Getting Close!

 Sunday, January 12, 2025

Over the last week we have been trying to use up freezer and refrigerator items before our departure this coming Thursday morning.  When we go south for the winter, we normally have the water shut off at the curb for a couple of reasons.  If we should happen to lose or furnace and the pipes freeze, we won't flood the house, and it also saves us from the minimum charges for water, sewer and garbage pickup.  Since we plan to leave early Thursday morning, it will either have to be shut off Wednesday afternoon or ask our neighbor Larry to be here to do it Thursday afternoon.  He has done this for us before and since he has agreed to drive us to the airport, we will impose on him for this additional duty.  Thank goodness for great neighbors.  Larry and Barb also look after our house and property while we escape for the winter.  We really appreciate their efforts!

We got another surprise from Cunard Lines in an email suggesting that we may have to get a visa or ETA for our visit to the UK.  Sure enough, starting January 1, 2025, they are requiring U.S. citizens planning a visit to obtain one or the other depending on the purpose of your visit.  We just need an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) like we did for Australia and New Zealand.  It can be done with  our mobile phone or online.  Sue gets hers done without much trouble and uses her Credit Card to pay the 10 British Pound fee which amounts to $12.98.  I, on the other hand, am having nothing but trouble.  First, was getting past the point where the app takes a picture of your passport.  After about six tries, it finally accepts it then it gets stuck at the point where I take a selfie.  It keeps saying the service is down and to try again later.  After several restarts, I get a message saying I have had too many failed attempts, and I am locked out for three hours!  

As I write this, we have snow flurries outside with windy conditions.  It isn't expected to amount to much thankfully, not like the storms east of us. Although we have planned for a one-day cushion for our arrival in New York, it looks like the weather should not be a problem come Thursday.

So, after watching my Hawkeye women's basketball team get beat by Indiana, I tried again to get my ETA completed.  I got past the Passport photos without any problems, but they asked if my passport had the emblem at the bottom (see red arrow) and if it did, it meant that there was a "biometric chip" embedded, and I needed to scan it.  I spent about 5 minutes trying to "find" my chip by rubbing my phone, as instructed, over the cover of my passport.  I gave it to Sue to try and after several more attempts, it finally discovered it.  Next step, take a selfie, which after several tries, it finally accepted my photo and after giving over my credit card information, they accepted my application.  It wasn't long and I got an email, saying I was approved.  UK, here we come!

Thursday, January 16th...Travel Day!

Finally, our travel day arrives.  We get up at Oh Dark Hundred, that's 5AM for all you non-military types.  We shower and do some final packing.  Our neighbor Larry will ride with us to the airport and bring back our pickup so won't have to stay parked at the airport for four months.  I called yesterday to City Hall and scheduled a 1PM water shut-off.  Larry will also be here for that as they need someone to verify the water is off.  We have a breakfast pizza we have been saving as most everything else is cleaned out of the fridge.  After doing some final cleaning, we pick up Larry and head for Mason City airport, about a 45-minute drive.  

Everything goes well and we leave on time for our 55-minute flight to Chicago O'Hare.  It seems like our taxi to the terminal takes about as long as the flight!  We go directly to our gate which is about a 20-minute walk.  We wait about 45 minutes and boarding starts for the nearly 300 of us on the 737.  It is a full airplane our take-off time is 1PM....which comes and goes!  Captain finally comes on and says there is a mechanical problem, and we have to have mechanics come aboard. After a couple more apologies and appreciation for our patience, he tells us the mechanics have to remove a rear panel and check out the oxygen supply.  Evidently some idiot light isn't coming on or something.  After waiting over an hour some other guy comes on and says they are required to announce that we have been there long enough, they have to offer passengers the option to leave if they so wish.  Some do, but not many.  After another half hour, the captain says everything checks out and we can leave as soon as they get the panel back on and do the paperwork.  We finally get in the air about the time we were supposed to be landing in LaGuardia.  

We deplane and debate whether to take a taxi or call Uber.  The taxi stand is close by and has a sign listing typical fares to popular destinations.  One is downtown Manhattan, which I know is on the other side of the East River, and the fee is listed as $55.  Since we are already in Brooklyn, I figure how bad can it be to our hotel.  After getting in the taxi and overcoming some language difficulties, he quotes us $77.75, and it will take about 45 minutes in current traffic.  Yikes, but in for a penny, in for a pound and we take off blending into the heavy traffic amongst occasional horn honking.  At least he has a mounted credit card machine which they want you to use.

We arrive at our motel around 7PM, pay the cabbie and get checked in.  We haven't eaten anything since our breakfast pizza, except for the minuscule fruit bar handed out by the flight attendant.  We decide to have a Domino's pizza delivered rather than venture out to one of several restaurants within walking distance.  The pizza arrived, not what we ordered and not very good and was $40 with tip!  Welcome to the Big Apple.  Tomorrow is another adventure.