especially good thing after our miserable experience in Miami this past March.    Read more

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    AC Schedule Change #4(?)

    June 18, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Since booking our Air Canada flight to Toronto in January, we've had a couple of minor schedule changes. Three I believe. None of the emails worried me when they showed up in my inbox.

    Not so this email. Why?

    With all the flight and airport security woes travelers are experiencing this summer, the first thing that popped into my mind was that our flight might have had a major change ... or worse, was canceled.

    Luckily, that wasn't the case at all. Instead, it looks like we're supposed to still fly out as planned ... but arrive at YYZ five minutes earlier at 4:30p. Barring any unforeseen delays, of course.

    You can bet that I will be keeping my fingers crossed in the interim for a smooth travel day on 29 July.    Read more

  • Two to TravelIn the Footsteps of FranklinTwo to Travel
    WHEW! Close call!

    DoubleTree Rez in Our Hip Pocket

    June 23, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    A lovely morning ... finally the stiff wind that had been blowing for a few days was no more. We had breakfast on our back deck. And then I sat down to read and sip a cup of tea … or two. It was too early for the construction machinery across the arroyo to have begun working. It was nice and quiet. The only sounds were those of the birds chirping. Until, that is, I heard Mui call out my name.

    Turns out that he’d gotten an email from Airbnb advising him that the condo we had booked in Toronto was canceled. Whaaat? Not again! Two cancelations in the span of a month? Ridiculous!

    I'll skip ahead to shorten the story. The cancelation was a technical glitch per the host for the condo. He had not canceled our reservation. He asked that we give him until the end of the day to clear up the issue. And he did. Airbnb had already refunded the booking, however, so we had to rebook using a link the host provided. All's well now.

    Before we got the email from the host, however, we had already spent time looking at alternatives. In fact, we had a room booked at the DoubleTree in downtown Toronto. This reservation can be canceled at no charge before midnight on 24 July. So, we're going to keep it in our hip pocket for now ... just in case.

    Now that today’s travel blooper is resolved, I am going to go sit on the back deck and try to do some reading!    Read more

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    PCR tests scheduled in Toronto.

    PCR Testing Scheduled

    June 28, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Back in March, we received an email from Quark outlining their COVID-19 precautions to embark Ultramarine. Those prerequisites for embarking the ship remain in place nearly three months later.

    The requirements are fairly stringent ... especially considering that Canada has loosened its requirements considerably. We need to have proof of vaccination with some small print around getting a booster. Plus we need to get a PCR test ... not once, but twice in the span of three days.

    I understand why Quark has these requirements. After all, we will be off in the High Arctic. Medical services won't be readily available in those waters.

    We have no problems complying.

    We are vaxxed and boosted ... and scheduled to get our second boosters mid-July.

    The embarkation PCR will be done by Quark's medical team when we join our group at the pre-expedition hotel on 1 August. Thus, we needeed to only figure out the PCR test required to be taken within three days prior to joining the group.

    29 July ... our travel day to Toronto ... the earliest date on which we can do the first PCR test. Time to research options.

    We were hoping to test at our local lab and then continue onto DEN for our flight to Toronto. With the current travel woes, however, the schedule was going to be a tad too tight. Scratch that off the list.

    Air Canada has a PCR home kit. Unfortunately, it requires coordinating with a courier to get the sample to a lab in Toronto. Scratch that off the list.

    DEN has a testing clinic. Alas, regular PCR test results take 3-5 days ... ridiculous. The Rapid PCR test costs $250pp ... ridiculous ... especially since less expensive options are available. Scratch that off the list.

    So what did we decide to do? Fly to Toronto and visit a SwitchHealth Clinic for their PCR test ... results same day or the next day ... CAD$158 (less expensive when converted to USD). The clinic at Union Station is within 15-minute walking distance to the condo ... convenient.

    Our appointments are scheduled for 9a on 30 July. The ASMO account we need to receive our results is already set up online. Now, we just need to show up to get our "nasal cavities" stirred.

    Ahhh! The trials and tribulations of travel during COVID-19 times.    Read more

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    Don't need more condo cancelation woes.

