Episode 2 The arrival + immediate action
The flights out of Pearson to Europe are frequent but we chose the night flight. There is a 6 hours difference in time between UK and us. Flight time gate to gate is usual 6 hours. That would put us a night and day situation. You leave at 8 PM at night and you should arrive at 8 AM local time. If you can grab some sleep on the plane, then you plan a full day of activities after you arrive.
Heathrow is the choice airport for major airlines but Heathrow has 5 terminals. They have connecting buses between terminals but know your terminal for arrival or departure since it takes time between terminals including walking distances. Security check is usual long and it can take at least 20 minutes to go through. You can pre-book shuttles to your hotel online and they would come into the arrival level for you. The 30 minutes from the airport to go into town would allow you the time to soak in the damp, misty weather. UK is not known for its good nature in the weather department. They can have chilly morning, then hot muggy afternoon, and it turns cloudy and cool in the evening. Bring a hooded windbreaker with you for all purposes.
Kensington area is a nice neighbourhood to find a hotel. It is also close to a major subway line – the Circle Line. Kensington is a long street. It is divided into different sections, Kensington South, Kensington High Street. The more you are close to town, the more expensive is the rental. We stayed at the Hilton Olympia.
It is an older hotel but it is clean and they are friendly. There are convenience stores just down the street and the bus stop is right in front of the convenience stores. 4 stops on the bus and it would take you to Kensington High Street subway station and once you reach the ‘tube’, you would be free as a bird. The tube would take you to all the sightseeing places you want to go.
Number 10 bus would take you to the subway station, actually #9, #10, #27, #28 would all do the job. Buses run 24 hours. The night buses schedules are denoted by an N. The buses and subway can also take you to Heathrow if you travel light enough. You can get your bus pass deposit back at the subway station at Heathrow.
There is a Mark & Spencer’s food outlet right at the exit door of the arrival level and you can pick up some ‘Maynard fruit gum’ It is a chewy kind of jelly that is delicious. The British know how to make jelly and this product is far superior to the other fruit gum you get in Canada.
M&S is also famous for its socks and underwear. For years I wore knee high socks from M&S and they hold up well, won’t fall down to your ankle and give you the feeling of ball and chain. They are long lasting in quality. You cannot find underwear in this food outlet. You have to wait till you go to their department store.
We were anxious to meet with our shuttle driver. There was not clear exact location where to meet. In the hall, there are people holding up signs with names on them. Those are the receiving parties from different shuttle companies. You wait around in their area and you shuttle would show up. They are pretty much on time. Sit still and eventually you will meet your ride. The shuttle is by far the least expensive from the airport to your hotel.
It was after 8 in the morning and I was excited and hungry. I ate a bag of shrimp chips [the Brits call them prawn crackers], chewed on some wine gum and paced up and down the hall, trying to start some trouble. Our shuttle bus guy showed up and he was decent enough to help with the luggage. We were on our way for another round of adventure.