On Monday the 9th Kiry, the boys, and I left the house with bags and a large amount of paperwork to get Subway sandwiches and meet Katrina in the city centre. We caught a train from Worcester Forgate station to London Paddington. The journey took two and a half hours, and with three kids in tow, it was as much fun as could be expected for two parents who have been going through the VISA process for the past 17 months, and who have poured over paperwork trying to make sure that we got absolutely everything correct to the very best of our ability.
When we arrived at Paddington Station, the walk to the hotel we had booked was only 2/10ths of a mile out the front door, and to the left on Norfolk Square. There are many hotels in Norfolk Square, and I can only imagine how similar they may be. The Hotel Belvedere was not opulent in any way, but what the building lacked in amenities, they staff made up for in courtesy and helpfulness.
After a brief settling in, we set out on an expedition to see what the walk to the US Embassy was like in route and time to travel. Of course it required a few unplanned stops, including a Baskin Robins for some Ice Cream.
As it turned out, the walk was a fairly easy one through Sussex Gardens, down Edgeware Road, past the Odeon and then Marble Arch, and down the East end of Hyde Park till we were at the US Embassy.
We were stunned along the way when we passed the car dealerships that sell Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and Harley Davidson right along side each other. We were also then surprised at the last approach to the Embassy buy just how many Bentley’s we saw parked on the streets, especially after having just seen one for sale used for £154,000.
After we meandered back to the room, we all played cards till it was time to fall asleep.
Morning brought breakfast, and a walk to the Embassy again, and of course rain. By the time we were close to the Embassy we decided that we needed to get better covering on Kirynie. The rain cover for her pushchair has long been missing, so a couple of cheap umbrella’s would have to suffice. I got one for Kiry, and one for me, as we were the ones who were going to be waiting outside for the duration of the appointment. We were at the queue in front of the Embassy by 8:30, and when it was time to leave them, I asked the Information Officer, who was being quite friendly and nice about her job as she sorted people into the final queue, where I could go to stay dry. She pointed up the road in view and said “There’s a Starbucks just up Audley Street on the left.”
“Of course,” I replied, and several people behind Katrina laughed.
So Kiry and I went to Starbuck’s and got our wits about us while I very slowly sipped a hot chocolate. Then we made our way to Selfridge’s, which in the Mayfair district is loaded with Jewellery and Godiva on the ground floor. Technology was in the basement, and before long, so were we. Now this is where Kiry gets to have some bragging rights because she watched about 10 – 15 minutes of the original Toy Story on a TV costing £32,995.00 (US $51,882.66 at yesterday’s exchange rate.) At that price, Toy Story has only looked as good when it was on the cinema screen!
I watched a movie that I could not identify on the screen across from Kiry, in which some huge wave wiped out a large portion of the Earth, and the USS John F. Kennedy (aircraft carrier) flipped over on Danny Glover. The sound was completely quiet, so I could only imagine Danny saying “I’m getting too old for this shit.” The John Cusack drove a Bentley out the cargo door of an airplane as it crashed onto a glacier in China, as you do. (An IMDB search reveals that the film I was watching was 2012.) We walked on and the next thing to catch my attention was a car door with bullet holes all over it and the glass. So I spoke to Ben, who sells armoured cars and security gear. I wonder what they would do for the guys who deliver the £33,000.00 TV’s? We had a good chat for a while, and Ben and Osam were both nice enough as we chatted about a good many things. Then I decided I had better go check on our progress, and headed back towards the Embassy.
It was about North Row where I was called out to by Katrina, and then told that she had the paperwork butchered right in front of her, and after watching it gasping and bleeding on the counter, she then went to pay the fees for the interviews, about $1,200.00, and had her debit card rejected due to what apparently is a policy of HSBC, an otherwise decent bank, to refuse anything charged at the US Embassy. With special permission she was able to take £900 from the cash machine, then met me, and broke down in tears.
I told her not to worry as we had totally expected to fail this and have to send in paperwork again later anyhow. She buckled up and charged back into the Embassy.
I saw a lady putting up her umbrella with a bit of exasperation at the rain as it started to spit down again, and made some comment about it, then found myself talking to her for about 30 – 45 minutes. As it turns out, she used to import art from Russia before her obviously early retirement, and enjoys her time in Central London now as a divorcé, who is sending a daughter to drama school in New York.
After the daughter came out and a brief explanation of passing circumstances, I sat next to the statue of Dwight David Eisenhower and enjoyed some time with Kiry. Before long, Katrina and Jordan and Dylan came out smiling smiles that just got bigger as they approached, so I knew.
I told them that the Godiva chocolates I had bought were for a FAILebration (a play on a type of chocolates sold in the UK called “Celebration” which is essentially a variety box of Cadbury’s), but that they’d have to due for a celebration instead.
We walked back to Paddington and waited for nearly two hours for the next direct to Worcester Shrub Hill. When we got home, the phone got busy, and the announcements began.
It is worth a mention that I have got to thank my grandmother, who has helped us immensely over the past 17 months, and even more when she pulled out all stops in the last week to be sure we had loads of documentation we needed, which included her jumping in her car and driving from southern Idaho to southern Nevada and back over a weekend! If not for her efforts, we would have absolutely had a FAILebration ceremony outside of the US Embassy yesterday! I love you grandma, and owe you big time!