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Thursday, Aug 18, 2016
The final morning. Where did the time go?
Not wanting to miss anything, I set the alarm for 5:30am. I woke and it wasn’t even terribly painful. I grabbed my phone and camera and exited the room to see the window on the other side of the hotel floor.
Alas, no sunrise photo to take. Everything was the standard London gray haze. So it was back to the room and back to sleep. My next alarm would be for 7:30am.
At that time, I woke and went downstairs (in name only--at 15 floors up, even I take the elevator) for breakfast. I asked for the same window table and they cleaned it off and allowed me to sit there. This time, I did order the toast and of course the coffee.
It was bland. Londoners just don’t demand great coffee or beer. I imagine the tea must be nice.
I kept the buffet choices light. Just fruit and runny eggs for me. I didn't want to spoil my appetite for later in the day. It was all very tasty, so I desired much more. Even the honeydew melon was unexpectedly tasty. Plus, that darn toffee and chocolate muffin was still tempting me. It looked so good!
But no, I resisted the urges and headed back up. Then I enjoyed my last IPA beer. Ah, good stuff. After some more packing, I headed out for a final stroll around town. I wouldn't have time to journey far, though I did wander over to Green Park and then briefly into Hyde Park. Things were a pleasant green, and many flowers were blooming. Lots of people were walking dogs with one couple throwing balls for three tiny dogs to fetch, which was comical since the little yellow tennis balls could barely fit the balls into their mouths.
Time moved too quickly and I soon judged it best to return to the hotel. This time, I took the Tube to cut down the minutes lost. Back at the hotel, I made one last video, packed it all up. And enjoyed one last beer. (Oh, yeah, I bought a final, final IPA on the way back.)
At the front desk, I made sure to let them know about how much I appreciated the night manager getting me the room change (and upgrade). Then I walked back to the Piccadilly Line and caught the train to Heathrow, hoping my candy would be just fine. (Yes, I stocked up on a LOT of candy the prior few days.) The bag had chilled in the mini-fridge all night. This was a huge concern for me. I almost opted to head to Paddington and take the express, but realistically, the time saved would maybe be 15 minutes and the expense would be an extra $30. I figured the standard Tube would suit just fine.
We had a few delays on the line, which caused me some concern. At one point we were stopped for several minutes and the conductor said the train across the tracks would be leaving first, so a bunch of people exited over to catch that train, further delaying things since now both sets of doors had to wait to close. It finally left. Then we finally left.
Arriving at Heathrow, I exited the Tube line and cashed in my Oyster card for any remaining refund. I figured it would be 3 pounds, but it turned out to be 15 pounds. Nice! So glad I tried that instead of just tossing the card in the garbage later. I located the first class check in for British Airways and there was no line at all. Once done, I bought a little more candy. Why not seize the opportunity?
For security, I had the privilege of Fast Track due to the ticket level. The line before the conveyor was almost none, but I did get the usual pat down and then a bag inspection. It's nice to feel special.
It was now time for the first class lounge. I showed my ticket and they let me in. I walked around a bit and asked a concierge what options there were. He said that down the escalator there were all sorts of stores and shops. Oh, okay. I descended. Special stores for me?
There were tons of shops. And gates. And people. Wait! This was just the main gateway. I wanted only first class activities. No, no, no. I went back up and into the Concorde Lounge dining / seating area and rested on a nice chair.
There were menus laid out and I read through one. Many scrumptious things were listed and no prices. Hmm. All free? Not free? This was important info. Inquiring minds needed to know.
Finally, I walked over to the front desk lady and just asked. Yup. It was all complimentary. Everything. Very well. I went to the bar and ordered a beer. Dull choice but a safe one.
For food, it all looked great, yet no sense in stuffing myself before the flight. I passed on all of it.
It was hard to tell how early to arrive at the gate but was 2:40pm and the flight was 3:20pm. Best get moving. I went out of the lounge and inquired as to where the gate was, figured it was perhaps a five-minute walk or such.
"You'll have to take the train," she said. Uh, what? Train? What train? Where train? How train? Most importantly--how long would this take? I had figured the gate was a hop, skip, and Oxford comma jump away.
I started waking more quickly--a tad anxious.
The train entrance was nearby so I descended two longer escalators (Stand on the right, people!) and waited for the train. Time was also walking more quickly. I was a bit concerned. But I mean, they would surely (don't say it) wait for me. I was first class. It's in the constitution. Oh that's right. Britain doesn't have one. Maybe I’ll move even faster. Time, you don’t have to keep pace with me!
