We finally boarded the plane at 7:45. My seat was in Business Class, just 3 rows away from Elder Bednar. People kept coming on the plane and nobody was sitting by me. As time went by, I was getting more excited thinking that Kelly could move out of coach and come sit by me. As each person passed, I held my breath. Each person kept on walking. A flight attendant came up to me just then and asked if anyone was sitting next to me. I said no and asked if Kelly could move up. He went and got her and Kelly and I were both seated comfortably in Business Class, right behind Elder Bednar.
Finally, at 8:30, the flight left. I was able to sleep this leg and woke up just as we were preparing for landing. I was home at last.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Not quite there yet
It got to be 7:00 so we decided to go check in at the gate and get our seat assignments. Only one problem: the gate sign said the next flight was to Panama City. We talked to the guy at the desk who told us our flight was leaving at 7:15 from gate E-24. We took off running again.
We got to our gate and the flight was again delayed – to 7:30. We got our seats and I was in 10F and Kelly was in 42 F. So much for our first class seats. At this point though, we were just thankful to be going home.
And then, I looked up and there was Elder Bednar standing in line. He was on our flight! I was so excited!
We got to our gate and the flight was again delayed – to 7:30. We got our seats and I was in 10F and Kelly was in 42 F. So much for our first class seats. At this point though, we were just thankful to be going home.
And then, I looked up and there was Elder Bednar standing in line. He was on our flight! I was so excited!
Atlanta at last
Only one problem: the plane wasn’t moving. After a couple of minutes, the pilot came on the intercom and told us there was a stalled plane at our gate and we had to wait for it to be towed away before we could get off. Twenty minutes later, we were finally at the gate. Kelly and I both knew at this point that we would miss our connecting flight, so we decided there was no point to even try to hurry.
We got through customs without any problem, but we had missed the flight. We talked to a Delta agent to get a new flight before we handed over our luggage again. This was a big mistake. The girl had no idea what she was doing. Finally, we ended up with a flight that was to leave at 6:30. But we didn’t have a gate number or seat assignment.
We went though security again and went to the gate where we supposed to leave from. We were at B-24. The lady at the desk informed us that our 6:30 flight had been delayed to 8:00. Oh, and we were supposed to be in E-8. We made the trek across the airport and found our gate. As we were walking down the hallway, I saw a familiar figure walking in the opposite direction. I looked and there was Elder Bednar. I about had a heart attack I was so excited! Only Kelly didn’t see him.
We went to call our parents to tell them our flight would be 4 hours later than they expected when I saw Elder Bednar again. This time, Kelly saw him and confirmed that my eyes were not playing tricks on me.
We got through customs without any problem, but we had missed the flight. We talked to a Delta agent to get a new flight before we handed over our luggage again. This was a big mistake. The girl had no idea what she was doing. Finally, we ended up with a flight that was to leave at 6:30. But we didn’t have a gate number or seat assignment.
We went though security again and went to the gate where we supposed to leave from. We were at B-24. The lady at the desk informed us that our 6:30 flight had been delayed to 8:00. Oh, and we were supposed to be in E-8. We made the trek across the airport and found our gate. As we were walking down the hallway, I saw a familiar figure walking in the opposite direction. I looked and there was Elder Bednar. I about had a heart attack I was so excited! Only Kelly didn’t see him.
We went to call our parents to tell them our flight would be 4 hours later than they expected when I saw Elder Bednar again. This time, Kelly saw him and confirmed that my eyes were not playing tricks on me.
The flight across the ocean
To make matters worse, we were booked in Business Class, but since we had missed the flight, we were now seated in coach. And I had a middle seat.
We got on the airplane and not only did I have a middle seat, but there was a large bald man sitting in front of me. My view for the next 9 hours – a big, bald head. I knew then that this would be the longest 9 hours of my life.
I tried to sleep, but couldn’t. Tried to watch the movie, but couldn’t (because of the bald head), tried to read my book, but the guy next to me was moving too much. I was very uncomfortable. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we landed in Atlanta. Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes to make our flight. I had a small bit of hope, but not much. I was really hoping to make the next flight for 2 reasons: Number 1: because we got booted out of our Business Class seats in London, we were booked in First Class to SLC. And Number 2, I just really wanted to go home.
We got on the airplane and not only did I have a middle seat, but there was a large bald man sitting in front of me. My view for the next 9 hours – a big, bald head. I knew then that this would be the longest 9 hours of my life.
