Rob
Full Member
Posts: 2,779 
|
Post by Rob on Oct 12, 2023 18:57:41 GMT
A relief you'll be back in the UK a little later. And it will be so late there is no way you'll want to get the Mini.
|
|
|
|
Holidays!
Oct 12, 2023 19:57:29 GMT
via mobile
Post by EspadaIII on Oct 12, 2023 19:57:29 GMT
On the plane to Gatwick. Taxi is organised by the insurers.
Lovely airport here in Rome. Typical shopping centre with runway attached and the usual stunning women.
Can't afford any of it of course, especially the women 😂
|
|
|
|
Holidays!
Oct 12, 2023 20:56:29 GMT
via mobile
Post by Humph on Oct 12, 2023 20:56:29 GMT
Ah well, y’see, I was once told that the trick is to look as if you can afford it!
Gatwick of course will present no such challenges!
Soon be home now, it’ll be throwing it down with rain tomorrow and a bit chilly so everything will feel very Mancunian.
😉
|
|
|
|
Holidays!
Oct 12, 2023 22:51:48 GMT
via mobile
Post by EspadaIII on Oct 12, 2023 22:51:48 GMT
It's pouring at Gatwick. Ugh
|
|
|
|
Holidays!
Oct 12, 2023 22:53:46 GMT
via mobile
Post by EspadaIII on Oct 12, 2023 22:53:46 GMT
But I'm on home soil.
|
|
Rob
Full Member
Posts: 2,779
|
Post by Rob on Oct 12, 2023 23:11:41 GMT
 I've done Manchester to Brighton many times so assume it will be early tomorrow you get back home after dropping off in London. But a relief I hope family/relatives in Israel remain safe. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2023 7:50:24 GMT
Ah well, y’see, I was once told that the trick is to look as if you can afford it! I take the opposite approach - particularly in places like airports, railway stations, out on the mean streets. Look like you haven't got a pot to piss in and hopefully the muggers won't even see you. Worked so far. Yeah, I know that's not what you were talking about. Welcome back to Airstrip One, EIII. |
|
WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,427
|
Holidays!
Oct 13, 2023 8:01:43 GMT
via mobile
Post by WDB on Oct 13, 2023 8:01:43 GMT
Survival tips for Reading. It’s a jungle out there. 😳 Or if you’re Humph in Cheshire — or Rome…  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2023 8:08:42 GMT
Really? OK.
|
|
|
|
Post by EspadaIII on Oct 13, 2023 8:29:35 GMT
Home at 4:30am.
Arshad from Birmingham collected us in a fairly tidy 8 year old 5-series (probably a 520d) and including a short comfort break it took under 4 and half hours to get home. No traffic of course and we were blessed with the 'closed M6' between J13 - J14 opening as we reached it. He took a chance and it paid off. Car had that synthetic aroma of 'trying to mask tobacco' but it was clean. He admitted to being a smoker.
Arshad arrived from Pakistan in 2012 aged 26. His English is excellent (he said he had worked in IT) and his driving even better; the complete antithesis of what you see when you read of another death on the roads due to boy-racing or from someone who presumably learnt to drive in the chaos of heavily populated places. Perfect anticpation of the road conditions ahead, hanging back when he thought an HGV was going to pull out to overtake another one, always getting back into Lane 1 when appropriate and (as Humph would say),making progress without attracting attention. It was a vile night for weather but neither Espadrille nor I felt any worry. Lovely guy and I would be happy to sit in his car again for a long journey.
LV= are now sorting out the Mini retrieval but as we have the spare Punto we are not bothered if it takes a couple of days or more for its return.
I now have to gird my loins to make the insurance claim for the cost of the flights home.
|
|
|
|
Holidays!
Oct 13, 2023 8:40:07 GMT
via mobile
Post by Humph on Oct 13, 2023 8:40:07 GMT
Glad it all worked out well yesterday.
Yes, I imagine you’ve tested your “flexible friend” a bit this week.
Four people X three flights at short notice won’t have been cheap I don’t suppose.
|
|
bpg
Full Member
Posts: 2,812
|
Holidays!
Oct 13, 2023 9:24:18 GMT
via mobile
Post by bpg on Oct 13, 2023 9:24:18 GMT
It's times like these when you see why you pay that little bit extra for good insurance Vs 'ow much !
|
|
|
|
Post by EspadaIII on Oct 13, 2023 12:54:52 GMT
Glad it all worked out well yesterday. Yes, I imagine you’ve tested your “flexible friend” a bit this week. Four people X three flights at short notice won’t have been cheap I don’t suppose. Not cheap but not stupidly expensive and we got various refunds as well onto the cards from the cancelled flights. I was tempted to buy much more expensive but more convenient flights but there is a limit. Lufthansa wanted something like £3,200 for 4 seats from Cyprus to Manchester or London and I reckoned our insurers would have baulked at paying out for that. The Israel - Cyprus flights were a total of $1,040 ($200pp plus $80 per hold case and we had three cases). Cyprus - Rome were EUR1,176 for four fully inclusive tickets with luggage and seat selection Rome to LGW - were only about £500 So whats that in total? £2,300? The really appalling thing was that some tour operator was trying to put on a charter to Larnaca from Tel Aviv for today using the same airline and wanted $1,000 per person including luggage. Just a money grabbing little s**t and was rightly castigated for it. Yesterday there were 20 flights from Israel to Cyprus. Normally there may be four. |
|
Rob
Full Member
Posts: 2,779
|
Post by Rob on Oct 13, 2023 17:03:48 GMT
It makes sense to fly somewhere reasonably close but safe and use the planes again for another trip. Not that it's a short flight of course.
Really glad you're all safe but my heart goes out to those over there and the innocent Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas knew what they were doing and it's unbelievable...
|
|
|
|
Holidays!
Oct 14, 2023 18:47:42 GMT
via mobile
Post by EspadaIII on Oct 14, 2023 18:47:42 GMT
The Palestinian people are pawns in a political battle not only with the Israelis but also other parties claiming to represent them.
The problem is rooting out the terrorists who hide among the civilians. Rocket batteries stationed on top of schools, hospitals and mosques are one classic example. How you retaliate against that without incurring some loss of civilians?
But you have to retaliate otherwise it simply goes on for ever.
|
|
