We again awoke early, packed up our bags (this always seems to take me more time than it should), and spent a couple more hours walking around Stockholm. Since it was Monday morning, more of the stores were open… this gave us a chance to enjoy some of the Scandinavian design on offer. We also bought some more candy to bring back to the States.
I debated whether or not to take the express train to the airport or just grab a taxi from the hotel. But, in the end, we opted for the taxi at 470 Kr (about $75), as I traded a little less hassle for a little more money. We arrived at the airport, checked in, and proceeded through security. Much to Libby’s chagrin, Emerson slept on the way to the airport and during the check-in process. This meant she was awake for the 2:15 flight to London. It went fairly well (with minimal noise/fuss from the Emersonian), though Libby was a ball of stress the entire flight.
Having arrived at Heathrow, we sped through immigration (one of the officers took us immediately to the front of the queue thanks to Emerson being in tow). But, we waited for what seemed like an eternity for our luggage and stroller (which had to be checked at the counter in Sweden). After getting our luggage, I popped into the “Simply M&S” to procure dinner. Frankly, knowing that we were going to be staying at an airport hotel, I feared that we might be forced to eat a “Redneck Thanksgiving” of potato chips, beer nuts, canned cheese, and soda pop from a vending machine. But, good old Marks and Sparks really came though with a variety of fresh fruit that I purchased (bananas, grapes, and berries), as well as surprisingly high-quality and affordable sandwiches, entrée, and dessert offerings. So, we ate like kings at our Radisson Edwardian Heathrow hotel room.
Speaking of the hotel room, I used points for this stay, but the hotel didn’t have any award nights available for three persons. As such, I booked the room for two, added a request for a crib, and figured that I’d either use my charm (or more likely Radisson status) to get us into a suitable room or that (worst case) Emerson would just need to sleep with us. Of course, I avoided mentioning this possible technical snag to Libby, as it would have (needlessly) worried her. I was proven right… we got an upgrade to a “deluxe king room” without need of an explanation on my part.
How’s that for a travel hack?
Tomorrow, we enter the shadow of the valley of death (a.k.a. flying transatlantic with a toddler during the daytime hours). But, I fear no evil as I have my iPad in hand. Libby, however, is less confident. 