Good Evening All!

I was so sad to leave Cornwall this morning. Jo and her daughter, Mia, came to pick me up from the B&B. We had a short bit of time to kill before my train, so we went up to the church for one last visit.

The church was decorated for a wedding with beautiful flowers at the end of each pew and near the altar. There was also a special display honoring author, Rosamunde Pilcher, who is from Lelant and has deep ties to the church--having been christened and married there. The church has also been used in films. Interesting stuff!

Jo's husband, Duncan, and the boys met us at the train station and the whole family was exceedingly helpful with my bulging bags. There were lots of hugs goodbye and lots of waving as my train left the station. I wasn't ready to leave, but now that I'm back in London, I'm ready to get home.

The train ride was fine. It's very smooth and quiet. There were quite a few stops along the way, though. No problem. Annoying people got off and more annoying people got on. There were a couple of stretches with no annoying people. LOL I got lucky after a couple of stops when I was able to change to a table seat. The seats, however, weren't all that comfortable for that long a journey.

There wasn't a whole lot to see--lots of hills & valleys, trees, farms, etc... But, it was a nice surprise when the train passed right next to the ocean! I hadn't been expecting that. I fell asleep for a little while, but that's pretty hard while sitting up. We ran into a short delay at one point, so got into Paddington a little later than expected.

Once I got to Paddington, I couldn't remember if the Heathrow Connect service was a train or a subway. I was trying to find it on the monitors but could only see the Heathrow Express train. When I found the information booth, it was closed. I found another information desk, only to see the clerk leave as I was approaching. So, I stood there for a bit waiting for him to come back. That's when I realized that I was going to take a train and found where it said Heathrow Connect on the monitor. Duh. It was leaving at 5:05, but it didn't display which platform I needed to go to. When I finally figured out which platform (12), I had to cross clear over to the other side of the station. I had time to get in & use the bathroom before the train left, so that was good.

It was a 25 minute ride into Heathrow. Once there, I had to figure out where to catch a bus to my hotel. I had heard there was a free local bus that would go to my hotel. But, the woman at the info desk was telling me I had to take the Hotel Hoppa and go to the Terminal 1 Arrivals area. I think I was in Terminal 3. I think the free bus was from Terminal 5. I walked and walked and finally found the Hoppa stand. Then, I couldn't find my hotel listed to figure out which Hoppa bus to get on. I thought I needed Bus 6, but when it got there, the driver said I needed Bus 5. When I tried to get on Bus 5, the driver said I needed to get on Bus 4. The Bus 4 driver was confused but said he'd take me to the hotel.

It wasn't a long ride and I was all checked in by 6:45. I love this room! It's very spacious and modern. It's a pretty new hotel and has a lot of amenities. It's a great price, too!

I didn't feel like eating in the hotel restaurant, so I walked over to the McDonald's next door and picked up some dinner to bring back. All I have left to do is watch some t.v. and get a good night's sleep. I don't have to check out until noon. I'll take the Hoppa back to Heathrow for my flight. Then, it's a long flight home. But, I'll have a window seat. I might regret that at some point. LOL

I can see the Terminal 5 runway from my window. That's how close I am to Heathrow. I can't even hear the planes. I might entertain myself by watching some planes take off for awhile. LOL

Again, I had to insert my card key to get the lights here to work. And, I found out something else interesting. People in the UK can't be trusted to use electrical appliances in their bathrooms. Nowhere have I seen an outlet in any bathroom here. No light switches either. They aren't allowed. They can have pull cords for lights, but no switches.

Well, that's about it, folks! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and getting back in the groove. My knees are still mad at me. They need a vacation.