I never fly into London anymore, Heathrow or Gatwick. I find Birmingham International Airport to be a much calmer experience. Same level of facilities, but less traffic, nicer people and MUCH easier to get to the motorway. And the other helpful factor for me is that it is the same distance from Birmingham to my parents house as it would be from London.
Not that I have any plans to fly again anytime soon with all the stupidity displayed by the U.S. airport security folks. Simon ----------------------------------------------------------------- Simon P. Chappell [EMAIL PROTECTED] Java Programming Specialist www.landsend.com Lands' End, Inc. (608) 935-4526 >-----Original Message----- >From: Galbreath, Mark [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 10:39 AM >To: 'Struts Users Mailing List' >Subject: RE: Missing in Action ? > > >I forgot to mention that besides all that, AA lost our luggage >from BWI to >Heathrow, which cost us an additional 1/2 day and several >trips to Terminal >3. :-( > >-----Original Message----- >From: Chappell, Simon P [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 11:29 AM > >Yeah, and I only had a short nap on Sunday afternoon. I just >want you to >know that I have it rough! (Not to mention growing up living >in a paper bag >in the middle of the road! :-) > >Simon > >>-----Original Message----- >>From: James Mitchell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >>Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 10:28 AM >> >>DAAAAAAMN!!! >> >>...and I was just complaining about my weekend from >>hell......I guess I had >>a good weekend after hearing your story. >> >>Later >> >>James Mitchell >> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Galbreath, Mark [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >>> Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 10:31 AM >>> >>> Well, the trip to Amsterdam did not begin very well. Before >>we even leave >>> BWI on Tuesday we are stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours while all >>> the luggage >>> in the hold is removed because there is a mismatch between >>the IDs on the >>> luggage and the people on the plane. >>> >>> On the flight over on American Airlines we hit some turbulence >>> just south of >>> Newfoundland and the captain turned the seat belt sign on. Jane >>> was chilly >>> so I got up to find her an extra blanket. The >>> bitch-flight-attendant-from-hell marched over to me and rudely >>> ORDERED me to >>> take my seat and buckle my seat belt. I told her I would as >>soon as found >>> my wife a blanket. She told me she would get her a blanket >>and for me to >>> sit down immediately. I sat down...we waited...and >>waited...and the bitch >>> never returned. So I got up again and started looking through the >>> over-heads for a blanket. She shows up again with some >>other dude and >>> demands my boarding pass, which I hand the dude. >>> >>> We arrive at Heathrow 3-4 hours later without further >>incident. Before we >>> can deplane, the London police come aboard, arrest me, and >>take me to the >>> local station. I'm charged with "Disobeying a direct order from >>> the flight >>> crew," thrown in a cell without running water, food or >>outside contact for >>> 10 hours before I'm released on bail. The following day we spend >>> all day in >>> a magistrate's court in Uxbridge where, against the advise of my >>> solicitor I >>> plead guilty under protest (if I fight it, I have to post a bond >>> and return >>> to the UK sometime in the future) and am fined �300 (about >>> US$450) and have >>> to pay the solicitor another �150. Now I go through the >>administrative BS >>> to get my bail money back and, because my passport has not >>accompanied the >>> money, have to return all the way back to Heathrow for it. >>> >>> So at the end of my second day in London we are making a >>frantic race to >>> Victoria station through the London Underground to get the >>last train to >>> Dover. The Tube is very confusing, we get on the wrong >>line, and in the >>> confusion I leave our carry-on bag on one of the lines >>containing, among >>> other things, all our flight, train, ferry, and hotel >>reservations info. >>> >>> We finally get to Dover in time for the last ferry to >>Calais-Ville but by >>> the time we get to Calais, all trains have stopped running >>and we have to >>> wait until the next day (Friday) around noon. When we >finally get to >>> Amsterdam after about 8 hours on and off trains late Friday >>night, I can't >>> the name of our hotel but remember where it appeared to be on the >>> map on its >>> website (I was wrong). So we walk through the streets (mainly >>> the Red Light >>> district) of Amsterdam for 3 hours searching for a hotel which >>> name includes >>> "van Cleve" (the only thing I can remember). >>> >>> We give up after realizing we have been walking (hiking, with heavy >>> backpacks) in circles and go back to Centraal Station and the >>> VVV. There, a >>> VVV agent recognizes the name of the hotel and informs us it >>is only 3 >>> blocks away and that we have been searching on the wrong ("Old") >>> side of the >>> city. >>> >>> So we finally get to the hotel, but because we are 2 days late, our >>> reservations have been cancelled and the hotel is, of course, >>> fully booked). >>> After about another hour, we obtain lodging at the Swiss�tel >>right off the >>> Dam, and, predictably, it takes us another hour to find it >>because we get >>> lost again. We finally get to our room around midnight, dirty >>> and soaked in >>> sweat from hiking all over the city with our backpacks. >>> >>> The next morning (Saturday) we decided the last thing in the >>> world we wanted >>> to do was to get on another train and haul those backpacks >>up to Caspicum. >>> So found a smoking coffee shop and ... well ... relaxed. >>Sorry we missed >>> Dutch Nash Hash, but we kinda had our own "hash" ;-). >>> >>> And we never did get the damn blanket. >>> >>> Other than that, we had a GREAT time...more on that later - >>gotta do some >>> Struts stuff. >>> >>> On!On! >>> ad (Mark) >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Pierre-Marc LEFEBVRE [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >>> Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 9:42 AM >>> >>> HHHi AD/FP, >>> >>> Did you ever made it to Europe this month ? >>> You missed a great Dutch NH. >>> >>> On Out >>> Higgins > >-- >To unsubscribe, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For additional commands, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For additional commands, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
