British Isles Cruise 2026 - Flying to London (08/23/26)

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The flight to London, I hope, would be the most troublesome thing to happen on this trip.  Not only were we exhausted by the time we got to the hotel, but we were both at the end of tolerance for the little things that can plague a traveler on a trip to Europe.

 

But first...

 

Our flight was scheduled to leave New York at 11:55 pm.  I chose this late departure knowing that the London hotel would be hesitant to release rooms to new check-ins until 3 pm local time.  (See: Norwegian Fjord Cruise Vacation - 06/13/24 (Flying into London before the cruise) to reference our prior experience at the Leonardo Royal Tower Hotel.  And I'm glad we did so, given the minor headaches (for young, able bodied people) we'd have to endure.

 

We left for the airport at 7:00 pm, and arrived shortly before 8:00 pm.  I figured that being 3 hours early for being loaded onto the plane would be prudent, and boy was I right!  RQS had forgotten where she put her cell phone/wallet, and had only her passport to identify her to authorities before the flight.  So, I told her that I could handle all of the credit charges and balance things out later on.  She was happy with me, but not with the situation.

 

Next, we had to go through TSA security, and that was our second speed bump.  I sailed through the Pre-Check process easily, while RQS ended up going through the "Untrusted Traveler" lanes. And that's when her cell phone/wallet was discovered - it was in her trouser pocket all the time, and she didn't even notice it.  

 

Now that we both felt some relief, we walked over to the gates serving Virgin Atlantic (a Delta Airlines code share partner), and took a seat.  After an hour, we got text messages: Our plane went from departing from gate A3 to departing from gate B30 - a 20 minute walk for young people, but not for 2 people whose average age was over 70.  Luckily I found a Delta airlines cart that would bring us to our gate. And that's where we sat for the next 45 minutes.  But then we received another text - our departure gate had changed back to A3.  So we had to ask a nearby Delta airlines gate agent for help - and just in the nick of time, as the cart stops running at 11:00 pm.

 

Returning to gate A3, we could now rest - if we could find an empty seat. We asked the gate agent if we could get on the plane early (they could see we both used canes) and it wasn't a problem.  So, when the plane was ready to be boarded, we were among the first 10 people to get in our seats.

 

 

 

The flight wasn't much to talk about, save that the seat wasn't that comfortable to sit on, but I did have adequate leg room.  By the time we arrived in London, my knees were telling me that they didn't want to be friends, but that eased off a bit when I started walking.  And I was grateful for that, as we had a lot of walking ahead of us.

 

I don't know how many of my readers have flown into Heathrow airport, but it is a long way from where the plane discharges passengers to where passport control and baggage claim is.  Luckily, unlike many American airports, they have long moving sidewalks along this path - a blessing for the two of us.  And then we hit our next speed bump - passport control.

 

We were selected to lanes where we slide our passports into a scanner, have our faces photographed and compared with the passport.  If all goes right, "Welcome to the UK!"  In both of our cases, we had trouble with the scanning process.  I was able to go through after several tries, where RQS needed help for this process.  And from there, we went to baggage claim, and out of the controlled area to meet the person who'd be driving us to our hotel,

 

It would have been a nice thing if I could remember the name of the driver who took us to the hotel, but other things were on my mind.  For the next 60-90 minutes, we had a nice chat, followed by hotel check-in.  After 30 hours of being awake, I finally was able to connect my CPAP machine and get several hours of needed nap time.    

My upcoming cruise - will I survive it? (a short post)

 

 

This is a port intensive cruise which will either strengthen my legs or ruin them.  Either way, I'll be away from home, and I'm not looking forward to it.

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Normally, I am a little apprehensive about overseas travel, and I'm more so regarding this trip.  I had to struggle to get my bags to RQS's place, and still not be sure if I packed everything for the trip.  My doctor has advised me NOT to drink alcohol, and I may have a single glass of wine with dinner, and stick with "Near Beers" for the rest of the time.  

When we get to London, our plans are to rest on the day we arrive, and on the next day, visit the Jack The Ripper museum a short walk away, then see my niece for dinner.  It's not exactly what we want to do.  But with my legs, playing it safe may be the wisest thing we can do. 

Once on the ship, I'll try to stay as active as possible, knowing that inactivity may make things worse on my legs.  And then, I'll have to deal with the headaches of previously planned and paid for shore excursions.  At least, I know we'll have good food for the better part of two weeks, as we have unlimited meals in the ship's specialty restaurants.

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I'll write more once I'm underway.  Hopefully, you'll enjoy my upcoming posts. 

