Off to Europe on Air Canada with only Minor "Safety" Annoyances

I'm sitting in Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounge in Vancouver right now, waiting for my evening flight to London in Executive Class.

I flew from LAX-YVR this morning on an EMB-190--a great plane--and spent some time exploring downtown Vancouver. I was dreading long waits and additional screening, but the TSA was on good behavior today and the security process was no different than it was before the latest thwarted terrorist attack.

The only hiccup I ran into was being forced to check in my second carry-on bag when I boarded the plane. The AC agent told me that "for security reasons" only one piece of hand baggage was permitted. It was too early to argue.

Tomorrow I have a connection to Portugal on TAP then a week and a half before I need to be in Madrid for my return flight. What I need to do know is plan out what I am going to accomplish on this trip...