In October 2022 I was in London to see the event "Madly Deeply: The Celebration of Alan Rickman" (+ a book launch of his diaries), some places connected to him in London and Juliet Stevenson's theatre play! :D
So of course that I want to have a description of this on my blog! :D
I went to see those events together with some other fans and these descriptions, that I'll post here, are already on a sort of public place (public can have access, access is not controlled as far as I know) and/but I thought that it would be the best to post it here in the form in which it's there and anonymize it as much as I can. Because now I'm confused about some things, if I interpret/interpreted some things that happened correctly, so I'm not active on that place and/but there were really nice things so I thought that my aforementioned solution would be the best. :)
1 October 2022 - part 1
(a link to my post about getting ready + the day before flying but of travelling to Prague - ???)This post is about being at the airport, travelling by plane and the time at my hotel before getting to the event
It was interesting to travel to the airport. I ate and drank in front of the airport again because I knew that I wouldn’t want to do so in the building. It’s another recommendation:
Eating during the day before flying, during the day of flying, at the airport and on the plane
- I recommend eating simple easily digestable food during the day before flying and during the day of flying.
- I don’t recommend eating after getting to the airport and I don’t recommend eating much on the plane, especially less than 2 hours before landing.
- Don’t forget that during flying, during departure and especially during landing, the plane may move down a bit or to the side and you may find it calming that you have emptier stomach.
Easily accessible things
- You would need to easily access a boarding pass and a passport/ID so store it safely but on a place that you could easily access.
- Also you will probably need to remove your passport from the cover before scanning it.
How long before departure should you go into the airport
- I recommend going into airport 2,5-3 hours before the departure if you have only cabin luggage and/or arrive 30 min before the time of check-in, add another 30 minutes for eating and drinking before that.
Moving around the airport
- I recommend checking boards and online information about your flight and the times when you could start going somewhere.
- I recommend going everywhere as early as you can.
- I recommend getting a bottle of Coca-Cola (it’s good for you stomach if you sip it) at the travelling part of the airport and leaving it sealed until on the plane.
Before going to security control
- I recommend putting things that you will have to show at the security control (= electronics, a bag with liquids) out of your bags before going there so you can go through quicker.
At the security control
- You will have to put all things from pockets of your clothes away and show them separately.
- You will have to have only 1 layer of clothes (= T-shirt + skirt/trousers, dress) and take off everything else and show it separately too.
- You will have to show your boarding pass and passport at the gate.
At the gate some employee said using a microphone that our flight was overbooked and that they were asking for 1 volunteer who would travel with a later flight with a financial compensation. So I was a bit worried but I knew that I had to take this flight because of the theatre play and that I could show them the ticket so I should be able to travel by this plane. I saw some people get up so I was hopeful but they didn’t go to announce themselves as volunteers and they had to call for a volunteer again.
But that was not all! Another thing that they called was that there were too many cabin bags and (I think that they called) that they were looking for volunteers that would have their cabin bags as checked bags. So I was worried about it too because I had little extra time. Also I was persuaded to wear more comfortable clothes (or so I thought at the moment, that they are comfortable) and not a skirt so I would’ve been dressed maybe not enough for a theatre play. And I had adapters in that bag and just my things so I wanted to have them on my trip and I chose to have only a cabin bag to hopefully make sure that I actually had it.
So shortly before they started boarding, a man finally announced himself as a volunteer so that was nice. But those checked bags!
When I got to the employee… She told me that I’ll have to have my suitcase as a checked bag and to remove electronics from there. So that was stressful. Also I had my hand bag full so after I removed those electronics I had to hold them in my hands and I was worried about it, because I remembered how I read that everything should be packed during departure and landing and what would others in the plane say when they would see me getting on with things in my hands. But, of course, there are more important things.
So the lady put a paper on the handle and gave me a small paper.
So I walked through the hallway to the plane. And then I saw the doors of the plane! It was small! Those feelings of seeing that. There were some people waiting in front of me. I think that at this point I heard an employee talking to one another that they should call another employees that they would bring those (2?) bags into the plane so I definitely felt strongly about that. Probably here I checked my extra electronics if they were turned off and I found out that one of them wasn’t! So i turned it off.
Then I got in, the crew welcomed me. It was easy to find my seat. Probably after sitting there I asked a lady who sat next to me about how should I use the belt. There was enough space for feet, even with my things.
At some point I turned the flight mode on my phone and watches.
I didn’t understand some things that they said at the airport and in the plane. But I tried to pay attention to the safety instructions that they showed.
I don’t even want to talk about being nervous, I was also trying to calm myself.
After some time I felt the plane move and/or heard some strange but normal sounding noices. After some time we started to drive! We drove for some time, it took us some time until departure.