I tried to sleep, but couldn’t. Tried to watch the movie, but couldn’t (because of the bald head), tried to read my book, but the guy next to me was moving too much. I was very uncomfortable. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we landed in Atlanta. Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes to make our flight. I had a small bit of hope, but not much. I was really hoping to make the next flight for 2 reasons: Number 1: because we got booted out of our Business Class seats in London, we were booked in First Class to SLC. And Number 2, I just really wanted to go home.
Gatwick airport
We got to the airport and found out we needed to be in the North terminal. We were in the South. Again, we ran for the train that goes between the terminals. Finally, we arrived at the Delta counter. We were greeted by a Delta employee who told us we had missed checking in for our flight by 10 minutes. We had to take a later flight. And this flight was to land in Atlanta.
We progressed through the LONGEST security line I have ever seen. At 10:05 a.m., we made it to the gate. Our flight was leaving at 11:00, so we decided to take a look at our connecting flight information. We soon realized we had exactly 1 hour to catch our flight to SLC once we arrived in Atlanta. Knowing past experiences at the Atlanta airport and realizing we had to get our luggage and go through customs, we knew we would never make our connecting flight. I was not happy.
We progressed through the LONGEST security line I have ever seen. At 10:05 a.m., we made it to the gate. Our flight was leaving at 11:00, so we decided to take a look at our connecting flight information. We soon realized we had exactly 1 hour to catch our flight to SLC once we arrived in Atlanta. Knowing past experiences at the Atlanta airport and realizing we had to get our luggage and go through customs, we knew we would never make our connecting flight. I was not happy.
Getting to the airport
Our pickup from the hotel was coming at 6:30 a.m. Our flight left Gatwick at 9:15 a.m. Considering it took us an hour to get from the airport when we arrived and I knew there would be long security lines, I was very nervous about our flight. Turns out I had every right to be nervous.
Our shuttle showed up right on time, but before the driver took our group to the airport, he made 3 more stops in the city. It was now 7:00 a.m. Next thing I know, the driver dropped us off at Victoria Station and told us the easiest way to get to Gatwick was on the train. He said trains left every 15 minutes and then the ride was only 30 minutes from there. OK, sounds easy enough. We got on our train at 7:10, only to find out that the train wouldn’t actually leave until 7:30. Estimated time of arrival at the airport 8:00 a.m.
The train finally left the station. I soon realized that express train meant anything but express. We were moving along at the slowest pace possible. Finally, at 8:15 a.m. we arrived at the airport. One hour until our flight to JFK was to leave.
We got out of the train car and were immediately met by a crowd of people. Running and pulling 50 pounds of luggage, Kelly and I went to the nearest exit. The elevators were way too crowded, so we hauled our luggage up the stairs. At this point, I was really wishing my suitcase weighed just a few pounds less. And my pants were falling off because I had forgotten my belt. Not a good thing.
Our shuttle showed up right on time, but before the driver took our group to the airport, he made 3 more stops in the city. It was now 7:00 a.m. Next thing I know, the driver dropped us off at Victoria Station and told us the easiest way to get to Gatwick was on the train. He said trains left every 15 minutes and then the ride was only 30 minutes from there. OK, sounds easy enough. We got on our train at 7:10, only to find out that the train wouldn’t actually leave until 7:30. Estimated time of arrival at the airport 8:00 a.m.
The train finally left the station. I soon realized that express train meant anything but express. We were moving along at the slowest pace possible. Finally, at 8:15 a.m. we arrived at the airport. One hour until our flight to JFK was to leave.
We got out of the train car and were immediately met by a crowd of people. Running and pulling 50 pounds of luggage, Kelly and I went to the nearest exit. The elevators were way too crowded, so we hauled our luggage up the stairs. At this point, I was really wishing my suitcase weighed just a few pounds less. And my pants were falling off because I had forgotten my belt. Not a good thing.
The last day
Today was the last official day of the tour. We left Cardiff in the morning and headed to Bath. I really liked Bath. It was a charming little town and I thought the Roman baths were cool. I wanted to touch the water at the baths, but there were signs all over saying the water was untreated and to not touch. But I sure was tempted to stick my hand in there! Plus, Bath is Jane Austen country, so I couldn't have been more thrilled to spend some time there.
Roman baths
Bath - isn't it a beautiful little place?
Our next stop was Salisbury. This was a lunch stop, so we didn’t spend much time in Salisbury. There was a really cool cathedral here that we took a look at.
Salisbury
Then we were off to Stonehenge. Stonehenge was so crowded with tourists! Stonehenge was really neat to see and I was intrigued.
Stonehenge
Then, we were back to London. We got in later in the evening, so Kelly and I walked around by our hotel in Kensington and then just went back to the hotel.
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