Back in Britain, but on my way home!

My little collection of things I will miss about Britain and am therefore taking with me: Pimm's, a Pret Mature Cheddar and Pret Pickle sandwich, and a Pret bag with sundry Pret treats (crisps, love bar, yoghurt parfait). I would also have included the Pret chocolate croissant and strong skinny cappuccino, but you'd have to get a picture of my tummy to see those now... Hehe. Maybe when I get back I will let you have some of my Pimm's. Maybe. ;-)

My dad and I met the BITCHIEST lady today at the British Airways counter. I waited in line to ask if I could check my bags through to Boston even though I was changing airlines, but she wouldn't answer my question. She was just like, "Have you checked in at the express kiosk?" And I was like, "No, I wanted to know if I could check in all the way through." And she was like, "Well this is baggage drop off only." But she was the only one at the BA desk at 5:30 in the morning and my dad started asking her if she could check me in, speaking in Dutch, and she looked at him and said, "Are you traveling with her?" And he said no, and she said, "Then I will speak only to her." So I had to get out of line, check in with the little machine-y thing, wait in line again and ask her the same question. "I'm sorry," she said, "I can't check you in for another airline and I can't check your bags through. And since you are only going to London with us, you are only allowed one bag." Resisting the urge to throw my 22 kg bag at her head, I asked her if she couldn't just once bend the rules as I had to get home and paying 200 euros for an extra bag was not in my planned budget for the day. She gave a great big sigh and went, "Well, just this once. But don't make that mistake again."

Now any other time this may have been par for the course but I don't know if I mentioned this before: it was 5:30 in the morning on a Sunday. So I was this close to pulling a Ben Stiller from Meet the Parents. But I am an even-tempered, non-reactionary person. (Clearly...) So I let her obnoxious behavior slide this time.

Of course her not being able to check me through meant that I had to go through passport control and lug my two huge bags onto the Heathrow Express to transfer from terminal 5 to 1. Then they informed me at the United check in that I would have to pick up my bags again in DC to go through customs before dropping them off again for my flight to Boston. So I don't have a layover without having to struggle with the damn things. But that means I'm getting my exercise for the day, I suppose.

I have so much food in my bag. My gift to my mother is to bring her food and make her British and Dutch things. So my bag is stuffed with Branston pickle and digestive biscuits along with two 1 liter bottles of Pimm's. Hmmm. Maybe I should have thought this gift idea through a bit more. Food is HEAVY.

Am now about to board the flight to DC. So excited. America, here I come!

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