Never again!

That’s what I say every time I fly these days… “Never again!”

…and then the time comes to get from A to B and I think, “it must be better this time…”

OK, let me backtrack on this particular journey…

While my apartment in Sligo on the Irish west coast was in a fabulous location as far as view and walking distance to everything, it was also within a 3 minute walk for 11 bars! Needless to say that every single night except Monday and Tuesday, until at least 3:00am, sometimes even 5:00am, it was impossible to sleep due to the music, rabble and brawls…

I wasn’t scheduled to leave Ireland until September 1st, but I finally reached that point where enough is enough and although I had paid for it until the end of the month, I left the apartment, drove across country, checked into a hotel for a couple of days (just to get some sleep!) before flying back to England.

Well, I don’t know what sleep gods I offended, but on my last night in the hotel in Balbriggan, just north of Dublin Airport, around 10:00pm a man walked into my room! I was already curled up in bed, all the lights were off and I was watching some television, about to go to sleep.

When I screamed, he said, “sorry, wrong room” and left – and he did have a spray bottle in his hand, and was wearing all black, so seemed legit as a hotel cleaner – however it wasn’t until later (I was still wide awake after that well past 2:00am!) I wondered why he made it all the way through to the bedroom without turning on any lights..?

When I checked out, I told reception what had happened and they said that there were no cleaners scheduled at that time of night…

Anyway… Apart from another night with no sleep, no harm done…

I returned my rental car at 9:00am and by 9:30am was at the counter to check in for my 12:30am flight to Exeter…

10:30am we are still at the vacant counter…

11:15am finally someone comes to open the counter and check us in… however I was informed that, despite me phoning the airline the day prior and discovering that I could pay 68 Euro for up to 46 pounds (my luggage was just under that) at the airport, they wanted to charge me 693 Euro!!! That’s over $800 USD!!! When I said that was crazy and questioned it, they said that Dublin airport charges more than the airline.

“But I didn’t contract with Dublin airport to get me to Exeter – I contracted Flybe and they quoted me 68 Euro..!”

After a half hour wrangle including management, my luggage was finally accepted for 68 Euro…

Then came the joy of going through security… These guys seriously need a hug because at one point, one of them yelled at a passenger who had a couple of trays in front of them, “If you don’t stack them up down here, you will never get on your plane!” I felt like responding, “sir, we don’t work here, you do!” but figured it was best to remain silent.

After my carry-on went through three times (they kept wanting to check this and that – and only one in about twenty was let through on the first screening) and my vitamin bottles were opened to be checked, I finally advised them my flight was boarding… which it was! …although it still took me another few minutes to repack my bag that had basically been upended…

12:25pm I arrive at my gate – thankfully the flight had been delayed…

Remind me “never again” next time I say I am going to fly somewhere! Hmmmm, I have already booked my flight to Reykjavik in February – I wonder if there are any boats that go that way?

Finally……….. On board, up in the air, and England comes in to view!!! (well, more precisely Wales)…

After being puzzled that there was no border patrol to stamp my passport (last time I checked, the bottom part of Ireland is not part of the UK!), I collect my luggage and my wonderful taxi company is there to greet me…

Chatting with the driver on the way back to Torquay (about a thirty minute drive) we were discussing the fact that the English get a bad wrap for what some would say is being overly well-mannered (“we bump into a phone pole and apologise”), I said how much I had actually missed people apologising to telephone poles! 🙂

Finally, we arrive at my home away from home for the next few days until my apartment is ready on the 1st… and I couldn’t be happier…

View from the front door of my unit…

This is actually a photo of the whirly fairground thingummy on the beach below…

There was a band playing on the terrace however at 8:00pm the band stopped playing – at 10:00 on the dot the music volume was turned waaaaay down; at 10:50pm it was turned off; and almost as if someone flicked a switch, at 11:00pm…… silence!

It took me ages to actually get to sleep as my body was so sore from the hassle of the travel plus still being so over-tired – but once I did get to sleep, I barely stirred until I awoke just before 8:00am…

…and still not even a murmur outside apart from the sea birds…

It wasn’t until 8:10am until I even faintly heard another noise…

My bed is sooooooo comfy! My unit in the hotel, while a little old, is just perfect! Perfect (very large) size; perfect position… right next to the door to the gym and pool!

So, after doing some work, I changed and walked literally about 20 feet to the door to the pool!

After an hour or so of swimming, floating, and some of the best physio I have done in ages (and I was the only soul there!), I walked back, showered, and dressed to meet a dear friend for lunch… just in time as I was walking out the door, housekeeping arrived to clean my unit! Perfect!