The arrival

I knew the airport well now, and as Antonietta had been just a few weeks earlier, so we were at ease. After getting thru the queue (sorry, line), we were dealt with by a helpful young girl who directed us to the immigration section. She asked about study permits and we laboured our arguments that we had had with the embassy. All rather silly, once kids are in Canada (and they are allowed in with us) , then they don’t need one, but if they are coming in, then they do. Get it? We didn’t. Neither did the first girl. We still had not heard the dog bark…..
There was also another helpful girl at immigration, who also asked about study permits for Kes, but we ignored it and she duly completed our work visas and we were officially on the Canadian tax scheme – I don’t know if that was a good idea, but it felt good to leave France.
By this time the luggage was coming out and we commandeered 3 trolleys to move our stuff out – this was to become 4 as we soon located the beasts. Buzz was still calm, Zack the cat totally in shock, but it was an emotional reunion with the animals. However, Buzz liked the idea of getting out of the cage, so I duly obliged, only to be taken to account by a customs officer. Back goes Buzz in the cage, somewhat disappointed, and off to animal immigration.

 

Not so easy now with 4 large trolleys, all overloaded, meaning Kes had to push one, and his steering was not all it could be at 5 years old.
Animal immigration passed off OK, I got to test out my new BMO card and paid them off 37$ for checking the animals. Lots of little bills here and there.

Finally after much pushing and shoving, the 4 chariots ended up outside as we hunted down a taxi big enough to take 8 large bags, 4 hand baggages, 1 large cage, a dog, cat in a box, and a family of 4. We located an Indian/Portuguese who talked incessantly all the way to North Vancouver about how racist Europeans were compared to Canadians, how he had been taken for a gypsy (albeit some 30 years before), but he was quite nice too.
We arrived at the house of Agathe and gratefully settled in – there were beds, but also masses of old furniture, most unclean, that she didn’t have any space for!! However, Agathe is great and her son Sebastian soon took Rudi off to see his Playstation before all collapsed quite early.