Day 9 - Circumnavigation 2025

Hello from familiar London. Today started bright and early when I woke up at about 3 am. The time changes haven't affected me too much other than I have been waking up very early in the morning. With morning flights I don't really mind this though. After getting ready my hotel brought me up some delicious pastries and fruit (for those wondering, yes I did eat most of the fruit out of respect for their gesture) along with coffee and juice. These are the types of things that really make me fall in love with a hotel.

After a quick Uber ride to the airport and a seamless immigration and security screening I headed out to explore the airport a bit. My flight was slightly delayed so I had plenty of time to explore and make a quick pit stop in the lounge before heading to the gate. After an additional passport check I entered the gate holding area, but was selected for secondary screening. I can't explain why I get selected so much (maybe they don't want it to seem like they are profiling and I'm an easy target), but I get screened at the gate almost every time they have that. After a thorough inspection I was able to take my seat and wait for the plane to begin boarding.

After a quick and seamless boarding process I made myself comfortable in my British Airways Club World Suite. While not as private as the Qsuite from yesterday it is an absolutely stellar product (and the wifi is much faster). I know many travel bloggers tend to think very highly of the non western airlines, and to be clear the service on Qatar Airways was very friendly, I found the staff on British Airways to be a step above and substantially more proactive. For example, when they came through and asked if I wanted anything to drink they not only brought the coke I asked for, but also a plate of snacks and chocolate. I wish I was flying this product on Friday from London to New York but will instead have to settle for premium economy.

After arriving into London I rushed through the terminal and immigration to try and catch a specific train, but this did not go according to plan. I should have made it, but it turns out the train line was having severe delays and cancelling services. After a quick pivot to an alternate plan and transferring to a different terminal I was on my way. The reason why I love the Andaz in London is the location, it is attached to London Liverpool Street station which has great connections including to the wonderful Elizabeth line with direct links to Heathrow.

I got upgraded to a “deluxe room”, but unfortunately it wasn’t much of an upgrade since the view is of the atrium rather than outside. This is the one of the areas where the Park Hyatt London is way better than the Andaz, the views are spectacular.

After a quick work call I headed out to explore a bit. In what is becoming somewhat of a tradition for me in London I got on the wrong train. After riding for a bit and switching to a different line I headed back towards the center of London. Eventually arriving at Bank station I then started walking towards the Thames, before heading back to the hotel.I grabbed a quick bite to eat at McDonalds and then retired for the night.