It's 6:59am and we've found our gate. We're early, way early; our flight doesn't depart until 9am.
While I have a tendency to run late for things, Brad likes to arrive early; especially for flights. And since his approach seems far more sensible, and definitely less stressful than mine, in this instance I let his way win.
I said goodbye to Mum at 4:56am, with her still half asleep, and then quietly locked her front door behind me. The street was quiet and dark save for the sparse street lights.
The sun wouldn't rise for another half an hour but the overhead lights were enough for our good eyes to navigate the quiet street and, eventually, the footpath. The sound of our suitcases rolling down the road was deafening in the early morning; I almost felt like carrying them lest we wake the neighbours. I knew Brad wouldn't have a bar of it and prayed that it wasn't as loud in their homes as it was right next to me.
We rounded the corner and were greeted by a rubbish truck emptying the green waste bins. It was far louder than the little wheels on our heavy cases. I smiled at the old man driving the truck and remembered that it is noisier in these city suburbs than I'm used to at home. There is no problem; this is normal.
We cross the next road and keep walking, at a steady pace, up the hill; our daily exercise serving us well as we each carry and pull 25-30kg up to the train station.
The trains are free today; the staff are pushing for better pay or work conditions (or something). I'm not totally sure of the details, all I know is they probably deserve whatever extra they're asking for and we're saving about $50 on our 1+ hr trip.
I pray it all goes smoothly but Brad, the ultra practical one, aimed for three trains earlier than necessary: "Just in case".
We arrived early for the train he wanted and easily board the express train to Central. Quiet, dozing or sound asleep on every set of seats was a tradesman on his way to work. We squeezed into the biggest spot we could find with our very large suitcases and settled in for a long trip with very few planned stops.
I charged my phone. I messaged my friend who's in isolation with Covid, on a cruise ship, all on her own. I ate a banana.
The train paused for 2 minutes somewhere seemingly unplanned and then continued without a hitch to the centre of Sydney. We alighted and walked through this massive station I once knew so well; it had changed. The upgrades were unfamiliar, like a face I recognised but with a strange haircut.
We found the digital signboards and we were able to quickly direct ourselves to the airport trains. A short walk, a short ride in the lift and a short wait saw us on the very next train. We were almost there.
Covid cases have been on the rise again in Sydney. The mask went on. We stepped outside again, the mask came off. We stepped on the train; mask went on. I needed to eat; mask came off.
I ate now-cold, gluten-free toast with olive butter. It was good enough and I was grateful for easy food. I spied the chocolate-coffee-protein mix we made last night and made a plan to drink my half while we waited in the check in line.
And suddenly we were there, at check in, but there was no line; the process from train > station > check-in counter had been fast and smooth. And now there was no long line to navigate; we were served almost immediately.
Free of our big suitcases we cruised towards border control; he ate a banana, I drank the choc-coffee-protein shake and breathed breath into my body to help my body digest and relax.
Border control was, again, unfamiliar; we hadn't been overseas in more than 3 years.
Duty-free shopping was, again, unfamiliar and, to my mind, completely unnecessary; we picked the shortest path through the overpriced perfumes and champagne ignoring them all.
We followed the big overhead signs to our gate and were surprised by how few people there were; I forgot how early we were. Until we saw our departure gate, that is. It was empty bar one person sitting quietly in a corner by the power outlet. The digital clock on wall read 6:59am.
We were a whole 2 hours early.
"Bless," I thought. "I guess that gives me time to write a Hive post." 😉
{All photos by me on my Google Pixel 2XL. This is Day 24 of 30 of Hive Blog Posting Month.}
