02 The flight to London

11/8/07

Friday filled me with feelings of good anticipation. Penny and I actually had our bags packed and were in bed by 11:30. I was filled with dreams of a long sleep. But alas my actual dreams foiled my pre-sleep dreams. My dreams were filled with plans, packing and preparations so I woke up about 5:00 and found that my late-to-bed and early-to-rise wife was already up and busy. So the day began.

We said our goodbyes and passed hugs around (I shook hands with the men in the house – but that is too much information). We were off to the airport in our baggage stuff car and daughter, Amy, by about 8:15. We had been instructed by the email from Continental Airlines to be there 3 hours early for international flights. I am not sure all the reasons why we needed 3 hours but I soon discovered one good reason. The email also told us to check in at the ExpressJet counter because they would be operating the flight from MCI (Kansas City) to EWR (Newark). So we dutifully got in the ExpressJet line which I was very thankful was only about 4 people long. I then discovered that the “Express” part of their name evidently has little to do with their checking in customers speed. It took 5 or more minutes per person. When it was our turn it did not take that long, because they informed us that we were in the wrong line and they we had to go to the Continental check-in which was a bout ¼ the way around the circle. So off we went with our 6 bags and a couple of small bags. The Continental process was indeed very “Express-ish”.

I got a very nice compliment from the lady at the security checkpoint. She had to open and inspect my carry-on bag (I am sure because of the many electronic devices and wires). As she opened my bag she told me, “My, this is a well packed bag.” I said “thanks, I am going to travel for 2 weeks in Scandinavia form the content of that bag. She was impressed. It may be overstating but I think that “Homeland Security (or at least their representatives in Kansas City) have given their approval of the Rick Steves’ packing list.

The flight to Newark, NJ was smooth. I have been to NYC twice before. The first trip was with a Habitat for Humanity trip back before 9/11. The students and I toured the city including a trip to the top of the World Trade Center. It was quiet memorable the second time was a flight in and out of Newark much like today. On both of these occasions seeing the conspicuously different skyline of NYC was sobering.

We landed in Newark at Liberty National Airport and discovered that the “preprint your boarding pass and then go directly to the gate” is not always true. A very nice gentle man at the checkpoint told us that while our boarding pass was really cool that it still had to have a stamp on it from the British Airways check-in counter. So off we went to the bowels of the airport where they have relegated BA. Stamp on boarding passes we were admitted into the gate area.
Penny will have to tell you about the 7 hour flight from Newark to London. I took one of the little pills my doctor prescribed and I felt like the flight was about 45 minutes. Cool!

The stories I had heard about Heathrow airport were not exaggerated. There was a very long "que" to get out of the airport (I am not looking forward fondly to the morning when we have to go through security for our Helsinki flight). We stood in line with a nice young American student who was going to be spending the year studying at Oxford. Also spoke briefly to a family with 2 very tired looking girls who had just flown in from Nigeria.

After we got out of passport control we had to get our luggage, which was a bit of challenge because our flight number did not appear on the boards and there were 8 or so luggage carousels. We did manage to get all our bags after finding that someone had pulled one of my bags off the other side of the carousel and left it in the floor.

Our next task was to get our 4 large suitcases shipped to Harlaxton. Now I had researched this thoroughly including several late night (KC time) Skype phone calls to the Heathrow Royal Post Office and to the Excess Baggage Co. The Excess Baggage people wanted £60 per 20 Kg of weight. The Post office would mail the same bag (provided it was wrapped in plastic or inside a large box) for £13. Now a slight problem is that our suitcases all were over the 20 KG (because the airlines allows up to 24 Kg each). Now our plan was to buy boxes for the 4 suitcases and 1 extra to redistribute some of the weight. I dutifully called Excess baggage and they said they could sell me boxes for £5 each or wrap the bags for £5 each. We decided the extra box was the route to go. But alas the Excess baggage folks were happy to wrap bags but had no boxes to sell. Consequently we had to buy a £25 soft-sided medium sized bag in order to have something to put the stuff in from the other suitcases. The nice man wrapped all 5 bags and we took them to the Post Office where a very nice lady took the time to figure our best rate for mailing the 5 bags to Harlaxton £15.58 per bag (including £200 of “compensation” should anything happen to our stuff).

We then had a cold, chocolate something or other from Starbucks and then decided to make our way to the hotel we had booked. We took a taxi and the driver complained to another driver at a stoplight that he must have made the taxi-assigning-guy mad because this fair (that would be Penny and I sitting a couple of feet behind him) was only to the Marriot which is just a stone’s throw from the airport. I guess you make more if you go further. When we arrive the cost was £10 and I paid him with two £5 notes that my brother-in-law, Ted, had given me. The driver – said he did not want to be a problem but the notes I had given him were no longer in circulation – they had changed them. I gave him a new £10 note and all was right with the world. (Ted, fret not, I have been told that a bank will exchange the old notes for new ones.

Our hotel is very nice (thanks Priceline) and we have been just trying to recoup and repack to prepare for our flight in the morning.

I forgot to tell my tummy about the time change so I was ready to eat about 4:00 PM. So, having seen the menu at the Marriot American Restaurant, we ventured to walk down “Bath Road” (be sure to say the “a” as if the doctor wanted to look at your throat “AHHHHHH”) to see what we could spot. The street is really a long line of Hotels with little else. We did find a Pizza and Pasta place but alas they were not going to open until 6:00. Our other option was the exotic McDonalds. We bravely ventured in. I felt very safe as there was a steady stream of police officers that came through while we were there.

Back at the hotel we piddled and watched the British version of Deal or No Deal on the “telly”. The show was funny. Instead of all the pretty women holding suitcases they had a bunch of ordinary looking men and women (in fact they reminded me of my Sunday school class) around tables with wooden boxes sitting on them. When the banker called to make an offer the phone used was what appeared to be vintage 1940’s big black dial phone. The contestant was a grandmother who was hoping to get enough money to pay off her mortgage, buy some new windows and fix up the bathroom. I thought most of the folks I see on American TV would at least express they want the money for a new car or a trip etc.

New York, according to Frank Sinatra, is the city that never sleeps. Evidently London sleeps, at least Penny and I did, but not without some dramatic pauses. We were in bed sleeping and about 12:30 the fire alarm went off briefly which woke us up sharply. But then nothing happened, noone called or nor was anyone around in the hall. I got dressed and tried to find someone. I did after walking down the stairs and found some of the cleaning staff and a manager looking person told me all was well and he took me back up the service elevator and to my room. So relax, we did not burn up.

More next blog.