On the way home

Currently we are at 34,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and on our way home.

We left Bacharach and drove an uneventful hour to Frankfurt Airport, dropped off car at' Terminal 1 and took Skytrain to Terminal 2 for our flight to London Heathrow.  We were lucky there and had jet way attached to plane so all we had to do was walk right in to the Airbus.  So many times in these larger airports, one must take a bus  out to the tarmac where the plane is parked.

Flight to LHR was 1.5 hours, we landed, got our bags, went through immigration and had just passed through customs when my mobile phone rang - our taxi driver from Swan Cars wanting to tell us where to meet him.  It was all timed perfectly and 30 minutes or so afterwards we were at Ann's house around 2:30 PM.

It was very warm, near 80 and after saying hello we were sitting on her patio having a beer and immediately felt right at home.  We spent the next 3 days catching up and just relaxing, and since Ann & George had a previous engagement to attend a birthday party for a dear friend and neighbor - we were invited to attend as well.  It was our first English garden party - and was quite the experience.  It seems if you say "party"' women seem to get their best cocktail dresses out, their high heels and head off in fancy dress.  The men arrived in plaid shirts, jeans (some in shorts), carrying cases of beer and ready to drink!!  There was music playing, a dance floor at the back of the house - and lots of food.   There were burgers cooked on the grill and later little English sandwiches with different fillings and various salads.  Sandra, Ann's friend celebrating her birthday, was vegetarian and also had the best veggie burgers I have ever tasted.  We have nothing like them to compare at home.

One night we went to dinner at The Harvester, and then Ann & George had their wonderful Sunday afternoon barbque .  George always cooks chicken, burgers, and those wonderful little English bangers on the grill and Ann's sets out various salads, potatoes and other goodies.  Shortly after this wonerful meal, the George and Jim  had to take naps and Ann and I along with her son David watched TV.  Her other son Steven disappeared as too, probably napping as well.  We were all stuffed from a wonderful meal.  We drank beer, Shandy's (half beer/half lemonade), sherry and lemonade....and ate and ate!!  I might mention here that we do not have any sort of beverage in the USA that compares to the clear lemonade they use in these drinks.  It is also the mixer that is used with Pimm's and it is very sad that we don't have the proper mixer in the US.

Saturday morning Ann dropped us off in Walton to shop.  I've known Walton since I first met Ann, and it is amazing how much it has developed over the years.  It is no longer just a tiny village with small shops.  After looking around a picking up a few things we headed to Sainsbury's for my tea shopping trip.  I'm sure everyone will be happy to know that I now have a new supply of my favorite tea - 960 tea bags to be exact.  That should keep me happy for awhile.  Also picked up a pack of McVitties's biscuits coated with  milk chocolate.  I could have had 2 grocery carts full - and been barred from entering the USA with all my favorite English goodies that I would have liked to bring home.

We were also treated to George's wonderful fry up one morning.  Eggs, bacon, tomatoes, beans, and toast.  We certainly were treated royally and await the day they will come see us so we can return the favor.  Ann and I have known one another 50 years (scary thought) and I have been trying all that time to get her to come see us.  I do think we may be getting closer to the event and that we may see them before we are all old and gray!

We left their house this Monday at 1 pm, and after arriving at LHR went straight to the BA kiosk which wouldn't give us a seat or a boarding pass and printed out a slip for us to take the Flight Manager desk.  Uh-oh.  Well, no real queue there and within 15 minutes we did have seats and our boarding passes.  It seems this was the result of not having internet access at Ann's and not being able to check-in on line.  The woman at the desk actually had to call and get us seats, couldn't do it herself on her computer.  She said unfortunately, BA expects people to check in online.  They also over book flights.  She was very nice, understood of course that everyone doesn't have a computer over there.  And as our luck has it, Ann's son Steven does have a work iPhone but had so many cranks calls on it that his work had disconnected his old one and he had to wait a few days for his new number  - or else he could have helped  us check in.  And, the little town of Hersham and Walton do not have cyber cafes!    In the end, we are sitting here in our World Travler Plus seats, with the footrests, bigger seats and had a traditional English roast with potoatoes and beans for our meal - with a cloth napkin, real silverware and glass for our wine.  And, before that we had cocktails, and before that a warm cloth to wipe hands and face.  Hoping BA offers this seat again next for next year....as we don"t really want to spend the extra $$ or miles to do this again!  There are only 24 seats in this separate class....and we are sitting in front of the sardine class in the back.

Either later today or tomorrow I will add the rest of my photos and some thoughts on Germany. When you see this posted, you will know we are home, and I will be planning the trip for next year!