HAPPY HOLIDAYS

WOO HOO!

Thursday, 17 May 2012

back to civilisation


Tuesday 15 May 2012  - To be sure and all.. Hello Dublin
Day 33 and 126 to go

Another 6am start and with our late night we were both feeling it. With our morning routine down pat now it was fairly smooth getting ourselves ready and packed up. We wandered downstairs for breakfast. The hotel is quite impressive with a large pool area and terrace restaurant.
We had a good feed before returning to the room, collecting our bags and checking out at reception. Our tour manager was waiting for us and he escorted us to the airport seeing us through check-in. We were fortunate enough to have our bags go right through to Dublin so we won’t have to worry about collecting them and re-checking at Heathrow.
We made our way through the terminal, locating our gate. I did a quick check of Facebook and then we sat around waiting…waiting…waiting. Our flight was due to take-off at 9.30am but we didn’t board until 9.20am. We were finally off the ground 45min late. Paul’s patience wearing very thin.
I used the computer to catch up on bits while I half watched Midnight In Paris before having a nap as best I could. We were served lunch and I watched Larry Crowne.
The views from the plane window were spectacular at times. We flew over the Greek Isles, the Italian Alps, the Channel before the familiar green of England finally appeared. It was certainly a sight for sore eyes after the desolate Egypt.
Before landing we were put in a holding pattern circling Heathrow for 20min. I didn’t mind so much as we had very clear views of the Thames and the building that line it. We eventually landed at 1.40pm and the rain was just starting. The blast of cold air was welcomed, as the plane had been so hot.
We caught an internal shuttle bus from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 before going through the rigmarole of entering the UK and checking into our Aer Lingus flight. With it out of the way we found a place for a drink. It was so wonderful to be back in a clean environment where people drive sensibly and are polite.
Our gate opened at 4.15pm and we found our place on the plane. We were lucky to get the exit seats that gave us more room. The plane was delayed taking off due to the weather. We were finally in the air at 5.30pm.
The flight was an easy one despite the socked in clouds and an hour later we were landing in the very green Ireland.
We were off the plane quickly and went through to collect our bags that made it safe and sound PHEW!
Once out of the airport we caught a cab to our accommodation in Dublin. Thankfully it was only 15 min away. We checked in and headed for our room lugging our bags up the stairs. Now we are in the UK we will have to get use to it.
The room was big and comfy and Internet was provided so I got straight on to book a flight from Dublin to Glasgow on Aer Lingus rather than stuff around with ferry’s and trains. This way we can arrive in an hour rather than take a day.
Paul and I then braved the cool weather (going from 39 to 10 is a shock to the system!) wandering down to the main road. We stopped in one pub so that Paul could have his first Guinness. He enjoyed every last drop. We then continued the wander before stopping in another pub for dinner.
I was having trouble keeping my eyes open so we returned home at 9pm. I had a shower and crawled into bed. Glad to call an end to this long day.





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