My day started well - the underground and Heathrow Express were on time and not packed with the people - but then I got to Terminal 5 (British Airways) and it was chaos! I hadn't been able to book in on line and then, with very few staff to help all the technology was playing up! Groups of us were move from one spot to another with no clear idea of what was going on! There must have been a lot of flights cancelled the previous day because many people were trying to get new flights! Finally a member of staff came over and started booking us in, finally! I then had to go to another section to check in my bag - as you do this yourself I was hoping I'd attached the label correctly and that my bag and I would meet again!!!
Forget the suggestion to get to the airport 2-3 hours before - Terminal 5 make it 4 hours!
It was another hot day and the airport obviously couldn't cope! Flights into Europe were being delayed but up to six hours in some cases - there were constant delay announcements coming over the speakers! Boarding for my flight did not go ahead at the time started and you could see people getting twitchy! The heat didn't help!
Finally we started boarding and I can honestly say I thought I was going to be flying in the toilet - my seat was the last row at the back! We all got settled in and were ready to go when it was announced by the captain that we were all going to have to get off as there was a battery problem and that lighting and aircon would be turned off! I think there were a couple of people ready to deploy the emergency slide and get off - staff calmed them down!
Luckily the problem was fixed without us getting off although the temperature did start to rise - water was quickly handed out to us! Finally we were on our way and we did catch up some of the delayed time. Atlanta airport was far easier to get through than Chicago! I was a little surprised that I didn't have to go through the rigmarole of the fingerprints - you just get your photo taken! I reached my hotel by 10:15pm - although English time was 3:15 am!
It been a strange day, weather wise. One minute it's blue sky and sunshine then torrential rain with thunder and lightening - it has carried on like this all day!
As I walked outside the hotel this morning a trolley bus tour was about to depart so I joined it! Atlanta is were Martin Luther King was born and we passed a number of place which related to him. Atlanta is also where Coca cola 'started' its life! The city is very spread out so many of its districts are not easy to walk to.
My hotel is directly opposite the Georgia Aquarium and short walk away is Coca Cola World, which of course I visited. There was a lot of history and memorabilia there but the best part was the tasting session! You had the chance to taste Coca Cola products from around the world! The one from China tasted like barbecue sauce but the most disgusting was from Italy (apologies to my Italian friend!) - don't know what it was but it wasn't drinkable!
I then headed to the National Centre for Civil and Human Rights. Quite an amazing place with it's history not only of the civil rights here in America but the struggle for human rights around the world. It was a place for quiet reflection although a number of, I assume Summer Camp students, didn't seem to appreciate their own history!
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