Chasing Waterfalls – Day 1

Our alarm went off at 02:45. We got up and ready. I had a bit of a panic. I had put my travel Bath and Bodyworks spearmint and eucalyptus aromatherapy mist on the bedside table the previous evening, but it was not there. I wondered if I had knocked it down and it rolled underneath the bed. It was not there either. In the end, I found it in my handbag when I put away our overnight wash kit. I must have put it there when I put away the cables and gadgets.

We headed downstairs and checked out.  Then we walked across to terminal 2. This is a major plus with the hotel. You literally come out of the front door, cross the road and you are at the terminal. They are still rebuilding the landside part of terminal 2, but they have made a lot of progress since November. The areas that have been completed look bright, airy, and modern. We checked where we needed to go for check in, which was clear across the terminal. It is mainly self-service with a bunch of check in kiosks. We had done online check in the day before and had opted for the mobile boarding passes. All we needed was our baggage tags. We got those and attached them to the suitcases. Then we got in line for the baggage drop. This was not open yet. We did however have not long to wait. Somebody checked our passports and boarding passes while we waited our turn. Once we got to the front of the line, we used one of the self-service bag drop machines and then we were free to go through security.

I had not bothered with Fast Track this time and it wasn’t needed. It was really quiet. We were sent straight to an area where we put our stuff in trays. They have the new types of scanners at terminal 2, which meant nothing had to be removed from the bags. Neither of us set off the scanner, but my hand luggage and my handbag went on a little side trip. In my hand luggage, the magnets had attracted interest. I had figured that it would be one of my gadgets or the power banks that caused interest in the handbag, but it was actually my documents folder.

After clearing security, I quickly popped into Boots to get a small jar of their version of Vicks VapoRub. We both had a lingering cough, and Graham had a bit of a rough night. Ironically, he did not need it as the cough just disappeared at that stage. Still, it is a useful addition to the travel medical kit.

After this, we went to get some breakfast. Normally, we end up having breakfast at Giraffe if we have a morning flight out of Manchester. There is now a Giraffe in terminal two, but temptation led us to San Carlo, which is next door. San Carlo is an upscale Italian chain. Graham had an Americano and the San Carlo Grande, which consisted of back bacon, Cumberland sausages, roasted tomatoes, flat mushroom, crispy potato cakes, baked cannellini beans & fried eggs with toasted sourdough bread. I had a latte and the Truffled Eggs en Croute, which consisted of poached eggs on toasted sourdough bread with truffle fondue sauce. Everything was delicious and the ambience was nice.

Just as we were finishing breakfast, our gate was listed on the screens. We paid and then headed in that general direction making a quick pitstop on the way. They were not hanging about. Shortly after we got to the gate, they started boarding. The process was completed quite quickly and soon we were on our way. Both of us managed to have a nap on this flight.

We have flown into and out of Paris Charles De Gaulles airport countless times, but we never have transited through there. The transit process is not exactly intuitive. I would not want to do this with a short connection. We had to take a train between the different satellite terminals and the train we ended up on did not take us straight where we needed to go. We ended up having to change to a different train. When we got to the right satellite terminal, there was then a member of staff to guide people. At this stage, we were in the right place and just needed to go through security. This was quick and smooth.

I know a lot of people hate Paris Charles de Gaulles, but we have always liked the Air France terminal. At the end of the terminal, there are floor to ceiling picture windows overlooking the forefield and the runway. In the past, there used to be leather loungers in this area. This is not quite so posh anymore. There were patio chairs with footstools. They were also all taken. We still headed down there and sat down on the floor. I went to use the bathroom and also went to get something to drink for both of us. As I came back from the bathroom, I noticed that the Emirates A380 had arrived and was parked pretty much straight in front of us. This always makes me happy. Before returning to where Graham was, I stopped by a shop to get a bottle of water for Graham and a bottle of Orangina for me. I also got a pack of 6 macaroons to share. Then I rejoined Graham. We had our snack, and I spent some time alternating reading, working on the trip report, and watching the planes coming and going.

After a while, we both started to feel uncomfortable sitting on the floor. We got up and headed to main level. We found some seats. I was able to plug in my gadgets. I continued alternating reading and working on my trip report. When I knew that our A380 was about to leave, I got up and found somewhere where I could see the forefield. After the plane had gone, I played a game on my iPad for a bit. Graham managed to take a nap while sitting up.

We had a layover of just over 5 hours in Paris, but time just flew. Soon it was time to head to our gate. I had checked this out earlier. Our gate was actually in the basement, and we had to take a bus to get to the plane. Shortly after we got there, they started preboarding and then nothing happened for a while. Eventually they called groups in quick succession. We boarded the bus and then we went on the rather long journey to our plane. At one stage it looked like we had actually left the airport. Where we ended up looked familiar. I think this was the terminal that EasyJet used many years ago. We got on the plane and settled in. I started to think the third seat would remain empty, but then somebody turned up.

The flight was operated by an Airbus A350 which is a plane that I rather like. While we were waiting for the flight to get ready to leave, I checked out the inflight entertainment and added films that I thought I may wish to watch to a favourites lift. One of them was Moana 2, which I had not seen. I tried to access the menu, but the only thing that was available was the drinks menu. Soon we were on our way. This was our first experience of flying Air France long-haul. Friends of ours have used them for long-haul and have not had any issues. However, some of my colleagues have suggested that they are worse than Lufthansa. After a very bad experience with a long-haul flight with Lufthansa back in 2017, this did not exactly fill me with joy. Fortunately, this was not our experience. The seats were comfortable with a decent width and legroom. The inflight entertainment was not the best I have ever experienced, but there was enough to keep people happy and occupied. There were some very nice touches. They are still offering wet towels soon after taking off which most airlines no longer offer in economy. They also offer champagne in all cabins, which I had never encountered before.

