Pre-trip flight ramble

This is a pre-trip trip update as I sit in transit in Heathrow for a few hours.

There's not a lot to report because all I've really done is sit on three planes for a combined total of ~24 hours. As intrepid travellers will know, you watch a lot of movies and then you get into the crap ones, you read, maybe listen to music and try to get some sleep ... and probably wait around.

I will report on some trivia but I think are worth a mention.

• I should have checked in online for the flight from Auckland instead of standing in a queue for an hour behind a school trip. Note to self. Actually, I just forgot and it's not worth trying to do it via a mobile webpage when you're in the queue.
• It's worth carrying the odd strange item in your luggage. I only have carry on for the trip, travelling light. In my luggage is my bike seat. That's caused a couple of queries through the scanners and then a wry smile or raised eyebrow when all is revealed. Don't many people carry their own bike seats when travelling?
• Landing at Heathrow was kinda cool. Not for the view as we flew up the Thames over the CBD but for the ease of getting to a connecting flight. Going over Tehran was pretty spectacular though. It was big and sprawling. I did rationalise the flickering lights as both atmospheric and power related rather than explosions. No, the best bit was the time to get through everything at Heathrow. No inbound immigration. Veer off to the bus between terminals, quick bus ride and through customs control. I had checked in online this time and my bike seat was suspected to be a weapon of mass destruction again. I didn't think it wise to joke that it was what sat on it that was a WoMD (they were wearing latex gloves). Anyway, off the plane, 5 minutes to the bus, 5 minute wait, 8 minute ride, <5 minute check (sans bike seat delay) and probably 15 minutes of walking through endless corridors. So from off the plane at T4 to sitting in the T3 departure area in well under an hour. Wonderful ... it just makes the waiting around longer. 

For having said there's not a lot to report, that's not a bad effort.

One hop to go, next stop Prague. Tally-ho, tally-ho and what-oh, old chaps.