Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5
Last day. Mostly packed up, but off to do some stuff before checkout.
I missed it last time, so finally to squeeze in Torture Fortress Bridge.
Neat upper walkway.
The road below.
And… boilers, I guess?
Okay, maybe I hadn’t missed much. Or maybe I already saw so many views yesterday I’m just not impressed anymore.
Oh, hey, there’s Trajan. I remember you from last time.
Back to the Strand to check out of hotel. But have to leave suitcase for a bit. One more nearby stop before the airport. Been through Trafalgar Square enough times but hadn’t actually gone inside there yet.
Bible fanart.
That is one surprised tiger.
Yeahhh, one two, crabs kneel before you, that’s what I said now… Uh, yeah, moving on.
Van Gogh grass.
The other half of La Grande Jatte
Santa Claus is drunk and naked and needs a satyr to hoist him away from the picnic to sleep it off.
Off to gift shop to spend even more money, and then back out of there to the hotel again to grab my suitcase. I drag it up the Covent Garden cobblestones past a bunch of tourist-trap street performers to the Underground stop. This time, though, one last time in the other direction before heading out.
Best do it at a bit of a run if you’re nervous.
I was rushed at the studio tour gift shop, but here’s another chance for Harry Potter merch, though prices seem higher here than they were there. And honestly, for even less I could probably get a lot of this at Barnes and Noble back home. But I bought some stuff, including a little plush Hedwig, and stuffed it into my already very souvenir-laden suitcase.
“For the last time, I don’t make trypsin!” -this train station’s slogan, probably
So that’s that. Back on the Piccadilly line to the end at Heathrow.
Went to check my suitcase and British Airways person was like “why are you in a middle seat?” And I’m like “it’s all that was left when I checked in last night”. They said “there’s an aisle seat just in front of the middle seat you selected, I can move you if you’d like” and I was like “uh, yeah, that’d be great!” So no middle seat after all! Still don’t get my window, though.
Baggage checked, it’s off to security, which was much stricter than last time I was here. Identical to TSA now, backscatter machine and all, whereas last time you only had to go through one if the metal detector caught something and didn’t even need to take off your shoes.
Nonetheless, there’s a rather cute welcome to the not-so-cute process.
It was another trek to the gate just like when I arrived Friday morning, same gate I think. But got about an hour to spare.
There’s a duty free shop there with last minute souvenirs and snacks to browse through.
Not the big plane like last time. Boeing 777 this time. Still a good size.
My phone was at like 25% battery, but I figured I’d charge it on the plane, since I wanted to look around the terminal a bit, since I was about to be sitting still for eight hours anyway.
Finally we boarded, and I found my way to my aisle seat. Got settled in and started looking around at the seat features. Flight attendant came by as I was doing this and I asked “doesn’t this seat come with an electrical plug?” He replied “No”, as if it was a silly expectation.
Shit. It’s 20-fucking-16. What trans-Atlantic flight doesn’t come with the ability to charge a device at your seat?! Much of what I had to occupy myself during the trip is on my phone.
Plane pulled back and steadily moved along the airfield. We took a right turn, and I glanced out my rightside window, as did a number of other people, and we chuckled at the sight. We could see there was a whole nose-to-tail line of planes behind us, and presumably in front of us, moving along steadily, waiting for turn to take off.
And take off we did. When they came around to get us drinks, I got a Coke, but also some orange juice, so I don’t get scurvy on this voyage to America.
For much of the flight, as usual, I watched the flight map because I’m obsessed with it. We curved northward, along the curve of the earth as expected. A little further north than usual, in that the flight map indicated we were in the vicinity of Iceland. Ah, someday.
After a while, even I tired of the flight map, and browsed the movie selection, finally selecting The Angry Birds Movie to pass the time.
Halfway through the movie, I glanced out the window and gasped. Are those… mountains?! I paused the movie and returned to the flight map right away.
We’re over Greenland! Right over the southern tip, but for sure down below were a bunch of icy mountains. I excitedly pointed it out to any of the other passengers to who noticed my sudden agitation, and they too got excited, some even taking pictures from their window seats (lucky bastards).
The moment passed, and I returned to the movie. It ended, and it was back to the flight map.
I couldn’t help myself and took out my phone, which I’d kept unused to preserve the battery, and looked back through my pictures on the trip. Sure enough, charge dropped like a rock. Why’d I do that?
We finally reached Dulles and deplaned into the separated area leading to a mobile lounge taking us to the US border. All the while I was looking around for an electrical outlet, in an area I probably very much shouldn’t be trying to stop and charge my phone. The border check line was long, so I popped into the bathroom and found an outlet in there to let it charge a couple of percent. Impatient, I unplugged and came back out, wanting to make sure I was there to collect my suitcase. The line was mostly gone by now, but the Global Entry lines confused me. I asked aloud to any border agents “I’m a US citizen, which way to do I go?” and I was directed to a kiosk, to fill out a questionnaire that seven years ago was on pen and paper. Then I went through, collected my suitcase, and charged my phone at an outlet near there for a bit.
What I didn’t realize was I wasn’t out yet. I figured it was charged enough for right now, and then had one more check, a guy to whom I gave my slip from the kiosk and showed my passport again, who asked a lot of “what are you doing in the US?” and I was like “well, my house, job, and all my stuff are here” or something. Stamped passport and was like “welcome home” and let me on my way. Now I was through. Home!
Now to get back to my house and sleep off this trip, as much as I can with having to go back to work tomorrow after taking three days off for this. But, first, where’s that ice cream?