African Safari May 2023
Booked through A2A Safaris. Nicole Fernandez, recommended by a friend, was our agent who worked with us for over a year and a half to plan this fantastic trip. Cannot say enough to compliment the trip that Nicole arranged for us. It was absolutely perfect.
Monday May 8 -Tuesday May 9
Our flight to London left at 4:40 pm. Rich picked us up at 1 and check in at the airport with American was easy. Our gate was right across from the Admiral’s club so we waited in there. It was a very, very busy place. Flight left on time and dinner was quite good. Salad and shrimp for starters and crab cakes as the main course, finishing with ice cream.
The flight arrived early. Customs was putting our passport in a kiosk and looking into a screen. Our picture came up and we walked out and our bags were coming out as we arrived at baggage claim. We headed to the rental car shuttle which pulled up as we arrived. No one else showed up so off we went. At National, the attendant met us as we stepped off the bus. We were in the car and on the road by 9 am. Our plan was to drive through the Cotswold area, spend the night and head back to the airport tomorrow for a 7:00 pm departure. We passed through several small villages. Scenery was really pretty, with the fields in full bloom with bright yellow flowers, called rape seed or oilseed rape. With the sun shining on the fields, it was pretty dramatic.
We stopped in the village of Bourton-On-The-Water and walked the city centre.
We also stopped at Broadway Tower. The 'Saxon' tower was the brainchild of Capability Brown and designed by James Wyatt in 1794 in the form of a castle, and built for Barbara, Countess of Coventry in 1798–1799. The tower was built on a beacon hill, where beacons were lit on special occasions. Lady Coventry wondered whether a beacon on this hill could be seen from her house in Worcester, about 22 miles away and sponsored the construction of the folly to find out. Indeed, the beacon could be seen clearly.
We then drove into the village Broadway. We stopped and walked the city centre here and ate lunch at Russell’s fish and chips. We shared an order of fish and chips and fried calamari. Both were very good.
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| A new beer |
Our room tonight is at Charingworth Manor near Chipping Campden. The Manor is an ancient estate, mentioned in Domesday Book. The main house is a Jacobean mansion with tall chimneys and mullion windows. The writer T.S. Eliot was a frequent visitor when it belonged to the Cresswell family and it was here, in the 1930s, that he wrote Burnt Norton.
We went into town to eat since the restaurant at the hotel was booked. We made reservations at Da Luigi Bistro for 7. Glad we did because the restaurant was very small and full. We shared caprese salad and bruschetta for starters then a pizza for entree.
After dinner jet lag caught up with me and I crashed but Greg read for awhile.
Wednesday May 10
After 11 hours of sleep for me, we dressed and went to breakfast, which was included. Nothing better than eggs and bacon in the UK. I asked Greg while there wasn’t any stones or rings in England when there are so many in Scotland and Ireland. After searching, there was a site 10 minutes from our hotel. Off we went to see the Rollright Stones. The 3 stones are from the Neolithic and Bronze Age.
The Whispering Knights were a dolmen (burial site). The Kings Men is a stone circle. The third one contains just one stone, The Kings Stone, they think was probably a burial marker.
Our next stop was Stow on the Wold to see the church with 2 yew trees have grown into the entrance of St Edward's Church. We walked around the village after seeing the church.
Last stop was back to Heathrow. After turning in the rent car we checked in and headed to the British Airways Lounge. We only had 4 hours until our flight. Ughhh
Flight to Johannesburg was uneventful. We flew in an airbus 300 which is a huge plane with 2 levels. We were in the top level in business class. The seats were one facing front and the seat by the window was facing rear. They did not totally recline and had a drop down foot rest. The seats were pretty tight and not comfortable. However, the food and service was very good.
