All good things must eventually come to an end, and so it is with this trip as well. The return journey was to be lengthy but, as frequently happened during the trip, started out with a brief walk. I didn’t really want a heavy breakfast at 7:00, so I opted for coffee, stale challah, and sauerkraut. Sure, it might not be the most traditional breakfast, but sometimes going off the beaten path can bring new and innovative ideas. In this case, I was happy with my choices today, but I'm not sure this will be a frequent future option.
Last night I used the last couple shekels I had to purchase what I thought was some sort of water flavoring/Gatorade powder at the nearest convenience store. I dumped the contents into my water during the bus ride to the airport only to be greeted by a very aggressive fizz, crackle, and pop. I was then told that it was the local equivalent of pop rocks. You live and you learn? At least the chocolate wafers we shared as a group while waiting in line for bag drop were fresh and crumbly, as I would expect them to be.
I had gotten up at 6:00 on Sunday Jerusalem time (23:00 Saturday EST), so by the time we arrived at the airport, got through the lengthy security process, and waited out most of the roughly two-hour flight delay, I was in the mood to grab one last Turkish coffee before heading home. Especially since u had been continuously reminded of my favorite beverage by the aromas from the cafe by our gate. So I found myself ordering black coffee and once again dealing with a barista double and triple checking that I actually wanted Turkish coffee and understood that it wasn't an Americano. Yes, I understand, thank you very much. The cardamom was barely noticeable in this brew, but I enjoyed my drink.
By the time we took off, the original schedule had slipped from 11:40 to 13:40, so meal service began almost as soon as the initial climb ended. The vegetarian meal option came with a cold bread roll, a chopped salad, and a hot main course of rice, tomato sauce, and rice-stuffed peppers. Overall? Simple and no-frills meal which sated my needs, but wasn't anything special. The vegetables in the side salad were fresh, but the rice was a bit bland and the tomato sauce was a bit too sweet for my liking. The peppers were soft though, meaning that they were covered long enough.
The 11.5-hour long flight meant that there was a supply of pretzel packs available in the rear galley, which were the standard small pretzels that Air Canada serves as a snack. Also, a mid-flight cold snack was served along with drinks. For me, that was a bread roll with some cucumbers and tomatoes on it and a piece of halva. The vegetable sandwich was acceptable if a bit dry, but I enjoyed the halva.
A couple hours before landing it was trying for the next hot meal. At this point, it was 23:30 on Sunday according to Jerusalem time, or 16:30 EST. The main course consisted of sauteed potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini accompanied by the same white rice as before. The bread roll was also repeated from before, but this time the dessert was a citrus fruit cup with pieces of grapefruit and orange.
We landed in Toronto two hours later than initially scheduled, but that wasn't an issue since the connecting flight was delayed, then delayed again, and again. On the bright side, I used the opportunity to grab a salad. Simple fare- some spring mix and carrots, almond butter, two hard boiled eggs, and strawberries and blueberries. Didn't expect too much from a prepackaged snack box, but everything was fresh. Finally, since we were still sitting by the gate, I picked up a new-to-me flavor of PureProtein bar (review to come). When we did finally board the plane, the day caught up with me and I fell asleep immediately. Apparently, this made me one of the lucky ones since, as I was to later learn, we were held by the gate for another hour. I woke up as we touched down, just in time to see the clock reach 00:00 EST from Sunday to Monday, capping off the trip.
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