Virgin Atlantic's Airborne House of Evil

The Cursed Virgin
They weren't blessing any virgins this day. Once Randy arrived he was informed that his seating had been changed. Apparently, Virgin Atlantic (spit) considers co-traveler seating reserved three months in advance to be mere "suggestions." This first snag had our intrepid travelers miffed but confident they would prevail.

A desultory Randy with his consolation ice cream

They did no such thing.

The swishy agent did his very best to seat them near each other so that they might at least try and play musical chairs with other passengers and gain side-by-side seating. Alas, it was all for nought. Although they weren't next to one another, they were close enough to share an ethernet cable and link their two laptops. Did we mention techno-nerds on vacation?.

Shortly after takeoff the stewardesses closed the "steerage curtain," making sure that the "Upper Class" passengers were not required to look at "Ecomony Class" passegers. After about an hour and a half of flying, we were presented with a typically yummy airline meal. Everything in it own separate sealed container. Mmmmm! Teriyaki salmon with roasted vegetables sounds delicious until presented in a hermetically sealed package.

After the dwarf-sized repast it was time to go to sleep. Several friends had suggested Melatonin, which was reputed to put you out like a light (though some said it wasn't very strong). They figured they'd each take 2. After getting about 4 hours sleep between them, and watching a random assortment of the movies being shown, the plane began its descent to Heathrow.

Note: Both travelers were quick to note the complete lack of stewards on board. This was a tragic error on the part of Virgin (spit) Airlines.

Isn't 10 hours enough lead time to warn the airport one's plane is arriving early?

Arriving at the gate, it seemed that they were half an hour early. That turned out to be a tease, since Virgin (spit) could not find any buses to take the passengers from the plane to the terminal, about a hundred feet away. When one finally showed up, it was off to yet another line to wait for immigration, and then to wait for baggage.

Customs at Heathrow. You'd think it'd be great for cruising what with all that standing around

With the air travel finally behind them, spirits began to improve. It was a sunny afternoon and the brand new London cab took them directly to the Fitzrovia Hotel in Covent Garden, a delightful little hotel located within walking distance of the SOHO area. After unpacking, the two travelers set out to investigate the area, with plans for a quick nap and shower before heading out Saturday night to see what trouble awaits them.

The beautiful Fitzrovia Hotel