March 27, 2008

Both Emma and I rose early (about 6-ish), as we had trains and planes to catch: me, back to Baltimore; and she, to a convention in Seattle. We dragged ourselves and our luggage to Victoria Station and said our goodbyes and parted ways. I was off for Gatwick and she was headed to Heathrow.

The train to Gatwick made no stops in between, but it was crowded and miserable, made even more so by the fact that my ears were all plugged up. I had lingering traces of a previous cold that seemed to come back to life.

I arrived in Gatwick, got through security and sat for quite awhile in a general waiting area. It's not like our airports over here. Here, you know your gate before you even get to the airport sometimes, and go right to it once you get through security. There, you're not told your gate number until just prior to boarding, so you have to sit in this huge waiting area with hundreds of other people.

Anyway, the flight home was fine, except that my ears wouldn't pop, and so were excruciatingly painful on ascent and descent.

When we got to the airport, however, flight life took a nasty turn south. We were kept in the plane for over an hour at the gate because the customs area was too full. When we finally left the plane, we stood in customs' lines for another hour, because the customs officials apparently thought that it was Christmas and they were postal workers. Of the sixteen customs lanes, only three were open, and there were hundreds of us waiting to get through. Thank God my layover was more than three hours. There were several people on the plane who missed their connecting flight. As it was, after I collected my luggage, I was able to drop it off without waiting in line since my next flight was so soon.

I then had to go through security again. At least in London, they don't make you take off your shoes. I finally got to my gate and was able to sit down and grab something to eat.

The flight to Baltimore was supposed to get in at 9, but due to delays and slow baggage claim, I didn't get started home until after 10. Which would translate to 2 a.m. London time. Needless to say, I was tired.

All in all, a pretty good trip. Emma was a hoot! I don't think I would have enjoyed myself half as much if she hadn't been there. I certainly wouldn't have found any of the cool stores she took me to (i.e. Forbidden Planet, where, thanks to Emma, I got one of the best fantasy books ever, Sorcery & Cecelia ... if you like Jane Austen and fantasy, you'll love this. I must remember to get the next book in the series), and I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed eating out by myself.

But next time I go to England, I think I'll spend my time in the countryside. I will say this for London, though: it has the softest water of anywhere I've ever been. I never needed conditioner for my hair when I was there. I could comb through it with nary a tangle, and it was as soft as a baby's.