After arriving at Gatwick around 6am, I caught the shuttle to Heathrow and sat around waiting for the counters to open. After a raft of police and sniffing dogs checked the area, El Al opened up and promptly informed me that no, I could not check in early and ditch my bags with them. Undeterred, I paid through the nose and left them with the Heathrow service. I had a lovely afternoon wandering around London: through Hyde Park, up to Marble Arch, along Oxford Street and through Mayfair, followed Regent Street to Piccadilly, down to Pall Mall and the Mall and over to Trafalgar, just in time to get caught in a torrential downpour. I caught the bus back to Piccadilly, then a long, soggy bus tube back out to the airport. After some long, nauseating,
... read more