And off we go on our new adventure!
Arriving at Calgary International Airport on March 2, 2023 after an 8-hour flight, we set foot on Canadian soil with a great deal of trepidation and fatigue. The journey from Switzerland wasn’t a one-off, and we first had to battle with German and then Dutch customs to get all the paperwork stamped for exporting personal effects and animals outside the Euro zone.

Then we had to deal with the cancellation of our March 1 flight, and reorganize all reservations for our four furry travel companions, as pet seat reservations don’t transfer automatically when you’re rebooked on a later flight. However, we were really pleased with the competence of the KLM staff, who were able to guide us through the whole process with top-class service.

Our first priority was to receive Inti and Nayeli at drop-off, as both had to travel in the hold (Kitti and Paline were lucky enough to fly with us in the cabin). Once all 6 companions were reunited, we headed for the car rental agencies, where we were able to book a car with an oversized boot. Indeed, we needed room to accommodate the 2 dog travel crates and 4 huge vacation bags filled to the brim.

After 30 minutes playing Tetris in the trunk, we set off for the 3-hour drive to the apartment we’d found on the outskirts of Edmonton. A small 3-bedroom contiguous house, in front of which we meet Marjorie, who lets us take possession of the premises and finally lets us go about our business at around 7pm local time.

We go to bed exhausted. Having got up at 5am in Amsterdam, our day will have lasted around 22 hours. It’s an understatement to say that we’re at the end of our rope, and we’re going to bed with relish.

But that was without factoring in the jet-lag…