Tag Archives: packing

Sunday, June 7 — Moving Day

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Well, it does appear we have minor colds, but so far it’s nothing like what our travel pals had (have?). Mostly we cough at night, and that’s about it. So it goes.

After rising I got most everything packed up: I just had, as usual, to wait for the toothbrushes and toothpaste and those can’t be put away until after breakfast. It appeared that we would avoid rain as we head down to the train station. Do we trust our weather apps. Nope!

Side Note: I purchased a lanyard for my phone. This is going to sound strange, but when we are above a river, or on a high spot, I have this irrational fear that I’ll throw it. This was especially the case when we were in Spain and Portugal and climbed any towers. I know, I know, it’s irrational and goofy, but you are reading my blog and some might suggest I’m irrational and goofy! I also thought it would be a good idea due to the phone thefts we’ve read about: cyclists or those on scooters will pass quickly and grab someone’s phone. Well, so much for my idea: the darn clasps that connect phone to lanyard don’t always hold. Yesterday I reached for my phone and it was just sitting in my pocket, the lanyard was hanging around my neck, phone-less. Note to self: find a different solution!

After I started this blog and Dan showered we went down to our 8:30 breakfast. It’s our final “free” breakfast, so while I thought I should just do something simple I opted to get that final egg breakfast. After this I’m sure we will do much smaller morning meals. (Heck, I don’t do morning meals at home, after all.) So Eggs Royale it was. Not that I could finish …

When breakfast was completed and all packing was completed (yes, mom, I brushed my teeth!), we were ready for the walk to the train. It was primarily downhill so not a big deal.

We got to the station and found our platform. Goodbye Bath. Thanks for no rain today. And a lovely papaver.

This first bit was a short, maybe thirteen minute train ride and we got on and found our assigned seats. Hello, coach A seats 9 and 10.

Only one shot from the train:

And then we arrived at Bristol Temple Meads.

We had a short wait for our train so we purchased some crisps and water (later, when I looked for it, my water was gone. I don’t know when it fell out of my daypack, but oh well.). Then we went to platform 5 to wait. When the train (a Cross Country train) arrived we had to wait in line to get on. And wait. And wait. I started to wonder if we would or even could get on! When we finally manage to squeeze in to the vestibule we were stuck for a bit, but hey, we have reserved seats so no problem.

Except.

Dan couldn’t put his larger luggage on the rack. People had piled their smaller pieces there rather than putting them above their heads in the smaller luggage racks. He even asked one person if he could move hers and apparently that wasn’t going to happen. He told me to go on ahead so I made my way to our seats. People were sitting in them. I asked them if they had reserved seats and they didn’t, so they got up. I put my small luggage where my legs should have been, thinking Dan would arrive and help me put it above. But he could never move from the vestibule! I finally told one of the women who had been sitting in our seats that she may as well sit down because he couldn’t get there. She, in fact, had her small luggage on the rack he needed and she said he could move it, but it would have taken more than that piece to get his to fit. Meanwhile, I had no place to put my feet! She had room in front of her, but I was cramped and uncomfortable. I ended up putting one leg on top of my luggage and the other slightly in her space. It was pretty darn miserable, but how could I complain? Dan was stuck in a cramped spot with other people after entering the coach and had to stand the whole time. He wasn’t at all happy when I saw him slightly over an hour later. In fact he was angry. When Dan is angry that’s a pretty big thing, as he simply doesn’t get angry!

Advice: if you have the chance to take Cross Country Trains DON’T. Period. End of story. They overbook, they don’t come by to help anyone who can’t store luggage, and it’s a miserable ride if all that happens.

When that ride was done it was Hello Birmingham. Or at least hello Birmingham train station.

Once we — especially Dan — survived that ordeal, we had train number three to catch. It’s always an adventure figuring this stuff out. Down a lift, up a lift, down a lift … you never know until you know. But our platform was found, and after we sat for a bit (Dan certainly needed to sit!), we went and stood at the track, ready to climb aboard. We had no reserved seats for this train, but thankfully there were a lot of seats. We got on, settled in, and rested. (I may have fallen asleep, in fact.)

Photos from the train:

And then we arrived. Hello Shrewsbury!

We opted to walk to our lodging, as it was an eight minute walk. Of course it was uphill, but we managed.

