OFF: Heathrow/London help

[Frank Weil]

Everyone,

Thanks for all the responses!  I understand the time concerns that
several people have mentioned.  I live in Chicago, and getting
downtown from O'Hare airport (and vice versa) can be a challenge.  We
are still trying to figure out if it is worth going all the way into
London, but it's hard to know we are going to be stuck in the airport
outside of a great city for so long.

I'll have to find out about how to check in for the connecting flight,
too.  Our bags are checked all the way through to Cairo, and the whole
trip is arranged through a tour company, so there may not be much we
need to do.

As for timing, we figure it this way (assuming the plane gets in on
time; if not, all bets are off): We have a 6.5 hour lay-over.  If we
allow 1 hour each way for transportation, that leaves 4.5 hours.  We
should get to the airport 2 hours early, so that leaves 2.5 hours.

So basically, leaving ourselves plenty of time, we still have 2.5
hours to clear customs and sightsee.  Whether or not that is worth it
is a different question.  We figure that we'll need to walk around to
wake up after our overnight flight and so that we can get back on the
plane for another six or seven hours and stay awake.  We need to be
able to go to sleep when we finally arrive in Cairo late that night.

Assuming that we don't make it all the way into London, can anyone
suggest some place closer to the airport where it would be worth
spending a few hours?  If nothing else, we at least want to have lunch
and walk around to enjoy the scenery a bit.

For the record, our honeymoon is in Egypt.  We are spending a few days
in Cairo (the pyramids, etc.), then flying to Luxor to take a cruise
down the Nile to Aswan for four or five days (and seeing all the old
temples along the way), and then finally flying to Abu Simbel where
the temple of Ramses II is carved into the mountain.  We fly back home
(Chicago) from there via Cairo and London.

Why?  Because it's there, because we haven't been there, and because
ancient Egypt is !@$)*!&$ cool!

Thanks again,
Frank

ObNotSoGreatOccurrence: The fact that an escapee from a mental
institution fire-bombed a bus across from the hotel where we will be
staying adds just a bit too much sense of adventure to the trip.
Doesn't worry us one bit, though.  Nope, not at all.  Well, hardly at
all.  Just a little maybe.  Somewhat.  Okay, we really aren't happy
about it, but we figure we can't go through life living in a shell.
I'd guess our chances are higher to get injured on the way to the
airport here in Chicago than to be involved in some terrorist attack
in Egypt, especially now that the government has stepped up their
vigilance again.  Oh well.  Life would be no fun if everything went
smoothly. :-)

ObWeddingCountdown: 8 days, 6 hours, 30 minutes.

--
 ==============================================================================
Frank Weil | frankw at comm.mot.com | phone: (847) 576-3110 | fax: (847) 576-3240

I used to work in a fire hydrant factory.  You couldn't park anywhere
near the place.       -- Steven Wright