October 3-4, 2007: Travel Day!

I started our first day of travel with an early morning trip to Premium Urgent Care in Suntree to learn I broke my toe the previous evening. Tripping over the crap in my sons' bedroom while trying to pack last minute items of all things. Not much you can do about such an injury but tape the offending toe to the ones around it and press on. My dad drove us to the airport with three hours to spare.

Changing money was an experience. Wow, look at that value disintegrate! It was positively painful to see $450 become less than 200 pounds.

When checking in, the kind Virgin Atlantic gate agent moved our seats to the upstairs portion of the Boeing 747. God bless companies that pay for Premium Economy. Board early, handed a glass of champagne, seat with a foot rest as well as headrest recliner, packet with toothbrush and toothpaste....

The boys were pretty good at the airport and absolutely wonderful on the plane. Several of the flight attendants commented on their exceptional behavior and speculated that they were seasoned travelers. Makes a momma proud!

Because of Liam's (10 year old) seat refusing to recline the flight attendants moved them back a row so I ended up all by myself with an absolutely fascinating travel companion. He was so entertaining I never watched a movie or cracked a book. I slept for a few hours but kept dreaming the plane was landing. I have no idea how much my children slept but I am guessing not very much. The flight was smooth with the exception of a 30 minute holding pattern over Gatwick. Colin (7 year old) was so excited I thought she was going to jump out of his skin. Liam looked like he was going to puke. I rapidly discovered Virgin Atlantic does not automatically stock barf bags in the seat pocket in front of you. Thankfully it wasn't necessary.

Passport control to Baggage Reclaim to Gatwick Express to Taxi Queue at Victoria Station Kensington was uneventful. Just as I like it! Signage wasn't quite as self-evident in places as my husband had lead me to believe, but since we didn't make any wrong turns it must be adequate. The taxi ride to the flat was uneventful with the exception of me cringing every time I saw a car hurtling at us from the wrong direction. Actually only one near collision and the cab driver apologized. We are not in New York. We passed right by Westminster Abbey (to my delight), Big Ben (to Colin's delight) and a Starbucks (to Liam's delight). Just after passing the Tower of London we all three fell asleep in the cab.

Jamie, my husband, was waiting right outside the flat and let us in. I think I kissed him hello, I honestly do not remember. The next thing I knew I was waking up three hours later in the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I showered, emailed my sister and dragged the boys' butts out of their jet lagged stupor. We wandered over to Canary Wharf (our flat is right by the foot bridge) and explored the teeniest tiniest fraction of the mall and financial district. We had a lunch at 4:00 p.m. / 11:00 a.m. and enjoyed the bright sunny brisk cool day. Weather doesn't get any better than that. So what are the odds I can order that for the rest of our three week trip?

Jamie had a business dinner with his big boss and the clients, so he brought some bangers and mash for the boys and curried prawns home for me. We found The Simpsons on the television and here I sit starting my travel blog and planning tomorrow.
The flat is quite nice. Jamie thinks it is a little small, but you won't hear me complaining. The boys are in their own room. The television has cable, though I can't figure it out for the life of me. And there is this cute as a button washing machine and dryer in the kitchen. Personally I'd slap some cheery colors on the walls but I can understand a corporate apartment leasing company sticking with stark white. Or is this eggshell...who can tell? I had a hot shower and have a place to lay my weary head. What else is there?

As it stands, tomorrow I am planning to go to the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms (for the boys) and nearby Westminster Abbey (for me). Probably followed by a romp through St. James park so they can run off their ya-yas. Wonder what time I'm going to get them to bed tonight after a three hour nap and feeling like it is 3:00 in the afternoon at 8:00 p.m.