All said and done I actually arrived at the train station to catch the 9:30 train instead of the 10. The train ride was uneventful, a single train, returning from Oxford to Paddington station in London. There, I transfered to the Underground and took the tube a few stops to my terminal at London Heathrow.
Unlike some other trips through airports I've had on my journeys, this was remarkably painless. I pretty much walked to the counter, loaded my bag and was handed my boarding pass. With very little queuing, I proceeded through security without hassle. At this point I had about and hour and a half before my gate was announced and 10 pounds to spend. So, I wandered from store to store to se my options. I opted for a coffee, hot wrap, and a set of double A batteries, since I'm on my last 2. After that I was down to 42 pence, and decided that was satisfactory.
By the time I was done wandering and eating, my gate had been announced and I went to sit there to wait for boarding to start. There, a woman approached me, working for the airport, and requested if she could ask me a few questions. I obliged and she proceeded to inquire about my experiences in London Heathrow Airport over the last 24 hours. The question were all very simple and were I think designed to survey what people like or want improved in the terminal. I thought it was very painless and if acted on, good research to do.
With all interviews out of the way, I boarded my flight. Once seated I basically passed out. I stayed awake through takeoff, and just long enough for a drink and snack. I had coffee and chocolate cookies. They did little good though as I then promptly fell asleep. I awoke again as landing was announced. The landing itself was likely the smoothest I'd ever experienced, as (while awake) did not notice when we made contact with the ground.
Post landing, the trip through security and baggage claim was uneventful. Once through, I walked through the door and quickly found a woman with a sign, "Tom Brown". With that I walked over and met once more with Corinne. We got to her car and left the airport for her house. (Parents... should you think of answers to any unknowns I may mention... feel free to enlighten) We talked a bit, and tried to remember what year I was here last, as neither of us recognized each other. But, we enjoyed talking about the visits to the beer gardens that we did both remember.
We arrived about 30 minutes (maybe) later at her house. Inside, I was greater by Albert (Corinne's husband), Elena (daughter) and Victor (older son). It was a warm welcome, and while I didn't remember Elena or Victor, and Alfred only vaguely, conversation started up quite quickly. Elena showed me where to put my things and we went back downstairs for dinner.
Dinner was not what I normally think of as dinner. That said, it was really good and not something I would have thought of, but plan to make sometime myself. There was a salad, with lettuce, feta cheese, tuna and french dressing. To go with it was some bread, cheese and thin bacon(?) slices. I thought it was a great dinner were they in season, tomatoes would be a perfect addition to the salad.
Unfortunately, Alfred and the three kids (Bruno had arrived) were headed out to a concert. So, Corinne and I Stayed and chatted for quite a while. We talked a bit about travel and life, and had some wine with our cheese. After a bit Corinne got some pastries out, which seemed reminiscent of very fancy doughnuts, and they tasted like really fancy doughnuts. Along with these, she found a scrapbook of her year in the US.
The scrapbook was gold! I saw pictures of our old house with the basement set up for parties, as well as the back porch under construction. Pictures of both Samantha and Geraldine, who I always like pictures of. I saw photos of Aunt Colleen and Uncle Steve's wedding. I saw a picture of Aunt Colleen with hair longer than I'd ever seen and that was a bit of a sunrise. I also saw some of the single most hilarious photos of my dear brother Rob.
After photos, wine and dessert, we cleaned up the dining room and the kitchen. Corinne gave me a tour of the house and found a guidebook I could use to look up various facts and sites about Munich. That lead to a bit of quiet remnants of the evening, and then a long awaited time in bed.
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