Summer Vacation - Day 1

4:55 p.m. 7/21/2013

Waiting for take-off

Brothers messing around

 And we're OFF! 9 hours 30 minutes flight from SFO to Heathrow, UK! Dick, Taylor, David Nash  David and Vasi Thathiah and myself are on board a flight of British Airways.  We arrived with plenty of time to relax, enjoy lunch at the Firewood Restaurant here at SFO to help make time fly! We are all feeling good and excited.  Prince William and Kate had their baby boy at 4:25 pm today, as we are sitting here in the restaurant, we see this on CNN very exciting time for England. No name yet, we'll all have to wait and see! We all bet on the name - Taylor WON!!

It was funny when we came on board.  The stewards and stewardesses have the English accent!
We had a delicious dinner!  We had a choice of pasta or beef.  Since I don't eat cheese anymore, I got the beef, Dick and everyone else got the beef.  Taylor got the pasta.  It was a mexicanish flavor beef, rice, beans with corn.  It was so yummy.  Also, a salad and roll!  I don't quite know HOW this happened but David T was able to get some champagne from the stewardess! We had red wine with our meal and topped it off with champagne! Our dinner also came with a strawberry cheesecake!  Do you know the story of Taylor and cheesecake? Ask me some time!  Anyway....he took a taste of this one and liked it! He finished his piece! First time for everything!
They were having technical difficulties with the movies for awhile so we've been enjoying my book, 'The Covenant' by James Michner.  Taylor has been listening to his music and playing a game on his iPod. The movies are working now and Dick is watching 'Identity Thief'. David and Vasi are in the row behind us.  Sitting next to Vasi is an 80 year old lady that is totally sprawled across two seats, on her back, with her dentures nearly falling out I'd her mouth! Oh no!! I wish now that I took a pic!! David N. is sitting behind David T. on the aisle.

A few hours later......

Well, that was a useless night of sleep!  Both Taylor and I were WIDE awake while the entire plane SLEPT!  It was miserable!  We kept looking at each other, taking our fingers like a gun to our heads, pretending to cut our wrists, head banging the seats - anything to get to sleep! Nothing. The best news was that in the middle aisle of 4 seats we had only 3 people so I could curl up on 2 seats.  It was so comfortable, but do you think sleep would overcome? No.  I said so many prayers, counted backwards from 100 a few times. Nothing.  I think I finally got an hour and same with Tay.  The rest of the party was DEEP asleep for hours!  I even asked the stewardess if she had any suggestions and she said drink hard liquor! No thanks!  I took a percogesic too!  Oh well.  We must adapt and overcome!
It is 77 degrees and clear when we land in Heathrow. Ready to land! Here we go!

And then.....NO! Apparently there is a really bad thunderstorm in Heathrow as we got down to really?.....less than 1,000 feet? Then, up we went!! We didn't land at the time of 11 a.m.! We had to fly another 10 minutes to Stanstead! We had to refuel, that took some time.....now, we flew back to Heathrow and are waiting on the plane for the stairs to arrive so we can depart this plane. Unreal.

Before the trip, David Nash said, "You won't hear a peep out of me!" so, every now and then we look at David or he looks at us and says, "You won't hear a peep out of me!" haha

Tay and I are happier....with all of this waiting for the stairs and refueling, we were able to sleep more!  Feeling a little better, but our plan to go to Windsor Castle today will now change since we are so late arriving.....3:30 p.m. After customs!

We arrived at the beautiful hotel. We had to wait a few minutes for Uncle David and Tay's room to get ready, then we met up at 5:00 to head into the city. We were able to get rooms at this hotel because David's cousin knows the owner very well. Even got the "family discount"!!

Waiting in the lobby....waiting for the room. EXHAUSTED - but READY!

NICE bathroom

We took the train from Terminal 5 at the airport since we are staying at the new Sofitel Hotel at the airport.  We purchased our daily train passes online and they arrived a few weeks ago in the mail.  Smart move! We are ready for these next 3 days using the train! We got off at Picadilly Circus and found a place to eat - Garfunkels - outside up under the patio! Perfect weather but poor choice of restaurant.... It was just OK.

Riding the tube!

Coming out of the tube!  STEEP!!

Just walked out from the underground, first pic in LONDON!!

Oh yeah....it's true what they say about those cute red telephone booths......Don't open the doors! They stink! 
Horribly!  

Tay and David got in another snooze while on the tube and was feeling better.  We are all very tired but HEY, we are in London!  Most of us had fish and chips.  David T had chicken and Tay ordered spaghetti and meatballs! He liked it!

 We left the restaurant and walked to Trafalgar Square, took some pics then walled to Buckingham Palace.  Took pics of Nelson's column in the square and Admiralty Arch. Lots of people and news reporters waiting on the arrival/any news on the new baby boy!

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

The walk down to Buckingham Palace from Trafalgar Square.
(Vasi looks so little! HAHA)

We recalled the times we've seen the street on the news! Pretty amazing and impressive.

Made it to Buckingham Palace. The Queen wouldn't open the door when we knocked! Shoot!

On the way back to the Underground, we passed through Hyde Park - a large open field. People were enjoying the evening sunset, hanging out.

Nice and peaceful.

We hopped back on the train at 9 p.m. in Hyde Park and headed home. I'd say we took full advantage of our first day!!

Didn't take long....we were all DONESKI!

The train is fairly crowded with people from all around the world.  I thought SF was an International city!  Nope.  London has it beat!