Sept 19, 2013
Our plane wasn't leaving until 2:30pm but we were told to arrive a few hours early because Heathrow Terminal was very large. I did get to sleep in a bit this morning but we still needed to eat breakfast. So we got all our packing done and then went to breakfast, and checked out after that. We managed to get everything back in our suitcases except a few purchases so I used a sportsbag to hold some clothes and my Tardis since it was still a little too large for my suitcase. The recommendation of a friend to pack bubblewrap and tape proved excellent since we could pack some glasses and mugs hubby had bought.
Our ride to the airport in another black London cab was interesting as our driver loved talking politics, so we got into a lively conversation about our governments. Then he and hubby started talking poker and the ride was quickly over. Except when we walked in at Heathrow we discovered we had been dropped off at British Airways and not United. I think the poker discussion distracted our driver where he was dropping us off even though we told him where we were going.
We found a very helpful British Airways employee who actually walked us down to where we needed to get on a train to get over to United. It was a long distance and using a train alarmed me but it turned out it was like a subway. We fumbled around trying to figure out which train to take as there was no one around to ask but we made a command decision and fortunately got on the right one.
The plane we got on had two levels for first class and our seats were again cubicles with fold down seats that were even more fancy. There was a panel to my side on the wall that had controls for chair positions, TV screen and lights. Again we got a little case containing toiletries with the United logo. I put the little socks on that came with it, opened up my seat and stretched out for the 10 hour flight to San Francisco.
Our plane wasn't leaving until 2:30pm but we were told to arrive a few hours early because Heathrow Terminal was very large. I did get to sleep in a bit this morning but we still needed to eat breakfast. So we got all our packing done and then went to breakfast, and checked out after that. We managed to get everything back in our suitcases except a few purchases so I used a sportsbag to hold some clothes and my Tardis since it was still a little too large for my suitcase. The recommendation of a friend to pack bubblewrap and tape proved excellent since we could pack some glasses and mugs hubby had bought.
Our ride to the airport in another black London cab was interesting as our driver loved talking politics, so we got into a lively conversation about our governments. Then he and hubby started talking poker and the ride was quickly over. Except when we walked in at Heathrow we discovered we had been dropped off at British Airways and not United. I think the poker discussion distracted our driver where he was dropping us off even though we told him where we were going.
We found a very helpful British Airways employee who actually walked us down to where we needed to get on a train to get over to United. It was a long distance and using a train alarmed me but it turned out it was like a subway. We fumbled around trying to figure out which train to take as there was no one around to ask but we made a command decision and fortunately got on the right one.
The plane we got on had two levels for first class and our seats were again cubicles with fold down seats that were even more fancy. There was a panel to my side on the wall that had controls for chair positions, TV screen and lights. Again we got a little case containing toiletries with the United logo. I put the little socks on that came with it, opened up my seat and stretched out for the 10 hour flight to San Francisco.
I remember watching about three movies but the only one I can remember was The Great Gatsby which was pretty good.
I didn't do a lot of shopping on our trip because the exchange rate for both French Euros and English Pounds was really bad for our US currency. I didn't even look at clothing as that was a waste of time. I also didn't have a lot of space in my suitcase for things. But I did buy some books on the places we visited so I could enjoy reading about them later.
Dear Val,
ReplyDeleteWhat a trip, and what a treat for us! Thank you for taking us along.
Very best,
Natalie