We are staying at Cromwell’s Tap House. Yes, it’s a pub, but they have five rooms. We are in room five and, according to the man who checked us in, it’s his favorite. (Hm. Maybe every room is his favorite, depending upon which key he is holding?) Due to being weary, we opted for dinner at the pub. Turns out the latest serving is 4:00, so early meal it is.

Our room is spacious. Our room is also very old and funky. And the floor is about as unlevel as can be. The bathroom floor is even more bizarre. It’s a very old building and that’s how these old buildings can be. But hey, it’s home for a couple of days so there you go. But the photos make it look quite nice, I think.

The view from our window (I’d love to stay there!):

When it was close to 4:00 we went back downstairs to dinner. While we could have had the Sunday roast, we opted instead for fish ‘n chips and nothing more (well, drinks, but no appetizers or anything). Typical me forgot the photo until I’d taken a bite or two.

And yes, Patty has ketchup with her chips. Bad, bad me.

Finishing up we went back to our room for a bit. I could barely make it up the stairs I was so full and so very tired. I knew, though, that sleeping now would mean no sleep later. Dan apparently didn’t feel the same. He conked out and I went and took a shower due to getting antsy legs. (Sure, I know you don’t need to know this, but I write what I write, wouldn’t you know?!)

After my shower I looked out and saw windshield wipers going and umbrellas out. I opted to blog more and then … whoops! … I fell asleep. I think our colds are making us more tired. I’m guessing the train issues might have added to the weariness.

Eventually, though, we went out to do a wee bit of exploring. And yes, it was raining. Some of the buildings here look like they could fall over any minute. The last one shown below was one of those.

We ran out of steam and walked back to our lodging. I felt so dehydrated and Dan said he felt the same, so we first went into the pub and had some non-alcoholic beers. It was nice to sit and relax a bit more.

Then back up the wobbly, uneven stairs we went. I finished writing this and Dan did Dan stuff.

Now I will attempt to stay up at least a little bit longer, as it’s too early to sleep. We’ll see how I manage, though.

Ciao for now!

Oh … and I really failed my watch today:

8,346 steps, 3.28 miles, 3 flights climbed (This last is totally incorrect: we climbed a flight at our B&B, we’ve climbed these stairs three times, and we climbed up the hill. Silly watch!)

Nearly Time To Travel!

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We’ve had a trip planned for quite a while. Flights have been purchased. (And how we hope nothing gets canceled, but we have to be ready, of course.) Trains are scheduled, along with one bus.

About these trains! What an adventure that is!

Some trains were purchased early. Possibly too early — the prices could have dropped more, who knows? Some were purchased late because they only became available later. Some that I thought would be a straight shot ended up with a transfer. Two then turned out to include a few hours in towns where we can spend a bit of time in before moving on. One was split in two not because I opted to do it but because that particular train company said “it’s cheaper if you split this in two but you can stay in the same seats and same train.” Okay then. On one day we have three trains to take, each leg being with a different train company. (The UK has a LOT of train companies!)

Oooh … guess I just gave you a clue about where we are headed, eh?

But we aren’t headed there quite yet: I have four more opera performances (La Traviata, to be precise), and a few more lessons to teach. When we do board our first plane I plan on a celebratory glass of bubbly: retirement will have been achieved!

Meanwhile, I’m not only packing in my head (which I do for months), but I’m starting to set things out to get a feel for what I must bring, what I should bring, and what I want to bring. The must column will certainly go in the pack. The should list probably will. The wants? Well, that all depends upon weight!

Speaking of weight … yes, I weigh things. A lot. I was thinking of bringing certain pants, but then I weighed those and compared to some new ones I’m feeling are working well and nixed that first pair. I weigh shoes in order to decide which pair I’ll pack (only two pair of shoes for this trip). I weigh purses to choose just one. I weigh underwear and socks. I weigh … well … everything. Because every ounce counts!

But in any case, things are getting set out (currently on top of my printers), so I can get a handle on the all of it. It looks like a lot, but things will get put inside packing cubes and it’s amazing how it all fits. Most everything is merino wool, and that fabric can easily be rolled and squished and still come out looking pretty darn nice.

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What a mess, eh? But no worries, it’ll all get sorted!

I’m attempting to use the Sudoku Method for packing this time. Heard of it? After putting it together three of these items (one of each — top, bottom, layer) will be worn on the plane which cuts down, obviously on what gets packed.

When I make the final choices I’ll try to take a photo to show people what I’ve opted to choose. Maybe. Sort of. Unless I cheat.

