On Saturday I started the trip back to Blacksburg which meant a very early morning to drive down to Heathrow. I ended up taking an additional suitcase back as I had brought so many clothes and gifts. So after checking and paying for the suitcase (and arguing that the website said it was cheaper than they charged me - and losing), we went to Weatherspoons for breakfast and watched the groups of people drinking pints at 9am and running off to the loos holding hands over their mouths. Before coming back to drink more beer. So entertaining at least.
There were lots of tears as I left but that was expected. I have had such a good time at home, meeting up with friends and spending time with family.
The first part of the trip, Heathrow to Chicago, was ok. Though the snack for GF was nasty. I was looking forward to getting something real to eat before my next flight. It took over 1.5 hrs to get though immigration. I have never been at a worse airport then Chicago when it comes to immigration queues. They had taken my suitcases off the conveyer belt as they needed to for the next flight before I was half way through the queue! (But meant I didn't have to brag them off the belt so saved me some bruises.)
Then I got to handing in my baggage for the next flight, only to be told my flight was cancelled due to bad weather. At the desk they then spent an hour trying to find me another flight. He offered a flight to Detroit on Sunday and a possible flight 8 hours after that to Roanoke. But the weather there was even worse. His expression suggested that was not a good option and I would rather be stuck in Chicago than Detroit. So I was put on standby for Sunday and booked on a flight for Monday. And then given a piece of paper with a number to call for a hotel. The airline won't help if the cancellation or delay is due to weather. :-(
So after some wrong numbers, I got a hotel and found someone else going to the same place.
The hotel was actually very nice and had a restaurant and bar. Which was very needed.
I had dinner with the guy I meet at the airport staying in the same hotel. Which was fine. But he insisted on paying. Which was nice. Except he obviously thought that entitled him to more, even though I had told him I was seeing someone and that someone was a Marine Sniper. (It's always good to have a large dangerous boyfriend "around", even a fictitious one.) So this guy was either very stupid, didn't believe me, or had a death wish.
So between the fact that this guy who grabbed and tried to kiss me and unfortunately knew where my room was (as his was 2 doors down) and the fact that the hotel had double booked my room (luckily I was fully clothed in the room when both parties realized this mistake), I didn't really sleep very well.
Thankfully we did not get the 18 inches of snow in Chicago that was predicted over night.
I spent Sunday morning chilling around the hotel and then headed to the airport to sit and wait and pray for someone else to miss their flight so I can steal their seat. I got there early to make sure I was on the standby list and first. I ended up at a sushi place for some average sushi and a nice glass of plum wine. I have never tried it before but it was very nice. Sweet and lovely as a desert. So the wait in the airport was quite nice.
There were lots of tears as I left but that was expected. I have had such a good time at home, meeting up with friends and spending time with family.
The first part of the trip, Heathrow to Chicago, was ok. Though the snack for GF was nasty. I was looking forward to getting something real to eat before my next flight. It took over 1.5 hrs to get though immigration. I have never been at a worse airport then Chicago when it comes to immigration queues. They had taken my suitcases off the conveyer belt as they needed to for the next flight before I was half way through the queue! (But meant I didn't have to brag them off the belt so saved me some bruises.)
Then I got to handing in my baggage for the next flight, only to be told my flight was cancelled due to bad weather. At the desk they then spent an hour trying to find me another flight. He offered a flight to Detroit on Sunday and a possible flight 8 hours after that to Roanoke. But the weather there was even worse. His expression suggested that was not a good option and I would rather be stuck in Chicago than Detroit. So I was put on standby for Sunday and booked on a flight for Monday. And then given a piece of paper with a number to call for a hotel. The airline won't help if the cancellation or delay is due to weather. :-(
So after some wrong numbers, I got a hotel and found someone else going to the same place.
The hotel was actually very nice and had a restaurant and bar. Which was very needed.
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| Nicer than the airport floor! |
So between the fact that this guy who grabbed and tried to kiss me and unfortunately knew where my room was (as his was 2 doors down) and the fact that the hotel had double booked my room (luckily I was fully clothed in the room when both parties realized this mistake), I didn't really sleep very well.
Thankfully we did not get the 18 inches of snow in Chicago that was predicted over night.
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| View from my window the next morning. |
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| View from the sushi place |
I got lucky and someone missed their flight. When my name was called out to go to the desk to get a real boarding pass, I practically sprinted to it, jumping over bags, suitcases and in one case, a sleeping passenger, just in case in the minute it would take me to get there, they changed their minds. I was so happy. (Though I did panic when they scanned my boarding pass as I get onto the plane and it made a nasty screaming sound. But the lady who scanned it had given it to me previously so she just waved me though.)
The flight was very boring, in permanent cloud and it was raining in Roanoke, though very warm which is nice. (It's snowing now!) And due to the short notice of my flight, I couldn't get a lift from the airport. But I found 2 others going to Blacksburg, and we shared a taxi so it was a lot cheaper than it could have been. And they were very nice people so the trip was entertaining as well.
It's nice to be home. (I even got my suitcases carried up the stairs for me by the sweet lad next door - who says students are nice?) However the moral of the story is do not fly via Chicago in winter!
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