New Years in London

    

Not only was my first flight to London, but it was on New Years Eve, AND somehow two of my best friends here also had their first flights to London on the same day. The odds of that happening are a million to one, so we're pretty sure the company has the elevators bugged and heard us wishing we'd be together on New Years.

On your first two flights (SUPY flights) you get to sit in the flight deck with the pilot and first officer for take-off and landing. I'm not allowed to post those pictures, but it was amazing! The actual flight wasn't very exciting. I helped the crew set up the carts for the bar and meal service and answered call bells. I mostly just stood there with the other SUPY girl that was on my flight and tried not to get in the way since we had no idea what we were doing. Training is nothing like the real job.

After 7.5 hours, we finally made it to London and went to our hotel. We get our own rooms, and they are always very nice. A few of us, including my friend who was magically in London with me, took the metro to the city center to see the fireworks. The metro line was headed to Cockfosters, and since my friend and I are super mature, we'd be dying laughing every time the PA came on to announce we were headed to Cockfosters. I'm sure the locals were rolling their eyes, but really, who chose that name? Since it was freezing outside and we had some time before the fireworks started, we waited inside a nice little English pub. I'm really trying to like beer, so I ordered some honey ale and it was actually really good! We didn't get home until past 3am, and I woke up at 7 so I would have the day to sightsee.

                                                  

I started at Piccadilly Circus and circled all the way around central London past Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. I was supposed to meet my friend so we could wander around together but it was so crowded with people waiting to watch the New Years Parade that we never found each other. If you're ever meeting a friend in London, pick somewhere more specific than Piccadilly Circus. It's like telling someone to meet you in Times Square. You're not gonna find them. Buckingham Palace was smaller than I expected, but still exciting to see. The guards don't stand outside anymore where you can take pictures with them so that was a little disappointing. Everything else was great and I can't wait to visit again and see more of the city!
                                   
The locals were all really nice (some even nicer to look at) and polite. They don't try to trample you for a seat on the metro the way they do in Dubai, and they even say please and thank you. After being in Dubai for 2 months, I almost forgot what those words meant. Plus, I could listen to a British accent read the phone book for hours and still want to hear more.

Nothing exciting happened on the flight back except me falling asleep in the flight deck and the Captain and First Officer making fun of me for it. I'm sure I looked beautiful knocked out in the jump seat. Then I fell asleep again on the bus from the airport to my house that I almost missed my stop. I've never been so tired in my entire life! And it wasn't even a long flight compared the 12+ hour flights I'll be doing soon. Wish me luck on staying awake...

      

                                   

My second SUPY doesn't deserve it's own post because it was just a turnaround to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It's a super busy and stressful flight. I was just as tired after this flight as I was after London, which is twice as long. I definitely prefer layover flights!

 Next up, celebrating my birthday in France!