IN WHICH WE GET EXTRA ATTENTION
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Day 21: Dublin to Edinburgh
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On our way to the Dublin airport, we tried in vain to fuel up our VW Polo, but pump after pump refused to accept our American credit cards without PIN and chip technology. With no attendant on site, we were out of luck. So we paid the premium Hertz charges when your rental return isn't topped up. After that bit of price gouging, the yellow-branded company added insult to injury when their shuttle dropped us off at the terminal's arrivals floor rather than departures.
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Eventually we made our way to the Ryan Air baggage check desk to have our passports validated before heading off to the security screening area. There we found zero signage to indicate which items need to be removed from our bags or bodies for the screening process. We watched the passengers in front of us, noting that no one took off shoes or belts, no one removed liquids or laptops. Thinking we had nailed the routine, we followed suit.
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Before I walked through the metal detector, an agent brought my backpack and asked about electronics. Then another agent standing where we were putting our belongings into bins told us we needed to remove electronics, liquids, shoes and belts. And groused when I wasn't quick enough for her. The x-ray operator didn't recognize Ken's shoe sterilizers, so he had to explain, remove them, and have his bag prescreened.
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After we finally finished what seemed like extra scrutiny and collected all our belongings again, the information board indicated that the gate number for our flight would be posted at 11:35 a.m. The precious few benches in the general waiting area had been outfitted with large plastic Santas that took up half of each bench and made young children scream when their parents insisted they pose for a photo with the big artificial fellow. How festive!
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From the holding pen area, gates went off in both directions, and we hadn't a clue which to choose. Signs indicated walking time from that spot was up to 15 minutes to distant gates. If we chose the wrong direction to look for a place to wait, we might need to make a 30-minute walk after the gate was posted, which would occur 30 minutes before the gate closed.
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| If we didn't already feel like cattle being herded, this would have sealed it. |
We got lucky after instinctively heading off toward the gates in the 100 range. When our gate was posted at the appointed time, our flight was assigned to gate 113. Flying a low cost airline still brings surprises. When we arrived at a huge hall that housed a half dozen gates, we found a maze of belt barriers defining the route to each gate.
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| We were thankful we were first to board. |
After waiting in our line about 20 minutes, priority boarding was announced and we walked across the tarmac as the first passengers on the plane. Our "business plus" seats afforded no more space than the remainder of the tightly configured plane, though we were fortunate enough that the third seat on our row was vacant.
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The flight lasted less than 45 minutes, and we were soon touching down in Edinburgh to the tune of the Ryan Air "victory song" and an announcement touting their fantastic on-time rate. Walking across the tarmac again, we were thankful that no rain was falling to accompany the high winds. With no passport control to enter the UK and no bags except our carry-ons, we were soon exiting the terminal to find a taxi to our rental apartment.
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| Nick and an exhausted passenger |
By chance, we were connected with Nick Smith, taxi driver and Edinburgh ambassador extraordinaire. He clearly loves his city and knows it. He's lived elsewhere, including the U.S. and England, and found nowhere to compare to his home. On our way from the airport into the city, he pointed out sites nonstop. Periodically he handed us scraps of paper with recommendations he had told us about. After taking our leave from Nick, we checked in at our apartment and went off in search of lunch and groceries.
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| The devil made us leave. |
Upon returning to the apartment later in the afternoon, we noticed that just across the narrow alley from the apartment we had rented was a lively bar called Devil's Advocate. As the evening progressed, so did the noise from the devil. By the time we went to bed, we had booked a room at the local Doubletree Hotel and will transfer tomorrow.
Daily Stats:
- Started in Dublin, ended in Edinburgh
- Mileage - 210 air, 10 road, 3.5 foot
- Weather - 41° to 48°, cloudy, showers
MONDAY, 21 DECEMBER 2015 spa
