We haven’t traveled internationally for many years, with the exception of Mexico or the Caribbean, which at this point hardly counts. The Caribbean usually connects through Puerto Rico, so no customs issues there. And our international flights have all been one stop; Iceland and Amsterdam, with long layovers and interesting things to do. Usually. Amsterdam on New Year’s Eve the year they converted to the Euro was a bust; even the casino was closed. But the geothermal baths in Iceland were the bee’s knees. So I will definitely rethink the next trip’s routing. We saved a few bucks by going from Boston to Montreal, Montreal to London, and London to Athens. But there are a few issues with this routing. We had an hour layover in Montreal, which would have been fine if it hadn’t taken air traffic control 40 minutes to get us off the ground in Boston. International arrival halls indubitably have long, winding walks to some sort of customs area, and it would have been really easy to queue in the wrong line in Montreal. Two customs agents with a long line of passengers is never a good sign. And someone always forgets to fill out part of his or her declaration form, or sign it, or have it at all. I experienced instant karma as I groused to Steve, “Why can’t people get their shit together and fill out these forms before they get to the counter?” At our turn the agent asked our incoming flight number and I realized I’d gotten distracted when I filled out the form and never pulled out my boarding pass to get the info. Crap. I did have the pass at the ready though, and only held up the line for 10 seconds, but humble pie is not my favorite dish.
Thankfully we did not need to go through security again and the gate was not far from where we entered the terminal, but they were boarding our rows when we arrived. Whew.
I LOVE the big planes used for international flights. Love them. Ten seats across, in the three-four-three configuration, with individual TV screens in the seatback in front of you, device chargers, and an actual meal with free adult beverages. For so many years I was relegated to puddle jumpers or 727’s with no food, expensive drinks, and half the time no first class section (when I still had elite status with an airline and was able to snatch the occasional upgrade). The flight was pretty packed but we luckily had an MIA seatmate and we were able to spread out. What a gift.
During dinner I was able to catch Rush, the bio-pic about Formula One driver Niki Lauda’s relationship with James Hunt during the 1970’s. Not the best movie I’ve ever seen, but I will say they captured the glory days of F1, when they still did insane things like run races in pouring rain and the drivers (or at least some of them) were big time party boys. Ron Howard directed and I think he caught the feeling, the costumes and the craziness of the time. Anyone who knows anything about F1 (or watched the Oscars last year) know that Niki Lauda suffered life threatening burns on his face, head, and in his lungs in the late 70’s. He lost an ear and had to have skin grafts on his face, as well as suctioning of his lungs. But that crazy bastard returned to racing during the same season, and credited his rivalry with James Hunt with getting him back on the track as soon as he did.
Leaving Montreal at 8PM got us to Heathrow at 7:30 AM, or 2:30 AM EST. We both caught a couple of hours of sleep on the plane, but I’m feeling a bit fuzzy about now. We have almost a 5-hour layover, and Aegean Air doesn’t announce the flight gate until 45 minutes before the flight. So we made it through customs and through security again, grabbed coffee, checked out the Whiskeys of the World shop, and ogled the gorgeous things at all the fancy shops; Harrod’s, Burberry, Longchamp, and Thomas Pink to name a few, but the strength of the pound over the dollar makes it a bit expensive to shop here. Besides, I have no room. Like I said, I’ve never been a light packer. So now we grab some food and hope that the Aegean gate is not in one of the 3 sections that are listed as a 25-minute walk from “You Are Here”. I think I will happily nap on the next flight as well. In the meantime this is an outstanding place to people watch and the accents are fabulous.
I did weigh in before we left yesterday and I’m down another 1.2 pounds. I was careful yesterday, ate small amounts and drank lots of water. Since we’re in the UK I’m hoping to hunt down some smoked salmon for breakfast.
I’m looking forward to seeing the color of the Aegean as we fly into Athens, a nice dinner and an early evening. I know the hotel bed will be a welcome sight tonight.
So, week 7, down 12.2 pounds. That’s a couple of bowling balls.
