| No problem - if we leave between 3:15 and 3:30, we'll be there WAY ahead of 4:30. HA! |
| Well, we were close, but not the first of
our group to arrive - not by a long shot.
Nevertheless, all travellers were assembled, checked in, permissions slips signed, photographed, hugged, good-byed, and (finally) seated. Then, the fun began. |
| After the shortest wait from gate to runway that could be imagined, and after waving to Lisa through Evan's window, we were airborne and London-bound. |
| Originally, the entire group were seated close together in just a few rows in the mid 30s, but Dave and Mary Ann asked to be moved to aisle seats for the additional leg-room; they ended up in row fifty-something, far from the rest of us. |
| The kids made a new friend. Ram
was impressed with our group, especially with Evan and Drew, and we won
his sympathy and prayers for our success in London with them all.
Very few of us managed to remain in our originally assigned seats, but there was a great mixing of kids. Unfortunately, Cara and Jill were seated across the aisle from the rest of us - the only starboard side passengers - and they were a bit isolated from us. Probably they were by Dave and Mary Ann's original seats. |
| The food on the plane was very good (and not just for aeroplane food) although the dinner was far superior to the "enhanced Continental" breakfast - just wait till they get a load of the Big Breakfast at Nando's! Grilled tomato, here we come! |
| And, oh! the amount of sleeping that went
on! James dozed off for entire moments at a time, Evan actually slept,
Beth probably did as well, but it's unlikely that anyone else got more
than a passing nod, so to speak.
Dave got in a few hours sleep, but Mary Ann could only claim 1/2 hour or so. They were by the WC and the staff's curtained area, so it was activity all night long. (Of course, it was activity all night long in our rows as well!) |
| Deplaning went nicely, until, after having
cleared the rigorous, full-cavity search-less customs procedure, I realized
I hadn't brought the page of notes saying how to get our coach. Working
from memory and wit and desperation, I found my way to the desk where I
was supposed to be.
Here again, Providence was seen (God looks out for Charlie and little children) - the radio wouldn't work, so the lady at the desk had to send us out to the coach stop (#15) where the coach would likely be waiting. It was, and we met our driver for the entire journey, Geoff. Geoff seems like a great guy, and offered to help us to fix our itinerary to be more efficient hurrah!) and avoid the "Oh no, not another 8 hour bus day" syndrome. |
| The first change was, let's stop at Chipping
Campden on the way to Stratford - it's not out of the way, and it'll get
us to Bristol that much sooner the next day.
No sooner said than done. Off we went through London's rush-hour traffic, with a stop at the services first to refresh and recharge. That done (and a brief talk with Geoff about carveries in London over a cup of tea), we were on our way to the Cotswolds. |
| Chipping Campden was as we remembered it,
but this time, St. James's church was open, and we got to see, in the beautiful
interior, a "national treasure."
A tapestry +/- 600 years old which had nearly been destroyed in the Civil War (it had the Virgin Mary on it, so the Puritans cut her out - of the side they could see!). The Queen (of a reign or two ago) loved the tapestry, and had a copy made for her coronation, and that copy is at Westminster Abbey still, and has been used at all subsequent coronations. We'll have to look for it when we're in London. |
| Finishing with Chipping Campden and its fine
toilet facilities, we reboarded and headed off to Nando's in Stratford.
(Of course, a few of the boys were scolded for pinching the pavement, but they vehemently denied it: "You're lying to us," one of them said.) |
| Nando's was just as it had been, only different.
It's being painted, and has expanded into the next row house down.
Zoë met us and passed out the room assignments and in we settled.
The kids were excited at the prospect of some "free time" in Stratford,
so they split into groups, each with a walkie-talkie, and headed out to
explore and have adventures. Most everyone got his/her £10
to buy lunch, and we all had a great time. We met Kate, the manager,
and learned to our sorrow that Pat had died of a brain tumour, and that
Peter has been in hospital much more than out for quite some time, having
lost one leg to diabetes already, with the other nearly ready to go.
We also met Kate's dog, Sid (as in Vicious), a sweet little guy who had been abused for a few years before Kate went straight - I mean before Kate got him. She didn't want us to play with him, because he gets worried when people show too much interest. |
| Then there was dinner (chicken), and after a rousing game of "find the room key" where Evan looked in the park - unsuccessfully - when he should have looked in the room, because the light was far better there. |
| Evening, Night, Sleep. |
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