FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - TRIP REPORT: The big Europe (via Africa) trip 2019- TL, QF, JQ, BA, IB, VY, LM
Old Oct 23, 2019, 4:30 am
  #118  
nancypants
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,149
21st July 2019
Had a bit of time to kill before my afternoon flight; however it being a Sunday the bus services were a bit intermittent, and there had also been issues booking a hire car

(Apparently none of the rental desks are open on a Saturday evening, or any time on a Sunday, so the initial plan had been to pick up a car on the Thursday night between the GLA-KOI and KOI-WRY flights and essentially just leave it in the car park at KOI until Saturday- the travel gods being wise and myself being disorganised, I had not booked this before availability ran out, and that turned out to be a good thing since I would have missed collection with my rescheduled flight and then would have had to schlep to the airport from the ferry terminal with the cancelled)

So I started with a walk around Kirkwall instead

Bishop's palace

St Magnus Cathedral

Good LORD! Any translation appreciated


I had also booked a taxi tour through Craigies taxis for slightly later on (http://www.craigiestaxis.co.uk)- this was a little steep at GBP40/hr but it wasn't like I had a huge amount of choice, and happily the lady that drove me around (who sadly I don't appear to have noted the name of) was an absolute delight

Ring of Brodgar

Skara Brae

First Churchill barrier

Italian chapel (as built by WW2 POWs)


Some bloke flying a Zenith ZenAir 701 who gave me a look like I'm the weirdo

And the bonus of being dropped off directly at the airport with bags


I was a little early for check in but interesting stuff was happening on the apron with coastguard helicopters (apparently there was a copper who had dropped dead on Stornoway but I'm unclear if this explains the presence of the coastguard at Kirkwall or not?)





Also this b*stard was of course running to time today (damn you travel gods!!)


21st July 2019
BA4035 (aka LM35)
KOI-ABZ
Operated by Loganair Saab 340B
1600-1650

Another strike successfully avoided (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland...nds-49044576); security and boarding was a breeze and I was onto the plane
Ever demonstrating the human capacity for learning, I had remembered to ask for a window this time


Happily I was able to crane my neck far enough in flight to spot some off shore wind farms below


On arrival I asked the cabin crew if I could snap a picture of the cabin to send to REX. She was a bit bemused but seemed happy enough about it otherwise



Aberdeen has many interesting aircraft but my interest was most piqued seeing this on the asphalt

A rare beast indeed


21st July 2019
BA1315
ABZ-LHR
1830-2005
British Airways A319

I made my way to the BA lounge and realised I had not as yet had an opportunity to try out a Speedbird 100

I didn't particularly enjoy the beer, perhaps not helped by it not being that cold. However I did like the panoramic views for anoraks, but that said the bar stools chosen I found seriously bloody uncomfortable!!

As always nothing much to report on the inflight service in Y. However it was on time and there was a pleasant sunset on arrival at Heathrow


I made my way from T5 to T2 using the free inter-terminal transfer facility on the Heathrow express.
A DYKWIA type was busy berating the lady on the gate for the fact he is no longer able to buy a ticket on board (yes it may indeed be a stupid business decision but it wasn't made by Mrs Miggins here and in the time you've spent shouting at her you could have gone and just bought a bloody ticket at the machine not 10 paces from here...)

I was spending the night at the Hilton Garden Inn Terminal 2, the intention being to minimise the potential for getting lost with terminal changes and the like (although I still gave it a red hot go and ended up going up in a lift before coming back down because I'd chosen completely the wrong bank of lifts to access the hotel)

Despite a fairly large queue check in was pretty rapid. A Hilton man brought me a bottle of water while I was waiting

Another pleasant view of sunset was to be had from the room


I dumped my bags and made my way to collect the suitcase I had left at baggage storage in T3 around a week prior. And then headed back with the intention of doing some laundry, since I had some scottish hiking around clothes in need of washing

Thus the only comment I am really able to make on the HGI is that, while it is very kind of them to supply laundry facilities, the timers on the washing machines are shockingly inaccurate. I sat for 59 minutes (with CWS's stopwatch) and watched it go from 17 minutes to cycle completion to....17 minutes to cycle completion (the machine on another floor was also at 17 minutes when I went and checked that one)

Waiting waiting

Legend has it the washing machine still has 17 minutes til the end of the cycle...

And lo the clothes went back in my suitcase unwashed

Last edited by nancypants; Oct 23, 2019 at 5:29 am
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