The train came. The people exited the other side, but the doors were not opening. The sign said Security Check. Argh. Some guard walked (slowly strolled?) through each car ensuring it was empty. (They're empty, good sir, empty I tell ya!) and finally we got to go in.
It was only a couple of minutes, but I got to the stop and got off and dashed up the escalator. Gate 54 was the first one and the flight was boarding. General boarding was underway. I missed the priority boarding but no matter. It's not about image; it's about comfort. And since overhead space was guaranteed, it wasn't even about that.
At the entry door, they saw my ticket and had someone escort me to my seat. I'd be turning left for once. Left is where it's at.
My seat was massive. It’s actually a “compartment.” The overhead bin was also huge and even had my seat number on it. I’d never experienced this much overhead storage and almost wished I had packed more. Maybe even a small couch.
I put away my bag and settled into my cozy chair. There was a place to rest feet too. Plenty of counter space was included and several storage slots. Of course it had power supplies and a fairly large video monitor. I had reached the zenith of airline travel at last.
We pretty much had our own flight attendant (I’m going to go with stewardess henceforth, since it’s my article and I can be as un-PC as I want in first class). Well maybe she split her time among a couple of people, but it was great having such attention. She asked if I wanted a drink before takeoff. “An IPA would be great,” I replied. “What’s an IPA?” she asked. “Oh, we have much to discuss. But it’s a type of beer.” She said they could not serve beer and wine before takeoff (guess people need to be sober during takeoff) but could serve a glass of champagne (maybe not too sober).
“That would be great,” I answered.
I relaxed back into my easy chair, not knowing how to begin to spend this pampered journey across the lower heavens. I did have two large (and clean!) windows to take photos through. That would be nice.
Takeoff was uneventful. It was different being completely segregated from the rest of the passengers. There were only eight of us in first class and we even had our own toilets. It felt like the whole Boeing 787-900 was flying only for us eight.
I couldn’t get many photos of the countryside due to thick haze and then clouds. It’s always hit and miss, though mostly miss in that part of the world.
After reaching cruising, the option for fine dining was nearing. I had no idea what to order from the menu. It all looked so good. I did start with a beer though. They had a fine wine menu, but the beer options were a little neglected.
I chose a salmon roll for my starter. Bread rolls were also served and I enjoyed my first course. The main course option I chose was a fish choice, though it was not quite the level I expected. Fish on a flight might be avoided as taste buds don’t function the same so high up.
One nice option was the captain making her way back to my seat to personally let me know of a good opportunity for photos coming up. Well, this indeed was some personal attention. I got some photos of Greenland before coastal clouds enveloped everything.
Afterwards, I mainly did some writing and then finally tried out the entertainment center. I watched “Deadpool” and then started “The 5th Wave,” but found I was just too tired. I then lowered my chair into a bed (100% recline) and lied back. The stewardess brought a comforter and pillow and I was soon off to cloud 9 whilst flying over the clouds.
I slept for quite a spell.
When I woke, I checked the time left. Two hours. That could not be right. We already had flown for eight hours? I inquired. Yup. Two hours to go. Wow. Comfort makes a huge difference. I had slept for perhaps three solid hours.
I ordered my second starter dish (the meals are served pretty much whenever you are ready to eat them) and chose a duck option. It was a little odd--sort of a duck as pressed meat. It was tasty. Nothing served was less than good. But I was filling up fast. Two large meals in under eight hours? This was madness--pure madness.
My main dish was a sandwich. I forget the fancy terms for it, but it was a nice roll with some shredded meat inside. Very good, and I cursed my small stomach for its limited capacity.
The end was close now. We arrived at SJC earlier than expected and finally parked at the gate. I was anxious to check messages and internet, but my iPhone still had the London SIM card in it. Oops. And no easy way to change it without a paperclip.
The crew let us out first. Actually it was business class and then first class, so I wasn’t quite in pole position, but close enough to ensure the immigration passport check was not a long line. That’s always the worst part. I waited maybe two minutes. Nice.
After exiting the airport, the warm weather was quickly upon me. I sat down and figured out that if I used my scissors, I could cut the end off of a tie wrap and pop out the card that way. It worked and I was soon able to use internet again. I then waited about an hour before summoning Uber. No sense in paying to be stuck in traffic.
But I was still stuck in traffic. It was a long ride home. In time, though, I was finally walking through my front door once again.
It would be a summer to remember.