Taking the Keisei line from Ueno to Narita airport brought us to the airport in a packed one and a half hours. We'd checked in on the internet so it was a snip to off load cases and retire to the cafe for an extra breakfast. Flight JL 401 took off 5 mins late - that'll never do for the locals! Twelve hours of bordome later we landed at Heathrow - only 15 mins late. A quick hop on the hopper and we were safely tucked into our room at the Comfort hotel. A pint and a shower to revived spirits followed by a very tasty dinner ended a long day's travel. All went swimmingly so what's to moan about? Nowt!
Into beddy-bys and a comatose sleep - that is untill 4 am when our bio-clock decided to kick-in and tell us that is was really breakfast time. Ignoring the impulse to eat the oatmeal coloured bedspread we forced ourselves to go back to dream land.
A quick continental and a second hop on the hopper followed by an hour-and-ten on the Piccadilly line sufficed to deliver us to St Pancras (who?). Tickets for Sheffield dutifully printed out of the machine so we mounted the Midland Rail Iron Horse for a quick two and a half hours nursing our cases and bags - there was no adiquate luggage storage.
What a strange feeling being back in Sheffield. Have we been away? Doesn't feel like it. We were walking through the town centre and were hailed by Andrew (he of Andrew's Cafe); travel the world and be well know by cafe owners - what a reputaion! On to the hotel and establish camp - again.
What next? Surley it's obvious - supermarket (M&S) and buy dinner ...
It's better to travel than arrive ... then again ...