Where am I now?
My last update I said that I was headed on short notice to Northern Ireland. I managed to find an Alitalia flight from Milano to Heathrow. This was actually a real challenge as last weekend was a holiday long weekend in Italy. I think the Thursday was officially a day off so everyone took Friday too. This made for really full flights to the UK, I ended up with a full fare business class ticket. I arrived at Linate with minimal time to spare. One thing that I learned that was a real surprise is that Alitalia does not have any electronic check in kiosks nor special lines for premium class travelers. There is just one long line. I got to a desk only about 30 minutes before my flight. Officially the minimum allowed is 40 minutes for an international flight. Somehow the kind woman found me a seat in economy and got me checked in. I made it to LHR and boarded my flight to Belfast City airport.
I somehow managed to make it but my bags did not.
Prior to leaving the office in Lodi I did book a hotel room but I forgot to get full directions on how to find it. It took me an hour of driving around Belfast and I finally found the hotel with the help of a kind stranger. The next morning I went back to the airport to see if my bags showed up on the first flight. They had not. So not only was I wearing nasty smelly clothes but my steel toes and hard hard were not with me either. I drove onto (London)Derry where the job site was. At about 3pm my bags were delivered to my hotel in Derry. Derry is about 70+ miles from Belfast. Even though these are two major cities, most of the journey is secondary roads instead of motorway/autostrada/highway and I think it took me around 1.5 hours to make the trip.
By late Friday night things were working again at site. Saturday was my birthday, a big one at that. I went to the site in the morning to write my report and I was out of there by 2pm. I then met up with some colleagues for what was meant to be a few pints but turned into several. I had intended to get a haircut and explore Derry. Oops. At 7pm I went back to my room and passed out. Next thing I knew it was nearly 1am. So much for wanting to have a nice dinner and explore Derry. Happy Birthday!
I was told that the site in Civitavecchia near Rome was to restart first thing Monday and I needed to be there so Sunday I traveled from Derry to Belfast to London to Rome to Civitavecchia. I found a gas station to fill up my rental car (the first time I ever drove a Seat) before returning it and got to the terminal. I knew I was pressed for time but what I did not realize is my flight was at 11h05 not 11h25 like I thought. Thank goodness this was a small airport because anywhere else I would have missed the flight.
Even though I have gone to the UK practically every year since I was a baby, this is the first time that I ever drove there. This was my second time driving on the left side of the road and the first time driving stick on the left. It was a slightly odd experience for my muscles but I did manage to survive without any incidents. Real roundabouts at high speed are fun. I was shocked at the price of diesel however. I think I drove about 200mi and it cost 27 pound sterling, around $50. OUCH. Thankfully it is not my money.
For the record, I didn't think the Guinness tasted any different. Maybe it was because I was in Northern Ireland and not the Republic. I guess I will just have to go back and test (drink) more.
I somehow managed to make it but my bags did not.
Prior to leaving the office in Lodi I did book a hotel room but I forgot to get full directions on how to find it. It took me an hour of driving around Belfast and I finally found the hotel with the help of a kind stranger. The next morning I went back to the airport to see if my bags showed up on the first flight. They had not. So not only was I wearing nasty smelly clothes but my steel toes and hard hard were not with me either. I drove onto (London)Derry where the job site was. At about 3pm my bags were delivered to my hotel in Derry. Derry is about 70+ miles from Belfast. Even though these are two major cities, most of the journey is secondary roads instead of motorway/autostrada/highway and I think it took me around 1.5 hours to make the trip.
By late Friday night things were working again at site. Saturday was my birthday, a big one at that. I went to the site in the morning to write my report and I was out of there by 2pm. I then met up with some colleagues for what was meant to be a few pints but turned into several. I had intended to get a haircut and explore Derry. Oops. At 7pm I went back to my room and passed out. Next thing I knew it was nearly 1am. So much for wanting to have a nice dinner and explore Derry. Happy Birthday!
I was told that the site in Civitavecchia near Rome was to restart first thing Monday and I needed to be there so Sunday I traveled from Derry to Belfast to London to Rome to Civitavecchia. I found a gas station to fill up my rental car (the first time I ever drove a Seat) before returning it and got to the terminal. I knew I was pressed for time but what I did not realize is my flight was at 11h05 not 11h25 like I thought. Thank goodness this was a small airport because anywhere else I would have missed the flight.
Even though I have gone to the UK practically every year since I was a baby, this is the first time that I ever drove there. This was my second time driving on the left side of the road and the first time driving stick on the left. It was a slightly odd experience for my muscles but I did manage to survive without any incidents. Real roundabouts at high speed are fun. I was shocked at the price of diesel however. I think I drove about 200mi and it cost 27 pound sterling, around $50. OUCH. Thankfully it is not my money.
For the record, I didn't think the Guinness tasted any different. Maybe it was because I was in Northern Ireland and not the Republic. I guess I will just have to go back and test (drink) more.