Christmas in the UK – Qantas and BA Business Class from Sydney via HKG
Feb 24, 2013, 2:10 pm
#107
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Nice update from EDI, matthandy. I remember my visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia with fondness. Edinburgh is a lovely city. Sorry that I couldn't join you!
Feb 24, 2013, 2:19 pm
#108
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 10,157
Great continuation of this TR Matt with wonderful photos and very nice narrative to go along with it ^^
It was a fabulous day out in Edinburgh from start to finish. I didn't realise you had 3 breakfasts that morning
and had a big lunch AND then a big dinner 
I'm just glad I brought the Range Rover along that day which made the touring about Edinburgh that bit more comfortable.
It was a fabulous day out in Edinburgh from start to finish. I didn't realise you had 3 breakfasts that morning
and had a big lunch AND then a big dinner I'm just glad I brought the Range Rover along that day which made the touring about Edinburgh that bit more comfortable.
)
Feb 25, 2013, 4:21 am
#112
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We eventually made our way to the very bottom of the ship and out on a platform at the side so that we could gaze up and take in the enormity of her.
Looking along the hull
We then made our way back into the shopping centre and grabbed a quick lunch at the Debenhams café whilst discussing the plan of action for the rest of the day. Our flight back to Heathrow was at 8.30pm and so agreed to be at the airport no later than 7.30pm. PETER01 suggested that we take a visit to Arthur’s Seat before parking up and walking up the castle and back down the ‘mile’. We could then stop for a pint before an early dinner and then a short drive back to the airport. That sounded like a good plan.
After a short drive up we were overlooking Arthur’s seat, which is the main peak which is part of Holyrood Park, near to the Scottish Parliament. There were great views over Edinburgh but unfortunately, the good weather had been replaced by cloud.
Next we headed into the city centre, found a parking spot and walked up towards the castle. We passed ‘Greyfriars Bobby’ which is a small statue commemorating a little dog that spent 14 years guarding his master’s grave before finally passing away himself. Quite sad really, but a famous tourist attraction in the city.
Arthur’s Seat
Greyfriars Bobby
We made our way up the Royal Mile, passing the numerous tartan shops and the like which were clearly aimed at a certain type of tourist. I did appreciate the fact that they weren’t really tacky though.
As we arrived at the castle we were able to take in the stunning views over the city of Edinburgh. You can appreciate why the castle was built in that location! We didn’t have time to go in, as we’d have to spend a decent amount of time there to fully appreciate it.
Walking back down we stopped in at a tartan makers to see how it was made. Again, reasonably touristy, but not too bad.
After that my feet was starting to hurt and I had a bit of a thirst on, so I suggested that we take a well-earned rest stop at a local watering hole
.
Edinburgh Castle
The view
The view
Making tartan
It was then time for an early, but relaxing dinner, so we made our way to PETER01’s favourite Italian. He’d been taking his family to La Lanterna for quite a few years now and is well known by the owners.
As we arrived it felt like we were entering the host’s (Toni) own home such was the warmth of our welcome. We were seated and we all started chatting away, with the native Scots trying to get me to repeat some silly sentences which only a Scot would know! Something about ‘bright nights’……
We were then joined by PETER01’s wonderful wife and son who would be eating with us. It was great to meet PETER01’s family and hopefully prove to them that FTer’s aren’t a bunch of weirdos!
The food was absolutely great. This was proper Italian food, unlike many of the numerous ‘Italian’ chain restaurants that are dotted all over the UK. The pasta was fresh, the cream based sauce was light and the Italian red wine fruity. Some of us (not me I have to say) even decided to have a dessert.
This was a great way to finish off a wonderful day. If you are ever in Edinburgh and want to see what real hospitality really is, then I can thoroughly recommend a visit to La Lanterna.
Tamsin enjoying a glass of red
Sadly, the end of the day had come and it was time to head to the airport for Moomba and I to catch our flight back to Heathrow.