Thursday, May 11
We arrived in Johannesburg at O. R. Tambo International about an hour late. Humphrey met us we deplaned and walked us through immigration which went quickly, then off to baggage claim. Humphrey reeled our duffle bags through the airport and out the door where our hotel was located across the street. We were booked at the Intercontinental Hotel. Nicole, our travel agent, had requested early check-in. We only had to wait for about an hour and then our room was ready. Our room is very nice. Greg did not sleep on the plane so he crashed until noon. We walked around the hotel grounds for a bit then spent the afternoon catching up on emails. Dinner was in the hotel restaurant Quills. We had an excellent meal, seafood bouillabaisse for me and pork belly for Greg. We shared the warm pudding with ice cream. Prices for food in the hotel are very reasonable and the service is over the top. After dinner and a bath for me we crashed.
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| Oliver Reginald Tambo was instrumental in abolishing apartheid. |
Friday May 12
Breakfast was included in the room and again food and service was outstanding. We checked out and our shuttle with Federal air was waiting for us. After all passengers had arrived, we went to the shuttle for a 10 min ride to their terminal. A lady checked us in and directed us to a very nice sitting area with all kinds of food, drinks and snacks, all complimentary.
Our flight was in a very small plane but was a very pleasant ride.
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| View on our short drive to the camp. |
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| The walk from the lobby to our room |
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| Entrance to our room |
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| my bathroom |
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| my bath |
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| outdoor shower |
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| Greg's bath |
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| Patio |
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| more patio |
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| The bar |
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| outside dining |
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| The boards where we tallied our sightings each day |
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| outside dining |
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| bar area |
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| sitting area |
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| inside dining but not used |
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| first African beer |
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| bloody mary's after morning drive |
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| Pool for the resort |
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| View from our deck |
We were to meet at 3 for snacks before our first game drive. We will be going with 2 other couples, one from LA and the other from Houston. Both very nice and enjoyable.
Our first drive was incredible, seeing elephants, giraffes, lions, wallabies, monkeys, leopard with 2 cubs, a second leopard by the river and much more.
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| Our jeep |
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| Heberth |
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| baby leopard |
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| As the sun is setting we stopped for sundowner which is happy hour in the bush as the sun is setting. The guides dropped the tray in the front of the jeep and set up a full bar of our preferred drinks along with different snacks each evening. |
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| The sunsets each evening were spectacular. The guide explained that to the west, Nambia was a desert so the dust from the desert created these magnificient sunsets. |
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| Th leopard spotted by the river as we made our way back to camp |
dinner drinks. Greg had oxtail and I had salmon trout, both were very good. After dinner we set talking with our group, including our guide for a bit. Sleep came quickly after.
Saturday May 13th
We met at 5:45 for a light breakfast and off for a morning drive. We were focusing on finding rhinos with our group of 6, but no luck but did see a mama lion with 2 cubs,male lion, warthogs, giraffes, elephants, a waterbuck, lots of impalas, monkeys, a hippo and a crocodile. We got back around 11, just in time for breakfast!
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| African Starling. Much prettier than our starlings. |
We cleaned up, moved pictures over and sat on the balcony. It’s a beautiful day. It was in the 50’s when we left this morning but 80 by mid afternoon.
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| Deck viewing |
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| watching an elephant cross the river |
We met again at 3 and left soon after. We are still focused on finding a rhino which we did not find but we covered a lot of territory. We did stop for sunset and had cocktails. A nice touch.
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| Time for drinks |
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| Sunset in the bush was a daily tradition |
We did see some elephants, lots of impalas, a warthog, and wildebeest.
Dinner tonight was inside with a fire burning. Greg and I both had Ostrich which wasn’t too bad.
Sunday, May 14
Happy Mother’s Day
Up early again. Last game drive with the other couples. They were still insistent on seeing a rhino. Lots of territory covered but no success on the rhino. We did see a leopard that was posing for us, sitting on a rock. We came back at 9:30 because the couple from Houston had a transport to an air strip.
After breakfast, we walked to the gift shop and then back to our room. From our patio we saw 4 hippos eating in the area by the river as well as a Buffalo.
