Before I lay out my adventures of the past 24 hours or so, I feel like describing my current circumstances. Right now, I am in Virgin Atlantic's premier Upper Class lounge at Heathrow airport. I just finished a wonderful lunch of mushroom and spinach lingini, I'm sipping on a complementary Cosmopolitan served up at a bar easily the equal of any nice bar I've ever been too, and I'm waiting for my complementary spa/salon appointment in about an hour. Definately not a bad way to spend the afternoon!
Anyway, the fun started as soon as I boarded the Virgin Atlantic plane in Orlando. I have never seen anything like this Upper Class cabin (Upper Class is what Virgin Atlantic calls 1st Class, by the way). The compartment was located at the very front of the bottom level and my seat was the very front seat at the nosecone. Everything was all decorated in purple, and the seats were enormous and could be adjusted electronically (later, the seats were converted to beds for our napping needs). At the rear of the cabin, there was a little cocktail bar from where the flight attendent served us our boarding beverage of champagne in real glasswear. Each pod seat had it's own TV with numerous viewing options and movies to chose from. The service was fantastic and I had the best meal I have ever had on an airplane. And get this - when I was ready to sleep, the flight attendant turned down my bed and provided me with pajamas to change into! Obviously this was quite different than the sort of trips I'm used to.
Once we landed in London after a 7.5 hour flight, I sailed through customs and then reality had to intrude upon my happy existance for a bit. The flight from Orlando landed at London-Gatwick but my flight to Nairobi is out of London-Heathrow, so that left me with the need to get from Gatwick to Heathrow. The only way to do it was by bus, and although the bus ride wasn't bad, just lining up in a crush of people to get on the bus was a strong reminder of how I usually travel and made me appreciate my luxury treats that much more.
On a side note, I had forgotten how crowded European international airports are. Moving through Gatwick and Heathrow is best described as semi-controlled chaos, and I found myself unbelievably grateful that I had a civilized place to go. In comparison, the terminal I was in at the Orlando airport (I believe it was terminal B) is positively tranquil.
Anyway, once I got to the lounge, civilization reasserted itself and I am back to truly enjoying my vacation in every way. The first thing I did was take a nap, then lunch, and now I'm hanging out waiting for my appointment. After that, I'll probably have another cocktail and a snack, and then it will be time to head for the plane!
The pictures I have uploaded are of the Upper Class cabin seat, the cabin bar, and a couple of shots of the lounge and spa at the Heathrow lounge.
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