<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/street-v2393517-1280x950.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-5235" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/street-v2393517-1280x950-200x148.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="148" /></a>After a 3 hour drive down to the Radisson Blu hotel on the edge of Heathrow Airport everything was running to plan. The hotel, although only 3 floors is labyrinthine with confusing signage so it wasn't straightforward finding reception from the car park (car park at the rear, reception at the front). Room numbering didn't seem to make sense to me but I'm not an expert in hotel design so what do I know?
Down to the bar for dinner where there was a limited selection so I had a spicy sea bass with green salad (including green tomatoes) and french fries with a small bottle of Peroni - total cost £27 with tip. I guess this is reasonable considering where I am.
Not a bad night's sleep considering where I was and the great unknown of tomorrow. I have to keep reminding myself that hundreds of thousands of people navigate their way through airports every day and they are not necessarily the brightest people on the planet so I shouldn't have a problem. I picked up the Hoppa bus outside the hotel, it was running late and the driver was frustrated by the traffic and the stupidity of people. At the next hotel a whole lot of people wanted to get on but when told it wasn't going to Terminal 5 proceeded to walk slowly in front of the bus delaying him even further. It was an amusing ride.
<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Heathrow-airport-terminal-3.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-5236" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Heathrow-airport-terminal-3-200x133.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="133" /></a>Terminal 3 - dumped my bag after 10 minute queue and was through security in about the same time. Total time from leaving the hotel to sitting down in the secure area (09:15 - 10:00) which is relatively fast by today's standards. My only frustration - I checked in using my smart phone and there was a Q code on the phone which I thought everyone would scan as proof of my passport and ID. It doesn't work like that. I still had to produce my passport at bag drop. At least my boarding pass could be scanned at security and I didn't need my passport.
A 10 hour flight is long in anybodies language. I watched 3 films (The Phantom Thread, The Post [Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks] and 12 Strong a war film set in Afghanistan). I also completed the Times easy crossword and a couple of Sodukus. I did try sleeping and I probably dozed off for a while.
US Immigration was the usual long queue but I did strike lucky and was shown a shortcut through the system when the American citizen routes became free. Clive was waiting for me when I got out of bag handling. Clive's driving doesn't get any smoother so it's an edge of the seat experience.
After a cold shower (don't ask) we went for dinner a short walk round the block (cheeseless Pizza for me). I eventually crashed at 10pm local time having been awake for close to 24 hours.