Post by amy115 on May 31, 2018 10:00:43 GMT
Day 1, 30 May
Unfortunately I did not get any sleep last night due to having too many things to do prior to travelling to the airport in the early hours, something I was determined I was going to avoid this year but best laid plans ............
On Tuesday evening after getting home from work I had to take my kitty to her new home for the next two weeks, which meant a possible fight to get her into her carrier then a trip down the motorway. As it turned out the argument didn’t last long but she did manage to plant each of her back feet on either side of the carrier and dig in, with some protestation, but resolved quite quickly by managing to get back legs together in one hand while sliding her in with the other! Poor kitty, she thought she was on her way to the vets! Little did she know she was going to spend the next two weeks with her half brother, who she somewhat detests following a rather unfortunate incident that happened some years back when he was a fully grown kitten twice her size! To digress somewhat, she had had a rather good relationship with him as I looked after him when my brother went on holiday. They would chase each other around the house and everywhere she went, he followed! He didn’t have the same relationship with her sister who would growl and hiss at him but he didn’t care, at least one of them liked him. They had been playing a cat version of tag and she ran into the living room. He decided to sit in the second step of the staircase and when she decided to go into the kitchen, he of course, was lying in wait for her. She had nearly passed the staircase when he decided to take a leap, landed on top of her and completely flattened her on the floor! Hilarious from his point of view, and any onlooker’s, but as far as she was concerned he was now the enemy! Needless to say, neither are now happy in each other's company!
After getting her and all her stuff in the car we were off down the motorway, which was not as busy as expected. After settling her in and a cuppa and chat with brother, it was back down motorway and home. The only tasks I now had to do was to get my cabin bag packed and give my plants, etc a good watering. Hmm, after all the good weather we have been having, the front and side of my house, was beginning to look like a jungle and was in danger of being “that “ house in the street. You know the one, the house the rest of the neighbours in the street feel its appearance is bringing the rest of the street down! Well it was 8.10 pm and all I had to do was pack my cabin bag, why not do a little tidying up I thought. At 10.00 pm after filling 4 black bin liners with weeds I had completely finished. Back breaking work but looked so much better! Next job watering the plants. By 10.40 pm I was completely shattered so a glass of wine and a short relax in front of the telly. Unfortunately I decided to do some household chores and before long I realised that it was too late to catch any sleep. Will I ever learn?
Taxi was late and the same stretch of motorway I had travelled the evening before was now closed, so I had a very leisurely drive to the airport via Trafford Park and an area of Manchester I hadn’t been to in many a year, before we got back on the motorway for a very short stretch and arrived at the airport around 4.20am for the saga of check-in with TC.
Terminal 1 Manchester, TC have about 20 check-ins, none of them were very busy, but each with a destination. I was busy looking for Skiathos when 2 TC reps asked if they could help me. I explained, they said go here but you can check in at any, so I joined the queue they indicated, which had a family checking in and two more sets of travellers in front of me. It was a little like joining the shortest queue in the supermarket and still standing there when the longer queues had emptyed. Just a slight drama with the family checking in! Then through to security - only 5 stations open and eventually into the shopping/lounge area.
Went for a browse around WH Smith’s then had some breakfast and nothing to it but wait for the gate to open. At check-in the desk rep had already informed me that the flight would be at 8.00am and to watch the board. I also realised that I had not given my seat preference at the time and was thinking no worries. I always prefer an aisle seat to any other but when I checked my boarding card I was in seat SBY! What? Never known that before. Standby? Sit by yourself? Silly beggar you (for not asking for a specific seat)? Won’t be long before I find out!
One here for the ladies, if you have never actually used them, you must try the toilets at the back of the food court, they are to the right as you go through the door with the smoking are to the left. Wonderful, only small but the best thing IMO is that along with soap you are also treated to hand lotion and hand sanitizer! Brilliant!
At the boarding gate, my pass was taken off me and popped into the machine, and on the point of handing it back the rep said “oh, are you travelling alone?”. I responded that I was. She then turned to another rep and said “i need a ticket, this lady is travelling alone”, was handed one and passed it to me and told me to enjoy my holiday. As I was heading down the stairs I quickly checked the seat number, result, not only did I have an aisle seat but I was in row 2. Doesn’t get better than that and I didn’t have to pay for the privilege! Whoop whoop!
The flight left on time, whoopee, but pilot informed us that the reason for the two hour delay was caused by the plane having to divert to fill in for another, which was having technical problems? Here was me thinking that it was due to the Greek union strikes! Great flight and got chatting to the couple I was sat with. They have been going to Skiathos for 25 years and loved it so much, they bought an apartment near the Alkyon 5 years ago.