 

Getting things ready to go to RQS's place. (a short post)

 

I'm getting ready to leave for my upcoming cruise.  My bags are packed, and I've been taking care of last minute errands today.  For example, my cable box died last night, and I might as well go down to the cable company's offices to get a replacement box.  So many things to do, and so little time left to do them.

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Well, it was hard to get moving this morning, as I must have slept in a way that put pressure on the wrong spot on my spine.  Yet, I got myself moving and by 12:30, I was out the door and off to the cable company store to exchange my cable box.  This took less time than expected, so I took time out to go to the "Mexican Phone Company" (read: Taco Bell) for lunch.  After a short stop at the bank to pick up some cash (I decided not to change the status of my account relationship until I return), and then I was free to leave for RQS's place.

Once at home, I connected the new cable box, and decided to relax for a while.  I had no wish to travel through Manhattan during rush hour, so I made plans to leave Croton around 5, and arrive at RQS's place around 7:30 or so.  This would give RQS time to make dinner, and for me to cool off after getting to RQS's place.

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Normally, I'd have more to write about the day.  But my laptop was already at RQS's place, and I wanted to use my desktop machine at home instead of my Chromebook.  So, this entry would need to be shorter than I'd normally write before going on a trip. 

 

And now, for something different (or it should be)

 

A shortened version of a post I made in a different blog....

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The war with Iran has been going on for several months now, and what do we have gotten for it?  As I write this, we got 18 service members coming home in body bags, a depleted munitions stock, an aircraft carrier coming to port due to an under-supplied, emotionally exhausted crew, and hundreds of billions of dollars deeper in dept.  We did not get regime change in Iran.  We did not eliminate the potential nuclear threat Iran poses.  And we did not vanquish our "enemy".  Instead, we have shown that the US is a paper tiger, and that Iran has the power to shut off 20% of the world's oil supply.

If you ask our president, he'll say we're winning the war, and that the Strait of Hormuz is open for shipping.  Yet, he'll act like a little child when someone asks him a question which holds him to account for his mistakes.  His ego is so fragile, that by not admitting any of his failings, he is unable to learn from his mistakes.  As a result, he keeps doubling down on his lies, and no one trusts him anymore.  Yet, people are afraid of him due to his ability to rally members of his cult to attack his enemies.

America is now $40,000,000,000 in debt.  For the first time in history, we are now paying more in debt service than we pay for defense.  This can not last for long.  This president would cut social spending in order to preserve our war machine.  But what good would that do?  We can't even defeat an enemy like Iran.  Our military is not nimble.  We still act as if we need to fight the wars of the 20th century, instead of those we need to fight now.  Instead of retreating into 1940's military technology, as our president would do with our aircraft carriers, we should be at the forefront of 2020's military technology, as Ukraine has exhibited with its use of drone technology.

Unmanned vehicles (air, land, and sea) are the future of warfare, as they can enable militaries to fight wars while keeping their service members well behind the scenes in relative safety.  For those near the front lines of battle, they can provide the tools for defense that older, more expensive military tools and weapons can not provide.  Unmanned vehicles are cheaper and more effective than older military technology.  They have allowed Ukraine, a nation without a navy, to defeat the Russian navy and make it an almost useless asset.

Given the cost of proven drone technology vs. the cost of our overpriced military technology, I see a potential to kill several birds with one stone.  First, we can no longer afford to enforce a "Pax Americana" as we did for the second half of the 20th century.  So, let's wind it down to areas we can defend, and have other nations form healthy regional alliances for defense.  Second, let's take she savings from winding down the "Pax Americana" and do three things with it: (a) develop drone technology with Ukraine and build up stockpiles which both countries can use, (b) plug up holes in our social safety net (especially in healthcare, and (c) pay down our national debt.

The British empire fell because it couldn't afford to maintain it.  America is well on the same path to a similar national failure that could cripple us for generations.  And yet, our president's incompetency has given us an opportunity if we are wise enough to seize it.  Things are so FUBAR (F'd up beyond all recognition) that radical change may just be possible.  Licensing Ukrainian drone technology might help our military become more nimble and cost effective.  It may help America rebuild its industrial logistics, so that we can again build civilian products in the US, as we did with the aircraft and space industries.  We can learn from the past, and choose to take a different path than those who preceded us.

The big question is:  Will we learn the lessons of the past and make good choices.  I'm hoping that America will follow the lead of a wise woman (Mae West) who said: "Whenever given the choice between two evils, I'll choose the one I haven't chosen before."  It's time for something new, and even a bad choice of something new is better than the continued choices of something old we have been making as of late. 

