Thursday, September 19, 2013

AChristoPat's European Vacation----The Return


We were up and packed by about 7:30. One last breakfast and it was time to take the luggage downstairs. This necessitated use of the "nearly smallest elevator in the world." I know I alluded to this in a previous post, but here again is another picture that illustrates the  miniature dimensions of the lift.


Here are your intrepid correspondents in front of a map of Prague getting ready to leave. The hotel staff have already called for our Taxi.


Our luggage made a neat well-behaved pile on the floor of the lobby.


This is Maxim, a very helpful front desk fellow. He was very useful for changing money, giving directions or just wishing us a good day.


We had heard in advance that the Hotel could arrange a ride to the airport. We were thinking Taxi, it turned out to be a Volkswagen Transporter, with a taciturn demented driver at the wheel. On several occasions I actually thought we were going off the road and once, we were inches from a mid speed collision with someone who was driving sanely.


Our "driver" dropped us off at Terminal 2 assuring us that this was the place we needed. We went inside and asked for BA check in and were informed British Airways only uses Terminal 1!

On our way I took note of a new regional airline which has popped up in Europe. It is very popular, but unfortunately named.

I don't know what their advertising slogan is but I can imagine something like "in a rush---take a Wizz".


On the long walk to the proper terminal, we came across a coin operated kiddie ride. While in North America we might see a pony , these folks had a coin operated Train, complete with track and an Indian Brave surveying the wide prairie.


I remember the abortive attempt which was made to market Skoda automobiles in Canada. It was about as successful as the attempt that was made to introduce Lada, another Czech made automobile.

Well it looks as though Skoda gets that last laugh. This is the Skoda Octavia Combi RS. It's a good looking piece of kit, and the fact that there are a large number on the road here, leads me to believe the have conquered their faults and are turning out a good product.


 Although this poster is about a week too late, we appreciate the sentiment. Thank you for that. Your welcome is welcome.....so  bye-bye!


We had arrived in good time for our flight to Britain and soon we were boarding for a flight which would be about 2 hours.


On the flight they served us something called a Chicken Tikka Wrap. it was the spiciest thing we ate the whole trip. It was smoking hot!!!


My beloved had a bit of a snooze and I divided my flight time evenly between listening to music and conversing with our seat mate, He is an American living in London who leads tours to the continent. Interesting chap.

Within a short time we were coming into London and descending into Heathrow with views over the Thames and London.


Another view over the Thames with the bridges of London visible. London has a population of a little over 8 million, so the metropolitan area would be about 11 million give or take.


Here is a picture of my beloved Scooterchick, on the bus that came to pick us up at the plane. A short ride to the terminal and then to find our connecting flight.


The bus we rode was crowded and  all the passengers swayed back and forth as the driver wound his way around turns and up to the terminal to drop us off.


Little did we know that we would be dropped off at the farthest end of Terminal three, while our next connecting flight departed from the very farthest gate of Terminal 1. Although we were intended to have a 2 hour layover, we had to pass through customs twice and passport control a further three times and we ended up having to jog to the departure gate. Although they have slide walks through the airport, it still seemed like quite a hike. We made our flight after the final boarding call.


They served us an interesting continental style dinner. There was a salad that was gone in 5 bites, a Chicken and Veg. Casserole, together with a Wheat Roll, Jacob's crackers, Vache Qui Rit Cream Cheese, Walkers Stem Ginger Biscuits (cookies) and Lescure Beurre des Charentes (although why the fact that the butter which came with my dinner comes from the Province of Charentes in France is pleasing to me I know not. It still is.)

I must admit, I cadged several more packages of the Ginger Cookies in flight.


Although the flight was long, we landed in Dallas on schedule pretty well and made our final flight to Lawton arriving at around 10:30.


We were exhausted. Having gotten up at 07:00 it was now for us about 4:30 in the morning. We slept like the dead, and awoke this a.m. much rested but a bit foggy in the noggin. So ends the Grand Adventure, and so ends this post. Good night all...




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