Day 1 and 2..I guess!

    Day 1...Looks as if the theme so far this year will be movies and TV shows...not sure where my mind wanders when I am writing about these trips, but my first memories of day 1 are all about old TV Shows...well older tv shows from when I was a kid!!!  The first show that came to mind was none of than Scooby-Doo...that is because we had not ONE...but TWO mysteries on our hands before we even left the little ole isle.  The Episode will be called the Case of the Missing P’s(person and passports)...You will find out  that unlike what the kids may report to you about my “crankiness”, I actually try to keep things pretty light.  Now to go on, for the first time in the history of the TOSH World Tour we lost some in the OGCA...One Gate Charlottetown Airport! 
    Thankfully we had the assistance of those finely dressed stalwarts of Canadiana, the men and women dressed in crimson and pouffy pants...aka the RCMP, and they were able to quickly assist us in the investigation of the first missing P, a person!  Now to some of you that may seem quite alarming and you are now probably questioning your decision making abilities by letting your kids come along with us...well don’t fret people, I am actually quite a responsible traveller.  The untruths of my stories have already begun because the RCMP officer that I previously mentioned was none other than a plain clothes off duty, Mr. MacKay, Katie’s Dad!  She was actually being taken out to lunch by mom and dad before departure...So all is good Principal Haire and thanks for inviting me to lunch MacKay family!!!

    Now with that mystery solved we quickly fed Scooby and Shaggy some of those delicious Scooby snacks because we are on to the next mystery...the case of the missing passport!!! This one could prove a little more difficult, especially because these magical documents have the ability to open doors and give you access to strange places guarded by strangely clothed beasts with blue rubber gloves...yikes!  With this mystery, Daphne and Velma(Kelly and Amanda...I’ll let them fight over who is who) are tackling this one on their own. Seems to me if you recall the most recent Scooby Doo movie, it was this kind of free lancing on mysteries that split the gang up for a while.  Seems that no one let Fred(you know the good looking blonde athletic guy from the hit series...or yours truly, haha)  know about this mystery for at least 45 minutes!  Apologies to Barb and Forrest, I have yet to come up with characters for them or others...although Forrest reminds me of the Swamp Creature most often!  Back to the mystery of the missing passport.  
  Rumor has it that one of our thought to be most reliable students , albeit a rookie traveler, had a case of mistaken identity or amnesia, we now believe it was the first one!  Who am I talking about you ask?  None other than Becca Gallant...the Mystery Inc. gang figured that she must have awoken in the morning and suddenly forgot who she was...kinda like a Freaky Friday kind of thing, but on a Wednesday!  Now in her defence, she is her mother’s daughter, but I always remarked to her aunt Susan(my sister) that Becca looked more like the Gallant’s in South Rustico and Ryan(her brother) more like Kay’s side..not today I guess!  The story unravelled like this, so I am told...Becca was about to show Becky her wonderful passport photo while waiting in line to grab her boarding passes, when low and behold, she glanced at the picture and a loud “EEEEEK” could be heard throughout the terminal!!!  Sorry Kay, it was not because of YOUR picture, it was because it was YOUR picture!!!

    TV show reference #3 then took effect....Speed Racer starring Becca's mom, Kay!!!  Back to Summerside she went to collect the missing passport and hopefully get back to Charlottetown before the plane took off without Becca and MMEEEEEEEEEE!  Luckily we also had an EF representative, Veronique at the airport waiting with us!  Let me tell you that EF has gone above and beyond on this tour, they actually flew someone in for the day from Montreal to deal with all passengers leaving from this airport to assist with any issues!  You can’t beat EF Tours and that won’t be my only plug for EF on this tour I guarantee it!  End of EF commercial and back to the show...... with he mystery solved, we move to a movie reference, as  “Kay”  Gump was spotted running into the terminal and then Becca and I were able to run out onto the tarmac about 2 seconds before the door shut!!!  NO worries all in a day’s work when travelling!!! HAHA!!!

     After a great flight and a windy little landing in Toronto, we prepare to wait a couple of hours for our connection  and a really good pita wrap at Kensington market in Pearson(worth the flight right there!!!) we are aboard our aircraft to London!

