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Missed the strike, but not Murphy's Law...

I write this having just read the thread about too much planning/ not enough. And am writing in the midst of trip if only to raise a few points for those getting ready to leave. With all the traveling, we ran into several situations in a row that we hadn't encountered. When they arose, our brains were too tired to find easy solutions in the time we had.

So, what would you do if instead of arriving at your European destination in the a.m., you arrived late in the p.m.? And, do you know what the transportation options are late at night? We thought we were in the clear after the tube strike was called off. However, our flight out of Chicago was delayed and then cancelled around midnight. Fortunately, my husband called before we deplaned and got seats for the next a.m. Hadn't eaten since lunch and only options are Macdonalds, Starbucks & Dunkin Donuts, but if you leave the terminal you can't get back in cause security is closed. So, you get a cot in the terminal. Now, they make you get up at 4a.m.so they can put stuff away, and you aren't sleeping anyway. If you've changed passwords with all the recent security breaches, you may not remember them on 2 hrs.sleep. Only one I could remember was RS, but only had 2 hrs.to get responses. I couldn't for the life of me remember how late the tube ran (24:30ish), but didn't want to chance getting it wrong. And, I was pretty sure the last HEX was 23:45 from Terminal 3. But, those 22:00 flights don't always land on time. We should have just sprung for the cab from the airport, but they charge more after 22:00 and they don't all take credit cards. We did have to take one from Paddington and he dropped us at the wrong hotel because I was too brain dead to remember to give him the exact address. Premier Inn County Hall and Premier Inn Waterloo are only about a block away, but not fun at 1a,m, But, we get there and it's London and we sleep like rocks.

Now, I'm still determined we are going to do this tube thing to the airport, but do you know how important it is to check the board the day before to see what's been closed for repairs? Because we didn't. After dragging our RS-recommended 1 carry-on size suitcase across the Westminster Bridge in the pouring rain, and then climbing down the stairs and topping off our Oyster cards, and reminding my husband that it is important that we pay attention to the District line's destination because there is a closed section, the kind lady in the booth shows me that the Piccadilly line is shut down to the airport for repairs. She took mercy on us and suggested an easy alternate to Paddington. O.K., so we had left in plenty of time for our flight to Athens...

Except that I forget to transfer the gels & liquids into the checked duffle ,with our pesky hiking poles ,that I had removed to balance our loads. By the time we reach LHR, I've completely forgotten that part, until we reach security ....where the British take that one quart size bag literally. There are no exceptions. And,they also wanted I-pads removed. Those things going through security have two options - one is very quick, one is NOT. If you stuff gets in the "not" line, you will be standing behind everyone else and they are VERY thorough in checking that stuff. You feel very secure, but you will feel better if you have left enough time.

As always, pack patience and a sense of humor; they don't take up any room in your standard RS recommended bag.
Patty
P.S. Greece is everything everyone has raved about.

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915 posts

Patty,
I hear you. Only your adventure sounds a bit more frustrating than mine. In my post I glossed over the "joy" of arriving at Heathrow at 10pm to hear that we couldn't get the last Express to Paddington (maintenance work?) so blindly onto a crowded Tube train that dead-ended at Hammersmith. Hot and stuffy (but friendly we're all in the same boat) conditions shoulder to shoulder before being dumped out at Hammersmith disoriented and only holding a 50 pound note (no change). Only good news in that is that at LHR we were told to just get on a train and not worry about paying or pay at destination ( I still owe Transport for London a pound or two...ahem. ;) Well, you can't get on a bus to Chalk Farm (wherever Chalk Farm is) holding a 50 pound note while some out-partying students ask you if the bus goes to Notting Hill (apparently I look like a native?). There's a very long line for taxis forming and for some stupid reason I walked around the Hammersmith station a couple times before succumbing to the taxi line. At least I knew the taxi driver could take a 50 pound note or a credit card. Got to the hotel after midnight but all in one piece. But when you're tired, disoriented, and hungry, so much gets blown out of proportion and what's only two hours of your life can seem like four...or five.

Walking across Westminster Bridge in the pouring rain seems poetic now, right? Well, okay, maybe not. ;D You're right...humor, patience, and perspective are some of the most important things to pack!