I read for a bit, but soon my eyes grew heavy, and I had a bit of a nap. I was awake again in time for lunch. Lunch was amazing by airline standards. We got a mixed grain salad, which was full of flavour, but at the same time light and refreshing. We also got a ciabatta roll with butter and some Camembert. The main course options were either chicken or vegetarian pasta. I went for the chicken, which came with a mushroom sauce and polenta. I was in heaven. Graham had fortunately gone with the pasta as polenta is one of the very few things that he won’t eat. His pasta came with a tomato and vegetable sauce. Dessert was a pear cake. It was a little unusual in terms of aircraft food and it was delicious. We both got some water. I was brave and tried the champagne. Now, I am not exactly a champagne connoisseur, and I am sure it was nothing special, but it was very drinkable. Graham was not quite as taken with his choice of a chardonnay. We both had some coffee after dinner, which was a step up from normal airline standards, too.

After lunch, I was wide awake again and decided to watch a film. What I had missed when I originally looked at the available film was Conclave. I had wanted to watch this ever since the film came out in the cinema but was waiting for this to come out on a streaming service. This was of course very topical as the real-life conclave would start during this trip. Because of this, I had downloaded the corresponding book but had not had the chance to start reading this. I enjoyed the film. In the meantime, this has now appeared on Prime Video, and have now watched this on a larger screen.

Once the film had finished, I needed to use the bathroom. We both decided to stretch our legs. I also started to feel dehydrated. I decided while we were up anyway, I may as well ask for some water. This is where I became aware of another nice touch. I was referred to a trolley near the rear galley that contained still and sparkling water, various juices as well as some snacks. I helped myself to some sparkling water. This is so much better than having to wait for them to come round with water and potentially missing your chance to get some water if you are asleep.

Once we got back to our seats, I decided to watch another film. I was not entirely sure if I would stay awake for a whole film and decided to watch a perennial favourite, Me Before You. I figured if I did fall asleep at some stage, I would not really have missed anything. To my immense surprise, I did stay awake for the whole film. Once the film had finished, I decided to read for a bit, but that did not go to well and soon I was asleep.

I woke up when they came around with the afternoon snack. This was kind of strange. It consisted of a roll with grated carrot and celery, a piece of lemon cake and a yoghurt drink. I turned up my nose at the roll. This seemed like a strange sandwich filling at the best of time. I also absolutely detest celery. I was just about to have the yoghurt drink, but thankfully I checked the ingredients and noticed that this contained banana, which I am allergic to. I ended up with the lemon cake and a cup of coffee. Graham had all of his snack.

By the time they had cleared everything away, we were about to start our descent into Toronto. I pondered reading some more, but did not want to risk falling asleep again. Instead, I decided to play Monopoly, but my heart was not really in it. Still, it did not take long until we were landing.

Toronto airport is best described as functional. It is however pretty user friendly. Entering Canada by air works like charm. They have repurposed an app that was originally introduced during the pandemic to allow you fill out the arrival card and customs form ahead of time. I had done this Saturday morning. On arrival in Toronto, we then just had to use a kiosk, scan our passports, confirm the information I entered was still accurate and have a photo taken. The kiosk then produced a receipt. Like in Vancouver the previous year, we had to have the receipt checked before proceeding to the baggage hall. However, this was entirely painless. 

When we got to the baggage hall, I noticed that I had a text message from our driver asking me to let him know when we had arrived. I texted him back that we were in the baggage hall and waiting for our luggage. He asked me to text him again once we had our luggage. 

The first luggage started to appear shortly after we got to the baggage hall. A fair few people got their luggage and left. We were still waiting. I was not surprised as we had quite a long layover in Paris and our luggage was probably loaded first. For what felt like an eternity, nothing was happening. Eventually they made an announcement that they were in the process of unloading the last two containers and the luggage from those containers would be delivered shortly. About 5 minutes after this, the luggage belt jumped back into action and shortly afterwards, our luggage arrived.

We then had to line up for customs. While we were in line, I messaged our driver to let him know that we had the luggage. He sent instructions on where to find him. The line for customs looked impressive, but was thankfully moving quickly. Our receipt was collected and then we were waved through. It turned out that we pretty much had to walk along the whole length of the terminal to get to the exit that he had told me to go to. I could not see anybody when we got there and stepped outside. At that moment, he messaged me a description of the car and the license plate. The car was right in front of me. I approached the car, and he came around to load our luggage. Then we were on our way. He had brought some water for us, which was a nice touch.

The distance from the airport to our hotel was about 20 miles and should have taken about 30 minutes. The traffic was horrendous. Our guide the following day told us that there are two seasons in Toronto, winter and construction. This is definitely how it felt. In the end, it took just over an hour to get to the hotel. I napped on and off until we reached the city centre and then I enjoyed the first impression of Toronto.

Eventually, we were dropped off at our hotel. We were staying at the Chelsea Hotel. Our travel agent picked this for us as it was one of the pick-up locations for the tour that was included in our holiday. Apparently, this is the largest hotel in Canada. The lobby was very impressive, but for some reason, I never got around to taking photos of this. Check in was smooth. They have colour coded elevator banks with each one stopping at only a select number of floors. We were directed to the red elevators which were straight behind us.

I had hoped that we would go for a swim and then grab some dinner. I took some photos of the room while Graham used the bathroom. He laid down when he was done and I asked him if he was throwing in the towel. He told me no. I went to the bathroom myself and when I came back, he was fast asleep. I know when to give up. I was awake again at this stage and spent some time reading. However, once the light started to fade, I was ready to go to sleep, too. At some stage, Graham got up to have a shower, but he could not figure out how to get warm water and came back to bed. I got up once more to take my medication and then I settled down for the night.