Jetting Home

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We got up this morning at 6:45 because we wanted to leave the motel at 8:00. We ate breakfast there and went to the room and got our luggage and was back down at reception at about 7:50. We never had got the internet to work and they said they would refund our 7.50 pounds if it didn't work. Well, I asked the lady about it and she started working on it. Finally she asked someone else to help her. Then they wanted the paper they had given me with the login info on it - I had left it in the room - they were going to go get it, and I had no idea where I had left it so we both went and found it in the trash. Anyhow, it probably took 20 minutes at least to check out. We walked the 2 blocks to the subway, and of course it was rush hour. The train was full, but with a little pushing we got in and rode the 5 stops to the Green Park station. Then we walked quite aways underground to the Picadilly line for the train to Heathrow terminal 4. Well, the train that was there didn't stop at terminal 4, so we had to wait 7 minutes for that train. It took us over an hour to get from our motel to the terminal. It was 9:20 when we got off the train and our flight didn't leave until 10:30 so I wasn't too worried. We walked awhile to the check-in area and scanned our passports at the kiosk and it said you are too late to check in for this flight - please see an attendant. We hurried up to the counter and checked in our bags. A rep standing nearby told us which gate we were leaving out of and she said it was a half hour walk - believe me, she said, it will take you 30 minutes. We took off running and fast walking till we got to security. There they had some prescreeners that asked questions about if you had any liquids and signs all over saying what you couldn't carry on. Well we got to the actual security and the people ahead of us had all kinds of liquids in big bottles scattered in their bags. It was taking forever and we finally told them we were going to miss our flight and wondered if we could change lines. They told us we had to stay where we were and kept running their luggage into the xray machine and back out to take something else out. We finally got through there and put our shoes back on as fast as we could. Linda told me not to worry about my belt, so we took off running. It's kinda hard to run with luggage and having to hold your britches up at the same time! About the time we left security they said "This is the final boarding call for Flight 271 with service to Boston." We tried to run faster, but since we are both kind of skinny (meaning of course that we have more skin than we probably should have) it didn't take long and we were huffing and puffing -but we kept pushing it. And every little bit they would announce the final boarding call for our flight. Our lungs were hurting by the time we finally got to the gate -and they still let us get on. Once we got sat down in our seat, I looked at my watch and it was 9:57! It was still 33 minutes before our flight was scheduled to leave. I think there was still people getting on 15 minutes after we did. At 10:30 they came on the PA and said that it was going to be 15 minutes before we could get a takeoff slot so they would just stay at the gate until then. I think it was actually 11:00 before we finally were in the air. First off on the plane they came around with sodas and peanuts. As soon as they were done with that, they served us lunch - chicken breast, rice, roll, cookies, salad - the works. A little later they came around again with the beverage carts and then about 5 hours into the flight they came around with pizza and ice cream, followed again by the beverage carts. We landed in Boston and had to collect our checked bags so we could clear customs and after that we rechecked them. Then we had to go through security again (after about a 15 minute walk). Well, the lines were fairly long there again and we had seen signs that they were asking more questions than normal for some reason. They asked a lot more questions there than they did at customs! They wanted to know where all we had been, how long we had been gone and if we checked our luggage on the way over there. We told him we had carried it all on and then he wondered how we could travel that long with just carry-on luggage. We finally got through there and on to our gate - still with an hour before our flight left. In Raleigh after a little looking we found our van and headed for home. We met our children and folks in Greenville at a mexican resturant for supper. It was a lot of fun and I would say a very rewarding experience to learn a little bit about the different cultures of the world around us! A few impressions: One thing that was really nice in all the countries we visited was that sales tax was included in the price - if an item said 5.50 thats exactly what you pay. A lot of times the receipt would list the tax but it was always subtracted from the price. In Switzerland I believe the smallest coin is 5 cents and probably in all the countries, the smallest bill 5 francs, euros, or pounds. In all these countries everything was always very clean and the people that we dealt with very friendly. Especially in France and Switzerland, you didn't very often see strangers engaging in conversation, but I think it is largely due to the fact that you never knew what language they spoke. Sometimes you would sit beside someone on the train for an hour and couldn't communicate because you spoke different languages. It seemed like english was still the all over language, though. If you saw a sign written in only one language, often it was english. Everybody working in the train stations is required to know english. There were no customized vehicles over there or even bumper stickers. I think once the bills were paid, there just wasn't money left to spare on non necessities. In France, especially, they are really geared toward efficiency, small, smaller and smallest vehicles - gas is probably at least double what it is here. The European train system is just phenomenal - a super way to get around - and 100% of it electric. -But it's still good to get back home to the good ole USA!! linda: like shayne said,stuff was clean. The restrooms were very clean. thats one thing i was really scared of before we went. the most i ever had to pay to use the restroom was 2 dollars and was extremely clean. even the restrooms along the river where we walked one eve had a attendant. and the flowers were so pretty. i could hardly stand it at the Buckingham Palace they were pulling up trash can fulls of beautiful geraniums purple spirea and varigated monkey grass. i asked them what was going in next and they said wild flowers an pansys and thousands of tulip bulbs. i was so impressed how very friendly every worker was, always willing to answer every question! and has a diet coke with a glass full of ice ever made you smile? it has me! Shayne bought me one on the train and it was so good! after not drinkin much cuz of cost and of course no ice. I realized i am very spoiled! and our ample supply is hurting us! there are not any overweight people in those countries! i did lose 4 pounds! It truly was so funny running to the plane behind Shayne and he was holding up his pants with one hand and all his belongings in the other hand. But we sure did not want to stay there !

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