Then at some point the plane quickly speed up, he/she really turned it on! OMG! 
Then I felt that we were in the air! And we were going up! Interestingly enough I was looking out from the window. We flew above the clouds and since then I saw them and not the ground beneath them.
Then I felt that we were in the air! And we were going up! Interestingly enough I was looking out from the window. We flew above the clouds and since then I saw them and not the ground beneath them.After some time we were allowed to move again and flight attendants were serving drinks and snacks.
I put out my wireless headphones and started to play the first of my playlists that I specially downloaded for the trip with optimistic joyous music to shake one’s bottom but not literally, of course, in the plane. It was of some Italian popular classic songs that I liked in a video compilation –
It was of some Italian popular classic songs that I liked in a video compilation –Okay, so the owner of the video deleted it so I'll post screenshots of my playlist here. By the way, I didn't take a screenshot of the part with the title because under that there was my name as the author of the playlist and I'm not sure how much I want to save it here (but I don't have a "profile" on Apple Music so you shouldn't be able to find it when searching playlists). By the way, if you wanted to add the title that I used (it was a part of the original title of the video), it is 💞Best Italian Songs - Meilleures Chansons Italien💞
The second one was of samba and other Latin American music also from a video compilation –
I think that it's a good idea to post the screenshots of my playlist here too so if they deleted that video, you would have it (by the way, I don't know what the second song is doing there, the song indentifying app probably didn't understand something), its name is 💞Best of Cuban Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Samba, Mambo, Baila Loca to dance to💞
And the third one that I haven’t used (because I hadn't gotten to it) was of some of English songs from 50‘s and 60‘s that had good lyrics that I chose from a video compilation -
I'll post the screenshots of the playlist here too of those songs that I chose from the selection (and now I would delete some more to have only those with invigorating lyrics but this is how it was), its name is 💞Ultimate Juke-Box Hits of the 50S & 60S Medley 1💞
And I played it on random.
Some time the plane moved a bit.
After some time the crew said something about landing after some time! After some time we started to go down!
At one point I saw London under us! ♫ What a feeling!!! Ta tada ta tada!!! Close to screaming!!! Ta tada ta tada!!! ♫ Nervously and excitedly and I tried not to pay much attention to the fact that we were in the air. We were flying above it for a long time.
Nervously and excitedly and I tried not to pay much attention to the fact that we were in the air. We were flying above it for a long time.At one point the pilot did a weird thing with the plane – I thought that we were doing some flipping over! The feelings were weird and when I looked from the window for a moment I saw something weird with the horizon and the clouds! I again stopped looking out! But my hair didn't go up, my things didn't fall up and it wouldn't make sense that we would be flipping over, he/she must have been turning us to a side, but it felt weird. I heard some weird coughing from the back!
At one point I think that I saw that we were at the airport (I don’t want to specify which because I don’t want to describe what I travelled with and when, it’s something that I do, I prefer to keep it a secret and to write after I’m already in the city. ). And then I felt and heard that we touched down!!! Yay!!! We actually landed in London!!! I flew on an airplane!!! And I actually was in London again!!! And of course, they were using the brakes a lot.
). And then I felt and heard that we touched down!!! Yay!!! We actually landed in London!!! I flew on an airplane!!! And I actually was in London again!!! And of course, they were using the brakes a lot.Then we drove around the airport for a long time.
People actually were waiting for those in front who got up to get out!
At the airport in London
At first, I got unnecessarily rid of drinks (I got more because I didn’t know how much I’ll need and I wanted to make sure that I’ll have enough of them, I missed them afterwards but then, at least, I had less things in my hands at that moment which was nice).
After that I went to the passport control. I had some understanding during my trip somewhere on my mind that I should get my passport out of its case but in Prague I didn’t have to, because the scanner was large enough and I didn’t want to do so because I was lazy and it’s not that easy. But I think that I forgot about that I should do it and I spend some time in front of the scanner trying to scan it before I realized that I should put it out. I think that then I registered an employee and he told me with a smile that I should do it always. I wanted to write that that was the first of examples of me doing something out of confusion in London but it was at least the second (first and/or before that were the drinks).
I think that then I registered an employee and he told me with a smile that I should do it always. I wanted to write that that was the first of examples of me doing something out of confusion in London but it was at least the second (first and/or before that were the drinks). Then I had to go wait for my suitcase! I found the hall but I was confused because there were more baggage carousels. I think that I didn’t even look up so I didn’t find the digital boards a few metres away from each carousel, not speaking about those showing the list of carousels and flights. I asked an employee and I’m glad about doing it because it could’ve saved some time. But then, it wasn’t necessary because it took some time before „my“ carousel started receiving our suitcases. There were suitcases of 4 flights announced to have their bags on „my“ carousel, two were delivered and mine was the fourth, but our luggage was still delivered sooner than that of the third flight. I was nervous if they added my suitcase to other checked bags.
