LONDON - DAY 1

We were driven from our home to the airport and once at the airport we had lunch while we waited to check-in.  The check-in process took longer than usual because of some interface problem between London and USA TSA to get passengers approved for the flight.  It took around 30 minutes to resolve and affected several passengers but the good new is happened as soon as the check in process began and we were first in line.

Once we received our boarding passes we made our way through security and then we went to the airline lounge where we read and wrote and also spoke with our daughter, Jennifer, and our son Eric.

Our direct flight to London Heathrow left shortly after 6:00 PM last evening and we arrived on-time, shortly after 9:00 AM London time.   We took this same flight last year on our flight to London to pick up Crystal Serenity.  

We were in a Business Class Cabin.  The plane is a Boeing 787 and they have three classes of service; Business, Premium Economy and Economy.

British Airways configures the seating so you have one seat facing forward and the companion seat facing towards the rear.  Should you not know the person sitting next to you and want additional privacy you can raise the automatic divider.  The empty seat is where Keith sat.

The flight was uneventful and the Flight Attendants were attentive and we each read, wrote and watched movies.  Keith slept three to four hours and Anne Marie doesn't think she slept as long but we adjusted very quickly to the new time zone.

After proceeding through immigration, getting our luggage and going through customs we were met by our driver for the drive into London.  We had Fast Track Cards so that did speed up the process getting through immigration.

The driver was superb and the drive from the airport to the Hotel took less than 45 minutes.

As we did last year, we are staying at a small hotel known at Hotel 41.  This hotel only contains 30 rooms.  Other than the lobby entrance where one is greeted at the door by one of the members of the staff the Hotel is essentially on one floor.  It used to be a large ballroom and part of the hotel next door which is Rubens Of The Palace.  The staff provides superb service on a personal level and they rotate the duties/responsibilities so the person at the front door entrance might be doing the check-ins later in the day.  They very quickly learn your names and are very attentive to ones needs.  

Check-in is done at a desk area of the club lounge.  The process is fast and easy and another of the members of the staff offered us Champagne and there were six different bottles to choose from.  We normally don't have champagne at 10:45 in the morning but we did toast to a wonderful start of our adventure and had a few sips of the bubbly

We were fortunate that our room was just about ready and we only had to wait five minutes before we were escorted the short distance to our room.  We are staying in the same room as we did last year.

Keith turns 60 in a little over three months but since we are starting with an early celebration of his birthday the Hotel was kind enough to have a little Happy Birthday greeting for us when we arrived to the room.

We then got settled in our room and then began to enjoy our time in London.

We first had lunch at a place we ate at last year.  We had a healthy choice featuring a nice Cobb Salad and enjoyed the views from our table.

The staff was very friendly.  We remembered the Hostess from last year and likewise she remembered us.  

We then ventured out and walked for a few hours.  

As experienced we are walking in London as well as other places around the world where the British set the standards for driving on the left side of the road, we still don't always get it right as pedestrians and these are the two keys that we use when we walk across the street.  

Our walk included a stop at Harrods.  And you can't just stop there for a few minutes.  There is a lot to see and we didn't see it all.

 If we thought we would be alone, think again.  A lot of people were browsing and shopping.

One of our stops included the food area and it is amazing.  We have been to this store before but we are always amazed at the quality and variety of food that they sell.  Macy's in NYC is impressive with its Cellar but it does not come close in comparison to the food court of Harrods.

We also made a stop to the toy area.  Now, if we could figure away to get this little (well large) guy home with us.

Our walk continued and we walked over to the Wellington Arch and then over to Buckingham Palace.  Tomorrow we will walk a good deal more.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, and getting cleaned up and then ready for dinner.

Once back at the hotel we relaxed and then got cleaned up (showered) for dinner and we will be dining later this evening and will post about this tomorrow.  

It was a great day and a great start to this trip.  We love to travel and are as excited about this trip as if it is our first time traveling.  

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.........

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." - Winston Churchill

Keith & Anne Marie