London - The Journey
At the very end of April Madison, Abigail, and I set out in the middle of the night on a grand adventure - we took an overnight trip to London! Our flight left Germany at 0630 so we had to be to the airport around 0500 which meant we were leaving our house at 0345. This particular evening (morning?) we entered our destination in the GPS and set out. I knew how to start getting there, but knew I would need the GPS' directions later in the drive. After about fifteen minutes on the road I noticed that the stupid thing was still calculating and couldn't seem to find a route. Thinking that perhaps it would catch onto a satellite and figure out a route for us if we stopped moving for a few minutes, we exited at the next opportunity and sat for a while. Still nothing. So we headed back home where I knew we had a different GPS that I hoped would be more cooperative. Now forty minutes behind schedule, but with a functioning GPS, we set out again.
Jared stayed home with the other three children and he needed the van while we were away, so the three of us were driving in the truck we've been borrowing from our friends. I don't mind driving a truck and in many ways it's a lot like driving a van, but it's not the most comfortable way to get from here to there. This particular truck seats three on a single bench across the cab. It had been raining so to keep our things dry it was us and our bags in the cab of the truck. Poor Abigail was in the middle trying to keep her legs out of the way of the gear stick as I shifted between gears as we drove up and down hills and around curves. Being late or behind schedule is one of my least favorite things; add to that the cramped quarters in the truck and lack of sleep from our early start and the beginning of our trip was not even a little bit fun.
To get to the airport we have to drive though the Zauberwald, or the magic forest. The drive through the forest is quite scenic during the day. The trees stand straight and tall as far as you can see on either side of the road and the ground of the forest is covered in bright green moss. The road winds its way through the forest following the path of a little stream. The Magic Forest seems like a fitting name for such a beautiful, and yes, magical place. At nighttime though this beautiful, magical forest reminds me of a different type of magic. The trees are dark and forbidding, there is no light for miles except for the headlights of your car, and the twists and turns are hidden in the darkness and appear unexpectedly in your path. Add to that the fact that on this particular night it was foggy and it was not the lovely drive through the woods that I remembered from previous trips.
Despite the setback with the GPS and the spooky, foggy forest we did arrive with enough time to make our flight. We might have had to run through the parking lot and then anxiously wait in the security line silently cursing the people ahead of us who apparently had never heard of the whole quart sized bag thing, but we made it to the gate with about five minutes to spare. It was an uneventful flight to London with the usual hard, bumpy Ryan Air landing.
Because our arrival airport was actually located about 36 miles outside of central London the flight was just step one (well, step two after the drive) of our journey. Step three was a forty-five minute train ride from the airport to London proper and after the cramped conditions in both the truck and on the plane, the train was positively luxurious with roomy seats, wide isles, and a snack trolley that made us all think of Harry Potter - although we didn't "take the lot."
Jared stayed home with the other three children and he needed the van while we were away, so the three of us were driving in the truck we've been borrowing from our friends. I don't mind driving a truck and in many ways it's a lot like driving a van, but it's not the most comfortable way to get from here to there. This particular truck seats three on a single bench across the cab. It had been raining so to keep our things dry it was us and our bags in the cab of the truck. Poor Abigail was in the middle trying to keep her legs out of the way of the gear stick as I shifted between gears as we drove up and down hills and around curves. Being late or behind schedule is one of my least favorite things; add to that the cramped quarters in the truck and lack of sleep from our early start and the beginning of our trip was not even a little bit fun.
To get to the airport we have to drive though the Zauberwald, or the magic forest. The drive through the forest is quite scenic during the day. The trees stand straight and tall as far as you can see on either side of the road and the ground of the forest is covered in bright green moss. The road winds its way through the forest following the path of a little stream. The Magic Forest seems like a fitting name for such a beautiful, and yes, magical place. At nighttime though this beautiful, magical forest reminds me of a different type of magic. The trees are dark and forbidding, there is no light for miles except for the headlights of your car, and the twists and turns are hidden in the darkness and appear unexpectedly in your path. Add to that the fact that on this particular night it was foggy and it was not the lovely drive through the woods that I remembered from previous trips.
Despite the setback with the GPS and the spooky, foggy forest we did arrive with enough time to make our flight. We might have had to run through the parking lot and then anxiously wait in the security line silently cursing the people ahead of us who apparently had never heard of the whole quart sized bag thing, but we made it to the gate with about five minutes to spare. It was an uneventful flight to London with the usual hard, bumpy Ryan Air landing.
Because our arrival airport was actually located about 36 miles outside of central London the flight was just step one (well, step two after the drive) of our journey. Step three was a forty-five minute train ride from the airport to London proper and after the cramped conditions in both the truck and on the plane, the train was positively luxurious with roomy seats, wide isles, and a snack trolley that made us all think of Harry Potter - although we didn't "take the lot."
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| What did we do with out forty-five minutes of comfort? Read, of course. Sleep would just be silly! |
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