13 Last Leg of the Trip

Monday afternoon

We made up some of the time we had lost earlier because of the weather as we arrived at London's Heathrow Airport. I was under the impression that we would be staying in the same terminal during our layover and have a simple layover--HAHAHA, what was I thinking? My previous Heathrow experience (on the way to Johannesburg and Victoria Falls) came back to me as we were herded off the plane and on to the first shuttle bus then tram then subway to terminal 5 from 3. It was good that it was a 2 hour layover. We had enough time to stop in a shop, get some snacks, hit the loo, and then get in line...and wait again...

I had one small moment of Aslan (remember in the Chronicles of Narnia who Aslan is in the allegory, so actually the name for our malachite lion was quite appropriate) watching out for me: I pulled out my phone for one reason or another and didn't realize the MY boarding pass now apparently fell out and landed on the floor. I heard "Excuse me, excuse me" a couple times but tended to ignore such comments; this time, though, the persistence made me look around and a very thoughtful young olive-complected man came up to me and said, "You dropped this." I was very grateful, needless to say! Not that we couldn't have traveled without it, but it did save us a deal of inconvenience to say the least. After that we boarded without incident.

British Airways was great and kept us well-informed as we waited out a "spot of weather" on the tarmac. It was good we had gotten those snacks, though! I discovered "Urban Fruit," a delicious lightly baked (sort of dehydrated but not really) fruit snack. I had found some mango in Munich, but the strawberries in London were delicious! I hope I find them online or maybe at World Market because they are that good. I snacked on those a little as well as another brand--"Graze," vegan (or almost, in the case of honey) snacks for travel; one was a granola bar and the other was chili-lime flavored mixed nuts, both packaged in a convenient sliding cardboard covered (recyclable) plastic tray. They fit in my purse perfectly!

Finally we taxied out, and they turned on the entertainment. I chose a documentary on people with autism and Tourette's Syndrome trying to find work. I do hope that they succeeded; I got too depressed with their frustration to watch the video to the end. What was almost as frustrating in the account was that well-meaning friend and family members were setting them up with jobs that were pretty much guaranteeing failure rather than playing to the strong qualities that they had. Oh well, it looked as though there were some employment specialists that were on the right track, so in retrospect I can offer at least a little more optimism than when I first changed the channel.

I let Aslan pick the next one--The Jungle Book! I watched for a while with him, but it too was a downer after a while. Once Balloo gets in the picture it's all monkeys and orangutans and vultures and tigers trying to get the better of Mowgli.

And then dinner break came upon us--suddenly! I couldn't get to my phone to take a picture because the flight attendant shoved the tray into my face as I was trying to get the tray table down. But Andy and I agreed that it was a fabulous meal; he opined that it was the best airline food he had ever consumed: Gemelli salad, an elegant mushroom/cheese risotto, chicken breast and a peppery gravy with kale mashed potatoes, sliced carrots. A small soft Kaiser roll with Irish butter, a mini block of mature Cheddar and for dessert fancy graham rounds with a chocolate/orange pudding so dense it was like ganache. And of course English tea. Delightful!

After that wonderful meal I looked for something a little more uplifting to peruse, so I settled on the account of a new exploration at Pompeii! Well, at least all those people were already dead...

We shared the plane with a little toddler/big baby girl in the seat in front of us. She did remarkably well after the initial whining settling in time--playing with her toes, eating a snack, holding Minnie Mouse near and dear to her heart.

Hm...it doesn't bode well when the "time remaining" on the screen is getting longer rather than shorter. Neither am I filled with great confidence when the map of our journey says, "Airshow Data Transfer Program: Check CD size"...hmmm...who knows where we are actually going? Haha, this is a 7:30-8 hour flight, and it says the time remaining is 14:23...Andy watches "London Is Falling," oblivious to the chronological cataclysm, the grievous rift in the space-time continuum,  occurring right here in our very plane cabin.

At least we are chasing the sunset, though, so that is a good sign. The little girl's eyelids are getting heavier, but she is putting up a valiant fight to stay awake.

The airline must have anticipated my restlessness and sent more food! I shared a nice little chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat with---a KITKAT BAR!!! for a snack.

Eventually we reached IAD, and travelers reflexively unbuckling their seat belts at the first chime only to be good-naturedly directed that it wasn't time yet. Finally we were allowed to stand up, and as we waited to disembark, we struck up a bit of conversation with David, our flight attendant on Andy's side of the place, whose appearance evoked a morphing of Daniel Craig and Mr. Bean. What a nice bloke with a great sense of humor; I told him that the meal was absolutely delicious, and he replied, "Thank you; I made it myself." Andy said that we had endured a long flight, and David indicated that at least it wasn't to Tokyo--that's like 14 hours!

On to customs--there's a nice new automated system--and then on to the baggage claim carousel (okay, AFTER the restroom!). More waiting...but not for long; I guess I was situated favorably around the carousel because all three bags came to me early in the process.

On to Starbucks for a REAL AMERICAN COFFEE!!!! and then to wait for Steph to arrive in the von Blackwood taxi. It was a rather long wait, which was okay since I had my coffee, but people kept parking rather than circling around the terminal as they should. Andy felt compelled to comment on this phenomenon, and when he persisted, I felt compelled to comment to him a little more assertively, "ENOUGH! You have already told me--if it bothers you, go tell THEM!"  He did stop abruptly, which I greatly appreciated! Steph showed up shortly thereafter to rescue us from Dulles Parking Zone and its concomitant drama. And in just a few minutes we were home.

It has taken longer to settle into a routine than usual because every time someone mentions, "How WAS your trip?" I realize it is no longer upcoming but newly recent--WOW, THAT happened fast! I need to document quickly; I am already starting to forget.

I am so glad that I am back home from our trip, but I'm looking forward to the next one!