| Travel | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Name | Service Provider | Origin | Destination | Cost | Notes | Actions |
| Flight | BER-LGW | EasyJet | Berlin | London Gatwick | $0.00 |
Cost included in flight TO
Two small cabin bags, one large cabin bag, two checked bags EZY8122 2022-09-21 10:15 (11:20) |
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| Flight | LGW-YYZ-YEG | WestJet | London Gatwick | Edmonton | $0.00 |
Cost included in flight TO
One checked bag each WS 4 2022-09-21 13:30 (16:05) WS 437 2022-09-21 18:15 (20:28) |
|
| Train | To BER Airport | Mahlow | BER Airport | $0.00 |
Our 24-hour tickets from yesterday were still valid, so we used them:
- Bus 600 from Mahlow to Wassmansdorf - Subway to BER |
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Trip Log
| Notes | Actions |
|---|---|
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Note to self: when booking multiple reservations/airlines for one trip, leave very generous layovers for connections. Our EasyJet flight was late leaving Berlin which out our WestJet flights in jeopardy, and because they’re on separate reservations, we’d have no recourse if we missed them.
Spoiler: we made it onto the flight to Toronto. But only by the skin of our teeth. We were close to the front of the aircraft from Berlin so we were more aggressive than usual getting off. Quick through passport control. Badda-bing. Luggage some of the first off the plane. Badda-boom. I was able to check us in for the flight while we waited for the luggage (WestJet’s website was malfunctioning last night). That’s where our good luck got a little strained. We were met at WestJet by a fellow who told us we need to do ArriveCAN. We had thought that was discontinued so while Brent got our luggage tags, I did our ArriveCAN. Off to Departures. Every person in the UK was milling about near departures, but Brent found our way into the line and we spent about ten minutes waiting in line to find out we were accidentally in the Premier lane. Oops. Switch to what looked like the cattle lane. I talked Brent into leaving line to confirm we were now in the right place - we didn’t have time for another mistake. Yep. In the right line. With every other person in the UK (except for those ones in the Premier line, of course). Finally we make it to the front of the line and toss our stuff on. We have 20 minutes until the gate closes. I make it through quickly, followed soon by Brent… and then…. Wah-wah-wah… his bin is pooped out into the ‘inspection’ pile. There was only one lady working on inspecting luggage and Brent’s bag was about 10th in line. I went off to try and figure out where our gate was, and, of course, it’s somewhere off beyond the endless snake of duty free. I head back and Brent’s bag hasn’t moved. We now have 15 minutes til the gate is closed and we lose all hope of making the flight. Brent says ‘well, we’ll just have to talk to WestJet and see what they can do for us’. Suddenly they add two people to inspect baggage and things start moving. Within a few minutes, Brent’s bag is up and I have hope that we might make it. Inspection is quick. We run to the gate. I think I left both of my lungs in the hallway… one in the endless snake of duty free and one a little beyond. We get to the gate and there is still a small line of people waiting to get on. We’ve made it. Unfortunately for the lady right in front of us, she got punted out of line because she hadn’t done her ArriveCAN. I don’t know if they held the plane for her to do it. Probably. I swear that airports have become a test of fitness, patience and intelligence, and im sure it won’t be too many more years before I’m unable to pass at least one of those. When we landed in Toronto they announced that people who were in Toronto as their final destination had to stay on the plane and those making connections could deplane. I’ve never heard of that before, but it did add an extra level of cluster to the normal clusteriness of deplaning. Then we had to complete several mazes, do the Hokey Pokey and turn ourselves around, pat our heads while rubbing our stomachs, go back through security and find our gate. Plane was already boarding. My goodness what a day. |
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| I’m a little claustrophobic, which is the main reason Brent and I use such a large tent. Anyway, our Airbnb in Berlin was a really cute little cabin-ey thing with the bedroom up in the teeny attic. I was pretty uncomfortable up there but determined to talk myself through. Until I started having asthma-like symptoms. I think there’s something up there… maybe an animal had been up, or maybe there was dust or something. In any case, I ended up doing most of my sleeping for the last four nights on the couch on the main floor. It was short, uncomfortable, and surfaced with leatherette (slippery). They had a couple of blankets in the closet, which I used, but they were kinda short and kept sliding off the leatherette. Sleeping there really pooched my back. Ugh. I’ve never been so excited to get back to Edmonton and sleep in the bed there!! | |
This was my first time doing a major trip with only my phone (iPhone XR) for technology. Frequently used apps on this trip:
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