I would love to say we can manage with carryon only, but we are on one smaller plane going to and from one country, God willing: those are the flights most likely to get canceled because of this abomination of a war someone in our country jumped into on a whim. Sigh. Those little planes are also much more picky about weight and we might not be able to keep our bags as light as they require. 10kg … can we do it? Dunno! That’s 22 pounds, and honestly I really don’t want to carry more than that on my back in any case. The carryon bag/suitcase/pack has to measure 21,5″ x 15.5″ x 9.5″ and for that I’m okay. But then the personal item can only be 15.5″ x 11.5″ x 8″. Mine is 16″ x 12″ x 5″. So the big question is just how picky are they and am I willing to take a chance? I’ll have to ponder that. Or buy a new personal size bag. I’ve been reading up and it appears I’ll probably be fine but …??

So what else has been done or needs to be done?

Well, today we got Covid shots and then drove to get our International Driving Permits. We have a house sitter who can stay here, as well as neighbors who always keep an eye on our place. Mail has been stopped for a month (and then I have to stop it again since we are gone for other a month). Our house sitter can collect a stack of what I’m sure will mostly be junk mail when that first stop comes to an end. Well, junk mail and all the money people are going to send me because they want to sponsor the trip. Right?

RIGHT!!! (I can hear you all agreeing with me. So thanks!)

The Rest Of The Story

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After packing was complete, Dan went to buy a couple of croissants. We both wanted almond croissants, but quality control must have been missing this time: one looked lovely, with powdered sugar on top and one was browner than it should have been, which no powdered sugar at all. Strange. I ate the latter one, but actually couldn’t finish. Not because it wasn’t any good, but these things are just so huge! We finished up breakfast, spent some time on the 27th floor since we had a lot of time, and eventually wound up back in our room where I checked out of the hotel.

Downstairs we simply hand in our keys and that’s that. This hotel seems to prefer no hands on: you can check in on a kiosk (although I couldn’t figure that out when we arrived) and you check out online. No personal touches there if they can avoid it!

Dan called a car and we waited outside for its arrival.

It is not inexpensive to get a car to Newark, but we simply didn’t want to deal with the train this time. It did take a while to get to the airport, but checking our luggage was as speedy as can be, as was security. So to the lounge we went. We both had second breakfast (I was sort of craving eggs). And then a lot of hanging out since we had over two hours before we would board the plane.

OH … and when we were walking through the airport we could see if was absolutely pouring outside. I don’t know what it’s like in New York now, but we did notice it got terrifically dark in New Jersey.

And speaking of NJ: as we drove to the airport the billboards were nearly all about personal injury attorneys, and there were lots of “injured in New Jersey?” mentions. Hm. I guess people are likely to get injured in New Jersey? One wonders.

Okay … we are now home … nothing much of importance happened on the plane aside from horrible food and service from United. They need to up their game or we need to switch airlines. We shall see.

When we picked up our backpacks mine had been opened and they sent along an explanation. TSA selected my bag for inspection. Fine. They didn’t take the chocolate so I won’t complain!

Now, my cold is in full swing and I’m thinking it is more than a cold so I’m going to bed to recover. At least it waited until the end of the trip.

I’ll try and write more tomorrow if I find the energy. Thanks to all who followed along!

Final Full Day in Brussels

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Yes, it was our final full day here. Not only in Brussels. Not only in Belgium. But all of Europe. Am I sad? A bit. Could I have spent more time in Europe? Absolutely! I could easily become a full time traveler. But that can’t be, and so it goes.

I haven’t yet reported on any mishaps, primarily because nothing of note has really happened. Yes, there was a train strike, but that was easily taken care of. Yes, we had to switch from train to bus partway through a ride, but that, too, was easy to do (even though I think they should refund some money due to the train being late and paying for better seats. But our electric toothbrush did stop working. That was annoying. And — horrors! — I ran out of dental floss. But gee, guess what you can buy in Europe if necessary? We bought our little travel toothbrushes which will get us through the remainder of the trip, and Dan says I can use some of his floss, generous man that he is.

Anyway (note, NO “anyways” from yours truly) we woke, readied ourselves, checked the weather ahead of time, donned our rain jackets, and went out. First on our agenda was breakfast, but we just figured we’d get that as we walked out of this area. We were headed to a park. Parc du Cinquantenaire to be precise. It was a decent walk away (the man at the hotel desk had said we could take the Metro, but we much prefer walking when possible). Out we went, and into one place that, as it turned out, only had larger breakfasts than we wanted. So onward! We did find a place on the outskirts of the center, touristy area, and had our rolls and coffee.

