Three Cities and a Wedding

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I left from Calgary on Friday the 17th, very early in the morning. Getting up at 4:30 am Calgary time - but more importantly, 3:30 am Vancouver time - yuck!!! It was day one of a 4 day work pairing. The first day saw us travel from Calgary to Hamilton, Ontario and then on to Moncton, New Brunswick. We got to our hotel in Moncton at 5pm and it was a beautiful sunny afternoon. I had a quick change and then went out for an evening stroll along the Petitcodiac River. Blue skies and great outdoors was a lovely combination after being on a plane all day. I enjoyed my walk and of course, had my camera so took my time taking pictures of the scenery.

I made my way back into Moncton, which isn't very big. I walked along the Main Street, it was closed off to traffic as they were having a street seafood festival that evening. A stage was set up in a square just beside the hotel and a band were playing. I got a chai and found a table and chair to sit at. I spent a great half hour listening to a band called "Squid" - from Nova Scotia play. I packed up early and headed back to the hotel as the next day saw another early start. Up at 4am local time - I think something like 1am Vancouver time!!!

We left Moncton the next morning and flew over to Toronto. A change of planes was needed and soon we were preparing a new aircraft for a charter flight down to Fort Lauderdale in Florida. We left at 9am and arrived back into Toronto at 16:30. This is when the fun and games begin. I had a mad dash through Customs before running to the hotel and getting my room key. A quick shower and change and I got myself dolled up and down to the lobby to hail a taxi. I was en-route to Ontario Place to meet Mike who had been in town for the week. We had a big event to attend at Ontario Place, the wedding of our friends Frank and Suzanne. Unfortunately, my new job meant that I couldn't get the weekend off but I was lucky enough to have a layover in Toronto. I got there half an hour or so after the ceremony so unfortunately missed that but made in time for the rest of the evening. I had a lovely time seeing lots of good friends and I enjoyed seeing Jen and Ben who are expecting their first baby in just a few weeks. It was a great evening, the happy couple were indeed "happy" and so were all the guests.

Ben and Jen dropped as off at the hotel and we managed to get a couple of hours sleep before getting up at 5am. Mike was heading back to Vancouver and I was operating a flight to Montreal. We got to the hotel in Montreal at 9am and I enjoyed an hours cat nap before I met up with the rest of the crew. We made our way to the bus stop and caught a bus to the train station and then caught a train down into old Montreal. As hunger was striking we found a great cafe for lunch with an open air veranda up top. After eating we strolled through the old streets for a while, taking in sights such as the Notre-Dame Basilica, the City Hall, the craft stalls on Saint-Amable and Saint-Vincent Streets and Place Jacques-Cartier. We made our way down to the St. Lawrence River and visited the Old Port of Montreal. We enjoyed a glass of wine before a quick browse through a few gift shops and then jumping into a minicab to take us back to the hotel. I was so tired by the time we got back and proceeded to fall asleep sitting upright in bed trying to eat my dinner!!!! I managed to eventually turn the light out and was up nice and early to fly down to Toronto and back over to Calgary. My second pairing ended here and an hour's wait saw me on a flight back to Vancouver for a couple of days at home. I leave again tomorrow. The next few work days will be in Winnipeg and Ottawa where I'm sure I'll have my camera. Until next time, take care and bye for now.

Lots of love xxx

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[Andrew]

What's a "blether"? Chat?!