Travels and first impressions

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Assumption - We will sleep on the plane, as we have an overnight flight.

Fact: Reagan (at 4 years old) generally gets 12-14 hours of sleep a day.

The night before we left, she was up all night with nightmares. She went to school in the morning and I was hopeful that she would nap before we embarked on our day long journey. No such luck. Ok, so maybe she will sleep on one of the 3 planes that we would be on over the next 14 hours - some, but very little.

Fact: Reagan had approximately 3 collective hours of sleep throughout our travel. I will spare you the detail of what a 4 year old on that much lack of sleep/food behaves 😊 and leave it to your imagination.

Fact: The complimentary wine onboard our international flight is the only thing that kept me from abandoning ship.

Lesson No. 1 --- You know what they say about those that assume....😊



Our layover was in Scotland. Flying into Scotland, the view was breathtaking. From the air, you saw miles upon miles of rolling hills, that outlined perfectly manicured fields. Each field was a different and brilliant shade of green. The fields were bordered by rows of evergreen trees. I must say that Europeans surely know how to welcome and greet! As we deplaned and entered the airport terminal, there was a gentleman there with a tray welcoming you to Scotland, as he offered you a shot glass filled with Scotch. Five feet ahead, on our left there was a door that lead you to a "Relaxation, Meditation and Prayer" room and on your right was an indoor play space for children with reclining lounge chairs for the adults. However, the most amazing thing was the kind demeanor and smiling faces of all airport personnel! Everyone was welcoming and helpful. Customs was fairly easy and we had a lovely woman checking us through. Security, however, albeit friendly - was INTENSE. Must stricter and more thorough than every American check point. They take their jobs very seriously and do not leave a bag, stroller, or body part left unviewed/unscanned/unapproached. It did make me feel safe and secure that NOTHING was getting through that wasn't supposed to be. More stories to tell about this experience in person...

Once we arrived at Southampton airport in England, the girls quickly spied Gramma and Dziadziu in the waiting area. They had arrived 2 hours before us and as one would expect, those 2 hours were not in haste. They made friendly connections. Gramma got the lay of the land and all the information she needed to ground herself. Dziadziu had already sampled a proper full English breakfast and swapped jokes with the woman at the taxi kiosk. So, by the time we arrived there was nothing left for us to do except hop into the two taxis that were parked outside.

Taxis and taxi drivers feel more like a limousine service in the US! Drivers greeted us with a warm smile and talk of Peppa Pig (relevance known through Dziadzius stories prior to our arrival). Their attire was formal, with a collared dress shirt and suit slacks. Their conversation was genuine, interested and humorous. However, their driving task was to keep up with the Joneses! Although cars and roadways here are on a much smaller scale, they make up for their size by their speed and maneuverability! The speed limit sign reads 65 on country roads but it appears that everyone travels much faster!

Our hotel was within walking distance of the famed Peppa Pig Park! Peppa Pig is a popular English TV cartoon character and was Reagan's biggest draw to England. So with her cranky, tired pants on we trudged on to see Peppa. I thought this amusement park was done very well. It was perfectly designed for her age group. The landscaping was very pretty and whimsical. There was MUCH to see and do. Mom, with her tendency to motion sickness, did very well on these toddler rides. I think we finally found her match in ride-park fun!

By supper time, Reagan had passed out (slept through dinner) and didn't wake up until 12 hours later. We all slept like babies! This was the quietest hotel I have ever stayed in. On each hotel wing is a sign that it is a quiet zone and people really are mindful of others. I heard not a peep of hallway traffic!

We are not waiting for our driver to pick us up from the hotel and take us to our rental cottage in the Devon area. Rosemary and Doug will greet us there and we will enjoy a proper English tea 😊.

The weather has been perfect! Sunny and 70 degrees. Coming from 95 degrees and humid in Greensboro, this is a welcome change. (P.S. Weather in Scotland was 50 degrees, windy and overcast...brrr)

Other random observations:


• No toilet paper rolls. There are precut toilet napkins. Ashlyn said she likes this because she no longer has to guess how much she needs, since they come out in predetermined sizes.
• To turn light switches on, you push them down instead of up.
• In order to have electricity in the hotel room, you must insert the room card/key into a electric box on the wall. Once inserted the room is illuminated, like magic, all the lights and bathroom fans turn on.
• There is no AC, no in room frig., iron, laundry bags, toiletries.
• The windows to the room open up for outside air. (That was a nice feature.)
• The bathrooms have top notch fixtures - porcelain tubs/sinks, beautiful and modern silver faucets.
• A full English breakfast consists of the following items all together on one plate: eggs, ham, sausage, baked beans, fried whole tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, fried potato cakes. The eggs and tomatoes were really the only things that had similar flavor to their American variations.
• The wine served in the hotel restaurant/bar cost 4.99 pounds and was FILLED to the rim of a large wine glass. I was ever so grateful for the portion size!



Until tomorrow.... Cheers!

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Photos

Southampton
Seen on our walk to Peppa Pig Park

Peppa's family
Mummy Pig is out of sight, to the left

Ride
Everyone is ready for the ride, except for texting Gramma

Comments

[Emily]

Thank you for a great recap, Kelly! I can't wait to read more as you continue this adventure! xxoo

[Rita Gilbert]

I travel through your words....
Sounds magical, except for the overtired 4 year old....But you expected expected it (Go ahead admit it). I am looking forward to this blog and have told my travel pal that we must apply for our passports soon.