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We have begun this trip. We're going to document here our longest cruise. Please come along with us, navigating by the buttons across the top of the page.
2/17
What a bleeping day. In the morning, we checked our outbound air arrangements. They were all screwed up. Called our Travel Agent Ken, who helped get it together. The original arrangements were on American to London, but we received a change notice to put us on British Air. But BA didn't fly that flight that day and shifted us back to American without notice.
We finished putting the condo's furniture out of the way so the tile people can do their work while we're gone. And we finished packing. And put everything into the car. And gassed up. And got 20 blocks until I remembered not packing this laptop's power supply. Back to get it and restart.
Drove down A1A to St Augustine, then I-95 South. Traffic was horrendous, which we found was due to all the people heading to Daytona to view the "500" race that was postponed from yesterday. After that, it was reasonable to Palm Beach, where we entered crazy-land. People down here have no patience.
But we got to Calypso in Pompano Beach and met D's niece Krista. Dinner was excellent in this little neighborhood place. And chatting with Krista is always fun. She and Nick are doing well.
On to MIA, the Miami airport. Traffic again was wild, but we survived. The long-term lot we had paid in advance was really out in the boons. Had a terrible time finding it. But we did, and left the little van for the month. The former race driver took us to the hotel location of the terminal, where we checked in.
We found the huge room 756, where D camped while I went to sort out again the airline stuff. An American rep helped me (we found out they'd used a new locator code when we were shifted back from British) to get boarding passes.
Did these notes, then to my book, then sleep. So. It has begun.
2/18 Miami
We nibbled & loafed around the room till 1310, then wandered to the bag drop and the AA lounge until departure.
The lounge was very nice (as it should be, this is a major hub for AA) and kept us happy until 1815 when we went to the gate. Boarding began on time and at 1925 we pushed back.
The beast (777-200) roared up to 33,000 feet, later 34,000 feet. Drinks were served, then dinner (an excellent tiny filet) with wine. All very good.
I read for a while, then put out the light and reclined.
I slept well until 0900 GMT (0300 EST). Then breakfast came along. After that, I put up the machine and prepared to land.
Since we checked our luggage through to Cape Town, we avoided having to haul it around here. Also, we stayed on the "cleared" side of security.
So we walked and walked to the British Air Galleries lounge. We finally pulled up comfortable chairs in a corner and set up camp. D is napping a good part of the time and I'm sleepy also.
Gray, cloudy, and cool here today, but that's not unusual.
The day wore on. After seeing the same "news" show four or seven times, that got old. There is flooding in the west, the PM Johnson is going to restrict immigration, and a few other items. I took a few pictures and transmitted them home. We both nodded off periodically.
(Ed: 20201023: Indeed, as the CoronaVirus-19 wore on, decimating air travel, British Air put all their 747's aside. Some might fly for other companies as cargo aircraft but no longer will they be BA's "Queen of the Skies".)
After an aircraft "engineering issue" was resolved we took off at 1900, roughly a half-hour late. The old dog climbed rapidly, reaching 29,000 feet before we entered French airspace and eased up higher as fuel was burned off.
D & I got into a terrible fight with the power outlets and her iPad. We tried every outlet and every cable we had but her iPad would NOT charge. PANIC. Finally we hauled out her Anker battery and that worked. So we'll charge her iPad from the Anker, then charge the Anker from the aircraft.
That necessitated a second gin-and-tonic. Shortly afterward dinner was served.
Dinner was nice, a cheddar cheesecake starter, a beef fillet w/mash, and a cheeseboard for dessert. Wine and a finishing port.
Then I reclined and slept.