Then more walking. We went past a ton of construction, and also past familiar spots like the park from two days ago and some important looking buildings.

And then the rain came. First it was just sprinkles and I wasn’t concerned. (My Woolx pants dry quickly, and with my hood up I was fine: Dan wasn’t as certain for his clothing.) However we did agree the park was probably a bad idea (who likes a soggy park?), and figured we’d go elsewhere. And then the rain came down more. We huddled under a protected space and checked out where another destination of the day was, because it was something indoors. Ah, how convenient! The Metro was right in front of us and it would take us nearby that spot. So down we went and, using our watches, the gate opened, unlike the other day when we tried.

We got out at the Midi station (which is where we’ll need to be tomorrow to catch our train) and at that point the rain had subsided so we could easily walk. The area was clearly not as nice: lots of garbage around, so much run down, and I wondered if we should have checked about the safety of the area, but things I’d read said our next stop was not to be missed.

And then we arrived: it was the Cantillon Brewery & Museum. For a mere 8€ each we could take the self-guided tour. What fun it was! Now, for those of you not at all interested in beer, you might want to skip the next (very numerous) photos. But some may find it interesting.

First we did the tour:

Then we got a tasting of three beers. Very small pours, which was fine by us. And very tasty! The beers (“Lambic” beers) were quite interesting — the first seemed like a cider to me, the second a beer but different than anything I’ve had before, and the third, a raspberry flavor but not overwhelming and awful like the things we’ve had in the states. All were enjoyed, but sadly we couldn’t purchase anything as we have no room in our checked bags for such things.

On the way out I took photos of the bottled beers that I saw.

Then it was time to leave.

When we exited the building the weather was nice so we opted to walk back to lunch, figuring we’d eat somewhere near to the hotel.

We did fairly well, not spending too much or eating too much. That’s two days in a row. Award time.

We walked a bit more after lunch (and by that time the rain was back, but not a ton of it), saw another church as well as other things.

A bit more of a walk.

Then the “award” for our good behavior.

Back at the hotel we enjoyed our treats, and did blogging and reading. Research for dinner was also done by one of us because she likes to plan. We thought a Belgian meal might be the way to go for our final night here: I am not sure we will be able to return in our lifetime, so it just seemed right.

First, though, I packed up as much as I was able to pack. I want to have a very easy time of it when we wake far too early tomorrow morning. We have a 7:17 train to catch, which means a ride to the train station prior to that. Our train ride isn’t long, but it takes us to an airport where we catch our flight.

Then it was time for our whopping one minute walk to dinner. Our reservation was for 19:00, and we walked in the door at 19:00. For me that is just perfection! I had already decided I wanted moules-frites for dinner, but that didn’t stop me from thinking maybe I wanted chicken or fish instead. Thankfully Dan reminded me of what I said only an hour prior and yes, I had the mussels. First was the appetizer and pictured below is Dan’s meal as well. The mussels were quite yummy and now I have had my fill.

After dinner we went to a little shop for a short visit, and then back to the hotel. Dan has suggested a 5;15 wake up call. Works for me, the worrier that we will be late, so 5:15 it is!

Tomorrow night we will be in a different country. Tonight we will attempt sleep.

Goodnight!

Moving On …

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We woke on the early side (for us), so we could pack. I was finished by 8:10. Dan … well, he finishes up after breakfast. We both have our systems!

Then off to breakfast for our final time here. I’ve really enjoyed this hotel, as well as this wonderful city, and I do want to investigate doing a Camino at some point.

Dan opted to go for a sweet treat at breakfast! (After having his more healthy options, of course.) Hm … he doesn’t look to happy about it! Or perhaps he’s growing weary of me taking photos of him with food. Hah!

After checking out of the hotel we waited outside for our taxi. He arrived a bit after we got out — enough time so that I of course wondered what was up. Once we got in the car he drove past places we had visited and eventually out of the historical part of the city. Suddenly graffiti appeared. I think I neglected to mention earlier that any graffiti inside the old section is obviously painted over very quickly. You can see things on doors, but never on walls. The traffic to get to the train station was heavier than when we arrived, but we got to the station just fine.

