Day 11-So Long England (Sept. 26)

I've never been on a vacation(as an adult anyway) that lasted more than a week. There was definitely a part of me that was ready to be home in familiar surroundings and sleep in my own bed. However, there was another part of me that could have easily spent another month in the UK. It was my dream trip and it was amazing but now it was coming to an end. 

I had noticed, while in the Tube station a couple of days prior, that there was the possibility of a strike on some of the Tube lines, including the one that we need to take to get back to Heathrow. I'm so glad I had noticed , because it gave us the time to make alternate plans for getting back to the airport. There are three Tube/train options, from the cheapest and slowest to the most expensive and fastest. We had taken the slowest to get to London, but because of the strike, we took the next one up on the way back (as it wasn't affected by the strike). 

We said our last goodbyes to Paddington Station and headed back to Heathrow at 6:00am.  

We made it to the airport in plenty of time, which is really good, because we experienced something new on this trip through security called, Secondary Security Screening. Eric made it through fine, but for some reason (they say it's "random", Austin and I both got picked for the screening. And because he was flying with us, Eric got pulled back to do it too. Poor Eric!! They opened our bags and had us take everything out, swabbed our shoes and wanded everything. No fun, especially when your bag is packed like a puzzle to begin with!!

From now on, I will always look for the dreaded four SSSS on my boarding pass and hope that it's not there.

We finally hopped on our plane and settled in for the long plane ride back home. 

Up, Up and Away

So long England, until we meet again!

We made it back to the Salt Lake City airport and I have to say...I wasn't impressed with the way they handled our international flight. We had to catch a connecting flight back to Portland, but first we had to get through customs. The line for customs wasn't too bad, but then we got dumped out on the other side of security and had to wait in line again. If I recall, we had less than an hour to catch our flight and the time was ticking away. There was a LONG line at security and only one TSA agent working. Many of the people in line were stressing about catching their connections. 

Once through security, we ran across the airport only to find that our plane was long gone. Fortunately they were able to book us on a flight 2 hours later. I grumbled a bit at the counter (obviously telling them that it wasn't their fault, but that Delta should give enough time to make it to your flight) and the guy behind the counter said we've been telling them that for a long time, as this happens all the time. Later, after we got back, I sent a polite email to Delta letting them know my frustration and they offered to give all three of us $50 in Delta $$. So while it doesn't change the problem, I appreciate that they had good customer server after the fact. 

We eventually made it back to Portland and then had a 2 1/2 drive back home. We were tired!! It felt really good to sleep in our own bed that night!

I definitely hope to visit the UK again someday. Next time, we will spend time in the North, around York and probably also Edinburgh, Scotland. I came away with an even greater love for England and highly recommend that you go for a visit if you get a chance!