A superb empty flight with no more than 50 on the plane and 6 in business class
Oodles of food and champagne and guess what we ALMOST got all of our luggage this time, with one exception
Yup my case now only has 3 wheels!, the other one is on its way to Dubai!
And here we are 7 hours ahead in the Shangri-La hotel in 28 degree heat and 80 percent humidity.
And last night we stayed at the “Tribe” hotel at the airport which aims to be cool, hip and trendy (you can see why we stopped there then).
All checked in, cases sent on their own separate holiday and now sat in the over priced 1903 Airport Lounge, not worth it, don’t pay for it.
The flight is in 2 hours, time for more champagne then.
On the 18th April 2024 we attempted a holiday to Singapore and then Bali on Emirates via Dubai. Well that was pants, we ended up stranded in Dubai for 4 days without our luggage (which amazingly made it to Singapore). The luggage had a world travel of its own for a month!
So scroll forward a year and here we are with attempt 2, except we are going nowhere near Dubai and flying direct to Singapore. This time we are also hedging our bets by taking a carry on case with some spare clothes (given the last 2 trips we have lost all our luggage).
Make the most of it, this may be the last time all our luggage will be together, Momma Case, Poppa Case and Babee Case.
Follow our blog and see if we get reunited in Singapore or whether the luggage goes to Dubai
Of course the first challenge was finding the hotel at Manchester Airport…their website said 2 mins walk from Terminal 2. Yeah right…..
Yes after a week of two lots of lost luggage (on the way out and way back), our luggage has finally joined us. yet again smart Alec delivery man ask “how you go on holiday without clothes, hee hee hee”
Like a scene from the movie, getting home proved to be harder than it should, due to a bit of snow that despite our cold climate, early notification of the arrival, weather warnings and preparation, always manages to close the UK for weeks!
Flying back to the UK from Barcelona, we received texts to advise that due to heavy snowfall in Manchester our connecting flight had been cancelled and we were booked on a flight 28 hours later and would need to collect our luggage (which was actually on the same plane as us this time), then speak to someone about hotels.
Off the plane and away we go to collect our luggage, along with every other flight destined for Manchester, some people had been waiting 3 hours at the carousel. After an hour of watching our air tagged bags move around all parts of T5 we went to speak to someone, who helpfully advised “they are in transit” to Manchester you need to request them, which we did and they still didn’t arrive. Having Learnt from Dubai that “in transit luggage” means give up and log a lost luggage claim and hope you’ll see them sometime. Off then for the hotel, food and drink and rest.
Duly rested (as much as you can be in a transit hotel with no change of clothes) we set off back to the airport for our bumped flight, all checked in, luggage, not a clue. And then yup flight cancelled due to “snow in Manchester” again.
The choices then another 24 hours in a transit hotel or a coach trip from Heathrow to Manchester. The last coach ride I did was in 1998 to Disneyland Paris which took 16 hours and was HELL on wheels. Oh well how bad could it be? Well it would help if anyone could advise the right bus stop in the first case and no signs on any bus (stop 16, 21 or 20, who knows or cares). At this point the airline has discharged its responsibility and is no longer liable for delay payments.
Four and a half hours later after listening to one guy snore loudly all the way and a little woman watching her favourite Indian soap opera on her phone without headphones we arrived back at Manchester in the early hours, to then have to get to the car, scrape the 4 days of snow off it and eventually drive home, bushed.
The luggage has now made its way to Manchester where it is sitting awaiting a courier again. and yet again the total inefficiency here, looks like the airline are arranging 2 couriers on two dates to collect and deliver the luggage (one piece to be delivered yesterday before it arrived and one for tomorrow).
Still, it all adds to the fun of life and the fact that the entire flights to and from Barcelona cost £4 each, it has cost BA at least 200 times that in hotels, couriers and compensation.
Stay tuned for the next exciting trip we have planned, this time we are going to put on every item of clothing we intend to take, so they don’t get lost?
Up at the crack of dawn since Mrs Fogg claimed to have found another Harley Store that “is” open! So 2.5 mile walk in 18 degrees took us here
And yes, it was shut considering today is a National Holiday! So the suggestion then to walk to the vernacular railway a “short” distance away, via some more sight seeing.
And so 8 hours later we have yet again covered a few “effing” miles
After 3 days we have bloody walked over 25 miles, WHY of WHY!
Up at the crack of dawn since Mrs Fogg claimed to have found another Harley Store that “is” open! So 2.5 mile walk in 18 degrees took us here
And yes, it was shut considering today is a National Holiday! So the suggestion then to walk to the vernacular railway a “short” distance away, via some more sight seeing.
And so 8 hours later we have yet again covered a few “effing” miles (and this is before we walk the 2 miles back to the hotel via watering holes!)
After 3 days we have bloody walked over 25 miles, WHY oh WHY! Mrs Fogg has completed one of her miles challenges and gets a medal, and I need a bloody medal!
Just not here in Barcelona where it’s a balmy 18 C as we stroll the beach.
Meanwhile at home it’s cold and snowy
Tonight sees the first of a two day parade celebrating the 3 Kings and Epiphany. Lots of floats, outfits and sweets being thrown to children.
Last night we ate in the uber expensive 2 Michelin Star restaurant Caelis, where you need to beg for your food. Please sir, can I have more sir
Yey they are finally back, re-united with our cases 24 hours later.
At one point our two cases were in separate couriers going in opposite directions (the red circle and the yellow triangle). We track our cases with AirTags now after the appalling mess-up by Emirates last year. At least BA returned our cases over 4 weeks quicker than Emirates.
I have explained to our cases that we won’t be taking them on any more holidays due to them going missing and now it looks like we’re having to deal with emotional baggage!
The rest of the day saw us head out to Harley Davidson Barcelona, two miles away on foot only to find it had shutdown some years ago!, so what we gonna do, yup eat and drink in a little bar with the meatiest oysters ever, even Mrs Fogg enjoyed them, I wanted to be shellfish and have them all to myself, but clammed up when she asked if she could have some, aww shucks I’m so generous.
After food we had pre-booked tickets for the Sagrada Familia, which is a big church that looks like it has been under renovation for a few decades
It costs a bloody princely sum to go in and look around for a total of about 20 minutes (£40 each)
After a full day of being made to walk all over Barcelona (8 miles), I knackered.
And tonight we are off to Caelis restaurant which is a Michelin Star restaurant in the Boutique hotel we are staying at (Hotel Ohla). We are stopping HERE