It was an early morning wake up call to be ready for the arrival of our bus at 6:00am sharp. The troups arrived in the Clink 78 lobby at 5:45am - punctual as usual. We were tired, a bit happy to be going home and a bit sad to leave behind our great adventure. And so we waited.
At 6:05am we were still waiting. The Sunday morning streets of London were empty. And at 6:20am we started to get nervous. But the Seaward bus and our drive John finally arrived.
He drove us through the quiet streets of London to say one last good bye to our favorite spots and a final tip of the hat to Big Ben. Thank you for a smooth ride John!
We arrived at Heathrow a bit later than we expected, but the British run their
airport like a well oiled machine.
We had no problem getting through security and to our gate with time to spare for
a little coffee and breakfast.
Our plane was being spruced up which included a new tire - delaying our departure by 30 minutes.
But we were soon getting ready to board our flight.
On the plane with us was a mother traveling with her two infant twins. She came down the isles of our cabin and presented each of us with gifts from the babies. The package included candy, ear plugs and Tylenol. The note explained that as babies, they might cry and fuss. The candy and other goodies were their way of apologizing and thanking us for our patience. WHAT A GREAT IDEA.
Everyone was happy to accomodate this little family.
Here we are leaving the coast of Ireland
And here we are over Newfoundland or is it Albany?
After a seven hour flight which included a nice lunch, movies, games, lots of water breaks and snacks - we arrived at Newark International. Unlike the British, the American airport is not a well oiled machine and it took a while to get through Immigration, Customs and then back through security.
By the time we found our final gate - everyone was feeling a bit tired.
It was a good long 5 hour wait for the last leg of the trip.
Our last plane ride was a very small propellor plane. We had a 5 seater right across the last row of the plane that was very cozy and noisy. We arrived back in Albany, NY at approximately 8:15pm safe and sound. We had a final group cheer to the CLINK! and found our way to our respective homes. And so the trip comes to an end.
Finally I would like to say a few thank you's -
1. Thank you to Ann Breaznell and our wonderful students who were always on time, always of good cheer, and just all around good sports. They made the trip a fabulous adventure.
2. Thank you to Hardys Sweetshop. We spent a good deal of money there and want to particularly thank the patient young employees who wrapped so many sweet bags for us.
Who doesn't love the traditional mushroom and fried egg candies!
3. And finally - you have to thank the queen. Long live the queen!!!!!
CHEERS! - Jessica
Until next time.
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