    Condo Booking Goes Bye Bye

    July 3, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    It must have been a premonition that urged me to keep the Toronto DoubleTree booking I mentioned when I wrote about our condo woes 10 days ago.
    (Footprint Link:https://findpenguins.com/8pccjefaitoru/footprin…)

    At the time of the condo cancelation on 23 June, Adrian (the host), apologized and said that it was an AirBNB system glitch. He provided a link. We rebooked the condo. The cost had gone up by $1+ ... CAD/USD exchange rate differential. Acceptable.

    Then, on 1 July, we got another cancelation notice. Adrian apologized again and said it was another AirBNB system glitch. He provided a link. We sat down to rebook the condo. The link didn't work. Adrian provided a second link. Whoa! Wait just a darn minute. The property was listed under a different host. The price was $130+ more than the original booking. Definitely not a CAD/USD exchange rate differential. Not acceptable.

    We sent a message to Adrian asking about the discrepancies. Gave him until today to respond. Not a peep. So, we're moving on. Not rebooking the condo this time.

    It would have been nice to have a condo for our stay in Toronto. With all the woes being reported for the summer travel season, however, we don't need to be worrying about a condo booking that could flake out on us at the last minute. We'll do just fine with a hotel room instead … especially one that comes with 🍪 🍪 when we check in 😊

    P.S. By the way, I checked and the hotel is about as far from Union Station where we will be getting our PCR tests as the condo was. Still walking distance. That's a positive in this saga.    Read more

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    With the arrival of our final documents, the expedition suddenly became very real.

    Final Docs Rec'd

    July 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    The final docs for our long-anticipated expedition into the Canadian High Arctic showed up in my inbox today. And just like that, our adventure became very real!

    The documents spell out the immediate details we need to be aware of in order to join our expedition group at the Sheraton at YYZ on 1 August. As for the details for our time on the ship ... they will unfold day by day ... in true expedition style.

    Also included in today's info packet is the schedule for 2 August, the "real" first day of our voyage ... the day we fly from Toronto, Canada to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland to embark the ship. "Ugh" on the early meet-up time of 5:30a that morning! But hey, we're going on an expedition ... early morning calls are part of that experience. Good thing we're early birds as a general rule 😊.

    As well, we now have a list of the expedition team members who will be on the ship with us. Most of the names are unfamiliar, but there are several with whom we’ve gone “expeditioning” before. We are looking forward to seeing them all again … and making new friends, too.    Read more

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    Second Booster ... ✔️

    Boosted x2

    July 17, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    We were due for our second COVID-19 booster back in May. We put it on the calendar for a few days after we were scheduled to return home from our European Crossing and Turkey trip.

    We made it home hale and hearty. Alas, we got caught in the COVID-19 trap before we could go to the clinic for our booster. Our primary care doc recommended we wait at least two months before we supplemented our natural immunity from getting sick. So, with another trip on the horizon, we scheduled our appointment for mid-July.

    This time, with BA-5, the latest Omicron variant, rearing its ugly head, we made it to the clinic before we got trapped by the virus again.

    Got our fourth COVID-19 vax jabs Friday morning! Easy peasy … just as it was for the original two-shot vax way back when.

    As was the case with the second shot and the first booster, Mui was down for the count about 12 hours after getting the jab. He pretty much slept through Saturday. When he woke up this morning, he was back to his normal self ... full of vim & vigor.

    As for me. No problems whatsoever. Just a slight ache at the injection point ... tender to the touch ... all gone by the time I woke up yesterday morning.

    One more check mark has now been placed on our travel prep list!    Read more

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    YYZ-DEN Flight ✔︎

    July 20, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    On Monday, we made some changes to our summer travel plans. While those details belong in a different trip journal, there was a small impact on this trip as well.

    Namely, we needed a way to get home from Toronto once Quark flies us back from the High Arctic on the 16th. This turned out to be a lot easier than I anticipated as United immediately popped up a non-stop flight from YYZ to DEN … very reasonable mileage award tickets.

