More Americans Flee England

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Day Ten-May 18,2010


For the first time ever,I awoke to the sound of the Tube roaring beneath my floor.At least,thats how it sounded and felt. I had read reviews on the hotel complaining of this very event,but since it had not occurred for me,I thought that some of the reviewers were simply light sleepers. (Or mass complainers,as I tend to view most reviewers...seriously, WHO examines the carpet for wear and tear)? Anyway,since it was our final morning in London,I didn't mind getting up,since I had a battle to conquer with my luggage.

Our flights did not leave until that afternoon,so we had time to fit in one last activity in the morning.Jen and Ashley decided to forgo any more sightseeing (Jen had hurt her foot the night before),so I was on my own. I still wanted to go on the London Eye,the one attraction we didn't manage to squeeze in anywhere. Luckily,I found out that our hotel sold discount tickets at the front desk,so I purchased one and headed out for my final Tube ride.

The minute amount of rain that we had the day before was gone,and it was very clear and sunny out. Upon my approach to the Eye,I saw that there were virtually no lines. However,I still had to go inside and exchange my "voucher" from the hotel for an actual ticket.Again,this only took a few minutes,and before I knew it I was on the platform,waiting to board. As I stood there waiting for my "capsule," I had to go through a mini security check of my purse and being wanded. Weird. Then,as they let out the previous passengers,they had these huge broom like structures that they swept around the doorway of the capsule before closing it and sending it ahead,empty.

I was then allowed onto the next empty car,and found it to be quite large,with only a single bench in the middle.At first,I wondered how much motion would be present to interfere with walking around,but the wheel moves at a snails pace.In fact,the only way I knew that I was moving was if I stood at stared at a single spot for several minutes. Since it was clear out,I took several final photos of London. I took pictures for the couple in the capsule with me,and they returned the favor for me.The only minor issue with this? They seemed to think that when I asked for a picture with Big Ben,it meant the other tower of Parliament.Oh well.

The thirty minutes passed quickly,and before I knew it,I was exiting the ride and watching my capsule being wanded behind me. I walked back to the Tube,listening to Ben's ringing one last time.

Upon my return to the hotel,I met up with the others,and we checked out of the hotel,leaving our bags in the storage room while we headed to Queensway Blvd for food and last minute souvenir shopping. We found another small pub and had brunch once we completed our shopping. It was hard to believe that the trip was basically over!

We had discussed our return transportation to the airport during brunch,and had opted to save a few pounds and take the Heathrow Connect back,since we did have quite a bit of time. However,we still needed a cab to haul us to Paddington,so we asked the hotel receptionist to call for one once we returned.

And, of course,what you think would be a simple task...wasn't. The receptionist took one look at our multiple bloated bags and started debating about how many cars we would need. We asked for the same type of black cab that we had had on the way there,which had plnety of room.Instead,after about a twenty minute wait,a Mercedes sedan pulled up,and squawked when he saw our luggage. At first,we figured that he was there for another customer,since we had asked for a cab,but the receptionist rolled her eyes and informed us that,no,he was in fact here for us. When the frustrated driver insisted that he didn't have enough room for us,she sighed and snapped, "I TOLD you girls that you needed me to order TWO cars!!"

Again,Jen and I stated that we had asked for a BLACK CAB.The two stared at us for a minute,and then the woman said, "So,you DON'T want him to take you to Paddington?" We stared at each other,dumbfounded.

Finally,the driver left,and the woman rolled her eyes,and called for a cab.Or so we thought.Once again,after another wait,ANOTHER car showed up,although it was a van this time. As we started to renew the debate with the receptionist,Ashley conferred with the driver and found out that he could take us to Paddington for about the same price as the cab.Disgusted with the hotel at this point,we just took it,loaded our bags,and plopped into the van.We would be away and at the station soon enough.

Yeah...this also wasn't in the cards. This driver could smell end of vacation exhaustion a mile away. He climbed into the car,asked us if we were heading to Heathrow.When we said that we were,he asked how we were planning on getting there. "You know, I can take you to the airport for the same price as the Heathrow Express tickets," he offered.

