This day went on forever! We got a few hours back traveling from east to west which made it even longer. Unfortunately, we could not have breakfast at out hotel since we had to leave before 7am. We took our backpacks and headed to St. Pancras Station. This time it was not the Underground, but another rail line called First Capital Connect that would take us WAY out to Gatwick Airport. The train leaves every 20 minutes or so, and we hopped on one that would get us there in plenty of time for an international flight. The train is surely the way to go to Gatwick. Shuttles are really expensive and a cab is out of the question. This train ride was only 10£ a person.
One we arrived at Gatwick, I was surprised at the security. In particular, the drug dog and crew. We were at the British Airways check-in area and the police were going about searching for scents with the dog. Ok, that's normal in an airport. The dog had it's master holding the leash, but what was shocking was the 3 military security behind the dog and master. These 3 young men stood behind the dog, about 10 meters apart with machine guns. As they moved around the area, they stood in the same defensive position. Watching them was interesting. Sorry no pictures. I don't think it would have been a good idea. The man with the dog finally made his way over to us. The little pooch sniffed my leg and it's master said good morning. I was friendly and at the same time checking out their gear. I like to check, just to be sure that everyone is safely handling their firearms. Fingers were off triggers, but their muzzles swept across civilians a few times, which caught me by surprise. Never do that! Point that thing down. And for real? Are you really going to open up with full automatic fire in a crowded airplane check in area with 3 machine guns? This was surely a scare tactic and must work pretty well in the UK.
The flight was a little bumpy over Greenland. Food was typical and I was able to get some blog entries done. The movies on board were a nice treat. My feet fell asleep a few times, even with walking a few laps around the plane. The passengers on the flight were a little weird. The CES (Consumer Electronics Show) was about to begin in Las Vegas, so our flight was filled up with 25-50 year old men on a business trip. There were only a few women. Seriously, there were only about 10 women on the entire plane. When we were approaching Las Vegas you could sense the excitement with these guys. I am thankful these guys are coming to our city. Please, go spend your money!
Upon arriving in Vegas, it was reverse culture shock even though we had only been gone a little over 2 weeks. Big cars. Big bodies. And, big mouths. Ahhhh. We were home. We arrived at about 1:30pm and all my friends were at work. We waited in the line for a cab at Terminal 3. Finally, one came to take us home.
Our France and England trip was now over. Tomorrow it's a work day for us and I can't wait to share our experiences with my students. I will have to whittle down the 1,300 pics I took into 100 or so. I find that to be a difficult part of the trip, as well as typing this blog. In the end it's all worth it. We're not sure what's next for travel, but whatever it is, it's going to be awesome! Another great trip. The memories will last forever.
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