Thursday September 14, 2017

Baggage debacle! Hayley has one of the suitcases we were going to bring. Packing challenge!! Pack as little as possible for hot and cold climates because one has to carry one's own suitcase without the luxury of using the trunk of the car for downsizing to a carry on for each stop on a daily basis! Embarrassing to go into any more detail about how long this whole escapade carried on but know that it was a fiasco in grand style!

Air Canada Rouge AGAIN however this time we flew on a Boeing Dreamliner. This may or may not mean something to you but of course when flying schedule with my pilot this is a big part of the trip! Here are some interesting facts about this new flying experience that I think might be of interest to the common non-pilot types! The Dreamliner is made of fifty percent composite material and carbon fiber-re-inforced polymers. I'm not sure either… but basically; we are flying across the ocean in a plastic airplane. The air quality on this plane is improved telling us that we are feel like we are cruising around 6,000 feet (about 2,000 feet lower then we typically will be) which helps us feel less fatigue, dry eyes and headaches. There is defiantly more room on this plane. The ceilings are higher, more room to move around and thankfully the overhead storage bins are much bigger. The seats and spacing … not so much… but the rest does help diminish the claustrophobia a little bit! We were lucky to get seated in the emergency row so we had plenty of leg room but the gathering area in front of us was less desirable. (More about that in a moment.) This plane is also 20 percent more fuel efficient then other aircrafts of the same size saving the airlines a lot of money. Obviously then these savings are passed on to the customers.. HAHAHA! The cockpit also has some new and cool features for the pilots including a Head-Up Display which is apparently now displayed on glass so the pilot's won't get distracted and can focus on what is going on outside. I am not really sure what that means but I think it is a very good idea and also, if I fly on other airplanes, are the pilot's distracted and not looking around outside? The windows on this plane are one of the most interesting features. They are bigger (about 30%) and they do not have the shades that slide down (they needed the plastic to make the plane?)/ These windows are actually really cool and have electronic dimmers at each seat. The flight attendants can (and did) darken or lighten all the shades automatically keeping complete control of making sure everyone was awake at 2:30 am to try to focus on the plastic banana bread they wanted us all to eat for breakfast! So, a fairly non eventful flight with a bit or turbulence throughout but happily with our own entertainment system. We watched a documentary about why we love our cats and dogs and although Grant held it together I was basically weeping at the end. What a terrible idea! Should have picked one of the dozen or more Anime movies available instead!

The only other note worthy story of our plane journey is this. When one sits in the exit row just behind the wing on this flight you are next to the washroom. People seemed to believe that this space that we had in front of us was a place for them to congregate. So, people stepping on your shoes and losing their balance, almost joining us was an ongoing event. The MAIN event was the toilet flushing thorough the whole flight including while you are trying to sleep. So comfy sweater on, pillow and blanket set up, headphones on, sleeping playlist on with headphones to block out the crying baby (those poor parents!!) AND YET… here's a bit of trivia. If you use the airplane restroom and you flush the toilet but do not wash your hands… those sitting in the exit row KNOW because when you open the door right away the toilet is still flushing AND it is VERY LOUD!! A peaceful rest was had by… No one in our row! I am SO TIRED :)

Fast forward 8 hours plus the 6 hour time change and we are in Milan and it is just before 10am Milano time. WE MADE IT and Day 1 of our adventure is officially under way!

BRAVA!!