Today, I'm continuing with my traveling tales or woes depending upon how you frame life's situations.
After my very good, super good, amazing - fish and chips at the 500 year old The White Horse Pub. Fabulous experience! Indeed! Cheery-o!
In spite of jet lag weariness beginning to set in, I did enjoy my leisure stroll back to my Heathrow Lodge. I wanted to take it all in. The houses - the front yard gardens, the architectual style of the homes. I tried to imagine who might live there and what their life might be like.
I also evaluated my plan for a good nights sleep: shift things around in my 1 alloted suitcase (besides carry on), take my vitamins, make a nice hot cup of Genmaicha tea, take a hot shower, read Isaiah 57 (I'd been working through, reading and re-reading Isaiah 56, 57 & 58 lately) and then cozy down for such desired sleep. Oh, sleep is so sweet isn't it?
Now, mind you many of the reviews for the Heathrow Lodge tout it as England's worst, an embarrassment to London, etc. For a good chuckle you might read them. If you ask some of my friends, I had a bit of angst with this hotel. OK, I'll be honest, I had a LOT of angst and I complained and I battled fear.
We'd booked the Heathrow Lodge because it was the cheapest. Our budget is very meagher and we want to be frugal and be good stewards and we BOTH believed this would be just fine. Of course the "just fine" was BEFORE either of us had read any of these reviews.
Fear - because of what people said about their the reviews, traveling alone and sensing the need to be vigilant began to arise in my soul. I actually had a hard time battling this fear. Perhaps it was because I needed to be vigilant and believed that I could not "rest in following" the lead of my husband. Hmmm. . .
I worked HARD at not FEELING afraid, but because of what I was THINKING - I succumbed to the FEAR. I confess, it didn't take long before my thoughts that led to fear started becoming expressions - OK, let's just call it nagging. Every been in that place?
Do you ever stop to think that nagging or the words you use (that aren't gentle and aren't gracious and aren't ones of acceptance) are often simply rooted in FEAR? See what you and I think - becomes a feeling and if feelings lead us - rather than right thinking - we'll react to life and to our husbands rather than respond to their authority and leadership. Sin all over the place.
Darn, I wanted to do this DON'T GIVE WAY TO FEAR lesson # 1,248 well. Stink. I didn't. Ask my husband and our daughter Candace (who is still probably laughing about the whole situation - OK, it's funny now).
Michael's a good man - he doesn't bow to my demands or sucumb to my feminine wiles - also known as manipulation. It's not often that I act out of that grid (I want reward in The End).
But, as Michael began to see the sweat pour off my forehead (or was that a hot flash?), he began to seriously scout the net to find his darling a different princess accomodation. There was NOTHING! Nada. Zippo. What I thought I needed, God had OTHER ideas. I am in the process of writing a post: Demands, Desires and Needs - stay tuned.
So, here I go - to my little lodge in the hamlet - looking forward to accomplishing my "settling in" list. I knew I needed to get some good sleep, as I needed to be up by 5 am and get to the airport by 6 am for my 8:20 am flight from Heathrow to Madrid.
I accomplish all my "settling in list" and lay my head on my own pillow (I can't sleep without this pillow) and thank God for His mercy, protection and for the good nights sleep I'm about to get. I add some of those little wax ear plugs too because according to the reviews, these walls are a tad thin. But, I'm fortunate - it's ALL quiet around me. Even the jets cease going directly overhead around 10 pm. Cool.
Falling asleep was easy for me. I felt safe. I repented - again - for all my foolish fears.
Midnight - 12:11 am to be exact - life changed for me. The English speaking folks in room 102 arrivewd. I heard them through my earplugs. Surely, I thought, they'll settle down quickly, after all it IS night time and people are tired and surely they'll think about others around them. Surely.
Needless to say, TIS WASN'T the case. These blokes had their own little private party, completely oblivious to anyone around them. I thought of doing all sorts of things: going to the front desk to see if someone was there to have them be quiet. But, I canceled that out - I'd have to change out of my pink cotton night clothes and get dressed and to be honest, didn't think I'd have the energy for that. I also thought about banging on the door. That got canceled out too, because I didn't know if they were drunk, drugged or what and then I'd have that to deal with as well.
Ah...I decided to turn my TV on and raise the volume. So, I found a good BBC chanel all about the present situation in Somalia. Louder and lounder and louder - to no avail. Bummer. But I learned about little bit more about Somalia's state. It's a bummer.
Litterally, from 12:11 am until 4:30 am the party rang on. I heard things that I really didn't want to believe I was hearing. Then this "party woman" got up, started banging around, began to zip up her suitcase (I heard specifics - through my super duper waxed ear plugs) and then said a few things to her partner and then slammed the door.
My wake up call was for 5 am. I say 5 am because it never came. They forgot. No worries, I'm up. I do, however, thank God for the four hours of sleep He graced me with.
I'm up, moving slowly. Very slowly. Get dressed and packed. Very slowly. Eat some of the health bars I brought and make some green tea. That seems to refresh me a bit. I head out the door as I want to be the first one on the shuttle ride back to Heathrow - Terminal 1.
I'm greeted by a delightful young man (his family from India) and pass on to him about my night's tales and woes. He said that IF I'd come out - he was on duty and would have taken care of the situation in room 102. Hmmmm....
In spite of the experience of the folks in room 102, I'd go back to Heathrow Lodge. It was all too quaint and of course, I'd go back to White Horse Pub.
The ride back to Heathrow is delightful and I'm the first drop off. Heathrow Terminal 1 doesn't seem as overwelming as Terminal 4. I'm excited - the last leg of my journey to San Sebastian and to Basque Country. I get to see some of the faces I love dearly.
I find with ease the check in place for my BA Flight 0456 from Heathrow Terminal 1 to Madrid Terminal4s. I'm jazzed. I check in my BIG black suitcase - the only allotted one and find my way to some breakfast and I'm not really tired. I'm jazzed. I think God sustains us, don't you?
This place - Giraffe - had THE BEST eggs and ham breakfast. The coffee was perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed the morning atmosphere and the service was delightful.
Here's the starts of my flight over Heathrow London. Incredible. I so wish these pics could express the true beauty that I saw.
Until later. . . and stories from Madrid airport!
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