For those of you who tell me I’m so strong, you never would have thought so today. The trip was long and I learned a lot.
1. If you’re in a wheel chair, BAA at Heathrow wants you to stay in the chair going through security because they don’t want the liability if you fall. What this means is you will ha...ve to be pat down. I’m fanaticizing about what I would do if I even crossed paths with that nasty little man who treated us like crap and threatened to kick us out of the airport… He pissed me off more than all of the times Scott ever has combined in one…
2. Not all BAA people are like the above mentioned POS. He’s the exception and he most assuredly is regretting messing with me. He may have driven me to tears, and Chelsea had to get the pat down… but I have his job on the line and while I’m normally not an ugly person… it feels good.
3. The rest of the BAA staff is really helpful and kind. One lady in particular insisted on buying me a pot of tea and it was then I discovered the miraculous soothing powers a spot of proper British tea has and it was perfect with just one sugar and a bit of milk.
4. British Airways is absolutely wonderful.
5. If you are an American you have no business driving here. Period. You WILL inevitably kill someone. Everyone here is a courteous with only minimal honking but I can’t make rhyme or reason out of the roads. There are some that look one way but aren’t… people just take turns letting one another go.
6. If we thought parking was tight in the US we’re delusional. The parking lot here at the hotel is about twice the size of my driveway, and the spots are tiny!
7. The Autobahn is live driving Interstate 95 in VA… except you don’t have some jerk in the left lane holding everyone up.
8. It doesn’t matter how many books you read, there is nothing that tells you how to work the hotel room locks or how the flush the toilet.
9. The toilet paper is like Bounty. It’s thick and you would think rough but it’s fine… not going to get rid of the Charmin I brought with me though, lol.
10. The hotel windows actually open! They’re these huge things that you unlatch and pull forward and there aren’t any screens!
11. You can’t get to the front desk by dialing 0 or 9.
12. The tap water is delicious!
13. It doesn’t matter if the TV show on funny videos isn’t in English because Funny is a universal language. We were laughing as we drifted off to sleep.
Once everyone had left after waiting for Dr. Sandmann, he finally was able to make it. He’s well spoken and kind with a self depricating wit… he told me that being a surgeon is hard on marriage because you say you’ll be there at one time and end up two hours late and then when he’s on vacation and shows up on time it drives everyone crazy! We had a good talk about Chelsea, whose eyes were rolling in her head she was so tired. Huge thanks to Thomas and his wife for picking us up after driving 600 km to do so!!! They had a long drive home and I know it was the wee hours by the time they made it back. Thank you to as well to my local Thomas who brought us the phones, hair dryer, maps, and the power converters as well because I’ve learned already that a girl can’t have too many of those. Thank you Ute for keeping everyone informed when I couldn’t.
So, I get back to the room and I’m anxious because I hadn’t checked in with anyone yet to let them know I was here.
I try the network card to get online… and I can’t figure it out. I try to hop on an open network… nothing. Cell phone… again nothing. So I thought, ok… I will call Ute and ask her to let everyone know we’re ok… and I forgot the PIN to the cell! It’s now that I completely lose what semblance I had of composure.
I broke down in tears and started having a panic attack because it hit me that I’m on the other side of the world, don’t speak the language, can’t contact anyone, Chelsea for once is actually hungry and I don’t even know what to do about dinner because I have no clue what anything is or where to go that might have something simple we can order. Chelsea feels bad for me and says “Come here Mom because you really need a big hug”. God, I love that girl!
Figuring out how to call the front desk was like manna from heaven. They let me dial international and didn’t even want my credit card upfront!
I readily admit it… I called home crying like a little girl who went away to summer camp and wants to come home. Scott handled it like a champ and was only mildly concerned as he was already aware we arrived ok because he’s been in contact with Ute who has been in touch with Thomas. All of that freaking out thinking people were worried about me and it was for naught, lol.
But Scott, the often unsung hero, kept his cool when I was freaking out and assured me all was well and that it would be ok, and he contacted Ute to get in touch with me. Thank you Scott for being such a great Dad and I’m lucky to have you as my BFF.
Tomorrow is a new day. We’ll go have breakfast down the hall since we had chocolate and water for dinner. I think something healthier might be in order.
One day I’m going to laugh at all of this…
Note to self- Ironic that the book Chelsea brought with her is “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinlein. She often feels “alien” when people look at her… and like Valentine Michael Smith, she will make the world a better place.
Cat |
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