Click on any of the photos to enlarge them. They will still be in the same tab and you can easily click out of them to continue reading the report!
Never for the longest time I thought I'd get to Europe until I was an adult. I grew up looking at maps and the world and watched lots of movies that took place there. That all changed in 2016, during a trip to a family reunion where it was announced that my direct family and a few other relatives would be venturing to Europe in 2018.
Never for the longest time I thought I'd get to Europe until I was an adult. I grew up looking at maps and the world and watched lots of movies that took place there. That all changed in 2016, during a trip to a family reunion where it was announced that my direct family and a few other relatives would be venturing to Europe in 2018.
It was a trip two years in the making. Several locations were thrown out there for where in Europe we would go, but the only thing that was for sure was that we'd be going to Germany. The other countries we were thinking about going to were Italy, Poland, England, and the Netherlands. During 2017, it was decided we were going to England, and the planning commenced.
We only visited three parks on this trip; Alton Towers, Holiday Park, and Tripsdrill. As much as I would have loved to visit other parks in the area, like Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures (which was actually in the works but cancelled due to time) in the UK, and Phantasialand, Hansa Park, and, of course, Europa Park in Germany (Europa was also in the works but cancelled due to how far it was away from where we were staying). But there's always another time to go back to Europe. We might be going to France even within the next few years, but if not that, then the next possible Europe year would be 2022.
Enough about the future though, let's get back to this trip. It all began on Tuesday, June 19. The last couple days had been extremely relaxed, and at 5:45 PM, our driver from the airport picked us up and took us to O'Hare. While waiting for our plane to arrive, I took a few photos. So here are the first photos of the trip!
Ah, gate M15, traveling to London-Gatwick. Notice the heavy clouds too. There was a threat of intense rain all day, but luckily stopped well before we took off.
Here it is... the Norwegian Airlines plane in all it's glory! (note the quality of these photos aren't too high because I was trying to avoid getting stares of people around me)
And we've boarded! It took us a little while to take off, but it was nice to enjoy a little bit of Chicago evening while we were waiting.
This photo was taken right as we left the gate (notice how much darker it is out!) Also I apologize about my reflection in the window. As you can tell, this was taken with my phone which doesn't have nearly as high of quality as my camera.
It was a smooth night. It was great being able to see Canada for the first time, and I actually saw some of the lights of Montreal from up high! (I didn't see La Ronde, obviously but that would have been really cool)
Also, Norwegian Airlines has some incredible service. Free blankets, ear plugs, and pillows, as well as reclining seats, a built-in TV with USB and outlet charging, and mood lightning in the windows. Not to mention the TV had a very wide variety of movies and TV to choose from. I remember watching The Mask (1994 with Jim Carrey) and Die Hard in terms of movies, and Young Sheldon and Modern Family in terms of TV shows.
Once we passed over the Nova Scotia, I fell asleep, and it lasted for a few hours until the plane adjusted time zones, and it was time to wake up to some excellent Norwegian Airlines hospitality.
The next morning I woke up to this. Hearty British breakfast and Family Guy!
Here's a better look at the breakfast. Assorted fruit selection, biscuit, cheeses and meats, and a hard-boiled egg! Thanks Norwegian!
I'd be okay with waking up to this every morning, how about you?
This photo is completely raw. I don't even know how to caption it, it gives such a perspective on this big chunk of the earth's surface and the atmosphere!!
Land ho!
Welcome to Ireland, laddies!
Flight Attendant 1: "Please take in these views of all the quaint villages, we will only be flying over Ireland for a short time. Thank you."
To his attendant friend: "Americans have such an interesting way of speaking."
The attendants were all British, which I thought was great. Maybe Norwegian Airlines is trying to get us all prepared for the new (and superior) world ahead of us. =)
The clouds here literally look like white splatters on a blue canvas...
...and with that we arrived in London.
Check back soon for the second part - London culture! I'll be filling all 4 days we spent in London itself into one big update!
