Monday. August 8- Tuesday, August 9- Kansas City to London
COVID was still a threat although the current variants were
far less severe for most people.
And the airlines and airports were not prepared for the rush
of tourists that started in the summer.
Flights were cancelled in record numbers, bags piled up at airports,
passengers were stranded where they didn’t want to be.
But, it was time. My trip with Overseas Adventure Travel was
largely funded by credits from a shortened trip to South America in March,
2020. This trip had been planned for
June, 2021 and I postponed it because COVID still seemed to be a threat. It wouldn’t be in 2022, right? 😊
I mitigated every risk I could. Vaccinations up-to- date, TWO travel
insurance policies (one covered quarantine expenses), overnights in London both
ways, arriving in Albania a day early for the tour, COVID tests packed, and
duplicate reservations from Ljublana to London on the trip home, the second a
nonstop made after I got nervous about the one connecting in Paris. I even stood by on an earlier flight out of
Kansas City (MCI) to allow a longer connection (and more time in the lounge!)
in Dallas before my flight to London.
MCI still looked abandoned.
All of the airside restaurants were closed with only a few vending
machines available. There were few
people walking the corridors. There were
even empty seats on my flight. And yet….
Building on the splendid new terminal that the politicians wanted and most of
the people in the street did not continues.
I’d be happy if it had airline lounges and nonstops to Europe but I’m
not holding my breath.
We left MCI 45 minutes late due to a “minor” mechanical
issue that had to be fixed. I still had
3 more hours in DFW than I would have with my original flight. Bonus:
more time in the Flagship Lounge.
I’d been “walked” from the Admirals’ Club, where I thought I belonged,
to the fancier Flagship Lounge because I was on an international Business Class
itinerary. Comfortable, very good food
and drink. I was glad I arrived early.
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| Toilet control in the Flagship Lounge. I was afraid to do anything but flush but the heated seat was nice. |
The flight to London was fine; food was far superior to what
I had on the United flights in and out of Munich on my trip in May. Dinner was a nice portion of seared cod with
a Goan curry sauce. The influence of
Indian cuisine has certainly livened up British cooking! I watched “The House of Gucci” and then tried
to sleep. I was restless- a combination
of more wine than I usually drink and the fact that I usually sleep on my
stomach. I finally maneuvered myself
onto my stomach and fastened my seat belt over the blanket and slept soundly. Unfortunately that meant I missed breakfast
but I’d had a couple of meals’ worth of calories the prior evening.
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| The view from my pod. |
The Immigration officer at Heathrow really gave me the third
degree about where I was going after I mentioned leaving for Albania
tomorrow. Was I going alone? What other countries would I visit? What time did my flight leave for
Albania? Maybe she thought I was going
to smuggle opium poppies. Of course she also asked about my passport being a
replacement. Still, the lines weren’t
bad and I was landside in a reasonable amount of time.
The Hilton Garden Inn was a 5-minute walk from the
terminal. They let me check in a couple
of hours early, bless them. I fell into
an exhausted sleep at 6:30 PM and, other than an hour in the middle of the
night when I woke up and read till I got back to sleep, I slept till my alarm
went off at 7 AM. Stoked by a lot of
coffee at breakfast, I got a good workout before packing up and making the easy
walk back to T3 for my flight to Tirana.
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