At the Airport

Melba's sister and brother-in-law took us to the airport and dropped us off, well in advance of our departure, which was very important to us since I wasn't sure if Melba and I could get seats together. The problem was, the tickets were booked at different times and on different airlines but under a codeshare: While I was on an Iberian ticket, and Melba was on a British Airlines "native" ticket, we were both on the same BA plane, but knowing how fare rules are I was afraid this would be a trying matter. I figured it might be a bit complicated to be seated together under such a circumstance, so it seemed by getting to the airport early we would improve our chances of traveling side-by-side.

When we arrived for check-in, the queue was empty, which seemed like a good sign, and I explained the situation to the agent who initially indicated it should not be a problem, only to discover that there was an issue: While the codeshare per se was not insurmountable, unfortunately I had booked myself in "normal" economy, but I had purchased Melba's ticket for premium economy, and it was not possible to upgrade me to that same class. My only option was to upgrade both of us to business class, something that--given the festive feeling of the season--I very quickly agreed to in spite of the financial hit. Granted, it was only a nine hour flight and a pricey frivolity, but somehow sitting in different parts of the plane just did not feel right. In any case, it gave us a chance not only to sit together, but to face each other since this was one of those counter-facing couchette situations. There was a small divider between us that we could have pulled up had we been strangers (and yes, it was way too intimate to sit that way staring at somebody you did not know or care about), but it was actually quite enjoyable traveling that way with a companion. Besides, we also were able to sit in the Club Lounge before departure, and given our early time of arrival at the airport, we were the only ones in there for the better part of two hours.

The flight itself was enjoyable, without any major issues or problems, and we arrived at LHR right on time.

Unfortunately, the ride I had booked from LHR to the Savoy was definitely not up to expectations, with a driver who not only could not find the hotel, but who also became snappy when I tried to help. After realizing he was lost, I tried to point out a few well-known nearby landmarks such as Trafalgar Square, but each time he snapped back that he knew where the hotel was. Unfortunately, the GPS was giving him directions that led him someplace in Holborn and he elected to believe the box rather than what he claimed to know or what I was telling him. Why thinking human beings would choose to follow a silicon box that is known to be in error is a question in and of itself, and it was not until he phoned the Savoy directly that he was able to find the hotel---and even then he drove right past it until I pointed out the overshoot.

In any case, we arrived at the Savoy right at 2:00 PM as I thought we would. The next part would not be totally anticipated, in a good sense.