We shook out heads,saying that we were taking the Connect. "Oh no! You girls are tired,you have so many bags. You don't want to take the train,its crowded and you have to walk a long way at the airport with all of your luggage...it's not easy," he drawled. "I can take you RIGHT to the door of the terminal."

I was against it,we were low on money,and I knew that the ride would be costly.The others were agreeing,and one of them even told him that we were going to two separate terminals. "Not a problem!" he beamed."I can get you there quicker than the train,and I'll even give you another five pounds off.You girls can just rest and relax."

We told him that we only had credit cards,no cash,as a final protest,but he volunteered to stop at an ATM.Exhausted from arguing,we gave in,deciding that he was hassling us too much to continue.So,we got our cash and headed for Heathrow,and right into a huge traffic jam outside that the driver claimed "never happened before." At least we had about three hours before our flights....

Finally,we pulled up to Terminal 3,which was Ashley and Jen's stop.As we got outside to get their bags,the driver turned to me and said,"Terminal 1 is RIGHT next to this one,just go inside and follow the signs,you'll be there in two minutes." So much for taking us to each terminal without problem!

As we walked into T-3,we said our goodbyes,wished each other luck on our respective flights-we didn't think we would be able to meet up inside the airport,which later proved correct. As I headed for the T-1 signs,I went down an elevator,through a LONG hallway,up another elevator,and another long walk before I was in the main lobby of T-1.Two minute walk??? We had definately been had. Luckily,the United terminal was near the front,and check in was fairly quick.The woman at the counter widened her eyes at my bag when she weighed it,but it came up within limits-or so I thought,until she told me it was over by about five pounds,but that she would overlook it. Security was also not as bad as I had expected-they even provided the Ziploc bags upon entering,if you didn't have one.

Since I still had time,I wandered around the main concourse,stopped at a pub for a quick snack.I ordered these mini-Yorkshire puddings,thinking they sounded appetizing.When I received four small,dried up pieces of bread with a tinier piece of cold roast stuck in the middle,I settled my bill and decided to keep looking. I headed for my gate,thinking that I would find some small food stand nearby.

It turns out that Heathrow sets the gates about a mile away from the shopping/dining area,so that walking back isn't feasible.Also,once I arrived at the gate,they had ANOTHER security check to go through,and they were "pre-boarding" the flight,which rendered leving the area next to impossible.The only food source in sight was a coffee kiosk,where I bought a sandwich and headed for the security line.I chowed it down while I waited for my section to be called. Finally,my turn came,and I entered the plane,walking through the plush business class area before finding my lowly economy seat near the back. At least I was on the aisle, and the man next to me seemed to be into his own thing. I texted Ashley,who said that they were boarding at that time also.

I had taken enough of my sedatives so I was pretty out of it as we took off,and actually ended up napping most of the flight.Thankfully,the volcano kept silent as we crossed its territory.I watched part of a movie on my in-flight entertainment,and actually scarfed down the meal(the airport sandwich was pretty meager).We were arriving in Washington D.C. before I knew it.

I only had about an hour and a half layover here,and the terminals at Dulles have "shuttles" between them.By the time I cleared customs (which was light years better than that at JFK the year before) and got to my next terminal,my flight to Cleveland was boarding.Luckily,I had two seats to myself,and I stretched across them and slept the entire way home.

Back at Hopkins,I looked around to see if Ashley and Jen had landed around the same time,but didn't see them. I was pretty worn out,and got my bags,and found Giles waiting for me with roses at the curbside!

So European Extravaganza was over....where or when would my next crossing be? Rome? Sydney? Stay tuned....

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Photos

La Thames
Westminster Bridge

St. Pauls Cathedral
Apparently, NOT the site of the royal wedding

Stacey and "Big Ben"
Or so the other tourists thought...

The Tube
The last ride!

Yes...
They say this often

Comments

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