UMTravels

Up at 7:30am though Mark’s alarm is set for half eight. Shower, reading, easy morning. Out of the house at 9:45am when Mark leaves for work after two weeks of holiday time.

Three and a half hours to the airport, need to be there at half three for bag drop and security, though really need to be there earlier to drop off the rental car. Make that 3pm.

Plenty of time for the drive, and to stop and see Stonehenge, if even only from the parking lot since you can’t get all that close to it these days… couple of pictures will be fine which is all we did. Didn’t even figure out if there was a fee to see the place, just parked, shot over the fence, left. I was a zoo.

Rental car check-in painless. Guy asked — so where is this scratch that was added to the report – looked at it and rolled his eyes. Better safe than sorry. Great shuttle driver from terminals 1.2.3 to terminal 4 (international). Gave him a 2 pound tip with the advise — “Have a pint on us.”

British Airways sucks. Simple enough. BA Sucks! Let me say it again. The shrew at the Terraces Lounge where I can get in on my Business Class (Club Lounge in BA Speak) wouldn’t let Jill in as a guest. They did in Seattle. When I pointed this out — the response was…. well, Seattle has two flights a day, and we have tons. Wasn’t full to capacity. Make a customer happy.

Jill and I left, headed to the gate. I headed back to the lounge to pillage the place for goodies for Jill. Pastrami and ham with mixed greens on a ciabatta roll, couple of cans of beer, couple of packs of crisps (potato chips for us), chocolate chip shortbread cookies, a tangerine…. and that was for Jill (OK — I had one of the beers). I had three scotches, salads, cheeses, stuff that wouldn’t pack well.

Jill was impressed with my pillaging, but she still had 35 pounds in cash left over (and some change) to get rid of so I set off for duty free to get some scotch (and chocolate with more of the left over change). Everyone happy — we even did the accounting of all the expenses we’d run up and settled accounts.

On the plane an aisle seat for both of us this time. MUCH better than windows. Easier to move around. Champagne before flight — unfortunately not more while they hauled the hypocondriac out of coach (but not the wife) which caused us to go back to the gate for a medical. Scotch before dinner. Chateau nuf de pape with dinner (curry shrimp), and a Cognac after. Watched the news show and the first movie “The Good German” with Goerge Clooney and one of the Beau Bridges (of Sordid Lives), and apparently Toby McQuire (which doing a search on him I found out he was the cute boyfriend of the tomgirl on Roseanne).

After that sleep — apparently for half of the nine hour flight as they came on to say it was 90 minutes out and “tea” was being served. I had scotch with my sandwiches.

Seattle is so stupid – for Seattle passengers they make you  throw your bags back on the conveyor to get them back to the main terminal. I’d have preferred to haul them myself.

Chris was there to meet me, and back to his apartment for vodka and computer time. It’s definitely a different place. Off to the UW sale tomorrow, and work on the house.