We all squeezed into PETER01’s family car and took the short ride to the airport. Lots of thank you’s abound and then Moomba and I made our way through security and headed to the BA lounge to await our flight.
A Big Thank You
Before I go any further I want to say a huge thank you to PETER01 for everything that he did both before the day, organising everyone and working out an itinerary and on the day, the driving and playing tour guide! Thank you sir! You made for us a truly wonderful day. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was really one of the best moments of my trip.
Thank you to Flyersj18 for directing our driver and providing lots of insightful information along the way! It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope to do so again in the future.
Thanks to Jenbel for taking a day off to spend it with a couple of southerners! It was great to meet you at last and it was also great to meet Tamsin for the first time. I hope that she is pleased with her starring role in this report.
Lastly, thank to Moomba for being my travelling companion, inviting me into the CCR and not moaning too much when I suggested a 6am start! I’m sure that our paths will cross again soon.
Back to the report. We knew that something was up as soon as we arrived at the lounge reception desk. The lounge itself was packed out for a start and there were lots of confused people milling around. The lounge agent was great though. She informed us that there were air traffic control issues at Heathrow which was stopping flights from taking off. We were originally booked on to the 8.30pm departure but she gave us the option to more to the 7.30pm one although she couldn’t guarantee when it would take off, if at all. The other option was Gatwick. I needed to be back that night as I had a flight to Manchester in the morning, plus my return flight to Sydney that evening. In the end we decided to go for the 7.30pm, hoping that if it didn’t leave we’d be able to switch back to the 8.30pm service. It was a little risky.
We only ended up spending about 15 minutes in the small but recently refurbished lounge before boarding was called. Therefore, I wasn’t able to take any photos.
With the change of flight, we ended up at almost the back of the plane. This was new territory for Moomba!
Edinburgh to London Heathrow – British Airways Domestic
Flight: BA1463
Carrier: British Airways (BA)
Aircraft: Airbus A320-200 – G-EUPK
Scheduled Departure Time: 19:30
Scheduled Duration: 1h 25m
Scheduled Arrival Time: 20:55
Travel Class: Domestic
Seat: 25E and 25F (seat plan)
We boarded and took our seats, not really knowing whether we’d be able to take off or not. It looks like everyone took the 7.30 option as the flight was rammed. We were joined by the most vile DYKWIA I think I’ve ever come across before in my life. This guy really did not give two hoots about anyone or anything around him.
He sat down next to Moomba and then proceeded to take a phone call on speaker phone, as loud as you like. Yes, on speak phone, on a packed plane, on the tarmac, with everyone looking at him. He just didn’t care. After learning about some issue he was having with his expenses receipts he then proceeded to call his wife/partner/whatever and so we got to hear his personal conversation too. I was stunned. I did say loudly to Moomba “is he serious?!!”. Several people turned around and glared at him but to no effect whatsoever. It’s only when the Captain came on to apologise and say that we were now getting underway that he ended his call.
The crew performed the safety demo and as we started to taxi out. I couldn’t believe what happened next. The guy got up and started rummaging through the overhead bin, as we were on our way to the active runway. The crew who were still preparing the cabin told him to sit down but he said that he’d left his other phone on in his coat pocket and needed to turn it off. This was in fact a total lie. He wanted the sweets that were in his jacket and didn’t give a jot about any disruption that might cause. My blood was absolutely boiling at this point, I just couldn’t believe this guy. He was perfectly happy to lie to the crew who were concerned for his safety and that of the other passengers.
The flight itself was pretty uneventful and as I’d had quite a long day, I tried to get some rest, so sorry, there are no photos.
We had a pretty smooth landing, with no delays which was a blessing as we’d actually taken off almost as late as our original departure time of 8.30pm. The guy was at it again though. According to Moomba the guy turned on one of his three phones on the descent, the other as we touched the ground and the third as we were taxiing. Unbelievable.