And then there was a line. For the first time on this trip we had to go through security at a train station. Portugal doesn’t have that — at least not at the stations we used — but I had read about the security lines in Madrid so I wasn’t surprised that there was one in Santiago de Compostela as well.

We got into our car, and attempted to log into their free wifi. Nope. Not happening. I think they must have had some sort of internet issue. The info that told us our speed was clearly not working either, and for the entire trip the next station was listed as one that was, I think, the stop before we got on.

We were served lunch at about 11:15. We both ordered the 0.0% beer, but I guess we weren’t clear about that because we were given regular beers. Ah well. We’ll suffer and drink those instead.

I loved looking out the window and seeing how green everything is. (Well, except when we are in tunnels, and those are frequent.)

Later we were higher and at times could see bits of snow in the mountains. And poppies … lots and lots of red poppies! I don’t think I managed to shoot those, though.

Eventually we arrived at our transfer train station.

Hello Madrid-Chamartin-Clara Campoamor train station. We’ve been to the Atocha station, but this one was new to us. It was a bit of a confusing place, and we had to ask for assistance. I sure wish we could speak Spanish, but thankfully a man could manage to help us, although he said he only spoke a bit of English (better than our zero Spanish!). Turned out we had to go out an exit, walk a bit to the main station, and re-enter, going again through security. (I do wonder if we could have taken an escalator up to the station and avoided the security lines, but he suggested that wasn’t possible so we took him at his word. Still, I saw an escalator right out of the train and it appeared to go where we needed to go. But who knows?!)

Once we got through security I looked around, hoping to see the lounge. I was rather sure I had looked it up and that there was one there. No dice in finding it, though, so Dan went and asked at the info desk. That didn’t get us anywhere, so we just stayed in the big room with everyone, waiting for our track number to appear. Back when we were downstairs I could have sworn I saw departing trains listed, including ours, with track 25 listed for us. Hmm. It wasn’t up on the board. Yet.

Until it was. And it was (ta-da!) track 25. Go figure.

So goodbye Madrid. It was strange to be there, but not really.

Our next train — another fast one — was, for us, very short. The next stop was ours. So, as Dan said, we really did have a “short ride in a fast machine”! (If you don’t get the reference you will have to do your homework and google that.

Just a bit about the tunnels: they can be very long. And there are a lot of them. Rather than go around a mountain, they just go right through. It’s quite something.

And now where are we?

HELLO SEGOVIA!

This is our first visit here, and as we drove in (via taxi), I was surprised to see all the bricks. Not our typical sized red bricks, really, but lots of them on nearly every building on the newer parts of the city. The older part is a different story.

We first got into our room and put our feet up a while. Somehow a train trip like ours can kind of zap one’s energy. Possibly partially because of the unknown, since we hadn’t done this trip before, and certainly because of lugging our backpacks and other bags around. I told Dan that I actually would have liked a roller suitcase because then nothing would be around my neck. (I should have him take a photo of me: I have the backpack on my bag and my other smaller pack — the one I carried on our Douro walk — around my neck, but hanging in front of me. It’s awkward and heavy!)

Our room is nice, quite large, and I’m sure we’ll be quite comfortable here.

After a time of rest we went out to see what we could find. Segovia was a place we really knew very little about. I had opted to come here because, for one thing, Jameson and Meghan (our younger son and daughter-in-law) had considered it when we all met up a few years back. But also it was the way we could get to our next destination in a rather easy way. (When I reveal that location you might scratch your heads a bit!) So off we went, and up a lot of stairs we went. I didn’t realize the hotel I chose wasn’t in the old part of the city, but just outside it. Ah well. I guess I didn’t research well enough on this one. But hey, we’ll get our stairs and our iPhones will rejoice, I’m sure.

After reaching the Plaza Major we felt the need for some ice cream. Go figure. The cathedral, which is just off the plaza, is really amazing. We checked it out, but didn’t go inside yet, and continued our walk.

As I wrote earlier, there are bricks here. I think what sets them apart from the ones in our area is that they tend to be longer and thinner. Some of them are also a different color. But once we started walking we noticed a different exterior wall treatment that is very common. I found it rather fascinating, having never seen this look before.

We saw some plaques in the ground that I later learned are about the aqueduct. I read that it was built around 50 BC, and the plaques show where it was … I’d explain more but I’m weary and you can research it if you’d like!

We checked out a little bit of the Jewish Quarter, and if I understand what I read they have a Camino as well. (But I could be wrong and, again, I’m too weary to check at the moment!)

