Across the pond

I was scared to travel alone. I'm embarrassed that I have grown up to be such a wuss but there you have it. In my defense, I think the idea of traveling to two of the world's busiest airports alone on your second ever trip would be a tad daunting for most people. Basically when I landed at Gatwick, I would be completely cut off from communication with anyone. No cell service for me over there. Kevin was to arrive ahead of me and assured me he would be waiting when I landed. I think we all know how this story is gonna end, right?




The flight to Atlanta was too short to even justify the ten minute safety dance performed by the flight attendant. That airport is stupid big but surprisingly easy to navigate. I was able to grab one last cup of coffee which I guzzled down before boarding the flight to London. If I had know how long I would have to go without a decent cup of coffee that week, I would have savored that one a little more.

I was on the aisle of a two seat row. So far. So good. The guy sitting next to me already had his earbuds in and was well into a movie when I sat down. I had been dreading the possibilty of a talkative seat mate. This guy looked like he was going to be perfect. ( A few hours later, he finally spoke to the flight attendant. Turns out, he couldn't even speak English. Bonus!!!)



There was an older lady seated diagonally across from me who had some real wedgie issues. She must have stood up 50 times during that flight to adjust her panties and the situation was only made worse by the fact that she was wearing a mini dress. Look ladies...I don't care what Oprah has told you. At a certain age, you are too damn old to wear a mini dress. Accept it and move on. Also, if you know you're going to be on an airplane for over 8 hours, don't you think it would be a good idea to go with some comfy panties? I just think this gal had enough life experience to make some better choices.

The flight went well except I could not sleep. I knew the jet lag was gonna kick my tail but I really thought I could escape the worst of it if I could sleep for 4-6 hours on the flight. No such luck. My main problem was the flight attendants seemed to come through every hour offering food, drink or (my favorite) the duty free cart. I'm not sure what kind of person boards a plane and then decides once they reach international waters that, yes, they actually do need a carton of cigarettes, a giant box of Godiva chocolates and a two liter bottle of Jim Beam. Kevin later explained the duty free situation to me. I assured him that I understood the concept, I just felt the whole thing was stupid.



We landed in London. I made it through customs. And I began to wander through the airport. My flight had actually landed early and Kevin's flight from Amsterdam was delayed. Surprise. Surprise.

I wasn't freaking out at this point. I could see the estimated arrival time for his flight on the board so I sat down to wait. I was completely exhausted but exhilarated at the same time. I was in London. I had actually left the United states and flown across a frackin ocean. I was going to see all the stuff I had spent my whole life reading about or seeing on TV. I had arrived at the home of Bridget Jones and the Cadbury Chocolate Company.