Now you might be getting as angry as I was when reading this, well, something did happen that made it all worth it. As we disembarked and made our way into the terminal we were rounding the corner to take the escalator down to the arrivals area and noticed our ‘friend’ trip on the escalator sending his trolley case clattering down the full length of the escalator and him almost going with it. Karma? You bet. It was only a shame that the contents of the case didn’t spill on to the floor or get torn up by the escalator steps. I actually did laugh out loud when I saw this happen. There never was someone more deserving of a little misfortune..
After making our way out into the arrivals area we headed down to the HEx for our return journey into London. The journey was easy and it wasn’t exactly packed. After saying our goodbyes I returned to the hotel to get everything ready for my second early start the following morning.
Up Next
A quick flight from Gatwick to Manchester to help maintain my BA status, a First Class train back down to London followed by a Club World flight back to Hong Kong and then another Qantas A380 flight back to Sydney.
Looking along the hull
We then made our way back into the shopping centre and grabbed a quick lunch at the Debenhams café whilst discussing the plan of action for the rest of the day. Our flight back to Heathrow was at 8.30pm and so agreed to be at the airport no later than 7.30pm. PETER01 suggested that we take a visit to Arthur’s Seat before parking up and walking up the castle and back down the ‘mile’. We could then stop for a pint before an early dinner and then a short drive back to the airport. That sounded like a good plan.
After a short drive up we were overlooking Arthur’s seat, which is the main peak which is part of Holyrood Park, near to the Scottish Parliament. There were great views over Edinburgh but unfortunately, the good weather had been replaced by cloud.
Next we headed into the city centre, found a parking spot and walked up towards the castle. We passed ‘Greyfriars Bobby’ which is a small statue commemorating a little dog that spent 14 years guarding his master’s grave before finally passing away himself. Quite sad really, but a famous tourist attraction in the city.
Arthur’s Seat
Greyfriars Bobby
We made our way up the Royal Mile, passing the numerous tartan shops and the like which were clearly aimed at a certain type of tourist. I did appreciate the fact that they weren’t really tacky though.
As we arrived at the castle we were able to take in the stunning views over the city of Edinburgh. You can appreciate why the castle was built in that location! We didn’t have time to go in, as we’d have to spend a decent amount of time there to fully appreciate it.
Walking back down we stopped in at a tartan makers to see how it was made. Again, reasonably touristy, but not too bad.
After that my feet was starting to hurt and I had a bit of a thirst on, so I suggested that we take a well-earned rest stop at a local watering hole
. Edinburgh Castle
The view
The view
Making tartan
It was then time for an early, but relaxing dinner, so we made our way to PETER01’s favourite Italian. He’d been taking his family to La Lanterna for quite a few years now and is well known by the owners.
As we arrived it felt like we were entering the host’s (Toni) own home such was the warmth of our welcome. We were seated and we all started chatting away, with the native Scots trying to get me to repeat some silly sentences which only a Scot would know! Something about ‘bright nights’……
We were then joined by PETER01’s wonderful wife and son who would be eating with us. It was great to meet PETER01’s family and hopefully prove to them that FTer’s aren’t a bunch of weirdos!
The food was absolutely great. This was proper Italian food, unlike many of the numerous ‘Italian’ chain restaurants that are dotted all over the UK. The pasta was fresh, the cream based sauce was light and the Italian red wine fruity. Some of us (not me I have to say) even decided to have a dessert.
This was a great way to finish off a wonderful day. If you are ever in Edinburgh and want to see what real hospitality really is, then I can thoroughly recommend a visit to La Lanterna.
Tamsin enjoying a glass of red
Sadly, the end of the day had come and it was time to head to the airport for Moomba and I to catch our flight back to Heathrow.
We all squeezed into PETER01’s family car and took the short ride to the airport. Lots of thank you’s abound and then Moomba and I made our way through security and headed to the BA lounge to await our flight.