Our walk continued …

And this was the first of these we found. I hadn’t realized they were in Spain as well. They are painful to read, but important to remember.

We then reached the Alcazar. Again, we didn’t go in, but we spent a good amount of time outside making photos.

Back to the plaza we went, passing by the cathedral first.

Another reminder of an awful time …

And then dinner. It was a rather odd combo I had, but tasted good. Maybe eggs, chicken, and shoestring (or whatever these are called) potatoes are a common dish here. Dunno! Dan had a fave of his: the patatas.

Then it was time to walk back to our hotel.

And now I must say buenas noches. I’m tired!

My Bags Are Packed

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I’m ready to go …

Of course that doesn’t mean I won’t change my mind about something, but the two main bags are packed and locked, so I’m hoping that’s it.

Here is a shot of the clothing I’ll be taking:

In addition to what you see above there are pjs (in carryon in case the checked bag doesn’t arrive) and a raincoat (also in carryon since it looks like we will be encountering rain when we arrive). Not pictured is the one stuff sack of the clothes for our five day walk (hiking pants, shirts, hiking socks, waterproof cap, “bathroom” necessities when you have no bathroom, if you know what I imean!). The outfit on the left — black pants, “Sahara Dust” sweater, and short sleeved blue shirt, will be worn on the plane, along with the scarf The rest has all fit in one compression bag. Well, except for the hat! That’s a foldable hat, and it’s packed as well, since it’s a nuisance to have a hat on the plane.

I did do the “while we’re on the walk” packing job first today, and everything worked just fine. Then I took everything out and repacked for the flights and the rest of our travels.

Above is the “rest of the stuff” … but since I took that shot things have changed: the black bundle you see on the left was a raincoat I deemed just too bulky, despite my loving it, so a shorter, more casual raincoat took its place. The latter will also work for our walk, so I could delete the really light raincoat I’d packed for that. I also switched out the larger umbrella for a smaller one. Other things there: green compression bag full of unclothes and socks, meds (OH, and I managed to make those smaller as well, as I could peel the label off of one and put it on a tiny bottle), a very small backpack (that small blue ball you see), all my cables, an adapter, and other necessary things for devices in the red bag, my extra pair of shoes stuffed with socks, an electric toothbrush, a puffer jacket stuffed in its own pocket, my toiletry bag, my vitamin and pain med box, and my extra glasses. And gee, writing all this reminded me I hadn’t yet packed my AirPods! So off I go to do that after I post this.

Every ounce counts!

Yep, that’s my motto at the moment.

I have a small Pacsafe purse that contains passport, wallet, credit cards, chapstick, some sanitizing towelettes … exciting, I know.

I neglected to take a photo of my little camera bag (or my purse, for that matter) that fits into my carryon bag. But that camera bag holds my Fuji camera with two lenses – one zoom, one macro, extra batteries and cards … all things photo.

In any case, I’m packed and ready to head out on another adventure. I’m glad to have this distraction: yesterday I was on an audition panel for my replacement — and what a fabulous replacement we have! I’m overjoyed for the winner Adrienne Burg, and I know OSJ will be very pleased to have her. I have been principal oboe of Opera San José for what seems like forever, and this is a huge change. I thought I wouldn’t really react since I opted to move to second oboe for this past season, but I guess the finality of the audition did cause me to pause and ponder a bit. It’s the end of an era for me. I’m trying not to think that it’s the end of me!

Now we wait …

And Now We Are Home

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We began our morning quite leisurely since checkout was at 11:00 and there was no rush to get to the airport. Packing is usually more difficult at the end of the trip, even while we never purchase souvenirs. This time, though, I had no issues at all. I suspect it’s because I had to unpack and pack so many times I knew where everything would fit.

When we checked out we called a car to take us to Paddington Station. Normally we’d just do the tube — the cost would be MUCH less and the time wouldn’t be much more. But with our extra luggage we opted to spend the big bucks.

Well … getting out of our area took quite a bit of time: traffic was rotten. We finally got over the Thames and our driver took us near Buckingham Palace. Who knew there would be a bunch of horses and riders in full regalia going up the street ahead of us?! More delays. Finally they headed straight and we turned a bit.

Only to find they were again in front of us!



We could only laugh.

Eventually we did make it to Paddington, but it took quite a bit longer than the tube and it was, oh, perhaps $50 more! But on a trip like this I suppose that’s a drop in the bucket. (That being written, one drop can make a bucket overflow … right?)

