We returned to Spain after a three-week visit to Canada. It was nice to get back to our home country and see everyone. We spent the first week of our time visiting our parents and helping out. It was wonderful seeing the parents and spending quality time with them. We also took some time to visit one of Canada’s iconic spots, “Tim Horton’s”
My first Tim Horton’s Coffee in almost a year
During our second week, we rented a cottage and our family and friends came for a visit.
The cottage we rented along the Ottawa River
It was great because we were able to spend time with most of our children and grandchildren for a few days. Our oldest daughter even drove 18 hours from New Brunswick to spend a few days with us. It was a great time and we enjoyed some canoeing, playing in the water and having bonfires. We even saw some turkeys that came through the yard for a visit.
Keenan, Tyreese and Shantaya with turkeys
It was fabulous seeing the kids and spending some quality time with them. Our friends dropped by and we were able to catch up on things and have a laugh or two. The view and time at the cottage were great.
View from the cottage deck of the Ottawa River
The last week we stayed close to home and spent more time with family and friends before heading back to Spain. Our trip back to Spain was uneventful and we have arrived home safe and sound.
We are excited to be back in Canada for three weeks to visit family and friends. It will be great to see everyone in person and get to spend quality time with them.
During this time we will not be posting anything on the blog until we get back at the end of August. We hope everyone has a great summer and we will update the blog when we get back to Spain.
Sorry for the delay not posting to the Blog, but the internet in the apartment is not working at this time, so I am working off a public WIFI site.
We finally made it to Alicante Spain on January 6th at around 2 pm. What a trip, lots of mishaps and adventures along the way. One of the things I am learning is to be patient and flexible when things don’t go as planned. We left Montreal and landed in JFK International Airport without any issues. Once we got to JFK we had plenty of time to get through security and managed to grab a bite to eat before boarding the plane at 7:15. The weather was cold and windy when we left and the take off was a bit rough but not too bad. We were siting comfortably at the rear of the plane and trying to get some needed rest. About 35 minutes or so into the flight, the captain got on the intercom and stated “we have smoke in the cabin and diverting back toJFK”. His voice was not reassuring as he sounded quite nervous. The stewardesses came and ensured we were in the upright and secure position for landing. The pilot did not provide any more info until he was 10 minutes from the airport and told the flight attendants to prepare for landing. As we were approaching the airport the flight was really rough and lots of turbulence was occurring. From our seats we could see the wing of the plane and the ground below. At no time did we see any fuel being dumped from the plane. It looked like we were landing at the far end of the airport away from the terminal and other planes. As we approached the landing we could see the emergency vehicles with lights flashing all along the runway waiting for us. The landing was bumpy, fast and very scary. No one was saying anything in the plane, they just stayed quiet. We landed without any issues and the fire trucks followed us down the runway until we were stopped. Shortly after we taxied to a gate and were let off the plane. It was now around 11pm. We were informed that we would be shuttled to a hotel for the night and arrangements for flights would be done in the morning. They provided a telephone number to make arrangements. We picked up our luggage and took a bus to the hotel. It was very cold outside and of course we were dressed for Spain not winter in New York. Burr…. We got a room at the hotel and tried to get some sleep, it was now 2 am or so. We awoke and tried to call for a new flight in the a.m. and after what seemed like several hours we were told the only flight available was on January 7th and in the Newark airport an hour away. After some consideration and discussion with the hotel and other people from our flight. We checked out of the hotel, took our luggage and headed to the airport to try to arrange a flight from there. We arrived at the airport around 10 a.m. and waited in line for over two hours to get help. We eventually did manage to get a flight to Madrid and a connecting flight to Alicante Spain for later in the evening of January 5th. We went through customs, checked our baggage and stayed at the airport all day. Our flight left at 7:30 pm for Madrid Spain. We landed in Madrid without incident at 8:15 am on January 6th. (Which is a holiday in Spain)
We were now looking forward to the next flight scheduled for 11:45 am. We went through customs and security again, it was fairly easy and there was no hassle of any kind. We found our gate, relaxed and waited for our next flight. At 11:30 we boarded the plane to Alicante and landed without any issues a short 30 minutes later. (so we thought)…. We went to get our checked luggage and they were not there. Apparently both of our luggage was lost. So after filling in the paperwork and providing the contact information we headed to the apartment. Tired and a little disappointed we took a taxi with our carry-on bags and went off we went to our apartment rental. We settled into the apartment that first night and tried to get some rest. We were thankful that we were safe and in Alicante where we had planned. It was not an easy trip and took us almost 3 days and four flights to get here.
update here is the video of the landing, the video really doesn’t do it justice. JFK Emergency landing
After the landing this person came and looked into the plane before we were allowed to taxi to the gate. I was videoing the event until I was told to turn off my phone. worker on the Plane
The airline provided everyone with a $20. food voucher which could only be used at McDonald’s. They were the only restaurant open at that time. Here is a photo of the group waiting for food and directions after we left the plan. The poor staff at McDonald’s were getting overwhelmed by the orders and the amount of people they were trying to serve.
I will update you with photos and even some video of the emergency landing when I get better internet service. Until then, Adios y que tengas un gran día.
Today we headed to Montreal to stay at the Best Western hotel near the Airport. Our day started at 9 am when we left Pembroke in our Rented car with all of our worldly possession in a suitcase and a carry-on each.
We drove to Ottawa to the Via Rail Station to catch the train to Montreal.
Once on the train, we settled in and relaxed. It is really a great way to travel. We had some light refreshments and enjoyed some down time using the on board internet.
Once we arrived at the Dorval train station we boarded a taxi and headed to the Best Western Hotel to check in. We are now settled into the hotel and resting for the next leg of the journey. “buenas noches amigos”
We want to wish everyone a very happy New Year and all the best in 2016. It’s hard to believe we are in 2016 already. It has been a very busy time for us spending precious time with family and friends. We have enjoyed this time and the companionship of our family and friends, and now look forward to the next chapter of our retirement. Tomorrow we begin the moving process to Spain.
Our schedule includes Planes, Trains and Automobiles (hopefully we fair out better than the movie). We have a rented car and will be heading to Ottawa in the morning to the Via Rail train station. We will be taking the train to Montreal and then a taxi from there to the hotel. On Monday we take a bus shuttle from the hotel to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. The flight to Spain in not a direct one and it takes us to a few countries along the way. We will arrive after several stops in Alicante Spain on Tuesday at approximately 3:45 pm.
I have been working on developing videos for the BLOG and I want to share my first attempt of adding video. The video outlines out our flight path. Spain Flight Path Let me know if you like the video and I will work on adding more interesting ones in the future.
Packing has been a challenge, trying to pack our entire wardrobe into a suitcase and one carry-on for each of us. The other challenge is managing the weight restrictions for the suitcase and carry-on. After several attempts and reducing the number of shoes in the luggage Shelley was able to get under the weight requirements for the luggage. I also reduced clothing in my carry on to meet the weight requirements. I am packing a laptop, I-pad and several cameras along with other technologies. These all add weight to the carry-on and that leaves little room for additional clothing. We are all packed up and ready to go. “hasta la próxima”
group waiting for food and directions after we left the plan. The poor staff at McDonald’s were getting overwhelmed by the orders and the amount of people they were trying to serve.
Once we arrived at the Dorval train station we boarded a taxi and headed to the Best Western Hotel to check in. We are now settled into the hotel and resting for the next leg of the journey. “buenas noches amigos”
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