While I was waiting, I wrote to my mum and others from ??? who travelled that I’m in London!
After some time suitcases started to be delivered and mine wasn’t one of the first ones but after some time some it looked like mine did arrive. I checked the label and it was mine so I grabbed it and was happy that we were together again with the baby my dear suitcase, mwah, mwah, always and/or until the period of the next flight and/or until I left the hotel.
Then I found the way to the exit of travelling area which was nice. But then I got confused about the entrance of train line. I found the ticket counter easily but the entrance not, I had to ask which helped but still then I was running around confused a bit I think. However, after some time I found it and I got into the train.
However, after some time I found it and I got into the train.Now I was on my way to the hotel and calmed down a bit, I thought that it can be more easy. After all, I had my phone with Google Maps, I already had internet data working and before travelling I even studied some routes and wrote instructions about how to get to some places that I wanted to go to and screenshotted the walking parts, I even covered more ways how to get to one place.
I remembered that I had to „tap“ before and after travelling by public transport so that’s what I had on my mind when I exited the train. But there was no place to do so between the platform of the train and of the line that I wanted to use! I noticed that there was place to tap if I wanted to leave the travelling area and I was confused that it was not immediatelly after getting off the train.
At first I was also confused about which train I should use because the final stations were different, some time the train going into one direction ended somewhere, then somewhere else
(some time during my stay I found a map of some line and saw that it had loop there and I looked just for a while but it seemed to me that it sometime stopped in one station in that loop then in other for no reason but there probably was some, I was confused, our metro in Prague is so awesome in this sense, it’s so clearly arranged and simple!).
So I think that I missed the first train that I could use. Then I waited for another one, gave up looking for a ticket barrier and decided to get it. But after some time I noticed a sign that warned I think that against travelling without a ticket and I still hadn’t figured out the thing with where should I tap so I got off again.
So I asked some people, the first „couple?“ tried to be helpful, other 2 not. Now I understand that the ticket barrier just wasn’t in between and that I had to tap after leaving that tube. I lost some time and I missed, at least, one another train. Which wasn’t good for my time schedule and I was thirsty and hungry.
So I gave up again and finally got on the tube and this time stayed inside and I knew that now it really should be easier because I remembered the route from the station to my hotel a lot.
I found the way to the exit easily which was nice. But what wasn’t was the fact that there were (a number of) stairs, not (only) escalators, which wasn’t comfortable for me with my suitcase.
But I managed to get out which was awesome. But then, I realized that in real life the route looks different than when you look on a map and it confused me. But then, I haven’t tried to see my routes using Google Street View because I just didn’t do so, which could’ve helped. But I found the way to the hotel quite easily and I almost completely remembered it on the first time.
At the hotel they couldn’t find my name at first but maybe they didn’t understand me so I had to show them the document. They changed my room to a different one which was nice because I wanted to have a refrigerator here (for my precious butter that I wanted to buy) but I saw it mentioned only in a list of amenities of a twin room and not of a double room (so I chose a twin room) and they changed it to a double room so I was looking forward to rolling myself on a big bed.
I asked about a breakfast and returning at night and got answers that I liked. As well as cards to a room of a nice number consisting of a combination of 4 and 0 so I was able to go find my room.
It was nice but after some time I found out that lights didn’t work in the hallway (but that didn’t matter), the doors to the bathroom were weird, there was no ventilator in the bathroom with a toilet so it wasn’t comfortable to be inside and that it wasn’t soundproof and that a light was visible under the doors to the corridor. And the room didn’t look like on the photo (update - I'm sorry, it did a lot, I mistaked it for the room in Prague). I could’ve complained but I didn’t, I was glad that I had a (still for me) tolerable room in a decent hotel and I suspect them of giving me this room because of (correctly, as you can see) expecting that I won’t say anything.
So I unpacked my rolls and drank (I found cans with water in the room and I remember at one point having a bottle of Coca Cola with me so I probably hadn’t thrown out all the drinks at the airport) and ate. While doing so I found out that I didn’t have time for something if I wanted to get to the theatre to meet others in time. I couldn’t eat enough or I couldn’t go to the shop, but then, I still couldn’t go to the shop because it would’ve taken too much time. So I was a bit nervous because I had only a few rolls (6 in total before eating, but I also had bisquits) and little to drink and I didn’t see much time to get that in time tomorrow before going out to meet others. And I’m picky about what I eat (but it’s very simple, rolls or baguettes with butter, but I usually can’t find it) so I preferred making my own snacks.
It's long and it would be easier to find if I split it now and write about the evening more in next post!
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Heee-e-ey baby! :D