Let the Adventure Begin

It seemed fitting that this week would be the kind of hot, ungodly humid late August weather typical of the D.C. area. I didn’t even mind it much, knowing that in a few days, we’d be plunged into instant fall, across the pond in the British Isles. Today was packing and leaving day. Packing for a 3 week vacation can be daunting. Still, I can’t believe it took seven hours, between packing, paying bills, making sure everything that needs to get done here over the next few weeks was done, then finally showering and getting out to the airport.

We had (or thought we had) to be at the airport 4 hours before our 8:15 p.m. flight. With 3 weeks worth of bags, and a wheelchair to maneuver, we just hired a guy to pick us up. We were still finishing up when he arrived. I started hauling bags out to the carport for him to lug out to the car, the humidity simply stifling, then we finally got all settled in the car, then had to run back in to get something we forgot.

When we got to the airport, the driver flagged down a skycap, and loaded our bags onto the cart. There were bags that needed to get shoved into other bags, and when we made it to the ticket counter, I realized my Apple watch was missing. I was sure it came off in the car. Kathy asked, “Is it in a bag?” I was sure it wasn’t — I’d had it on in the car. I retraced my steps from there to the ticket counter, no watch. She called the driver, and he couldn’t find it. Bummer — won’t be able to keep track of my fitness goals on this trip. Then, I remembered shoving the one bag into another, and decided to check the other bag — and there it was! Yay! Kathy was, as she often is, right. I felt fortunate.

We got to the ticket counter at 4:00. The website said for international flights, be there 4 hours early. The ticket counter didn’t open until 5. So, we waited for an hour, and were first in line. We didn’t mind waiting — the line was quite long by the time they opened.

Since we’re fling Saga Class on IcelandAir, we had privileges in the AirFrance club. We decided to eat here, instead of on the plane, so we can hopefully sleep through on the overnight flight to Iceland. With another 4 hour flight to England from there, we might even get some more sleep on that flight.

We’ll arrive in London (Gatwick Airport) at 11:20 tomorrow, where a driver will meet us, and take us to the Kentlands and Canterbury, on our way down to Dover, where we’ll stay at a resort spa overnight, before boarding our home for the next 18 days, our favorite ship in the world, the Disney Magic.

Right now I’m getting appropriately tired, and hope to be ready for some serious shut-eye in an hour or so, after we board our flight across the sea.

We’ve been waiting a long time for this trip. So glad it has finally begun! We’re on our way…

The Story Hall

A gathering place for stories to be told, read and appreciated.

Hawkeye Pete Egan B.

Written by

Connecting the dots. Storytelling helps me to make sense of this world, and of my life. I love writing and reading. Writing is like breathing, for me.

The Story Hall

A gathering place for stories to be told, read and appreciated.

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