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After dinner in Glasgow, we went to our B&B, somewhere in the vicinity of Edinburgh's airport. The recommended place to eat in the little town was not much of a recommendation (admitted by the B&B proprietor), but we didn't have too much choice. We were out of cash, at this point, and the bar's credit card machine refused to function, so I had to get cash from the ATM outside. I get twenty pounds, and the fee for that was ten pounds, so the bar food (for both our meals) cost about $45.
Our flight was very early, so the B&B arranged a breakfast for us, in the room. We left when the sky was just turning light.
We had enough time there to sample some whisky at the duty free shop. It was a Balvenie I'd never had before, and it was surprisingly un-good. Unfortunately, the saleslady was one of the less friendly I'd run across. She asked why I wasn't interested in buying it. I told her because my luggage was already full of whisky, but I'd already told her I didn't much care for it. In retrospect, I wouldn't have been able to take it with me, since I'd already checked my luggage, and couldn't carry it onto the plane with me at the next airport.
At the official booth at Heathrow, in the midst of the duty free mall, I was able to get reimbursed for the VAT tax, on what I was taking home. I answered the guy's questions honestly, admitting that one of the bottles was gone, but he gave it to me anyway. But it evened out, because I had another bottle, which I wasn't claiming the refund for.
After about three hours in the airport lounge, we got word on our flight's gate, and hopped a bus for the terminal. It was kind of odd, since they just drove us through the places that people aren't allowed to go.
Not the kind of thing you really want to see...
And here was our boarding gate lounge, which didn't even hold everyone who was supposed to be on our plane.
At the first security checkpoint of the day, my bag prompted a manual check. I guess it was because I had a bottle of hand sanitizer in it, that I didn't bring to anybody's attention. Apparently that put a mark on my documents, because I was singled out for some sort of many security check at every possible checkpoint for the rest of the trip, including the one inside this waiting area. When going through customs, we were even sent through different lines than most people. It would have annoyed me, but it didn't really cost us anything. We still always made it to where we needed to go on time.
Our flight attendant wanted to seat a couple together so asked for a volunteer to switch places. I volunteered to move. This got me an aisle seat, and I didn't really feel the need to spend another six hours with my dad, after the previous two weeks. The attendant was very grateful, and promised us goodie bags and whatever we wanted. We got liquor. The flight attendant felt a little bad at separating us, when my dad told her I was his son. :-)
We had four planes, Chicago to London, London to Edinburgh, then back. They were all British Airway, except the last - American. Not horrible, but definitely not as pleasant. And then we had to wait an hour for our shuttle back home from O'Hare.
Our flight was very early, so the B&B arranged a breakfast for us, in the room. We left when the sky was just turning light.
We had enough time there to sample some whisky at the duty free shop. It was a Balvenie I'd never had before, and it was surprisingly un-good. Unfortunately, the saleslady was one of the less friendly I'd run across. She asked why I wasn't interested in buying it. I told her because my luggage was already full of whisky, but I'd already told her I didn't much care for it. In retrospect, I wouldn't have been able to take it with me, since I'd already checked my luggage, and couldn't carry it onto the plane with me at the next airport.
At the official booth at Heathrow, in the midst of the duty free mall, I was able to get reimbursed for the VAT tax, on what I was taking home. I answered the guy's questions honestly, admitting that one of the bottles was gone, but he gave it to me anyway. But it evened out, because I had another bottle, which I wasn't claiming the refund for.
After about three hours in the airport lounge, we got word on our flight's gate, and hopped a bus for the terminal. It was kind of odd, since they just drove us through the places that people aren't allowed to go.
Not the kind of thing you really want to see...
And here was our boarding gate lounge, which didn't even hold everyone who was supposed to be on our plane.
At the first security checkpoint of the day, my bag prompted a manual check. I guess it was because I had a bottle of hand sanitizer in it, that I didn't bring to anybody's attention. Apparently that put a mark on my documents, because I was singled out for some sort of many security check at every possible checkpoint for the rest of the trip, including the one inside this waiting area. When going through customs, we were even sent through different lines than most people. It would have annoyed me, but it didn't really cost us anything. We still always made it to where we needed to go on time.
Our flight attendant wanted to seat a couple together so asked for a volunteer to switch places. I volunteered to move. This got me an aisle seat, and I didn't really feel the need to spend another six hours with my dad, after the previous two weeks. The attendant was very grateful, and promised us goodie bags and whatever we wanted. We got liquor. The flight attendant felt a little bad at separating us, when my dad told her I was his son. :-)
We had four planes, Chicago to London, London to Edinburgh, then back. They were all British Airway, except the last - American. Not horrible, but definitely not as pleasant. And then we had to wait an hour for our shuttle back home from O'Hare.
