Well, I am finally in Britain, but first some stories from my travels so far! I arrived at the Minneapolis airport at 1:40 and was at my gate by 2.25. Once I sat down, I messaged Nana CJ and told her I was at the airport. She was also at the airport and so she came to my gate and we hung out for an hour! It was a great way to pass the time. In classic CJ style, we made friends with two schoolteachers from Ireland.
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| Nana CJ |
The first flight (to Toronto) was painless and I ended up having a row to myself and I was able to see Lake Michigan, Huron and Ontario, which I identified due to the map on the plane. Unfortunately, it also meant that I got to watch us approach the airport (within 1 mile) and then go south and then east and then north and then west and then south again, thus making a large 15 minute loop around the airport. The girls from Ireland ended up across the aisle from me. I walked with them to customs and was able to quickly get through Canadian customs and get the first stamp on my passport! As luck would have it, my gate was the farthest one away. Once I arrived I was able to email both my parents and let them know that I arrived. With some time to kill, I went to a cafe place and got a lemonade before waiting with 300 other travelers to board the plane.
Then, we boarded and there was no one sitting next to me in seats B or C. Time passes, it's 8:20, 8:30, 8:40 (scheduled departure time), still just me in my row, they announce three people missed the flight and there will be a delay as they remove their luggage. I hold my breath as four or five more people get on. As we back away from the gate, I am still alone in my row! Unfortunately, someone decided to change seats and take the aisle seat, but two seats are better than one. As we took off, I realized that I am actually going to London. It was a little late to have that realization, but oh well.
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| Map of Flight |
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Two Empty Seats Next to Me
The flight was nice, I had three pillows, three blankets, and a personal tv. I got my meal early because I got a fruit plate for my meal (Dad?), but it was great because I still got a warm dinner roll, chocolate pudding, and a salad along with my large bow of fruit. I also got my meal earlier, with all of the special meals which was great since it was already 9pm CT and I was starting to get hungry. Then, half an hour later when they came around with the regular meals and I got a second dinner roll!
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Dinner
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After that, it was rather uneventful. I watched The Wedding Planner while enjoying my pudding and white wine.
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| Wine and The Wedding Planner |
I got a little bit of sleep, but the cabin lights went back on at 7am London time (1am CT!) which was when I was finally getting really sleepy. Luckily, a fruit plate quickly arrived along with coffee. I ate this while watching the movie Argo. It was a rather strange way to wake up (it is 7am after all...). When the regular breakfast came out (a piece of banana bread) I got one, which I will enjoy at a more appropriate breakfast time. Well, our plane is about to land...better turn this off and enjoy the descent.
I got to my flat without too many struggles. We took the Heathrow Connect to Paddington Station and then a taxi to our flat. Our flat is way nicer than I expected....see pictures below.
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| Living Room |
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| Part of One Bedroom |
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| Part of Other Bedroom |
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| Kitchen |