We headed back out after snacks with a game plan of looking for larger groups of animals and birds. We had a very successful evening. We saw a huge heard of elephants (at least 30), Buffalo, impalas, wildebeest, warthogs, baboons then we had sundowner (drinks and snacks) then he heard monkeys screaming which meant lions. It’s dark now, but he’s watching paw prints and we find 2 female lions and a male leopard. We also told him we were birders and wanted to stop for bird photo ops. We took pictures of a ton of birds this evening. Definitely a good evening drive.
Below are the birds we saw on the trip.
Food tonight was really good. I had lamb shoulder and Greg had spinach gnocchi. Greg is enjoying the South African wines, Shiraz and Pinotage. We were at a table for 2 tonight so we retired when we finished eating.
Monday May 15
Today we have a private tour. Goal was to find the rhinos and we did! It is very interesting to watch Heberth reading the signs on the road, following where the rhinos slept the night before, looking for fresh droppings and fresh footprints. We found them about three hours into our drive, off the beaten path. There were three of them, a mom and two younger ones.
While searching for the rhinos we found a leopard walking down the bridge, elephants, giraffes, a leopard in a tree, and a lone hyena.
After returning, we had breakfast.
Our afternoon break was restful with no activity on the river. About the time for our evening drive it started sprinkling then raining. We saw 2 female lions and hippos
then Heberth heard there was a cheetah that had come from the north into the Mala Mala reserve, so we headed there and saw the cheetah in the middle of a grass field. She looked like she was going to go for a kill but then laid down.
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| fire in the bar area |
All the prior guests had left and 2 new couples arrived. The couple from Washington state were super friendly, the ones from NYC not as much but even though we were all at two toppers, we visited during dinner. Back to the room to pack and head to bed. Getting up at 5:15 am every morning was catching up with us.
Tuesday, May 16
We met for breakfast at 8:30, where Heberth joined us. We checked out and said goodbye to everyone. Heberth drove us to the runway. We saw zebras as we left.
While waiting for our plane Heberth noticed the impalas were very still and facing toward the runway. We went to investigate and found a female lion on the runway and 2 males beside the airstrip. After taking pictures Heberth used the vehicle to convince the female she needed to move. She plopped down just beside the airstrip. We moved the males back a bit from the edge of the airstrip and 2 trucks came and parked between the lions and airstrip.
The zebras also came to say goodbye. The Federal Air plane arrived and we were off to a second air strip 5 min later to pick up more passengers.
We had a full plane to Kruger airport. Baggage handlers met us, guided us to check in, then guided us to security.
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| Kruger Airport |
We boarded our flight to Livingston soon after. Smooth flight to Livingston. After landing we went through immigration then collected our bags and went through customs. As we exited we were met by a representative from Bushtrackers Africa. The driver took us to Zambia immigration upon leaving Zambia then stopping at Zimbabwe for Covid screening then to immigration to pay for our visas. There was a long wait in a very crowded building. Everything was still being recorded in long hand. The driver then took our luggage and handed it and us off to a driver in Zimbabwe who drove us maybe 5 minutes to the Victoria Falls Hotel. We booked a tour for tomorrow to view the falls with him.
Everyone as we entered the hotel was super nice. We were escorted to a concierge for our class of rooms, who explained the amenities, offered a glass of lemonade and then brought us to our room. Our luggage preceded us. The hotel is old British Colonial Style, service is outstanding. We made reservations to eat at the Jungle Junction for dinner at 7. It is a buffet and show of local traditional music. After settling in, we walked around the hotel and took photos. Our room came with 2 drink tickets and two 25 min massages. We scheduled the massages for 3 pm tomorrow. We went to the Stanley bar to use our drink vouchers.
