Day 2 - London

So, my luggage has been on a very different trip than us. It didn’t make it to the hotel last night. Fortunately I had the forethought to pack pjs and a change of clothes in Martha’s bag once we knew we had to check. In exchange, her snow pants and leggings were in my bag. Had it not ever arrived, we could have made due, but pants would have been a problem.

This morning I awoke on a mission to retrieve my luggage from Heathrow. After a mostly sleepless night worrying about it, I dragged Martha back to the airport. I knew where the bag was because my air tag was reporting that the bag had not moved since Wednesday afternoon.

We took a taxi to Heathrow; I don’t recommend this at all as it took an hour and cost more than 100 pounds. But I was too impatient for the Tube. In retrospect, it would’ve been the same amount of time for 1/10th the cost.

Turns out there’s a phone to call the baggage service area, which is not accessible if you’re not coming in on a flight. A very nice woman from AA baggage answered, found my bag, and told me the secret back way to claim the bag via the “No Entry” employee screening. I had grabbed my passport and boarding pass before leaving the hotel, and needed both to get through the security checkpoint. Once on the other side, there was my bag. The AA lady said I was lucky it was still there as it was scheduled to be picked up and delivered today. I did not point out that my air tag told me exactly where the bag was so it was a safe bet it was still in baggage claim.

The moral for me, pack less, wear the same stuff over and over, and don’t let the airlines determine the fate of my luggage. And, if your bag is lost, lie about your departure date. In my report, I told them we were in town until Friday. They took that to mean ‘take all the time you need, no rush!’

After all that, I napped again (two sleepless nights took its toll, lol) The Handel & Hendrix museum that the London Experts told us about will have to wait until next trip. Yes, George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix lived in the same house, 200 years apart. Oh, the stories that house could tell… Next time.

We found a place for lunch. Hello O’Neill’s. As in most pubs we’ve visited over the years in the UK, you get your table number and go to the bar to order. Order and pay up front. Definitely fewer staff for the pub, but pretty easy for patrons. Also, the food is not precooked so it is always hot!

Tonight we met up with “The Twins”. For those of you who are new to the blog, we meet Bridget and Mary two years ago in London. They graduated from Northern Illinois with my brother Matt and SIL Cindy and they all kept in touch through the years. Just after Matt’s passing, which was the impetus of Odyssey 1.0, we passed through London and booked a happy hour with them. They were so much fun (and drank us under the table - a hard thing to do) we booked a second night (with the same results.) We have learned. This time they came to our hotel. We had a blast reconnecting tonight. These are two lovely ladies. Bridget in red and Mary behind me.