A Big Thank You
Before I go any further I want to say a huge thank you to PETER01 for everything that he did both before the day, organising everyone and working out an itinerary and on the day, the driving and playing tour guide! Thank you sir! You made for us a truly wonderful day. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was really one of the best moments of my trip.
Thank you to Flyersj18 for directing our driver and providing lots of insightful information along the way! It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope to do so again in the future.
Thanks to Jenbel for taking a day off to spend it with a couple of southerners! It was great to meet you at last and it was also great to meet Tamsin for the first time. I hope that she is pleased with her starring role in this report.
Lastly, thank to Moomba for being my travelling companion, inviting me into the CCR and not moaning too much when I suggested a 6am start! I’m sure that our paths will cross again soon.
Back to the report. We knew that something was up as soon as we arrived at the lounge reception desk. The lounge itself was packed out for a start and there were lots of confused people milling around. The lounge agent was great though. She informed us that there were air traffic control issues at Heathrow which was stopping flights from taking off. We were originally booked on to the 8.30pm departure but she gave us the option to more to the 7.30pm one although she couldn’t guarantee when it would take off, if at all. The other option was Gatwick. I needed to be back that night as I had a flight to Manchester in the morning, plus my return flight to Sydney that evening. In the end we decided to go for the 7.30pm, hoping that if it didn’t leave we’d be able to switch back to the 8.30pm service. It was a little risky.
We only ended up spending about 15 minutes in the small but recently refurbished lounge before boarding was called. Therefore, I wasn’t able to take any photos.
With the change of flight, we ended up at almost the back of the plane. This was new territory for Moomba!
Edinburgh to London Heathrow – British Airways Domestic
Flight: BA1463
Carrier: British Airways (BA)
Aircraft: Airbus A320-200 – G-EUPK
Scheduled Departure Time: 19:30
Scheduled Duration: 1h 25m
Scheduled Arrival Time: 20:55
Travel Class: Domestic
Seat: 25E and 25F (seat plan)
We boarded and took our seats, not really knowing whether we’d be able to take off or not. It looks like everyone took the 7.30 option as the flight was rammed. We were joined by the most vile DYKWIA I think I’ve ever come across before in my life. This guy really did not give two hoots about anyone or anything around him.
He sat down next to Moomba and then proceeded to take a phone call on speaker phone, as loud as you like. Yes, on speak phone, on a packed plane, on the tarmac, with everyone looking at him. He just didn’t care. After learning about some issue he was having with his expenses receipts he then proceeded to call his wife/partner/whatever and so we got to hear his personal conversation too. I was stunned. I did say loudly to Moomba “is he serious?!!”. Several people turned around and glared at him but to no effect whatsoever. It’s only when the Captain came on to apologise and say that we were now getting underway that he ended his call.
The crew performed the safety demo and as we started to taxi out. I couldn’t believe what happened next. The guy got up and started rummaging through the overhead bin, as we were on our way to the active runway. The crew who were still preparing the cabin told him to sit down but he said that he’d left his other phone on in his coat pocket and needed to turn it off. This was in fact a total lie. He wanted the sweets that were in his jacket and didn’t give a jot about any disruption that might cause. My blood was absolutely boiling at this point, I just couldn’t believe this guy. He was perfectly happy to lie to the crew who were concerned for his safety and that of the other passengers.
The flight itself was pretty uneventful and as I’d had quite a long day, I tried to get some rest, so sorry, there are no photos.
We had a pretty smooth landing, with no delays which was a blessing as we’d actually taken off almost as late as our original departure time of 8.30pm. The guy was at it again though. According to Moomba the guy turned on one of his three phones on the descent, the other as we touched the ground and the third as we were taxiing. Unbelievable.