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| The hotel was built by the British in 1904, and was redecorated in 2013 to combine its traditional majesty with modern sophistication. The hotel was originally built as accommodation for workers on the Cape-to-Cairo Railway Steeped in history and one of the oldest hotels in Africa, The hotel serves is a reminder of the distinguished and elegant era to which it was born and has earned its status as the epitome of grand luxury travel. The Victoria Falls Hotel remains the landmark accommodation facility to view the Falls. |
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| Stanley Bar |
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| View from the outside bar |
After 2 rounds of martinis, we headed to dinner at the Jungle Junction.
We had oxtail and wildebeest as well as prime rib. Service was good, food was good and the show was okay.
Wed May 17
We went to breakfast at 8:30. It was included and available at the Jungle Junction. There was a good variety and again service was excellent and food very good. We met our guide at 10 for the falls’ tour. Our guide was the same person as our driver yesterday. We drive to the entrance, price of $75 per person included the entry fee, After the guide took care of entry we walked to the first observation point where we viewed the Devils Cataract. Because it is at the end of the rainy season, the water volume is at its largest, creating a huge mist. We were not able to see much at the last 4 viewing areas. The falls extend over a mile in length and are caused by a fault many many years ago. The rock is basalt, which does not break down in contrast to Niagara Falls which is limestone and more easily eroded. The drop is much deeper than Niagara Falls and much longer in length
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| Stanley Livingston was the first white person to see Victoria Falls |
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| Baboons everywhere |
After returning to the hotel we ate lunch on the terrace and then went to our massages. After the massages we sat outside on the porch and read. Dinner tonight was on the terrace. The menu was the same as lunch but we both ordered the filet and it was excellent. Very, very tender. Service was good tonight as well.
Thursday May 18
Breakfast was at 7:30 in the Jungle Junction, it is the only option for breakfast but it is a nice buffet with eggs to order. Back to the room and called for a porter. Our driver was coming at 8:30. Had to call again at 8:20 for a porter. This is the only time that service hadn’t been spot on. Greg went to check out and I waited for the porter who came shortly after. We very much enjoyed the restful break at Victoria Falls Hotel. Our driver was the same person who picked us up at the Zimbabwe border and took us to the falls yesterday. It is nice to have the same person and I am embarrassed to say we didn’t remember his name from the first day and embarrassed to ask again. Super nice. He is driving us to the Botswana border and helping with immigration. We saw elephants along the way including one crossing the road. One side is national reserve and a private reserve on the other side. When we arrived at the border we had to go through immigration in Zimbabwe which was a stamp and out. So much less hassle leaving then entering. We were handed off to Matthew who worked for BushTrack Botswana. First step was disinfecting our shoes for hoof and mouth disease. Cattle is a major industry for Botswana. We simply stepped in a pan, then to the health trailer. They asked where we were coming from but didn’t want to see our Covid cards. Matthew had to drive the van through the disinfectant. After parking the van we went into the immigration office. Again no lines and quick and easy. From the border it was about a 15 min drive to the Kasane Airport which was much bigger than I was expecting. Matthew handed our luggage and us off to the Mack Air representative. We went through security and sat down in the waiting room which was for all domestic flights leaving. After a while a guy starting calling names and we were off. Plane was full but we are the only ones getting off at Selinda airstrip and we are the first stop. They called us 30 minutes before we were expecting, so when we landed on our guide, Odie, asked if anyone needed the bathroom I knew we were going to like Odie.
After visiting the bathroom at the airstrip we were off to Zafara camp. It took us about 45 min to arrive at camp.
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| On the drive to the camp |
We were met with a staff of waving and smiling faces. The staff greeted us every time with wet towels that smelled heavenly and sent us off with smiles and waves. We were escorted to our room and shown around.
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| View from our deck |
We unpacked a bit and then walked back for lunch. They put out a huge spread and the main course was chicken kabobs, which unfortunately were very dry. Every soup, cold or warm was served with a sherbet in the middle. It was okay for the cold soups but not so much for the warm soups. The drives start at 4 pm, with no snack time which was fine with us. We arrived back each evening at 6:30 to 7 with dinner around 8. Cocktails before dinner were around the fire pit.
