It's Thursday evening (Ah Thankful Thursday! I nearly forgot) and I am pleased to say that I am now ensconced in Anna's in Bishopbriggs. I usually say Glasgow because anyone outside of Scotland is very unlikely to know where Bishopbriggs is.
I pass through quite a lot of security checks in my travels and in the past the one I dreaded most has not been LA (bad though that may have been for staff incivility) but Stornoway where the level of incivility by the security staff had been taken to an artform. So today I was pleasantly surprised to see that the staff were pleasant and efficient. I was also surprised to be tested for banned substances. I can't ever recall being tested for banned substances anywhere else in the world on my way into a flight (come to think of it I've never been tested on the way out either). It's a good job they didn't test my money because two customs officer friends have told me that a high percentage of high value notes are contaminated.
The flight from Stornoway to Glasgow was bumpy to say the least. Not everyone survived unaffected! The chap next to me and I regaled each other with personal tales of travel incidents we'd had and took our minds off things. We also had a good rapport going with the stewardess who was wondering why she did the job on flights like that and was glad it was the end of her day! We also had a laugh when it came to disembarking: the plane had to be emptied from the rear because it was rear heavy and could have tipped up if they’s emptied the front first! We were the small ones at the front!
So today I'm very thankful to have had such an enjoyable first leg of my journey to NZ. Three sleeps here and then the Big Flight.
I'd have been too frightened to keep any kind of normal conversation going, I guess! It really is strange that I used to be totally unfazed by flying, but the older I get, the less I like it, and the more I am scared when there is even just a tiny bit of unsettled air.
ReplyDeleteMeike I have wandered around the skies of Scotland in small planes and helicopters for business and pleasure for the last 40 years, sometimes in horrific weather, and have had some pretty horrible flights. Having said that I've been fortunate never to have been ill although after one particularly bad flight I did vow never to fly again: until I realised that I had to get back home from where I had gone. The rewards of seeing the Highlands and Islands from the air has, however, far outweighed the unpleasant times.
DeleteWith that dodgy flight behind you, your chances of good flights for the rest of your travels has improved enormously. No more dramas, please!
ReplyDeleteI'll try not to have any more dramas Pauline. Big planes in turbulence are more unpleasant than small ones in my experience.
DeleteHave a safe trip.
ReplyDeleteThanks Adrian. Your prayer is welcome.
DeleteOh I'm happy that you met some pleasant and efficient staff at the airport.
ReplyDeleteAs for the testing for banned substances....I hope it was a random check and that you didn't have the look of a smuggler.
I've never been pulled, but I do have a girlfriend that every time we travel together she gets pulled from the line to be "checked out".....sometimes we miss our connecting flights.....she just has that look. It was funny at first, but now not so much.
Virginia I've never seen anyone tested on their way into a secure area before for illegal substances. They are usually the job of Customs and Immigration officials on the way into a place.
Deletesafe journey and look forward to hearing all your news from NZ. The weather in Lewis is awful!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol. The weather down in Glasgow has not been as bad as was predicted.
DeleteI hope the rest of the journey will be less bumpy, even if you seem to be dealing well with it!
ReplyDeleteYes Monica I, too, hope that the sky roads are better paved: it's a bit restricting when one has to keep one's seatbelt on and can't move around.
DeleteSafe journey home..., or 'home', if you prefer.
ReplyDeleteThanks Katherine. Only a few more days and it will be my home for the next six months.
DeleteMakes such a difference to have good company on a long plane flight. And yours sounds such amarathon! I hope the rest of it is just as good.
ReplyDeleteGlad you landed safely. Hope you had a good welcome in Bishopbriggs.
ReplyDelete