Lunch with a friend as Marian

 

I'm moving with the help of pain killers these days, and can't wait until I return from my trip to let the doctors get at me.  Today could be the last day I can spend as Marian for the next few weeks, and I made the decision to make the most of it.

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Getting up this morning was a little bit of an effort.  But I was able to get moving with the help of pain killers and my cane.  So, showering would be a pain, as it could hurt to stand while in the shower.  Knowing this, I did the minimum needed to present as Marian, and found a dress that needed a second wearing before going in the hamper.

Before I started my morning routine, I contacted the foreign birth registry to discuss the status of my paperwork.  I has asked one of my female friends what she did to change her name after getting married, and she said that her marriage certificate was all she needed to deal with America's social security administration, and with New York State's motor vehicle department.  So, I came prepared with knowledge that most women did not have to file for court ordered name changes - the government issued marriage certificate was enough.  When I finally chatted with an agent, I was told that the official records from New York City (with stamp) were good enough for me to send off.  So, now it's off to Maria again (after my vacation) and restart the process of getting my second citizenship. 

Although CCS knows that I am non-op transgender and has met me as Mario, I made the effort to present as best as possible in Marian mode.  I was lucky not to be in much pain to walk to my car, walk to my seat in the restaurant, and reverse the process in returning home.  Both of us needed to talk a bit, and we competed a little to get what we needed to say said.  And yet, we did so without trouble, wishing that we could afford more time to chat. 

When I got home, it was a little difficult for me to climb the stairs.  But, I should be able to do some laundry tomorrow.... 

 

Taking care of business ...slowly

 

I'll be glad when I get back from my trip, as I can move forward with taking care of my legs.  Today, the thigh and calf muscles were "sort of" behaving, but my knees bothered me when I stood up.  Pain killers will help a little, but I bet that there will be more things wrong with me that the doctor has to diagnose.

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I didn't really start moving today until noon.  This time, my knees were bothering me.  So, I added some pain killers to my morning regimen of pills.  But, I couldn't go out until after 2, as I had someone from a financial firm I had to talk to.

In mid afternoon, a lady from the financial firm called, and we proceeded to start signing me up as a client.  Seems like the registration process stops when no beneficiary Social Security number is entered.  Although I got the information from RQS (she's going to be my beneficiary), their system wouldn't allow me to continue - there's a bug in the environment.  So, I'll have to make a phone call tomorrow.

Next, it was off to the drug store to get some pain killers.  While there, I got new passport photos for the foreign birth registry AND a digital copy of the photo for use when renewing my US passport.  Although the injectors (whatever you call the needles) were ready for me to pick up, the GLP-1 drug wasn't ready.  I had to give the drug store my Medicare ID again.  AARGH!   Let's hope everything is taken care of before I leave on my trip.

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With the possible exception of tomorrow, this will be the longest stretch of time I'll be spending as Mario for a long while.  I can't wait to get back home from my trip, so that I can schedule more doctor appointments, and in-between, spend some time as Marian again. 

 

Calling the doctor (another short post)

 

Today, I felt overwhelmed by circumstance.  I had to call the doctor regarding my X-Rays, and other stuff also came up as well.

But first....

It took me a while to get moving, and my legs bothered me when I did.  I fear my trip to RQS's place with my luggage, as well as the trip to the airport and on the plane.  So I waited a while for my doctor to respond to my emails, and then called his office around 11 am.    They didn't have much information for me at that time, but they wanted to do a tele-health call at 2 pm.

Clearing my schedule for 2 pm, I still had to wait for over a half hour for the doctor's office to call me.  It took a while for them to straighten out an issue with the statin my doctor was trying to get me to take.  Now, it will be added to my daily regimen for when I come back from my trip.  Next, the doc told me that when I get back, we'll need to schedule an MRI for my lower back.  Finally, I'm on track for the GLP-1 drug.  My problem is that if I start paperwork now, that I won't be around to pick up my doses until I return.  So, I'm not sure of what I'll do with paperwork for the Medicare Bridge Program.

During the day, I got more calls and emails, with the net result that there was a prescription waiting for me at CVS.  I'll take care of that tomorrow, as I don't want to go out of the house on a dreary day.  With that being said, I was able (without much trying) to crick my lower back as if I were cracking my knuckles.  Since I haven't been able to do that in a while, I consider this a temporary good sign for me, as I didn't feel too bad getting out of bed after a nap.

Keep your fingers crossed for me - I might just be able to enjoy my vacation after all. 

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