Special Announcement:
Before getting to today's blog posting, I would like to make my readers aware of a French Riviera tour being offered by friends from Virginia, Meta and John Braymer. They have been leading personalized tours to Europe for many years, focusing on culture, art, and architecture. They are avid readers of the blog and thought that some other readers might be interested in this tour. We have not traveled with them because, as you know, we have been focusing on cruises.
If you want more information, please tap this link:
At Sea on QM2
We continue westward across the North Atlantic on our journey back to the US. We have had one night of rough, rolling seas, but mostly the voyage has been very comfortable. Although the QM2 is a grand and beautiful ocean liner, one doesn't sail Cunard for the quality or choices of food--nor, it seems, for the quality of service. In a later blog I will tell all about how the laundry destroyed one of my dress shirts and the failures of ship administration to deal with the situation appropriately.
Friday, 26 April 2024
Traveling from Barcelona to Paris to London to Southampton
We are sad to bid farewell to the crew of the Seabourn Quest and all the service and luxury they provided for the past 12 days. At 8:30am, after a quick pass through customs and immigration, we board Seabourn's bus to the Barcelona Airport (BCN). Our Air France flight to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) doesn't depart until 12:40pm, so we have plenty of time to get through the airport formalities and reach our gate, with the help of a wheelchair for Will.
Note: We are flying Air France from Barcelona to London, with a change of flights in Paris, because it was the only way we could book free tickets using Delta Airlines miles. Both flights are short. We are in Business Class from Barcelona, but the flight from Paris to London has only Economy seats.
The flight to Paris is delayed for a short time, but we make that up and land slightly early. On this first flight we are treated to an excellent meal as we sit in the second row of the aircraft.
The problem begins when we land at CDG. We have about 90 minutes to make our connection--a long walk through a tunnel to another part of the airport. Before we can say, bonjour, Will is whisked away by a high-speed wheelchair attendant. I take the long walk to the new gate at a fast pace hoping to get there when Will does. However, when I arrive at the gate Will is not there. Boarding begins and Will has still not arrived. It's now over 90 minutes since we landed and Will has still not arrived. I am starting to panic and hyper-ventilate. No one at the gate can help me find out where he is.
Finally, someone connected with the wheelchair service appears and he is very helpful. He communicates with the attendant to make sure that Will gets to the gate before the flight is closed. Finally, I see him coming down toward the gate. We are the very last passengers to board. Will has a middle seat in row nine, while I am consigned to the next to last row on the plane, 29.
If I was in a state of panic, Will was in even worse condition. He continuously tried to tell the attendant where he needed to go and she continuously ignored him and refused to call the gate to let me know where he was. Where was he? It seems he had a tour of several different terminals at the airport, primarily because the other handicapped passenger being moved with him insisted on going to duty-free shopping and had no concern that Will might miss his flight.
Well, happy landing at last as we finally reach London Heathrow Airport on time. Miraculously, our luggage has also arrived! This time we are met by a much more courteous and helpful wheelchair attendant who maneuvers us through immigration, gets our luggage, contacts the driver waiting for us, and takes us directly to him. It's about an hour and 45 minute drive to Southampton. Our hired car is roomy and comfortable and the driver is great. The rain holds off as we pass through English countryside in the first blooms of spring.
We are dropped off at the Moxy Hotel (a member chain of Marriott), located in a perfect part of town. Within a very short walk we can reach the largest shopping mall in this part of Britain, the walls of the Medieval city and the few remaining buildings, and in the other direction the series of terminals where a number of ships are docked. The Mayflower Dock, where QM2 arrives on Sunday morning, is the one closest to our hotel.
We are more tired than hungry so opt for a dinner of pizza and Pepsi right in the hotel. LFLatSea will be back later with more photos from Southampton.
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| Moxy Hotel Exterior |
View from Hotel Room
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