London / Paris Here We Come!!! 9/2 - 9/10/11

[k5jm]

Good info!!

 

[JWren1234]

Jason,

Cathy and I have been through customs a few times.

Going into another country they only asked the purpose of our visit.

I did get laughed at going into Italy when they found the bottle of California red wine I had brought into Italy as a gift for family, security thought it was hilarious bringing in wine to Italy where "the greatest wines were to be found".

Coming home on our trips, they passed out declaration forms on the plane and you filled out anything you needed to declare like goods being brought into the country, then you deplaned and went through customs.

Frank

Thank you very much! Looking forward to seeing you and Cathy!

Jason

 

[JWren1234]

Hey Jason,

I go through Customs/Immigration more times a year than I wish to count.

On the plane you should be issued an arrivals form, which will ask for details about you, your reason for visiting, and to declare any items listed on the form (ie. items that customs might be interested in - liquor, cigarettes, expensive electronics etc). It is useful to have your passport and a pen handy for filling this in on the plane.

When you get off the plane at Heathrow, you are going to walk in a seperate bit of the terminal (usually downstairs) from where you would leave from, it is effectively a great big corridor - there are bathrooms, but not shops or restaurants or anything else. The faster you move through this corridor the earlier you will be in the queue at border control - remember, every person you pass is a person that you don't need to stand behind! It's one of the reasons frequent flyers like being close to the front of the plane.

You will arrive at border control (there will be a queue here), once you get to an agent they will usually ask what the purpose of your visit is, where you are staying, they might ask about what funds you have to provide for yourself while you are in the UK. At this point it can be handy to have a printed itinerary that shows your departure dates from the UK, and a copy of your plane ticket/e-ticket home.

What these guys are really checking is:

1. You are not a criminal (they do this through checking passports against a database)
2. That you are not going to cost the UK Government anything in having you (ie. if you get sick, you can cover the cost of Hospital care etc), and that you can afford to get home.
3. That you are not intending to live or work in the UK.

Usually this is done really quickly, They will usually take a photo and your fingerprints as well (all done electronically). The longest part of this is usually waiting in line. The best advice whenever dealing with immigration/border agents is to just tell the truth, and I always find a pleasant smile, and a "Good Morning" go a real long way.

Once you clear immigration, you will then collect your bags in the baggage hall, then you go "through" customs, where you decide if you have anything to declare - ie. foods, exotic things, liquor/cigarettes over the specified limit etc.

The final part of the trip out of the airport is the entering of the regular part of the Airport. This can actually be a bit overwhelming - particularly if you are arriving off a red-eye. Usually there are people waiting for friends/family coming off the flight, as well as drivers etc waiting to collect people. If you don't see your driver immediately, step out of the way of other people exiting the secure area, and take your time to have a look.

Matt

Thank you very much Matt! Looking forward to meeting you on the trip!

Jason

 

[k5jm]

So I decided to practice getting some good audio of some of the amazing organs we will hear in London and Paris, and I took my little furry recorder with me to a wedding this weekend. The church we were at has an AMAZING Schoenstein & Co. organ with some 32ft pedal pipes. It has some "shake your soul" notes on it. I am expecting Notre Dame and Westminster Abby to sound just as amazing or even better!

Water Music

We were sitting in an optimal sweet spot for the organ.

 

[jcb]

So I decided to practice getting some good audio of some of the amazing organs we will hear in London and Paris, and I took my little furry recorder with me to a wedding this weekend. The church we were at has an AMAZING Schoenstein & Co. organ with some 32ft pedal pipes. It has some "shake your soul" notes on it. I am expecting Notre Dame and Westminster Abby to sound just as amazing or even better!

Water Music

We were sitting in an optimal sweet spot for the organ.

Cruel, utterly cruel.

 

[k5jm]

Sorry Jack. I know you would be sitting next to me with your facinator on.

 

[k5jm]

Kevin, here is facinator 101 for you, with a Texas twist

 

[DisneyKevin]

ok...now I'm ready.

I've studied Fascinator 101 with Ceron!

 

[DisneyKevin]

oh....I forgot...

108

 

[MinnieGarden]

ok...now I'm ready.

I've studied Fascinator 101 with Ceron!

Don't worry Kevin, I'll go by the shop in the news clip and pick out something fabulous for you!

 

[DisneyKevin]

Don't worry Kevin, I'll go by the shop in the news clip and pick out something fabulous for you!

I like neutrals...especially for an organ recitals.

 

[MinnieGarden]

I like neutrals...especially for an organ recitals.

I can arrange that.....

 

[mattincanberra]

I like neutrals...especially for an organ recitals.

Oh the temptation to say something crude is killing me

 

[k5jm]

Oh the temptation to say something crude is killing me

Matt, we are all thinking it.

 

[BriarRosie]

Matt, we are all thinking it.

I'd be extremely disappointed if people weren't thinking it!

 

[sayhello]

Matt, we are all thinking it.

Of course we are!!!!

But Matt said it!

Sayhello

 

[mattincanberra]

Well dare I say it - it was there and waiting to be grabbed

 

[BriarRosie]

Well dare I say it - it was there and waiting to be grabbed

And the Shake Weight for Men commercial just popped on TV as I'm reading this.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Oh the temptation to say something crude is killing me

You think I posted this without wanting to make the comment myself?

 

[mattincanberra]

You think I posted this without wanting to make the comment myself?

Well you Americans are known as a humourless, puritanical, uptight bunch you know