We left RDU on Thursday, June 19. Though security has tightened since
our last trip, we had no problems or serious delays due to security. In
the process of getting ready for this trip, I found out from a knowledgeable
person how to pack and what to do and not to do, so that made things much,
much easier. They put us on an earlier flight
than we were scheduled for because flights were being delayed by weather,
and they wanted to ensure we made our connection in Newark to our flight
across the pond. We made it to Newark in plenty of time because out
flight there was delayed in arriving, and our departure was delayed by about
one hour. I figured they would make the time up in the air. Our
connection in Birmingham, England was to take off an hour after we were
scheduled to arrive. But since we took off an hour late, our
chances of making our connection there was looking pretty bad. But, we
tried to sleep, and I made a better go at it than last year, even though they
did cram us in a 757 to fly across the pond (6.5 hours!). Here is a
picture out the window of the plane as the sun was "coming up".
The white spots on the wing are the moonlight reflecting.
They did make up a half hour in the air, but that only gave us about 30
minutes to get to the connecting flight. The Flight Attendants, aware
that several of us needed to make that connection, had them hold the plane
for us, and let us off our plane first. We hurried down the jetway only to
find the fire doors locked! After a couple of fellows attempted
unsuccessfully to open them, we passed the word back down the line that the
doors were locked. A Flight Attendant came, unlocked the door, and
told us to run to our flight. We had to go through EU Immigration and
Customs, and there was no one to tell us where to go, but that same
Attendant came finally and ushered us to the front of the non-EU passport
line. We made it through there and Customs quickly, then found the
concourse, asked what gate the flight was on, and headed for it. I
misunderstood what the lady said, and went to the wrong gate.
Fortunately Brandy did not. After running down two flights of
stairs, then back up the stairs, around to the other gate, and down two
flights of stairs, I got to the tarmac just as Brandy and another lady were
turning the corner toward the plane. I had made it, seriously out of
breath, but I was there.
We arrived at Belfast City Airport about 10 minutes late and proceeded to
Baggage Claim. Our bags had not run as fast as we had, and four of us
had no bags waiting for us! My dulcimer and bodhran tuner and tippers,
and both our clothes were in those bags. Sigh! We filled out the
papers, and gave then the address of the hostel we would be staying in.
They said the bags should be delivered that night or in the morning.
Since I didn't have to play until the next afternoon, and we had a
day's worth of clothes in our carry-ons, that would work - if it actually
happened.
So, we changed some money, got some water, checked in for our rental car,
and headed for the parking lot to start our next adventure - Rick driving on
the left side of the road. We got our carry-ons in the car, and started
looking things over to get familiar with the car and check out any damage on
it before we left. Here are pictures of Rick in the
driver's seat, and checking out the car before leaving the lot.
The adventure begins! We drove out of the parking lot and went the
wrong way, turned around, then got on the correct road out of the airport.
Thankfully, most of our first driving took place on a Motorway, like
our Interstates here in the US. Here we are traveling on the Motorway
North out of Belfast.
On, to Ballycastle!
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