Entry tags:
Administrivia: we are back!
R. has been in Europe for 3 weeks and we were there for 2. But we’re all back now, and T.’s home from summer camp so I’ll be catching up on blogging, but probably not right now.
I got up this morning at 6 ish in Citadines Trafalgar Square and finished packing up, drank some tea, did some Duo, got A. moving. We got checked out and while I was checking out, the prebooked Uber showed a driver would be arriving in time.
And then it went back to no assigned drive. Ugh. I waited until the official arrival time, still no assigned driver. I was charged for this trip last night, too! I tried calling, but was unable to reach anyone, because it kept looping on who I was and I gave up after the second round, probably because I was interacting with Uber UK and my account is US. But who knows! I went back into the hotel and they called a cab, and we got to Gatwick in within a few minutes of when I was aiming for, for less than 10% more. Lesson learned. Literally never use Uber in London. I knew not to Uber from St Pancras, but apparently it’s just an overall rule. Also, you don’t even need to set up an account to ride the metro; phone worked great for tap in / tap out.
Gatwick is a completely manageable sized airport. I’ve never been to Heathrow, and while I wasn’t committed to avoiding it, I was interested in avoiding it if possible and I have no regrets. We had a nonstop Jetblue to Boston and it was delightful in every way, just like the one I took with A. to Schiphol. It’s literally the only flights I’ve ever taken her on where she was genuinely comfortable and happy, and where I could actually get some meaningful sleep (or, today, naps).
I had already downloaded and filled in the mobile passport app stuff before arriving, so it was just photos, and we got through customs and pass control wicked fast. We did have to wait for R.’s bag to show up. We were driving home during rush hour, but it was not too bad. I’m now doing laundry, and am mostly unpacked. But I’m going to bed soon, because I’ve been up since 1 am eastern, so already over 18 hours. Even with naps, that’s kind of a lot for me.
I got up this morning at 6 ish in Citadines Trafalgar Square and finished packing up, drank some tea, did some Duo, got A. moving. We got checked out and while I was checking out, the prebooked Uber showed a driver would be arriving in time.
And then it went back to no assigned drive. Ugh. I waited until the official arrival time, still no assigned driver. I was charged for this trip last night, too! I tried calling, but was unable to reach anyone, because it kept looping on who I was and I gave up after the second round, probably because I was interacting with Uber UK and my account is US. But who knows! I went back into the hotel and they called a cab, and we got to Gatwick in within a few minutes of when I was aiming for, for less than 10% more. Lesson learned. Literally never use Uber in London. I knew not to Uber from St Pancras, but apparently it’s just an overall rule. Also, you don’t even need to set up an account to ride the metro; phone worked great for tap in / tap out.
Gatwick is a completely manageable sized airport. I’ve never been to Heathrow, and while I wasn’t committed to avoiding it, I was interested in avoiding it if possible and I have no regrets. We had a nonstop Jetblue to Boston and it was delightful in every way, just like the one I took with A. to Schiphol. It’s literally the only flights I’ve ever taken her on where she was genuinely comfortable and happy, and where I could actually get some meaningful sleep (or, today, naps).
I had already downloaded and filled in the mobile passport app stuff before arriving, so it was just photos, and we got through customs and pass control wicked fast. We did have to wait for R.’s bag to show up. We were driving home during rush hour, but it was not too bad. I’m now doing laundry, and am mostly unpacked. But I’m going to bed soon, because I’ve been up since 1 am eastern, so already over 18 hours. Even with naps, that’s kind of a lot for me.