We’re Home!!

Wow!  Jet-lag, here we are!  So, to summarize!  We made it safely from Stansted Airport in London to Heathrow, where we overnighted at the Hilton Garden Inn, Eastern Perimeter Road.  We had dinner that night at the hotel – not great, but adequate, fish and chips, but for some reason (possibly getting up at 4 am that morning, and then a 3-hour time change?) I was falling asleep in my chips!  So, back upstairs, and I went to bed at 6:30 pm.  Up again, this time for the trip back to Phoenix, at 4 am, which was going to make it a very long day!

 

Down for breakfast about 8, which was simply wonderful!  After no pork products for 3½ weeks, R loaded up his plate with bacon – which, if you’re familiar with English bacon, isn’t quite like ours in the U.S. – it’s more like Canadian bacon – but it tastes wonderful, and we both enjoyed it immensely!  And, I added scrambled eggs, mushrooms, potato patty as well as a pork sausage AND some salami and cheese to my plate! 

 

Packed up everything and checked out of the hotel about 10 – our plane was scheduled to leave at 2:30 pm. Took an Uber from the hotel to Terminal 3 and were dropped off in front; so convenient!

 

Absolutely no problem getting everything checked in!  The British Air agent walked us directly up to a line, and our bags were checked (we usually check both bags on our way home, just to be rid of them!) and on their way.  The line at security took only 4 or 5 minutes, and then we were finished and in the airport!  Still a couple of hours to wait for our gate to post, but that we were expecting.

 

Fortunately, while always and perpetually crowded, Heathrow seems to have the space to accommodate a lot of people, so there were plenty of places to sit.  The one thing that we did notice, though, surprisingly, was a true dearth of charging points for electronic devices!  In most major airports – and many smaller ones – charging stations are part of the seating!  Not at Heathrow, at least in Terminal 3!  You have to find one of the very few stations, and then plug in in various ways, and sit there with your device plugged in.  

 

Finally our gate was posted, and we headed there, to be re-checked and re-passported once again.  On to the plane about 15 minutes late, but better that than not at all, I always say!  Good flight – mediocre food – with the only problem being that it was absolutely FREEZING the entire way across!  Couldn’t believe it!  We both wore our jackets the entire flights, as did the gal sitting next to me – in fact, she never took off her wool cap the entire 10 hours!  We also were given blankets, and R and I both wrapped up in them as well, just for warmth!  Also, to be honest, neither of us have ever flown on a flight with that many babies on it!  I mean, there must have been 7 or 8, and to say I don’t think it was every silent on that flight in 10 hours is probably not an understatement.  Thank goodness for movies and head phones …

 

At last we landed in Phoenix, right on time, around 6 pm.  Finally off the plane, and to Customs and Immigration.  As Global Entry folks, we were through the process in seconds – thankfully!! – and on to baggage claim.  That did take a while, but eventually our two cases showed up, and we were on to rental cars.  We got to select our vehicle, and picked a lovely Jeep Grand Cherokee – fun to drive, actually, and with satellite radio, we had company all the way home!  Arrived at the door about 9:30 pm.

 

Thankfully, my best friend Jay had thoughtfully turned on the front-door light, as well as some lights inside, as well as leaving some of her wonderful homemade split pea soup, with green salad and her homemade blue cheese salad dressing – yummy! for us to have for dinner.  SO amazing to come home and have real food!!  Thank you, Jay!!!

 

We had everything unpacked and put away by 11 and were able to sit down and actually eat a great hot meal! I was actually able to get about 6 hours of good sleep last night; up about 6 am.  Not sure about R’s schedule, as he usually suffers terribly from jetlag, and I don’t think last night was any different!  

 

But the good thing is that we’re home after a wonderful adventure, and so thankful to be here!  So - thank you to all for coming along with us, and our very, very best wishes to you and yours for a happy and healthy holiday season and 2025!

 

Much love always,

m

xxx