London and Paris pt.1

And so it begins

A trip of my dreams, maybe even a trip of a lifetime. My trip to London and Paris was something I’ll never forget. Both cities were unique and beautiful. I recommend going to each place for different reasons and just providing an overview of my experience wouldn’t do either city justice. But as a travel blogger, I will try my best. Here’s part one of my trip to London and Paris.

The Night Before
I couldn't sleep. I was too excited. Perhaps a better word would be anxious. That night, I had a slight panic because my husband's passport was missing. No worries we found it. Later, I could not sleep because I knew I wouldn't really sleep on the plane even with sleeping pills. So I did what any other person does when she can't sleep: watch TV. At about 2 a.m. I finally made my way to the bed.

Day 1 - Travel
I’ll spare you the details of heading through TSA, but I was pleased to receive a compliment for the way I displayed my electronics from a TSA agent. The struggle to keep my luggage to just a carry on and a personal item was real though. I packed strategically with a duffel bag stuffed with clothes inside my carry-on suitcase, with the intention of bringing souvenirs in the carry-on to check for later. Genius, right? We met two lovely older couples while waiting for our flight. They were funny and friendly but I thought to myself, “I can't be older and traveling. I want to do it now!” 

We boarded the plane and flew to Charlotte. Then we waited there for hours. I noticed Raiders fans were boarding the plane to our first stop in London. As a Kansas City sometime-Chiefs fan, I wondered what are they going to London for and why are they wearing very touristy Raiders gear but I let it go. Who cares? I'm going to Paris and London.

American Airline is not quite as luxurious as Delta Airline. Though we were seated in the main cabin with “extra legroom” and first dibs on boarding, I don't know if it was worth the upgrade. Sitting behind us were some annoying guys incorrectly rapping Drake lyrics. I put my headphones on and try to tune them out. The meal and the wine on the plane didn't really help me fall asleep and, as expected, neither did the sleeping pill. I knew I was going to arrive in London in the morning and wanted to get some sleep. I think I eventually dozed off. But I never missed meals or the snacks.

Day 2- London
Finally after an 8-hour flight we landed at London Heathrow airport. It was a breeze through customs because we had nothing to declare. We also didn't have any luggage at baggage claim. We headed to meet our chauffeur after a quick bathroom stop and a change of clothes. The chauffeur was holding a sign that said our names on it which is pretty cool. An hour drive later, watching the chauffeur take time to check his Facebook feed, we made it to the President Hotel. I enjoyed listening to the radio in the car. Driving on the opposite side of the road was very confusing though. I was happy I wasn't driving. We checked into our hotel and didn't spend any time resting. We had things to do.

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