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Published: December 15th 2008
YVR at Last!
First in line at the check-in! Where is everybody? YVR at Last!
Today is the day the Travelling Canucks escape snowy and cold Vancouver for sunny and warm Egypt! We had an early snowfall on Saturday evening and cold temperatures are expected to continue with more snow in the forecast. The local mountains are looking good for skiers who have been waiting for the white stuff, but for us city dwellers, who are not experienced at driving in the snow and sliding on the ice, it’s a hassle. So we booked a taxi to pick us up because of the high demand for taxis. Fortunately, the taxi arrived on time and we had one of the nicest drivers. Although the main roads are fine, the side streets are icy since last night's thermometer dipped to -10C. So as to be expected, the taxi slid down our hill as we started on our adventure. Excited to get to the airport and not wanting to miss our flight, we left with plenty of time to spare!
After checking in our bags and clearing airport security, we are lounging in Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounge at Vancouver International Airport waiting for our flight to take off! Hanging out at YVR
YVR Westcoast Totem
YVR's beautiful new atrium at International Departures with Westcoast Totem melding the traditional and the modern. and the Maple Leaf Lounge before taking off on international flights is always filled with anticipation and excitement. So why lounge when you can blog? With free Internet access for blogging, what more could we want? There is a noticeable heightened security at the International Departures Gate. For some reason, Junior Canuck's backpack with laptop and accessories got extra attention!
We are thrilled to leave the winter wonderland behind as we head off to Egypt over Christmas break. This will be our first time celebrating Christmas away from home. While Mama and Papa Canuck welcome a break from family Christmas traditions, especially last minute Christmas shopping, Canuck Junior is bound to miss opening gifts under the Christmas tree and all the Canucks will miss spending time with friends and family over the holidays. Hey, we may even miss a white Christmas, which only happens once every 20 years!
Getting There!
Flying business class on Lufthansa from Vancouver to Frankfurt is the only way to fly when on transatlantic flights. Thank goodness for Aeroplan points! Unfortunately, we only had enough points to get us to the other side of the pond back in January 2008! Using points
Mukluck at 2010 Olympics Boutique at YVR
Muckluck invites the World to come to Vancouver in 2010 when Vancouver hosts the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
How come I wasn't picked as an Olympic Mascot? I'm better looking than Quatchi? Oh Yeah! I'm already branded - NHL's Vancouver Canucks and the Travelling Canucks mascot! is rewarding, except you have to plan where you want to go and how you want to get there as soon as it's possible to book your reward miles, especially when you only want to take direct flights during high season. Then, you have to wait for almost a whole year before departure day- it's hard to believe that day is finally here!
Arriving at Frankfurt's International Airport on the morning of the 16th will be a welcome stopover after a 10 hour flight. Although you don't want to miss out on the in-flight meals and entertainment, stretching out in a fully reclining seat is often irresistible, especially for Mama Canuck who can sleep anywhere and anytime! Unfortunately, the rest of the Travelling Canucks don't get much shut-eye when there are so many movies to watch, so much music to listen to and so little time!
We have frequently flown with Lufthansa into Frankfurt and after battling other travelers for comfortable seating at Lufthansa's business class lounges, we could not bear the thought of spending over 10 hours at the airport waiting to leave for Egypt! So, we have booked a day room at the Frankfurt Airport Sheraton
Junior Canuck Travels Again!
How come Junior Canuck's bag is bigger than the Senior Canucks' bags? to chill out, stretch out and catch a few winks before our Lufthansa flight departs for Alexandria at 9:00pm. The hotel is conveniently situated at the airport terminal and we have checked our bags through to Alexandria so Mama Canuck is still holding out hope that a visit to Frankfurt's Christmas Market is possible despite Papa Canuck's push back! While Lufthansa regularly flies into Cairo, there is only one flight to Alexandria per week, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that our luggage makes it safely to Alexandria when we do.
Since we ran out of points after booking our transatlantic leg, we are travelling on economy class tickets for our direct flight from Frankfurt to Alexandria, which cost almost as much as travelling from Vancouver to Cairo in economy class! We are hoping that Papa Canuck can stretch his legs out; otherwise, our 4 hour flight to Alexandria is going to seem much longer. Since our flight arrives at 2:00am on the 17th at Borg El Arab Airport, which is 25k south west of Alexandria, we have prearranged airport pickup through our hotel in San Stefano. Who wants to be at the mercy of taxi drivers in a state of unconsciousness? It's tough enough when you have your wits about you!
So our long-awaited and long journey begins! A 24+ hour travel day and a 10 hour time change to recover from! For that reason alone, we decided to stay in Alexandria for 3 nights to get over our jetlag before moving on to our next destination, Siwa Oasis! As we embark on our Egyptian adventure, we hope you will join the Travelling Canucks as we walk back in time on our journey to the Ancient World!
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