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| Our view while eating lunch |
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| Firepit where we gathered for drinks before dinner |
Our first drive was great, it was just us with Odie. Odie turned out to be the best guide of the three, but all were excellent. Odie was just a notch above excellent. We saw elephants, leopards, giraffes, and a male and female lion mating. The process was interesting. The lions laid next to each other then all of a sudden the female would get up and start running with the male following, the process lasting maybe 5 seconds. They would lay down and repeat around every 15 minutes. Once the female conceives then the male will follow the female from a good distance away, then they will separate. Whole process takes around 3 days.
Back at camp, drinks around the campfire. Unfortunately for Greg, no Jameson. We both had salmon for dinner and it was nicely done. We joined the father-daughter couple and another couple from Dallas. It was a long day so we said good night.
Friday, May 19
Wake-up is at 6 with coffee and OJ delivered to the room. Again it was just us with Odie. We saw just about everything you could see including 2 lionesses with 5 cubs. They were lying next to a rock in the shrub area in the shade. We also saw the 2 lions that were mating yesterday. Today the male was following behind the female but not closely. Process finished! We were lucky enough to see a whole parade of elephants with several babies come to a watering hole and play.
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| Odie looking at tracks |
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| breakfast in the bush |
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| female |
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| male following female |
Lunch was at the pizza oven. We put our pizza together and ate our salad while the pizza baked. Nice change and it was very good. We didn’t get back until 12:30.
Afternoon drive was at 4 for tea and leaving at 4:30. We saw a leopard not long after we began. Midway through the drive we picked up Janine and Joseph from Cape Town. Janine is a travel agent who had a client get sick and the client offered her the reservations. They were a very nice couple. Janine wanted to see a leopard so we went back but the leopard had left. We drove a bit longer and then stopped for sundowner. A beautiful sunset as usual. We saw elephants and giraffes.
Dinner tonight we joined the other guests at the same table. Greg and I both had filets and they were excellent.
Saturday 20
We told Odie no need to bring the coffee to the tent, Greg would get a grab and go. We were ready to roll at 6:30.
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| Wildebeest |
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| 2 females with 3 cubs |
We arrived back earlier today and went to the room before lunch at 1. It was just us and was good. The chicken was nicely cooked, tender and juicy. I booked a facial at 2 and it was very relaxing. I almost fell asleep twice! Greg good a short nap while I was getting my facial.
Evening drive was a pontoon boat ride with Janine and Joseph. We were expecting a small boat but it was a party barge and they had a full bar with tons of snacks. We slowly cruised the lagoon, seeing lots of hippos and one elephant eating in the river as well as several birds.The sunset was spectacular.
Dinner tonight was with new guests from New Zealand and Janine and Joseph. As always it started with drinks by the fire. Greg and I both had chicken and it was dry and tough. We finished dinner with an after dinner drink, Springbok, which was named after Cape Town's Rugby team whose colors are green and gold. The drink was mint then topped with Amarula. it was a nice evening.
Sunday May 21
We took a short drive this morning since we are leaving at 11 for the airport for a 12 flight. Janine was going to join us but decided not too. We came back at 9:30 and had a huge breakfast with Janine and Joseph who had a flight at 2. There was a huge layout of continental options, after eating a lot of food, they came to take our order! I had eggs and bacon and Greg had an omelette.
We went back to our room to finish packing and headed back to check out. Odie was taking us to the airport and flying with us. He was going to a sister camp to guide for 4 days. The drive to the airport was 45 minutes and we saw a cheetah on the way. Great way to finish our trip with Odie, who truly was an outstanding guide.
We were the first stop on the flight and was met by Mots, our new guide. It was just a 5 min drive to camp, Duba Plains. There was another couple on the plane, Ann and Peter from Chicago. We had lunch, an orientation and then to our room. After all three camps, this is the most luxurious.
Drives start with tea at 3:30 and you leave at 4. We were so tired that we asked to leave at 5. I think Mots was disappointed we were leaving late but we were able to see two lionesses with 3 baby cubs, devouring a warthog kill. A nice sundowner and back to camp.
