A Long Night's Journey

Last night we traveled across the Atlantic to England.  Unlike my ancestors who made the long journey by boat from Europe to the U.S., we went in the opposite direction on British Airways.

We arrived at Mexico City International airport three hours before our departure time at 10 PM.  I was very impressed with the renovations that were made to the terminal prior to the World Cup.  Even more than that, I was impressed with the smoothness with which everything operated.  In all my travels over the last fifty years, I don't think I have ever had a more effortless check-in process.  Perhaps it was the hour of day, but we encountered no line at all at the British Airways desk, nor going through security.  The staff at security were very pleasant.  It was less than  a half hour from the time we arrived at Terminal 1 via Uber, to the time we reached out gate.

Departure was from the same hall from which I left on Lufthansa for Germany a couple years ago.  Unlike then, plenty of seating has been added for waiting passengers, and everything seemed more organized.

By the time we had a so-so meal at one of the restaurants on the concourse and visited the restroom, it was time to board our flight.

No, we did not fly on first or business class, but I did splurge on Premium Economy seats.  British Airways definitely makes Premium Economy feel more special than just offering more legroom.  We received a small amenities bag, and we had very comfortable headphones instead of just cheap little earbuds.  The beverage cart offered free liquor, beer and wine although I stuck to water and orange juice.  The flight attendants were very pleasant. The menu of supper and breakfast offerings sounded very gourmet.  It was just OK, but was at least served on real dinnerware.

On the negative side, although we had plenty of legroom, I think the seats could be more comfortable.  I kept sliding in my seat and had to constantly pull myself up.

Unfortunately we were seated behind a family with a crying toddler.  It was annoying but her crying was sporadic, and, since I was wearing my headphones listening to classical music, it was not that bothersome.  Her parents were actually more annoying.  I don't know how they were allowed to board with so many pieces of carry-on luggage but they filled the entire overhead bin above us.  (Fortunately there was room in the bin across the aisle.)  The father was constantly up out of his seat and taking stuff out of the bin or putting it back.  At least our stewardess told them to put their seats in an upright position when supper was served.

I have never been able to sleep on a plane, and this time was no exception.  I spent the night staring at the flight map as we made our way across the Atlantic.  At last we arrived at London Heathrow airport.  Here a some photos from our descent...

You can make out the Thames River down there.

Heathrow Airport was the complete opposite of our pleasant experience at the Mexico City airport.

Heathrow is so confusing, and it seemed like we had to walk for a mile to get to immigration (Yes, it made that long walk getting off a plane at Mexico City airport seem like a piece of cake.) Then after immigration there was another trek to get to the luggage claim.

I had studied videos on YouTube on how to get to our hotel by bus.  With no problem we found the platform where the bus would take us the short distance to our hotel.  The bad part was that there was no place to put luggage.  I thought that odd for a bus that serves the airport.  The driver must have taken lessons in Mexico, and I had to hang on for dear life as he negotiated turns and roundabouts.  The aisle was on an incline, and when I let go of my suitcase for a moment it went rolling halfway down the aisle. I had to go after it.  This jet-lagged traveler was completely frazzled by the time we reached the stop in front of the hotel.

At least the hotel is very satisfactory.  I booked a room at the Premier Inn, part of a chain of budget hotels.  I stayed at a couple of them on a previous trip, and they have been good value for the money.

The room is clean and comfortable, the staff is very helpful, and as you can see, the room is quite spacious for a European hotel.

So, now it is the next day.  I got a good night's sleep, and I feel as if I have adjusted to the time change.  Today we will take the train into central London and do a bit of exploring.