I have just arrived back in Cape Town for the last phase of work here. After 2 months at home and only having 2 trips by plane, the 41 hour door-to-door commute took a little gearing up for - and knowing that my old apartment on the beach was still going to be the door on the Cape Town end certainly helped!
I had 11 hours to spare in London so I left Heathrow and took the tube to watch the sunrise while standing over the Thames River on the Tower Bridge. Still quite early, I walked up river to cross the London Bridge and returned back down and over the Tower Bridge again. By that point, the Tower of London (previous fortress, royal palace, and prison - all in one!) was open and ready for me. Being a weekday and early, there was no line to see the Crown Jewels and I gawked at the largest diamond in the world (530 carats) until I'd had my fill - wow. Then I moved on to the second largest diamond in the world...
After the Tower of London, I explored a bit by
foot before the wall hit me and I realized how tired I was. I made it back to a tube stop and battled to stay awake on the ride. I lost the battle but luckily Heathrow was the last stop. After a quick shower and snack in the British Airways lounge, I made my way to the guantlet (also known as the jet bridge) for my 12 hour flight.
All and all the trip wasn't so bad - including 3 good movies (Into the Wild is the winner) and a big chunk in my book - until the baggage claim conveyor stopped without my luggage on it. Unfortunately, British Airways had no record of my luggage but I felt pretty confident that it made it through JFK and to London. The took all the details (brand, color - both black, and type) and told me that they'd call me with an update. By that point, my ride had left (knowing that all other passengers from the flight had long since left) and it appeared it couldn't get worse... I should know better. While out shopping for clothes (yoga pants not being appropriate for work), they delivered one bag. Sadly, the blue bag they delivered wasn't mine. I tried to laugh at the fact that they could have just checked that my name was not Victoria like the tag on the blue bag stated... but yes, my address is Victoria Road. Easy mistake or cruel joke?
I've since traded bags and have one... wonder what adventures tomorrow will bring!
I had 11 hours to spare in London so I left Heathrow and took the tube to watch the sunrise while standing over the Thames River on the Tower Bridge. Still quite early, I walked up river to cross the London Bridge and returned back down and over the Tower Bridge again. By that point, the Tower of London (previous fortress, royal palace, and prison - all in one!) was open and ready for me. Being a weekday and early, there was no line to see the Crown Jewels and I gawked at the largest diamond in the world (530 carats) until I'd had my fill - wow. Then I moved on to the second largest diamond in the world...After the Tower of London, I explored a bit by
foot before the wall hit me and I realized how tired I was. I made it back to a tube stop and battled to stay awake on the ride. I lost the battle but luckily Heathrow was the last stop. After a quick shower and snack in the British Airways lounge, I made my way to the guantlet (also known as the jet bridge) for my 12 hour flight.All and all the trip wasn't so bad - including 3 good movies (Into the Wild is the winner) and a big chunk in my book - until the baggage claim conveyor stopped without my luggage on it. Unfortunately, British Airways had no record of my luggage but I felt pretty confident that it made it through JFK and to London. The took all the details (brand, color - both black, and type) and told me that they'd call me with an update. By that point, my ride had left (knowing that all other passengers from the flight had long since left) and it appeared it couldn't get worse... I should know better. While out shopping for clothes (yoga pants not being appropriate for work), they delivered one bag. Sadly, the blue bag they delivered wasn't mine. I tried to laugh at the fact that they could have just checked that my name was not Victoria like the tag on the blue bag stated... but yes, my address is Victoria Road. Easy mistake or cruel joke?
I've since traded bags and have one... wonder what adventures tomorrow will bring!
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