We sat around the fire for a long time and then dinner was at 4 separate tables. The food was cooked on the grill and we served ourselves. Lots of sides with lamb, chicken and beef sausage. All was excellent.
Monday, May 22
Mots knocked on our door at 6 am. We were ready to roll by 6:30. We headed to the island in search of rhinos and was successful. I think we saw 12 today, along with a pride of 5 lions, lots of hippos, birds, tons and tons of lechwes and warthogs, African hunting dogs, and water Buffalo. We got stuck crossing a water crossing and was rescued by two guides from our camp. We traded vehicles and the guides were left to wait for help to pull the vehicle out. We stopped for breakfast after getting rescued.
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| Our stuck jeep |
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| breakfast |
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| Scouts on the lookout for rhino poachers |
We arrived back at camp around noon and was told lunch was at 1 and to be back at 12:45. Thought that was strange but ok. I jumped in the outdoor shower to wash my hair. The outdoor shower was a nice option because it was right outside the tent. We went back to the main area and was told Mike would be here shortly to pick us up?? Mike drove us to the shade of a large tree beside the river where they had lunch set up for us and the other couple that arrived with us to the camp, Ann and Peter.
We had vichyssoise soup, 3 sides with beef slices served with mushroom gravy, followed cheese and cracker board. It was all good and the setting was picturesque. A nice surprise.
Back at the camp, Greg spent our down time moving pictures over and I caught up on the diary. We headed back for our evening drive a little before 4. We headed back to the same area seeing again the lion pride and hunting dogs who were in the same spot as this morning. Two of the hunting dogs were mating. We saw new birds, a jackel, a banded mongoose, waddle stork, African fishing eagle, Tessebe Antelope. We opted not to stop for sundowner drinks that turned out to be a good choice. Mots got a report that there were 2 leopards spotted but didn’t think they would still be there but they were. It was dark by this time but with the spotlight we saw both the male and female who starting mating. It was copulation night! Then we saw a herd of elephants including a baby which Mots said was no more than 2 weeks old.
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| African eagle |
We headed straight to the fire for drinks and today they pushed the tables together so the 3 couples that are in camp could eat together. Greg and I both had Ostrich and it was very good.
Tuesday, May 23
Our last morning drive started with a pride of 6 lions devouring a killed warthog. The pride was an older female lion with 2 young males. The older female must have made the kill because she had a huge gash on her throat. We saw a female rhino with a 2 month baby. It’s the youngest of 3 babies in the park right now. A lone Buffalo was walking. Mots assumed to was headed to the herd. He was old and walked very slowly. We eventually saw the herd which was huge but very, very far away. Kinda sad. Hippos, lots of birds, kudos, lechwes, antelopes, and of course warthogs were spotted. We stopped for breakfast by the stream which was nice.
We were back to camp by noon and lunch at 1.This gave us a longer break which was nice. We rested and did most of our packing.
We met Mots at 4 and we were off for fishing. The boat was a 6 seater which gave us plenty of room for fishing. First three spots didn’t have action but the fourth paid off. Lots of hits and missed fish but we landed 3 tiger fish and Greg landed a huge catfish. A fun evening on the river. Very scenic, calm, and relaxing. And we finally saw a malachite kingfisher.
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| Mot |
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| malachite kingfisher. |
On the way back, Mots said a baboon got into our cabin and we need to go check on the cabin. Supposedly, it came in from the bathroom so we had to go into the bathroom. We walk into the bathroom and there is 2 towel animals and a red heart on the floor with a bottle of champagne, and the bathtub was overflowing with bubbles.
Then we were told to look outside and a dinner table was set up under the pergola.
It was a little before 7 and dinner was served at 7:30 so the bubble bath was calling.
The champagne was popped and we had a glass before Ernest came to serve the starter and soup. Then he brought our entrees which was beef filets cooked perfectly, followed by chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. What a surprise and a wonderful ending to our stay in Africa.
