06 Jun 2017 - Scotland Day 18 - Delayed Flight
Evening.
Day 102 on Lexapro, though I'm going to miss tonight's dose for reasons I'll discuss here.
Mood: 5.
Well, today was supposed to be the day I made it back to the US, but things don't always go as planned.
The study abroad group collectively got up around 4:45, and we all packed into The Van at 5:30 to drive to Glasgow - one member of our group had a flight at 9am, which was delayed to 9:45, but we needed to get there early. And early to the airport we were - we made it around 7:30ish. Myself, Favorite Person, and two other ladies had a 2:15pm flight from Glasgow to Heathrow, and check-in wasn't until noon, so we were forced to sit in the airport for five hours before we could even check in. Thankfully, I had books, so I read for a while. When I tired of that, I chatted with Favorite Person and one of the other ladies, Claudia, about various books.
Check-in time came around, and it went without issue. My checked bag was around 42lbs, which frustrated me a tiny bit - I could have shoved some more stuff in there. Getting through security was a pain, though. Security in the UK is apparently tighter than it is in the States, and my carry-ons got flagged for a more thorough searching. The only item of potential concern in my possession was a pair of craft scissors that had blades just a bit over two inches long. What would I do with them, whip 'em out on the plane and start stabbing people left and right?
My lovely snip-snips weren't confiscated, thankfully.
After making it through security, it became painfully clear that the flight out of Glasgow was going to be very delayed - the 2:05 flight didn't arrive until 2:45. Things got worse once we were eventually on the plane, around 2:55. Because it was incredibly windy out, air traffic control was restricting the number of planes landing and taking off each hour. This resulted in us not actually taking off until after 3:30, making us close to an hour and a half behind. This was a huge problem, since the layover at Heathrow wasn't more than a couple hours long. Favorite Person and I had hope that, by some miracle, we'd make it, but as the minutes ticked by, that seemed more and more unlikely.
The flight itself was uneventful. I slept.
The plane touched down at 4:45. The flight out of Heathrow was at 5:15, and wasn't delayed. We didn't even try to get it.
I'm really tired as I write this, so I'll condense the events following.
Favorite Person and I (along with the other two ladies, maybe) were automatically rebooked for the next flight, but that flight leaves at 7:45am the next day. So, we're in the airport overnight. Luckily, we got hotel and meal vouchers from British Airways. After what seemed like miles and hours of walking across terminals, we made it to the Premier Inn where we're staying, dropped off our bags, and ate dinner. I had fries, naan, some kind of curry, rice and peas, and brownie bites for dessert. After dinner, Favorite Person and I parted ways (we have separate rooms), agreeing to meet at 5am at the hotel Costa for breakfast before heading to the terminal for check-in. I took a shower to clean myself, then treated myself to something I haven't enjoyed in years - a long, hot bath. My only complaint is the absence of any kind of lotion, so I'm gonna be ashy tomorrow, which I'm not a fan of. At any rate, the room is nice.
Today was probably the worst adventure I've ever been on.
Tomorrow's post will come from Chicago, and will probably be a reflection of the entire Scotland trip.
Until then.
06 Jun 2017
Day 102 on Lexapro, though I'm going to miss tonight's dose for reasons I'll discuss here.
Mood: 5.
Well, today was supposed to be the day I made it back to the US, but things don't always go as planned.
The study abroad group collectively got up around 4:45, and we all packed into The Van at 5:30 to drive to Glasgow - one member of our group had a flight at 9am, which was delayed to 9:45, but we needed to get there early. And early to the airport we were - we made it around 7:30ish. Myself, Favorite Person, and two other ladies had a 2:15pm flight from Glasgow to Heathrow, and check-in wasn't until noon, so we were forced to sit in the airport for five hours before we could even check in. Thankfully, I had books, so I read for a while. When I tired of that, I chatted with Favorite Person and one of the other ladies, Claudia, about various books.
Check-in time came around, and it went without issue. My checked bag was around 42lbs, which frustrated me a tiny bit - I could have shoved some more stuff in there. Getting through security was a pain, though. Security in the UK is apparently tighter than it is in the States, and my carry-ons got flagged for a more thorough searching. The only item of potential concern in my possession was a pair of craft scissors that had blades just a bit over two inches long. What would I do with them, whip 'em out on the plane and start stabbing people left and right?
My lovely snip-snips weren't confiscated, thankfully.
After making it through security, it became painfully clear that the flight out of Glasgow was going to be very delayed - the 2:05 flight didn't arrive until 2:45. Things got worse once we were eventually on the plane, around 2:55. Because it was incredibly windy out, air traffic control was restricting the number of planes landing and taking off each hour. This resulted in us not actually taking off until after 3:30, making us close to an hour and a half behind. This was a huge problem, since the layover at Heathrow wasn't more than a couple hours long. Favorite Person and I had hope that, by some miracle, we'd make it, but as the minutes ticked by, that seemed more and more unlikely.
The flight itself was uneventful. I slept.
The plane touched down at 4:45. The flight out of Heathrow was at 5:15, and wasn't delayed. We didn't even try to get it.
I'm really tired as I write this, so I'll condense the events following.
Favorite Person and I (along with the other two ladies, maybe) were automatically rebooked for the next flight, but that flight leaves at 7:45am the next day. So, we're in the airport overnight. Luckily, we got hotel and meal vouchers from British Airways. After what seemed like miles and hours of walking across terminals, we made it to the Premier Inn where we're staying, dropped off our bags, and ate dinner. I had fries, naan, some kind of curry, rice and peas, and brownie bites for dessert. After dinner, Favorite Person and I parted ways (we have separate rooms), agreeing to meet at 5am at the hotel Costa for breakfast before heading to the terminal for check-in. I took a shower to clean myself, then treated myself to something I haven't enjoyed in years - a long, hot bath. My only complaint is the absence of any kind of lotion, so I'm gonna be ashy tomorrow, which I'm not a fan of. At any rate, the room is nice.
Today was probably the worst adventure I've ever been on.
Tomorrow's post will come from Chicago, and will probably be a reflection of the entire Scotland trip.
Until then.
06 Jun 2017
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