In May of 2006, Matt and I went on our dream trip: Two weeks touring around Scotland and Ireland {with C.I.E tours}. It almost came to a screeching halt, what I am sure would have resulted in our being in jail, when we realized that we were missing a very important document needed for international travel.
We flew out of Newark International Airport at 6pm on Friday, May 19th, on British Airways. It wasn't the first time that either of us had traveled internationally and wasn't the first time that I had been to Ireland. But it was the FIRST time we had traveled so far away together {we went to Jamaica for our Honeymoon 6 months earlier}.
I hate flying to Europe. It takes WAY too long, and I don't sleep on planes....of course Matt was snoring quite peacefully as I began the 4th movie of the night, oblivious to the world. I watched the mini screen on the back of the seat in front of me, constantly checking to see where the little plane was on the map of our flight.
We landed in Heathrow, thinking we had a bit of time before our connecting flight to Edinburgh when we realized that not only were we in the wrong line or terminal, we were in the wrong "town". We finally figured out where we were supposed to be, watching the clock tick closer and closer to our flight leaving for Scotland, perhaps without us.
We were all but running. Tick tick tick. We finally reached the gate, only to be told that they would be boarding the BUS, a BUS!, in a few minutes. A brief reprieve as we wheeled around the tarmac and we were running again. Not only was there a bus…oh no, that would’ve been too commonplace, but there was also a TRAIN that we needed to take to get to our plane.
A train…across the whole of London-Heathrow Airport, just to get to the right terminal. Huffing and puffing, with our 2 weeks worth of luggage, because you have to transfer it yourself {and recheck it in}....tick tick tick tick.
The train comes to a stop and we bolt. "You have our passports right?" Matt reached in his pocket and his face blanched, "$hit!" I was standing near a door on the train, that hadn't closed yet, and jumped in the doorway so it couldn't close, fleeing with our passports.
Matt ran back several cars to our seats and there, tucked nicely in the C.I.E Tours folder sat our passports.
Finally, we were at the final place, luggage being checked, falling into our seats with mere minutes to spare before take off.
TWO HOURS! That's how long it took us to get from one flight to another in London Heathrow, and that is why I will avoid that airport at all cost.
Funny to think that’s it’s been 7 years, today since that Amazing Race. At least the rest of the trip went smoothly.
If you want to see more of our pictures from Scotland and Ireland, you can go HERE.
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