finally, going places!

After a long month of sitting around on reserve, I was finally headed for my first layover in weeks. It was also my first overnight flight in months, and I was feeling exhausted just thinking of the lack of sleep in store for me.  Fortunately, I was working with some great crew and I was excited for a quick getaway to beautiful St. John's.  

It was a snowy night as we left Edmonton bound for better weather.  We flew across the country, fuelled by numerous snacks and sugary beverages.  It was a long, bumpy night.  The turbulence was especially rough landing into St. John's, leaving even us frequent flying flight attendants feeling a bit ill.  

We were exhausted by the time that we reached the hotel, heading to our respective rooms for a much needed nap. While the rest of the crew continued sleeping, I forced myself to wake up in an effort to enjoy some of the sunlight.  I changed out of my pyjamas and headed into the city. It was sprinkling rain, but the weather was far better and much warmer than back home so I certainly wasn't complaining! I headed for Rocket Bakery, a place I've grown quite fond of in my previous travels. I picked up a juice and cinnamon bun to enjoy the next day on the flight home.  Continuing down Water Street, I browsed a few random stores and then after a lengthy argument with myself, I gave in and entered the candy store.  I tried and failed to leave empty handed, exiting with a bag of assorted treats that I would later eat until my stomach hurt.  

I ventured back to the hotel, where I got ready for dinner with the crew. After a bit of aimless wandering we settled on the nearest restaurant. I was immediately drawn to the fish and chips of all other things on the menu. Not my usual pick, but they were certainly delicious!  After dinner I led the other girls to the candy store. After I'd talked it up throughout dinner, they wanted to experience the sugar glory themselves. I was happy when they left with their own bags of goodies, making me feel a bit less guilty about my binge earlier that day.  We made another quick stop at a convenience store to pick up some drinks that we don't have back home... including Pineapple flavoured Crush! I'm a sucker for bringing back all sorts of treats that are different and unavailable in Alberta. 

Finally, it was time for bed. I slept for a total of 11 glorious hours before it was time to get up and get ready for work. I'm not sure how, but I was still tired. In my defence, it was 3:30 am at home and my body was very confused.  I was sad to leave St. John's on such a gorgeous sunny morning, but looking forward to having the weekend at home with my husband. 

It was a long journey back to Alberta, but finally we arrived in the northern oil sands with only one flight left to work.  We'd been ahead of schedule all day and things were looking good until a mechanical issue delayed us by 2 hours. Eventually the issue was sorted out and we were off to Calgary, but we'd officially missed our deadhead flight back home to Edmonton. We managed to get on the next flight home, making for a late night and a grand total duty day of 15 hours! It was straight home to the couch for me!  I was relieved to be home and even more relieved that it was finally February! I'll be seeing a whole lot more of St. John's in the coming month!