To be continued .......
Unfortunately I did not get any sleep last night due to having too many things to do prior to travelling to the airport in the early hours, something I was determined I was going to avoid this year but best laid plans ............
On Tuesday evening after getting home from work I had to take my kitty to her new home for the next two weeks, which meant a possible fight to get her into her carrier then a trip down the motorway. As it turned out the argument didn’t last long but she did manage to plant each of her back feet on either side of the carrier and dig in, with some protestation, but resolved quite quickly by managing to get back legs together in one hand while sliding her in with the other! Poor kitty, she thought she was on her way to the vets! Little did she know she was going to spend the next two weeks with her half brother, who she somewhat detests following a rather unfortunate incident that happened some years back when he was a fully grown kitten twice her size! To digress somewhat, she had had a rather good relationship with him as I looked after him when my brother went on holiday. They would chase each other around the house and everywhere she went, he followed! He didn’t have the same relationship with her sister who would growl and hiss at him but he didn’t care, at least one of them liked him. They had been playing a cat version of tag and she ran into the living room. He decided to sit in the second step of the staircase and when she decided to go into the kitchen, he of course, was lying in wait for her. She had nearly passed the staircase when he decided to take a leap, landed on top of her and completely flattened her on the floor! Hilarious from his point of view, and any onlooker’s, but as far as she was concerned he was now the enemy! Needless to say, neither are now happy in each other's company!
After getting her and all her stuff in the car we were off down the motorway, which was not as busy as expected. After settling her in and a cuppa and chat with brother, it was back down motorway and home. The only tasks I now had to do was to get my cabin bag packed and give my plants, etc a good watering. Hmm, after all the good weather we have been having, the front and side of my house, was beginning to look like a jungle and was in danger of being “that “ house in the street. You know the one, the house the rest of the neighbours in the street feel its appearance is bringing the rest of the street down! Well it was 8.10 pm and all I had to do was pack my cabin bag, why not do a little tidying up I thought. At 10.00 pm after filling 4 black bin liners with weeds I had completely finished. Back breaking work but looked so much better! Next job watering the plants. By 10.40 pm I was completely shattered so a glass of wine and a short relax in front of the telly. Unfortunately I decided to do some household chores and before long I realised that it was too late to catch any sleep. Will I ever learn?
Taxi was late and the same stretch of motorway I had travelled the evening before was now closed, so I had a very leisurely drive to the airport via Trafford Park and an area of Manchester I hadn’t been to in many a year, before we got back on the motorway for a very short stretch and arrived at the airport around 4.20am for the saga of check-in with TC.
Terminal 1 Manchester, TC have about 20 check-ins, none of them were very busy, but each with a destination. I was busy looking for Skiathos when 2 TC reps asked if they could help me. I explained, they said go here but you can check in at any, so I joined the queue they indicated, which had a family checking in and two more sets of travellers in front of me. It was a little like joining the shortest queue in the supermarket and still standing there when the longer queues had emptyed. Just a slight drama with the family checking in! Then through to security - only 5 stations open and eventually into the shopping/lounge area.
Went for a browse around WH Smith’s then had some breakfast and nothing to it but wait for the gate to open. At check-in the desk rep had already informed me that the flight would be at 8.00am and to watch the board. I also realised that I had not given my seat preference at the time and was thinking no worries. I always prefer an aisle seat to any other but when I checked my boarding card I was in seat SBY! What? Never known that before. Standby? Sit by yourself? Silly beggar you (for not asking for a specific seat)? Won’t be long before I find out!
One here for the ladies, if you have never actually used them, you must try the toilets at the back of the food court, they are to the right as you go through the door with the smoking are to the left. Wonderful, only small but the best thing IMO is that along with soap you are also treated to hand lotion and hand sanitizer! Brilliant!
At the boarding gate, my pass was taken off me and popped into the machine, and on the point of handing it back the rep said “oh, are you travelling alone?”. I responded that I was. She then turned to another rep and said “i need a ticket, this lady is travelling alone”, was handed one and passed it to me and told me to enjoy my holiday. As I was heading down the stairs I quickly checked the seat number, result, not only did I have an aisle seat but I was in row 2. Doesn’t get better than that and I didn’t have to pay for the privilege! Whoop whoop!
The flight left on time, whoopee, but pilot informed us that the reason for the two hour delay was caused by the plane having to divert to fill in for another, which was having technical problems? Here was me thinking that it was due to the Greek union strikes! Great flight and got chatting to the couple I was sat with. They have been going to Skiathos for 25 years and loved it so much, they bought an apartment near the Alkyon 5 years ago.
To be continued .......