When we came home from Singapore in November, we faced the reality that we had the longest period between two trips since things started to get back to normal after the pandemic. Having very close to a full 6 months between two trips did not fill me with joy. However, the time passed with alarming speed. Having some mini trips along the way had definitely helped. All over sudden, I was able to measure the time until the trip in hours rather than in days or weeks. As I was working the weekend, I had the Friday off, which had worked great. I managed to get my nails done, have a haircut and get my packing done. This meant that the only things outstanding on this day were packing the last odds and ends that I had still needed like my gadgets, do online check in and print our boarding passes. We had at 08:50 flight the following day. This is by no means crazy early but would still have meant a very early start if we had left from home. As I was working that day anyway and my office is not far from the airport, we decided to spend the last night at the Holiday Inn at Manchester airport. This just took stress out of everything.
My alarm went off at 06:00 that morning. If you followed my trip reports previously, you know that I am not really a morning person. However, that morning I had a spring in my step. I got up and ready. Then I packed the last odds and ends, set the dishwasher going and took the rubbish and recycling out. By then, it was time to head to work. As I had all my luggage, I took an Uber to work. On the way to work, I posted the last instalment of my trip report this side of the trip. I also noticed that a driver had been assigned for our transfer in Vancouver the next day. I did my online check in for the flights during my morning break. Then I tried my best to forget about the trip for the rest of the shift.
At 15:45, my out of office went on. When my colleague finished 15 minutes later, she gave me a lift to the Holiday Inn at Manchester airport. I had arranged to meet Graham there. He had expected to be there before me, but that was not the case. This time, I was not worried. I had made sure that he knew where we were staying. I found a seat in reception. I alternated between watching the world go by and catching up on the live trip report of somebody who was currently on Ovation of the Seas on the repositioning cruise between Tokyo and Vancouver.
About half an hour later, Graham arrived. There was a little rush hour at the front desk. I waited a few minutes for things to calm down. Then I got us checked in. I made us an early dinner reservation for their excellent Turkish restaurant Firin. Then we headed upstairs to our room to drop off our stuff. I also took a few photos before we headed back downstairs for dinner.
We were seated straightaway. It was quiet when we got there, but it soon filled up. Graham had a Yorkshire iced tea and I had a Coke. We shared some oven baked halloumi with Turkish bread. I could happily make a meal out of the bread and the tomato sauce. For his main course, Graham had the half Ottoman roasted chicken with roast potatoes, garlic yoghurt, red onion, and tomato. I had Chicken Shish with fries and flatbread. Dinner definitely hit the spot.
After dinner, we headed back upstairs. I took the things I needed for the night out of my hand luggage. I was feeling a little cold and curled up under the quilt. Graham fell asleep. I initially played a game on my iPad, but I started to feel tired, too. I set an alarm for me to take my medication. Then I had a nap. I woke up again at about 21:00. I worked on the trip report until it was time to take my tablets. Then I read for a bit before settling down for the night.
Dolphingirl’s Travels 
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