      Not sure about another movie reference, but I am thinking about one of the most boring movies I have ever seen because that was the feeling...oh I got it...the very first movie Julie and I ever went to see...Sense and Sensibility...arrrggghhhh!!!!  Luckily being with my future wife on our first date kept me from pulling my eyes out of their sockets!!! 
      We have talked at length to the kids about international travel and its ability to make you hurry up and wait...the kids are so excited to get to London, but they are awesome!!!!  No use in worrying just deal with it and move on!!! When the airline permits you to move that is as well....Great way to sell their airline when the captain says that they are having mechanical issues and they HOPE to have them fixed, just saying...I HOPE they get them fixed as well!!!  I am also getting in a bit of trouble with the flight attendants because of my new noise cancelling over the ear headphones, they are beauties!!!  Birthday gift to myself(Julie will be sure to comment on that one!!!)  The exists with air Canada, and maybe others, that you are not permitted over the ear style headphones during take off...got it...however, we ain’t taking off...in fact we haven’t moved in 60 minutes!!! Don't get me wrong here, I wholly understand policies and rules are important because they may impede safely evacuating during an emergency during takeoff, well this must also be a new way to approach a takeoff, because to my knowledge most planes don’t take off going in reverse, which we are now doing, when she told me to take them off for the 2^nd time(interrupting the Muppet movie I might add!)  Oh well, we had back to the terminal and all is good and we finally leave about 2.5 hours behind schedule without ever getting off the plane!!! Now the kids are really exicted and we are really hoping they can sleep!!!

   We are officially going to be 2 hours late...that’s how I roll even internationally, just ask my parents and my wife!!  Haha...The kids are handling the transatlantic flight perfrectly with many sleeping and others like Marissa bouncing off the walls!!!  She is too funny and way too excited about this trip, I love it!!!

    Descending into Heathrow it is 8 degrees and cloudy and we are tired but far from fresh, but all still really exicted...Becky and I have just watched the Muppets song “manamana”  from the movie about 5 times and actually sang it out loud at 3 AM on the flight and we think we have adopted it as out theme song!!!  Off the airplane...all kids accounted for and luggage(very important, because Kevin Bustard from Kinkora didn't get his!) and off to meet my friend and tour director David Harrod from London, the kids will really like him....great guy! 

After getting acquainted and all luggage on and off the bus at the hotel and into their rooms, the adventure is continuing to downtown London....already I know that I would travel with these guys anywhere....after very little sleep and a few delays they are hitting the TUBE with enthusiasm and a lot of excitement!!  Makes it easy for us and hard in some ways because a few of our not so             


seasoned travellers seem to want to run ahead  and spread the group thin...a no-no especially with David Harrod..all is still good!   After leaving what must be the busiest airport in the world, we are now in what must be one of the busiest underground systems in the world...clean and friendly staff and very easy to get around..I love London already....as we emerge from the underground to spot the London Eye...pretty cool and to the left Big Ben...not quite How Chevy Chase saw it in "European Vacation" ...referenced below!!! But more like  how we really saw it above...

From lunch beside parliament and Big Ben we move on to much of the history of London which includes many of the War memorials left to remember the past..we will actually spend much more time on this tomorrow as we head back down to Green Park for our first commemorative ceremony in the afternoon after a morning of more touring around London.  We moved onto Covent Garden  and Trafalgar Square....great places to see and we will have more time in these areas tomorrow....Covent Garden has some great shopping but the kids are getting tired and ready for a break which we are soon about to give them in a restaurant for Bangers and Mash...I’ll let you figure out what they ate...and did they ever eat...this might be the best group yet!  WE have walked all day and passed some beautiful sights as you could see such as St. Paul's Cathedral.... after being up all night and the kids have been inbed for about 2 hours and I am heading there as well...they are safe and getting ready for our first big day which actually begins with a radio interview on BBC tomorrow morning that we arranged through EF today and then onto presenting our provincial flag  and school flag at a parade through Green Park which is just up from Downing street where you know who lives??  Another trivia question for you!!!  I will also upload a few more pics tomorrow when the kids get me their cards and such.....also a note I am having technical difficulties with my phone and will hopefully have it solved by tomorrow and will keep you updated!  We have already done so much I can’t imagine what tomorrow we’ll bring and I will try to shorten my stories, but we thought they were funny!!!  They will all smell, look and feel better tomorrow after a good night's sleep!  Signing off from beautiful London, England!!!  Just thought I would leave you a couple of quick pics from our ride back on the TUBE to the hotel for the night as well and play a little game called name that sleeping kid!!!...enjoy

dc