I’ve done it. I got on a plane and flew away from the city and the province. I am in Winnipeg.
I took TTC (Toronto public transit) to get to the airport, but it wasn’t until I saw a banking plane that had just taken off that it really hit me. I mean sure, I had a suitcase with me and every other person on the 192 Airport Rocket Express also had suitcases or bags. However, it wasn’t until seeing that plane in the air that the realization of what I was about to do hit me. I was excited!
For all the research and reading I did to pack for my trip it was sure over quick. I breezed through self-check in, baggage check in and security all in less than 10 minutes. So me and my carefully prepared Ziplock bag were now safely on the other side…with two and a half hours before boarding. Yup, early…real early. Yet, this gave me time to chill and let it all just soak in.
My first stop was to wander by the expansive windows in the waiting area around my departure gate. For someone who doesn’t travel by plane that much this was glorious. I really need to travel more.
After speaking with my parents, grabbing some dinner and just people watching I still had over an hour. What to do…hello free Wi-Fi. Yet, checking email and Facebook seemed a little less awesome while sitting in an airport. I did some research in the “what to do” section of one of the City of Winnipeg tourist websites to get some ideas for my stay. Finally, after wandering, sitting and more wandering, we were called to board.
OMG, I’m on a plane! This thought crossed my mind many times during my flight. The first time was when I was walking the gang plank to the entrance of the plane. I was able to take a brief gander into the cockpit while waiting for others to take their seats. So cool! I am a geek; deal. Our flight was full, as were many of the flights taking off that night. There was enough space to make us all buddy-buddy for our just over two hour flight. The personal TVs at each seat helped too. Thank you to City TV for playing Twilight, you made the flight seem very quick.
The last time I flew to Winnipeg was the last time I flew period. That was in 2003. At that time I flew with the now cancelled airline, JetsGo. At that time I required the belt extender to be able to fasten the belt safely. I am very proud to say that this time around, eight years later, I conquered the airplane seat belt like a champ, sans extender. I amaze even myself sometimes. Go Team Me!
Take-off and landing were such a rush; just the amazing fact that this large piece of metal with all these people is able to get up into the sky and stay there while moving at hundreds of miles an hour…awesome. Our pilot must have sped a little too as we landed a good 10 minutes early.
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