Next up was getting to the Heathrow Express. Again, this was a bit of an extravagant expense. But it was only a 15 minute ride compared to the longer, less costly way to go.

Except there was a delay!

This delay was nothing like the “horse delay” though, and we did get to the airport. From there we walked (and walked) to the United area to check our luggage. Easy peasy.

Next up was security. Being in another country our TSA pre-check doesn’t do much good, but we were able to get through via a speedier lane. Well, I had a good pat down at Frankfurt’s airport, and this time I set off the alarm again. No pat down this time … just had to remove my shoes. And yes, those were the culprits. I wonder if there’s a way to research and find out if a particular brand and/or style of shoe sets off the alarm. It sure would be nice to know. But if I wear these again (doubtful), I’ll just remember to remove them and put them in the tray, even if they say not to bother.

But wait, there’s more! We then had to navigate to the United area where our gate and the lounge were located. Signage made it somewhat easy, but when we got to one spot it said to reach the gates including ours was a mere (okay, they didn’t use the word “mere”) 15 minute walk! I can’t remember in which order we did escalators but there was some up and down and maybe down and up … or something. Clearly there were people who had arrived thinking they could just get to their gate quickly and arrived a wee bit late … lots of running going on! But of course we did make it, with no running, and we entered the rather full, and in need of an update (ripped seats and all) United lounge.



When it was time to get to our gate that was quick ‘n easy. Close to our arrival we were able to line up and get ready to board. The plane was not close to full, so boarding went quickly.

Taking off did not.

While we were ready to take off, the captain said that we were delayed due to other planes ahead of us, making our arrival time a bit later than we had expected, even while we would have arrived early had we been able to take off on time. We settled in, readying ourselves for a 10+ hour flight.


About eight hours into the flight I put the flight map back on: I love seeing where we are. Well, apparently the internet was down (a reason I rarely bother to spend any money on purchasing WiFi — and never on an international flight as it’s tremendously expensive) so while the info was provided (2h 19m to destination) the map showed the UK only and was pointless. Ah … but when I clicked on it it showed us over South Dakota. Hello USA! I guess we really were going to get home.

(United has updated their map and their safety video since the last time we flew. The map is better, I think. The safety video is definitely not (yawn). FYI … because you know you want to know.)

At the start of our flight we were served a rather substantial dinner. Then lights were dimmed and it was clearly time to rest. I’m not sure how airlines determine whose time to use, but I’d much prefer adjusting to the time ahead of me rather than the one I just left. When I get on the plane (or sometimes even right before) I set my watch for the destination time. What can I say? I guess I like to think ahead.

The flight was pretty uneventful, although I did end up with my restless legs and a bit of a stomach issue toward the end: the legs are no surprise, and the stomach was, I think, simply due to eating too darn much!

My sister Carolyn picked us up after we easily breezed through customs (thank you, Global Entry!), and she drove us straight to our house. THANK YOU, Carolyn!

And now we are home. Not unpacked, because of the time, but home. Tomorrow will be a washing, grocery shopping, and house cleaning day, for sure.

Over ‘n out.

Soooo … time to plan the next trip …?!

Today is the Day

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Yep, we are heading to the UK this evening, and we are packed and ready to go. Today was the day to tidy up the house, wash linens, and just generally wander around seeing what needs some attention. The house won’t be as clean as I would like, but I do have to be careful with this back of mine! Last night I managed to nearly trip and fall when my foot caught on a piece of luggage (it was dark in the room), but I managed to catch myself with the help of some furniture. Whew! As I told Dan, it really could have been a major catastrophe. Instead it’s rather minor, but I can tell my back wasn’t happy with me. So it goes …

We will be off in less than two hours. There is a Polaris lounge just calling our name!

But first … take out trash, check lists again to see what I’ve missed. And maybe attempt to relax.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

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My bags are packed and yes, I’m ready to go. But I also know when I’ll be back, God willing.

And yes, I’m flying United. No, I’m not worried.

I will be attempting to put up images with my daily posts, as long as I can manage to reduce their size. This is my first attempt at doing so. We’ll see how it works!

Update: yes, it looks like the photo works, but it’s not working the way I prefer (although with this image it doesn’t matter). I like it when you can click on an image and it is then shown on its own and is enlarged. I’ve no clue how to set that up on my iPad … but maybe I’ll learn.

Maybe I won’t. 🤣