Monday, September 8, 2014

Hello Vancouver! And Dallas! And Home!!

It's official.  We're off the boat.  While we considered eating breakfast on board, due to the crowds crowding the common areas, we decided to just leave instead.  We hauled our stuff up to the nearby food court of the nearby mall to wait for the Canada store to open (we were on a mission to get Steve the beaver and Mountie solar dancers because the man has a free spot in his office that does not have a solar dancer on it).  Anyhow, we couldn't find a escalator/elevator to haul our bags downstairs, so I waited and guarded the luggage while Molly went in search of the desired items.

She returned with the beaver, but they were out of mounties, so she decided to go to the other store down the street.  The only problem is that it wasn't going to open for another 15 minutes.  So we decided to wait.  At the appointed time, KB and Molly headed to the store - which had a sign posted that it was going to be another 15 minutes until the store opened (guess the store owner was waiting for Starbucks to brew his coffee).  We decided that we had waited long enough and forget the Mountie - we were going to head for the train to the airport.

So, we get our bags and head to the train entrance.  It's down under the street (so I guess that makes it a subway?) but it has an escalator, so it's no problem for my carry-on, Molly's two carry-ons (remember she got another new one on the ship), and KB's trunk that's disguised as a suitcase (which was needed for all the free stuff we accumulated on the ship).  Once we were underground, we studied and deliberated on which train tickets to buy (which we really didn't need at all, since all the turnstiles were open, which were also open for the train ride last week from the airport).  Anyhow, once we agreed on which tickets to purchase, and purchased them (in three separate transactions because we couldn't figure out how to purchase three at once), we headed off to the train.  Which took awhile because we had to walk down past one train to the place for the second train which went up but luckily had another escalator.

We then found ourselves in a terminal type building.  Which was the same building that Molly and I had eaten dinner last week.  Which was right next door to the store that was 15 minutes away from opening and had the Mountie sun dancer.  Which, since it took us about 15 minutes to technically go 10 feet in a roundabout fashion, meant the Mountie store was going to open soon.  So KB and I guarded the bags again while Molly went to get the illusive Mountie, and was successful, which meant the Mountie was illusive no more.

With Mountie in hand, we headed for the correct train to the airport.  Again we had to travel down a floor, but this time there was indeed a full-on elevator, so we boarded it with a family who apparently brought everything they owned for the cruise.  Nevertheless, we all made it on the elevator, on the train, and were soon at the airport.

Since we had spent so much time Mountie shopping, American Airlines was already on duty by the time we made it to the check in place.  We checked our bags and headed toward the United States (in Vancouver, you go through customs before you leave, and after customs you walk through a gate that says "Welcome to the United States").  We only had a couple of hours before we left - enough time for Molly to get her requisite poutine before leaving.

We left Vancouver and headed toward DFW.  The in flight movie was "Draft Day," which I didn't think I would like, but I did.  With all the movies I've viewed, I will have to review them - which means tomorrow's blog topic is done!  Anyhow, we landed in Dallas, had enough time to get to our gate and grab a bite to eat, and get on the plane for home.  And soon we were there.  Steve met us and helped us with our bags, and soon we were all home in our own beds.

At least for now.  Did I mention that we're headed for Philadelphia on Thursday?
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Today is a gift because:  Molly's Mountie success; getting to the airport with no problems; safe, smooth flights home; sleeping in my own bed

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