International Arrival

There are a few things I fear in life - spiders, wolves, snakes, the woods at night, etc. - and one on the secondary level of fright for me is flying. Perhaps it's a fear of heights, or the thought that a crazy could be aboard, but I think a lot of it simply has to do with that feeling that I won't possibly be able to sit through the time it takes to make a transatlantic flight without going crazy. Thankfully, my mind was in "I'm on holiday" mode, and I decompressed enough to sleep a bit on the journey - that always makes things speed along more quickly!

Surprise Dinner at Midnight

Also, US Airways helped out by serving an unexpected meal at about midnight, EST. Surprisingly, it was rather tasty! Who knew? They also showed a film ("Duplicity"...I didn't watch it), and served a breakfast of coffee/tea and a strawberry turnover just before we made our descent into London. US Air gets a thumbs up from me for the food alone, but also just for having this flight...because my jet lag is minimal, and that's a truly nice feeling compared to the narcolepsy I'm used to experiencing here!

After we arrived and I freshened up as best I could (i.e. brushed my teeth, because they were GROSS), I busted my bum to get down to Customs before Vanessa started to worry about me. The queue was extraordinarily long, and I filled out my card incorrectly the first time, like a dork. (Leave it to me!)

When I finally made it up to the counter, I - of course - got the most sour-looking agent, but he did brighten up a bit when I greeted him. He looked over my card, then handed it back to me with an admonishment: "You forgot to sign your entry card." I looked at it, then back up at him, thinking I was in trouble, until he smiled at me. "You must have been too excited to get here."

With a big sigh of relief, I told him that yes, I was VERY excited to be here, and that I couldn't wait to see my friend, who was waiting for me. He stamped my passport and sent me on my way, with a new bounce in my step now that I was only a few corridors away from giving Vanessa a hug!

Arriving at Heathrow

Picked up my luggage (yes, Dad, it was highly visible, and no, there were no large groups who'd purchased the same rose-colored suitcase that I did! Ha ha!) and headed around the corner...and was told to stop! and smile! "...because I know you'll want this documented!" Gosh, she knows me well, doesn't she?

And one huge hug later, we were off to the car park and headed here, to Aylesbury, my home away from home for this holiday. The countryside is quaint and beautiful, and I can't wait to explore it with my homegrown tour guide.

Is it worth those hours upon hours tucked into a seat in a pressurized tube, way too high in the sky to think about without getting queasy? Oh my goodness, yes. Every minute, every time.

written by

Mary Rose on July 16, 2009 from London, United Kingdom

from the travel blog: UK 2009

tagged Food, Flight, Airport, Arrival and Customs

Send a Compliment

I'm sooooo glad that all the time it took to pick an identifiable suitcase paid off!!!! Your flights sound good! You might as well have been on a cruise with your midnight meal!? Next time we'll take USAirways to Europe! We've been through Iceland often enough! That stop in the middle of the night really confuses us! :(

written by Kathy Melato on July 18, 2009

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