The dogs were great, now seasoned travelers, and the staff at Air Transat were wonderful, a senior official coming to tell us personally the dogs were on board and happy. The day before we were less impressed because when we phoned to confirm the dogs were booked on the flight they insisted they didn't have any record of the dogs being booked and wouldn't take them. At one point it looked like someone was going to have to stay until September 11th, when the next seats were available, not a good omen.
The flight however, was delayed an hour when there was a mix-up with the catering. The crew waited until we were airborne to tell the passengers they were 100 meals short on the 8 hour flight, most receiving a large bun that looked like a cow pattie, a pat of butter, a small chocolate bar and a napkin. We fortunately had paid for an upgrade and received hot, remarkably tasty meals. If looks could kill, the nearby passengers would have turned us into smoldering ashes.
When we hit customs, we of course told them where we had been and where we were going. We had cleaned our boots in England, but not to the satisfaction of Canada Customs. We spent the next two hours using every available tool such as screwdrivers and tweezers, picking at our wellies, and then dipping them in antiseptic. Our friend Rose, who was picking us up at the airport, had no idea what had happened as we weren't allowed to use our cell phones. Three hours late, we finally emerged to the relief of Rose, who had loyally hung around, phoning everyone she knew to see if anyone had heard from us. (Note to self, scrub boots using a heavier brush next time.)
Returning home was bittersweet, without the loving face of Oscar to greet us, but the Border Collies that had stayed home made up for it with many wagging tails.
So ended our trip, a wonderful adventure with many great memories and new friends.
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