Wednesday/Thursday , May 24 and 25
We opted not to do the morning drive and slept in until 8. We had breakfast at 9:30, said our goodbyes and left for the air strip with Mots at 10:20.
The plane arrived on time and we were the only ones on the plane then a 5 min in the air to the next stop where 9 people got inboard, all ladies except 1 guy.
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| Common areas |
The plane arrived on time and we were the only ones on the plane then a 5 min in the air to the next stop where 9 people got inboard, all ladies except 1 guy.
We landed in Maun and we were loaded on a van. A porter asked our name and stayed with us until our luggage showed up and then walked with us through customs then to Link Air for check in. He left us at security and we went through customs into the waiting room. Time was noon and we had a 2:30 flight to Johannesburg. Flight left and arrived on time. A rep from Bid Air met us as we deplaned, went through baggage claim, then to British Air check in, put us in front of Priority line at immigration bypassing a whole bunch of people, and taking us through the security line for employees then escorting us to the British Airlines Lounge. Greg tipped her nicely as she saved us a bunch of time and confusion. We had a 3 hour wait in the lounge but left the lounge a bit early because I wanted to look for a t-shirt. At the gate we had to leave the area, be reseated by whether we were in the top or lower level. After sorting that out, we were called by group number. Plane was loaded with 30 minutes to spare and we arrived 30 min early at 7 am in London. The business class is not laid out well. If you are by the window and the person behind you lays out flat, you have to step over their foot stool to try get out. They apologized and said due to the complaints the plane is being reconfigured but it will be 3 years. That didn’t help Greg as he had to hurdle the passenger’s feet when he needed to go to the restroom. Food was just ok. After deplaning, going through immigration, and getting our luggage, using a trolley which was a huge help. Our hotel the Hilton Garden was across from Terminal 2 and we came in at Terminal 5. There was a free train, so we followed the signs and navigated Heathrow Airport and got off at the station for Terminal 2 and 3. Again, navigating signs and elevators we arrived at our hotel. We paid the early fee to get into our room. Greg napped and I took a shower. We left early to see how to get from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 since our plane is leaving from 3 tomorrow. It was about a 15 minute walk. We had time so we stopped for a sandwich. Our tour time for Windsor castle was 1 to 1:30. Greg used Uber to get a ride, again navigating Heathrow’s arrows to parking 3, level 3. It was a 20 min ride to Windsor. Silly me? I thought iWindsor Castle was in the country. There are shops and cafes everywhere. The driver wasn’t much help as to where the entrance was and dropped us off without any guidance but we easily found the entrance with 10 min to spare. There was a long line but it moved quickly. Once inside, the audio guides were free and we were on our own to go at our own pace. We spent over 2 hours then stopped at a shop for a magnet and a t-shirt.
Calling for an Uber driver was quick and he dropped us off across from the hotel. There was a bar on the 14th floor, Runway Bar, overlooking the airport. We both had martinis and relaxed before going downstairs for dinner.
I ordered a steak and Greg had Steak and Ale pie, both were very good. We crashed soon after repacking our duffle bags.
Friday May 26
Alarm at 6 am and on our way by 6:30. There was a line at priority check-in and a longer line at Fast Track security which was moving at a snails pace. They finally opened a third screening lane and we were in the AA lounge by 7:45 where we ate breakfast. Our gate was announced at 8:15 and we had a long trek to gate 36 boarding soon after arriving at the gate. Plane takes off at 9:30 and they immediately start serving the meal which is not breakfast. It’s an 8 hour flight and the only meal is served at 10 am. Strange???? We said we wanted to wait because it was still early morning and they looked at us like we were looney. Bloody Mary was nice. After they had served everyone lunch and dessert I asked for the entree only. They brought me a Coke Zero and never came back again. Greg had to go ask for something to eat. He came back with a sandwich and chips. Certainly not great service for business class.
