Sunday, 9th April:
Next stop? San Francisco!
Paradise Found! (click here)
Well, this is the BIG one! Probably the most varied and lengthy holiday we’ve ever taken!
As you can guess from the title of this Post, our 28-day jaunt near and around the Pacific Ocean involves land, air and yes (a lot of) sea! We originally planned to do this one a few years back, but Covid got in the way! But on a positive note, at least we’ve had plenty of time to pack!
Our Pacific Paradise began by heading to Heathrow by taxi, then taking the Virgin flight to San Francisco – we’re spending three days exploring the city. Next, it’s back on a plane to take us to Tahiti for two more days. We then pick up the Oceania Regatta for an 18-night cruise exploring French Polynesia (taking in the islands of Bora Bora, Rangiroa and Nuku Hiva). It’s then north towards the Hawaiian Islands. After twenty-six days, we disembark in Los Angeles, where we round it all off with two days in Venice Beach, before flying home to Heathrow, again courtesy of Virgin. Phew! 😁
For a short summary of our holiday plans, click on ‘Paradise Found’ above 👍
Heathrow on Easter Sunday!
Morning all! Well, here we are at Heathrow Airport on Easter Sunday. When we made the booking we hadn’t spotted that our travel was over the Easter period, and as you can guess, Heathrow Airport at that time was going to be at best, tolerable and at worst a nightmare. To make things ‘interesting’, some of Heathrow’s Security Staff are on strike too (a strike? What in 2023? Surely some mistake!!!) 😮.
As we arrived at T3, checking-in was fairly busy (must have been down to the seven-foot Easter Bunny posing for selfies!) but ironically, Security was a breeze, and we were through in no time!! 👍
But it all started to look very familiar as we approached the Departure Lounge, where our theory of “those-going-away-for-Easter-will-have-already-gone” proved to be somewhat misplaced! 🙄.
After abandoning the queue for Breakfast, we headed for the nearest Pret (and a Plan B in the shape of something lighter). Well, I’m sure our bodies appreciated it!) 😉
We managed to find a relatively quiet spot near Wagamama’s where, on the ‘manic scale’ of 0-10, it scored a relatively calmish ‘6’. Phew! Peace and quiet at last!! It was now just a question of waiting for our Gate to be confirmed and we’re off!
Our flight has just been called, so it’s goodbye to Blighty! See you all AFTER the Coronation (sorry Chas!)👍
Next stop? San Francisco – and the Argonaut Hotel – some 5380 miles later! To get us there, it’s an 11-hour (ish) flight, courtesy of Virgin Economy (VS019). We land just after 3pm, local time. Yay! Our holiday is now officially underway. See you on the other side!😉😀
I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!
I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!
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