Good morning!
I'd like to tell you about my trip to Canada, from which I returned on Sunday evening, August 16, 2009.
Two friends, the parents of my friend Pam, gave me a ride on Thursday, August 6, 2009, at 12:35 pm ET to the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). I had requested, because it was an international flight, to be at the airport by 1:35 pm (for a 3:35 pm flight) so that I could get through security.
I packed travel-size toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, razor, blades, shave cream) in a quart-size (946 ML) plastic zip lock bag. Nothing was more than two ounces (57 grams) and I put the bag into a side compartment of my red, white and blue Phillies gym bag. I also put my passport and mens devotional Bible into that compartment. Also a camera (but I took no pictures) and batteries in the other side compartment, as well as an umbrella. Main compartment: 3 pairs briefs, 3 pairs boxer shorts, two pair shorts, a swimsuit, my sneakers, 6 tshirts including my WDW tie-dye, 6 pair socks, rain jacket. This was my carry on bag; because I assumed that Air Canada charged for checked luggage (as of now it doesn't), I had none.
I wore a Barques silk dress shirt, khaki slacks, dress socks and work boots. Lou and Betty Lou gave me a birthday card on the way so I stashed that too. Got to the airport a little before 1:30 pm, got my boarding passes, and still security was a breadless PITA (that is, pain in the...). Between the batteries, change and belt buckle, I set off the metal detector so I had to be wanded. Because my shirt had been recently dry-cleaned, it took some time for the wand to stop beeping, despite my protests that I have nothing but fat underneath.
Finally got to gate D-5 for flight AC 7915 leaving for Toronto Lester Pearson Airport (YYZ) at 3:35 pm. Clutching both my carry on and my boarding passes, I got on the Air Canada Jazz regional jet, a little tin can seating about 50 people, and stuffed my carry on under the seat in front of me. It's only ninety minutes from Philly to Toronto, North America's fourth-largest (and Canada's largest) city (behind Mexico City, New York City and Los Angeles). When it landed at Pearson (why do cities name their airports after politicians?) Terminal 1, I went through the same rigamarole with security. Sheesh, wanded twice in one day!
Finally got to gate 134 (Toronto's airport is huge, two 200-gate terminals) for AC Flight 153 to Calgary, a city of a million people to which I'd never been, located at the foothills of the Canadian Rockies in southern Alberta. This city is home to my cousins Ralph and Jaycie Pierce, and January Townsend (whose father is my dad's brother).
A note about Canadian geography. Toronto is probably less than an hour north of Buffalo, NY, in southeastern Ontario. Alberta borders the western half of Montana on the north; British Columbia to the east, Saskatchewan to the west, and the Northwest Territories to the south. Canada's about 200,000 square miles (320,000 square kilometers) larger in land area than the U.S., divided into ten provinces (Newfoundland/Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia) and three territories (Nunavit, Northwest Territories and Yukon). Its smallest province is Prince Edward Island (PEI, or simply the Island), a little smaller than the state of Delaware; and its largest is Quebec, a little bigger than Alaska. The four westernmost provinces are each about the size of Texas. Most of Canada's 40 million people live within 200 miles (320 km) of the U.S. border, about a quarter of them in Toronto. The country's official languages are English and French. It spans six time zones (Newfoundland/Labrador time is 1 1/2 hours ahead of Eastern, and the other Maritime provinces are in Atlantic time, an hour ahead of Eastern). The provinces east of Quebec are sometimes known as Atlantic Canada.
The distance between Philly and Toronto is 338 air miles (541 air kilometers), but that between Toronto and Calgary is four times Philly-Toronto, and takes over four hours airport gate to airport gate. Flight 153 left Toronto on time (7:00 pm ET) but due to turbulence over the mountains, arrived at 9:25 MT (Mouse Traveler?). My aunt Edith and Uncle George picked me up and drove me to Ralph's beautiful house in south Calgary. There I met my aunt Marilyn, and cousins Ralph and Jaycie. I slept in the basement, having bad dreams about losing my passport (which, fortunately I didn't).
Day two to come.
Jim
We had a fantastic time in Quebec and DC...we have similar interests and travel well together.
to you!!)
But even a little sightseeing time is better than not getting to go at all. I just wish DH could come along since he's a huge music fan and the Jimi Hendrix Music Experience is a short monorail ride away from the hotel. Sadly, his teaching schedule won't permit any time away that week. 
