The Bernina Express

What a fabulous trip! Not really "express" - four hours from Chur, Switzerland to Turano, Italy. Over the Alps. Spotlessly clean trains, big windows and fantastic views. Plus the company of friends. What could be better?

Take a look at the scenery.

What I Dislike About British Airways

Let's go back - waaaaaaay back. Back to when Mark and I were business partners and not life partners. Back to when he flew British Airways to Lagos, Nigeria to conduct a training class and then both the British and American governments advised citizens NOT to go to Nigeria. I wanted to get him out. Could I? No. I couldn't.

"We have rules. The flight can not be changed."

"I am willing to pay to change it." (Flights on most other airlines can be changed for a change fee.) But apparently not British Airways. Mark had to tough it out in Nigeria, which mind you, had been declared unsafe by the British government, because British Airways has rules. So there.

Then there's the issue of "the captain has turned on the seat belt light, please return to your seat and fasten your seatbelt". And if you don't, the flight attendent will pound on the restroom door and tell you to return to your seat. Seriously? Do you think I'm in the restroom for fun? There was a reason I went in there and I'm staying in until there is no longer a reason to be there. Beating on the door and shouting at me does not help. At all.

And now we have another thing to add to the list. We arrived at Heathrow early. We got up early (5 am) and left Manchester at 6 am. We got to Heathrow around 10:30 am for a 2:30 pm flight. Plenty of time. The problem was, we couldn't check our bags. We tried but every time we scanned a ticket it told us the bag was over the baggage limit before we even put a bag on the conveyor. Then someone pointed out to us that we couldn't check in for another hour. The British Airways limit is 3 hours before a flight. If you arrive before that, you just need to sit around with your bags somewhere - no food, no drink - just sit down somewhere and mind your bags. British Airways cannot be bothered to take them until three hours before your flight.

And then, when the three hours are up you can check your bags. I scanned my ticket and once again before I put the bag on the conveyor, I was told that it was over the limit. I did say somewhat loudly that "it's doing it again and I haven't even put the bag on". At that point, one of the BA agents came down on me like a ton of bricks. Mind you, I was speaking to an inanimate machine. She was speaking to me - demanding to know why I was so rude. (I know how to be rude - she didn't see it.) I decided to let it go because I just wanted to get my bags checked after having been at the airport for over an hour. And we hadn't had breakfast, etc. I should have demanded to know why she was so rude.

We were sent to another area where they could check our tickets only to find out that we had inadvertently purchased tickets that had zero baggage allowance - hand baggage only. Bottom line? We had to pay the cost of the flight again just to take our bags. And the young lady said, "This happens all the time!" Does it, indeed? If this happens all the time, it's because your website is designed to trick people into buying what they think is a bargain ticket only to extort money from them when they are at the gate with their luggage and nothing they can do but pay. I've worked for companies that designed their statements so that customers often overpaid. Don't play dumb with me. You're doing this on purpose because it's a really easy revenue opportunity. Just a bit shady, as far as I'm concerned.

So, I think we can sum this up as 1. crap customer service 2. extortion and 3. surly employees and 4. really crap customer service.

The Imperial War Museum North

Although I've never been to the Imperial War Museum in London, I understand that it is much larger tan the one in Manchester. But the one in Manchester was fine for me. The intent was to show how people's lives are impacted by war. Primary focus areas (and those that were most interesting to me from an historical perspective) were WWI and WWII. Also covered were Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War and the Gulf Wars.

One of the unique features of this museum is that the movies were displayed throughout the venue, ot just in a theater. Everyone could see from their own vantage point. Interesting and effective presentation.

An interesting way to spend a rainy afternoon.

You Can't Get There From Here

I remember a bit they did on Candid Camera when I was a kid. They set up a roadblock and told motorists who approached and stopped that New Jersey was closed. I remember one guy told them "You can't close New Jersey! My wife and kids are in there!"

So last Thursday when we approached the barricade on Frinton Road on our way to see Mark's step mother and they told us that Holland-on-Sea was closed, I started looking for the hidden cameras. But of course there were none. Only official barricades and police officers.

Normally we don't take Frinton Road but we knew that King's Parade along the seafront was closed for a bicycle race. But when I asked how to get to Fleetwood Avenue, I was told you can't get there because the roads are closed until 2:30 pm. ALL of the roads into town were closed for a bicycle race. I asked what they would do if anyone needed an ambulance. "I don't know" was the reply. No point talking to anyone - this is just the kind of thing they do in England.

We parked the car and set off on foot. It took us about 40 minutes to get to her house. (We were warned that it was a long walk.) We'd planned to take her out for lunch but that wasn't going to be possible without a car. You can't expect someone in their late 80s to hike much past the end of their drive.

Along the way we talked with a few of the residents. Most of them were unhappy. One was trying to get to a doctor's appointment and had to abandon her car and attempt to get there on foot. Two had gone in to do some shopping and then found that they couldn't leave. A couple more were just unhappy that they wouldn't be able to go out and do anything until after the race was over and they were concerned that traffic would be backed up then because of all the people who were stuck. All in all, we talked to one old man who was quite happy with it. "What's the big deal? It's once a year and it's only for five hours." Our best guess is that he is on the Tendring District Council, the governing body that authorized closing down the town. We suspect they were probably paid handsomely for the privilege.

There are times at home when streets get closed down for races and other civic events, but I have yet to see an occasion when EVERY street going into a town is closed. It just wouldn't happen. You might have to drive a block or two out of your way, but you would be able to get in and out.

So in this particular instance, I'm glad we didn't stay at the Legacy Kingscliff. We would have been trapped in the town with no way out until after 2:30 and we had aimed to be in Hatfield about that time. I am often amazed at what the British are willing to put up with.