Trip Home

Thought I had nothing let to say but just to make the story finish as it did I have to add this tiny post.

Travel is always an adventure. You can plan carefully and then stuff just happens. 

I am grateful to  Bill and Kathryn for their invitation, encouragement and help. I am thankful for my friend and travel agent Leigh Berghane who tended to so many details and the many change in our plans. Without the transportation help of Maritza Fernandez we would have had a much slower beginning and ending of the journey. Appreciate so much our friend, Ardis Rea checking periodically our villa to be sure it was all OK.  And to the many wheelchair pushers who without their help we would have never been able to manage this journey. 

Our journey home contained a travel experience I hope nobody ever has to experience. We got up in

Ellesmere at about 4:30AM Tuesday morning- that is 11:30PM the night before at home. With great help from Kathryn, Bruce and Christopher we got off the boat and into the marina to wait. The car from Book-a-Limo arrived right on time at 6:00AM and we headed to Heathrow- a 3 hour journey. Arrived at the airport about 9:30. Hussin, our driver, helped us find one wheelchair. We were  told to say to any wheelchair pusher or Delta staff we were traveling First Class and ask to be taken directly to the Upper Wing to be checked in. Nobody knew where that was. After being checked in at the regular desk, we were taken upstairs to a waiting spot. Not sure why or what for. Through this whole journey we have encountered more staff who were in their first day or week working at the various airports. I guess it is a sign of what is happening everywhere as we slowly move back to a normal time after COVID.  

Plus Heathrow does not allow staff to accept tips at all so those folks mainly spend their time talking with each other instead of really helping....or so it seemed to me. If they thought there was a little bit of cash coming if they paid attention and helped, they might just do that. 

We spotted the entry to the Delta Lounge and Jim pushed the wheelchair and me to that entrance. It too was very disorganized but we finally got someone to help us get past that security line and into the lounge. She offered for Jim to sit down and she wold come back and get him. 

In the lounge , to my surprise, we were given a breakfast menu and were served Eggs Benedict and a Bloody Mary. Life seemed to be taking on a ray of hope. 

We got to the plane and boarded and were all settled in when the Captain announced our departure would be delayed  because of a security issue. A security person immediately boarded the plane and escorted a young man off the plane. We were then told the man had jokingly made a comment about having a bomb on the plane. Because of his thoughtless comment the protocol called for the people and all luggage and crew to deplane while security could sweep the plane to check thoroughly for a bomb. 8 people and 2 dogs came by going into the plane. 

So we were almost 4 hours late departing Heathrow causing us to miss our connection in Detroit to

Tampa. Got our bags,  went through Customs and  to a Delta agent who rebooked us on a 7:00AM flight on Wednesday. They made some sort of mistake issuing a voucher for a hotel stay and it took about 45 minutes for them to figure how to correct that. Finally got to the Wingate Hotel and into a room about 9:00 PM- which was 2:00AM on Wednesday morning in the UK. Ate a bite of dinner and went to bed at about 11:00PM

Up by 2:00AM for me and just got dressed and read. Jim got up about 4: 15 and we headed to the lobby for the 5:30 shuttle- the desk clerk had said that would be plenty of time. There was only 1 First class seat on the flight and the agent the night before had assigned it to Jim so I was a middle seat in coach class but happy to be heading home. Shuttle dropped us off and a nice man, Randy, ask if we needed help. He had one wheelchair but would get another for Jim. He said if we checked our bags we would probably miss our flight so he pushed both chairs with the luggage underneath through all the stuff at security and through the big terminal to Gate 68. We gate-checked our luggage and he took us both down to the door. So, so grateful for him.

I sat between a very huge man and a tall woman for the flight. I could see Jim is First Class getting all that lovely breakfast as I munched on graham crackers. Still glad to be headed home.

Arrived in Tampa and off the plane at 9:30AM and a wonderful guy named Joses met us with two wheelchairs, quickly got our bags and got us to a bench outside at the less busy end of the airport.

Marvelous Maritza had rearranged her work schedule so she could pick us up without our having to wait. I texted her in the cell lot and she magically appeared, loaded our luggage and off we went. We got home by 10:30...and that is 3:30 PM London time. Whole journey took 36 hours. 

BUT the visit, the boat trip, the good food, the wonderful chats and the hearty laughs  were so terrific ti was worth this wild ending!!! Now let the recovery begin.