    The 9:00a departure on 17 August is a bit early considering we will likely not get to bed until 1:00a or so due to the charter flight schedule from Resolute back to Toronto. I could have chosen a later flight but decided that it would be smarter to just grit our teeth and take the early flight ... primarily due to all the delays plaguing air travel this summer. A non-stop morning flight stands a better chance of running smoothly … 🤞🏻.    Read more

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    Ways & Means to/from DEN

    July 21, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Of course, flying into/out of our hometown airport is always our first choice. But it's rarely possible to do so since we prefer to fly non-stop ... especially these days. DEN, therefore, is often the airport we end up using.

    How to get to or from DEN — which is about 1.5 hrs away from our house — is a question we have to answer for each trip.

    In the past, we've relied on car ride services to do so. In these times of high fuel prices, however, drivers don't want to accept long rides. We found that out in March ... an unnecessarily stressful start to our trip on that occasion.

    Taking a taxi is a possibility. As is renting a car or booking a private driver. A shared shuttle? Nope, that's not something Mui likes to do ... especially in these COVID-19 times ... and it doesn't save us money anyway.

    There is, of course, the option of driving ourselves and parking at the airport. Most of the time, however, our trips are too long to make this a viable consideration. Not this time, though!

    When we canceled the second half of our overseas travel for this summer, parking at the airport for our expedition adventure suddenly became the most sensible option. We can manage our own schedule and cost-wise it will have the least impact on the wallet.

    I've already canceled the rental car reservation — the original mode of transportation we had settled on for this trip to DEN — and Mui has the address for the off-airport parking lot so he can program the GPS.

    Now we just have to wait for our departure date to come around.    Read more

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    @ DEN … So Far So Good

    July 29, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Smooth start to our travel day … 🤞🏻the rest of our day remains uncomplicated as well.

    We left the house at 6:00a; arrived at the off-airport shuttle lot at 7:30a; were on the shuttle to DEN by 7:40a; at the terminal at 8:00a. Just as planned … no mishaps, no detours, no delays.

    Check in with Air Canada was easy peasy as we were the only passengers at the counter. Bags checked in, minutes later we were at the security checkpoint. Thank goodness for TSA Pre✔️… which is included with our Global Entry membership. While the regular lines to go through the checkpoint were long, we bypassed it all … kept our shoes on in the process and all electronics remained in our carry on bags.

    With everything going smoothly, we now had plenty of time on our hands. So, we decided to use our one-time United Airlines passes to spend time in the Club Lounge. Because one of the two lounges is undergoing renovation, we were directed to the “pop up lounge.” Fewer amenities, but we just wanted a “quiet place and comfortable seats.” So all’s good.

    There is a posted delay of 30 mins to our departure, which originated with the delayed arrival this morning of equipment to YYZ from the US … and then a “security issue.” The latter, as the app explains, could be due to a number of reasons, including additional time needed to screen passengers boarding the YYZ to DEN flight. In any event, if this is all we have to deal with today, I will call it a “good deal.”

    Now to do a bit of reading to while away the rest of our time before our flight is called.    Read more

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    Welcome to Toronto

    July 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    On approach to YYZ we looped around for an aerial view of the downtown area of the city.

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    Showing off the patches our friends gifted us with! — Terroni ... Toronto, Canada.
    Nighttime skyline from our room — Toronto, ON ... Canada.

    Travel Day Wraps Up With A Reunion

    July 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    A beautiful nighttime view of the Toronto skyline wraps up what turned out to be an easy travel day … and a delightful dinner reunion with friends at Terroni.

    Our flight from DEN landed at YYZ with just a 10 minute delay. The agent at the NEXUS kiosks, which we misunderstood as being open to Global Entry members, processed us into Canada regardless … this time only, he said. Our bags were already on the carousel when we got to baggage control … a miracle in and of itself from what we later heard. An Uber driver was available and picked us up at the Q Door on the ground floor within two minutes of placing our order. Yes, it took us 45 minutes or so to get to our hotel … but it could have taken us twice as long in the middle of Friday rush hour.

    We stayed in our room long enough to refresh ourselves. And then into another Uber for our dinner date at Terroni. I’ll protect the privacy of our friends and simply say that their choice of restaurant was perfect … the weather ideal for a rooftop meal … and the camaraderie exceptional.

    We have yet to see much of the city itself, but we’ll change that tomorrow. It’s time for a good night’s rest.    Read more

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