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
Dear Mummy and Daddy, the nice man at Terminal 5 said you had already left for Barcelona without me or my brother, did we do something wrong again?
Apparently we are catching a plane with lots of other abandoned cases, but we don’t know where to, any idea?
Thanks to British Airways this poor little traveller will be spending a cold time on his own, still he has lots of warm clothes inside him and spare underwear. Shame we don’t!
The worlds slowest airline
Duly up at 03.30 and at the airport for 03.50 ready for the baggage check in to open at 04.00, or 04.10, no scrub that they actually didn’t bother opening until 04.20. Love the sign that states check in opens 2 hours before our flight at 06.00
On then to queue for 40 minutes with one check in desk open to drop your bags, but 3 customer service team members reminding you that you need to check in urgently!!!
And yes you then stand waiting for people with over weight bags, unpacking at the check in desk, so eventually we got to check in 10 minutes before boarding commences.
On then to fast pass “snail security” where some diligent plonker wanted to query why the fast pass had yesterdays date, in the end we had to say either let us through or don’t.
And queueing in a corridor for the plane, which if it takes off on time will be a bloody miracle!
Next stop Heathrow for a connecting flight in 60 minutes, yeh right!
And yes the plane took off 48 minutes late seeing us landing at 0735 instead of 0635. A dash across T5 to only just make the gate before it closed at 0750.
The luggage, well who knows but it looks like they are off on their own little holiday without us again, bugger.
When you is in Barcelona.
Here we are at Manchester Airport ready for an E A R L Y rise to fly to that there nodnoL and then onto Barcelona for a few days.
As can be seen Mrs Fogg has found somewhere to hide before our early evening meal where she sat explaining something I stopped listening to.
And as we sat eating, we did get to enjoy listening to one of our colonial cousins putting the world to rights with his poor oppressed partner just nodding and agreeing (“if your mother wants to see me she can get in a car, train or plane to come to me!”, “I don’t care about that man, the only time I wa t to hear about him is that he has died”)
20 years of marriage, holy cr*p!!!!
So back to Prague and one of the first cities we visited together almost 25 years ago.
It’s raining, it’s cold, but they got Christmas markets and we got each other (well for now anyway).
Avin lunch Here