Now you might be getting as angry as I was when reading this, well, something did happen that made it all worth it. As we disembarked and made our way into the terminal we were rounding the corner to take the escalator down to the arrivals area and noticed our ‘friend’ trip on the escalator sending his trolley case clattering down the full length of the escalator and him almost going with it. Karma? You bet. It was only a shame that the contents of the case didn’t spill on to the floor or get torn up by the escalator steps. I actually did laugh out loud when I saw this happen. There never was someone more deserving of a little misfortune.
.After making our way out into the arrivals area we headed down to the HEx for our return journey into London. The journey was easy and it wasn’t exactly packed. After saying our goodbyes I returned to the hotel to get everything ready for my second early start the following morning.
Up Next
A quick flight from Gatwick to Manchester to help maintain my BA status, a First Class train back down to London followed by a Club World flight back to Hong Kong and then another Qantas A380 flight back to Sydney.
Feb 25, 2013, 4:28 am
#113
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
Thanks again for the latest round of kind comments! 
Yes, you are right! MS Word didn't pick that up, it must have thought that I meant Lima.... I've corrected it now.
Thanks Genius1. We were all sorry that you couldn't join us too. Next time.
Hehe, thanks again PETER01! I gather that the Bentley was in for a service on that day, right?
Glad to hear it! She's a very easy model to work with, no complaints.
Yes, you are right! MS Word didn't pick that up, it must have thought that I meant Lima.... I've corrected it now.
Glad to hear it! She's a very easy model to work with, no complaints.
Feb 25, 2013, 5:17 am
#114
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Great report Matt. Your pics are absolutely amazing. Loved the night shots around London. Please tell me you use a tripod for those crisp night pics. I'm sure you've mentioned it before, but what camera/lens do you use? Thanks.
Feb 25, 2013, 5:24 am
#115
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Programs: Too many...
Posts: 536
Matt,
It was a great day and a pleasure to meet you. Some great photos there, especially of the raccoon
A very enjoyable TR as always, the amount of detail is incredible and I'm not surprised it takes so long to produce.
It was a great day and a pleasure to meet you. Some great photos there, especially of the raccoon
A very enjoyable TR as always, the amount of detail is incredible and I'm not surprised it takes so long to produce.
Feb 25, 2013, 5:28 am
#116
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Programs: Too many...
Posts: 536
I’ve often been asked what camera equipment I use with my reports. I used my trusty Nikon D800 and two lenses for this report, the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 and the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII. I’ve also used my Samsung Galaxy S3, as sometimes it’s not appropriate to wield my DSLR around. All of the photos have been processed in Adobe’s Lightroom 4 to my own style.
Feb 25, 2013, 5:42 am
#117
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London, UK
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Posts: 6,221
Moomba was running late
How very dare you. I still have a text message on my phone stating the appointed meet up time was 06:30. Me thinks matthandy is suffering from the effects of too much flying and it has raddled his brain. As I recall it was a certain eager beaver traveller who was running early.
Top notch report and photos as ever Matt. Thanks for posting. ^
How very dare you. I still have a text message on my phone stating the appointed meet up time was 06:30. Me thinks matthandy is suffering from the effects of too much flying and it has raddled his brain. As I recall it was a certain eager beaver traveller who was running early.
Top notch report and photos as ever Matt. Thanks for posting. ^
Feb 25, 2013, 8:08 am
#118
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Balham - Gateway to The South
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 2,020
I love the photos of the Royal Yacht, but can't help feeling a little sad for Her Majesty the bedroom looks like a very solitary and lonely place.
I also give a big thumbs up for the group shot a la Royal gathering, but wondered who took the photo, or was it on a time delay ?
Keep the TR's coming - I love them ^
I also give a big thumbs up for the group shot a la Royal gathering, but wondered who took the photo, or was it on a time delay ?
Keep the TR's coming - I love them ^
Feb 25, 2013, 9:17 am
#119
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Originally Posted by matthandy
Thanks to Jenbel for taking a day off to spend it with a couple of southerners! It was great to meet you at last and it was also great to meet Tamsin for the first time. I hope that she is pleased with her starring role in this report.