#24 -the england chronicles wrap-up

I cannot believe I’m actually just about done. I’ve really enjoyed writing about the trip, and also enjoyed all the great comments. I think I’ve put off finishing since once it’s done…. it’s over. Writing about it means reliving it just a bit. And it’s been really fun. {oh, and as an FYI, I’m putting all of these England entries into a chapter called England Trip. You can go to the front page and hit “chapters” and this one should be the default. I really did a terrible job numbering the entries and they don’t make much sense, so that was the easiest thing to keep them all together.}

SO. The last day was Sunday, October 31– yes, we flew home on Halloween. We had to leave the marina at something like six in the morning to turn the car in at Heathrow at 9:00. Our flight wasn’t till noon, so we figured we’d have plenty of time to hang out at the airport. Hahahahahaha!! No, of course not. First Kim had to figure out what to do about the broken modem situation (we’d rented it from Hertz) which took all sorts of consultations and I’m not sure even then she ever got a straight answer about what they’d charge. Then we had to catch the shuttle over to the airport. Then when we checked in, we discovered that our carry-ons were overweight. Oooops. I’d very carefully checked every possible thing regarding luggage flying over on US Air, and managed to completely ignore the fact that when flying back we were starting with Virgin and changing to US Air, so we had to follow the Virgin rules, which only allowed six kilos for the carry-on — just 13 pounds. So we had to check our carry-ons. Not that big a deal really, but it took time and we had to dig around and get anything out that we really did NOT want checked. My messenger bag was nearly overweight, so next time I’ve got to keep that in mind.

So we waved goodbye yet again (we thought) to Suitcase From Hell. Then we finally boarded the plane, with just enough time for a caffeine fix at Starbucks.

The flight was very long and very tiresome and very crowded and we both agreed next time we need to check into what they charge for seats with extra legroom. I lucked out going over and ended up in one of the first row seats they save for handicapped people, but poor Kim suffered both ways. She’s even taller than I am. I watched Winter’s Bone on the seatback TV. It was excellent but very grim and made me decide I will never EVER visit the Ozarks. Virgin Air has the nicest crew ever, though, and they were attentive and thoughtful and continually supplied us with food and drink which was kind of funny.

We knew we were back in America when we arrived at JFK and were treated with utmost rudeness by everyone we encountered. And we encountered a whole bunch of rude people, because for some reason we never did figure out, when we changed planes we also had to manually change our checked luggage. We didn’t have to do that going over, and from the Virgin crew’s reaction, it was a very odd thing to make us do. So I don’t know what had happened, but we were in charge of making sure our luggage got on the Charlotte-bound US Air plane. It made no sense at all and we got sent all over the airport and the American employees were nasty and rude and snappish. So although we thought we’d bid goodbye to Suitcase From Hell, we were yet again wandering all over a great big enormous airport with it and everything ELSE we’d checked, trying to figure out what to do. I’m sure it was all Suitcase From Hell’s fault – we went up and down escalators, hurried along vast walkways, took the airport TRAIN… honestly, it was like being back in London with the damned thing and I’m sure it was laughing the entire time. We ended up having to go all the way to US Airs terminal, about 98,392 miles away from Virgin Airs, and check it all in AGAIN. And if I’m not mistake we had to go through security again, although I could be making that up — at that point everything was a blur. I asked Mr. Organized about this later, as he’s taken international flights before, and he said they’ve had to go to baggage claim and just move their bags from one plane’s area to the others, but they never had to re-check in with them. It was very very bizarre.

But we finally did make it back. I think I slept the whole way from JFK to Charlotte.

And now… some of Kim’s pictures! Just as a change. Most of the pictures she took were pretty much exactly what I took, but it was fun seeing the differences. And she got a few things I didn’t.

Like Poppy! Our hosts had two cats, Rosie and Poppy. Poppy stayed out in the garden a lot and I  never did get a picture of her. She and Rosie were both exceptionally sweet and friendly.

And the back garden. I took pictures through the kitchen and looking down from my room, but for some reason I did not get a good picture of the entire garden.

And of course Kim got a zillion pictures of me, which seemed really odd as I was looking through them for the first time. “Why, there I am!!! There I am AGAIN!!!” I am not sure why that was so surprising since she was taking my picture every time I looked at her.

In front of Black Books!!!

I have NO IDEA why we never asked someone to take our picture together. None. We tried a couple of times to do it ourselves but the result wasn’t that great. We both got asked to take pictures of other people several times.

Oh, look, it’s me and Tall Guy!! I think neither of us are real crazy about having our picture taken, but I’m glad Kim insisted.

Oh, I really loved this night shot near Piccadilly Circus, with the full moon. None of my full moon pictures came out at all. Kim’s camera took good night shots on the automatic setting — it’s a Powershot that she bought RIGHT before we left. Like, the day before. I do wish she didn’t have the time stamp on, though. She didn’t mean to do that – it’s on some and not on others. The time is also wrong, being US Eastern Standard time.

And I absolutely LOVE this subway shot. I don’t think she took more than three or four subway shots, and I took about ten zillion, and I love this better than any of mine. I love the way it’s set up and how everyone’s dressed in black.

Long Eaton Duck-

OH, and one of her Barge pictures shows SMOKE from where the 200 year old barn had just burnt down the night before we got there. Possibly hit by a UFO. None of my pictures had any smoke at all.

And just to prove that, contrary to every other picture taken of me, I actually did take my coat off. Once or twice.

There was nothing wrong with his eye — I think he was just blinking maybe. He kind of needed grooming.

I liked the bench, which I don’t think I got a picture of. Going up to the Tor in Glastonbury.

And finally, being very studious in the pub where we had a beer and snack in Nottingham. I am trying to start a fashion trend with the dueling eyewear — sunglasses on my head, reading glasses on my face.

And…. that’s it!!! I really miss England. I loved every minute of it. Even the less than fantastic parts (getting lost, learning to drive by being thrown into the traffic, hellish roundabouts, broken modems, putting gas in the diesel- I didn’t even mention that!!! -put a couple liters of gas in, realized to my horror what I was doing, switched to diesel, consulted with the gas station guy who thought it would be okay and it was) were very minor. Most of it was totally wonderful. I would go again right this second. And will, although it will be longer than a second — maybe a couple of years. Baker B is dying to go, Kim is dying to go back. One of the best things is having DONE it, and done it so successfully despite all the worries over what could go wrong on an international trip that involved several lodgings, a boat, and a car– and knowing that it’s very doable. It was a great confidence builder. I can not WAIT to go back!!