Ireland | The Day in the life of Tony Cliffe

June 25, 2016

Canada Trip Blog 1: The long trip west

Well what a trip, that’s all I can say. In fact no, what an adventure more like! The trip to Canada was one of the best trips I have ever been on and through a series of blogs I’ll try to outline why. I’ll be interlacing my thoughts with snippets of my diary as I went along. I’ll have a few blogs such as the travelling aspect (upgrade on the way back!), two for Toronto and two for Edmonton and probably a concluding one. Expect plenty of ramblings and pictures. I really hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed living it!

Pre-trip thoughts

This trip had come just at the right time for me. I needed this holiday, not just for a break but to regain some form of sanity. Working in academia is amazing and rewarding but blimey, it is mentally and emotionally draining. Add to the fact I haven’t been on a proper holiday since the Valencian grand prix in 2012 (research trips aside as they’re very much not holidays!) I was so looking forward to going away. Especially with the uncertainty around my contract and then with a PhD interview the week after the holiday looming which I really wanted to get, it was nice to go away, forget about everything and recharge. I have no doubt in my mind that I nailed the PhD interview only because I was in a nice calm and relaxed head space post trip.

Before I left I wouldn’t say I was nervous about what lay in stall but I was a little apprehensive by a few things. Those of you who know me well and follow my life through these blogs or social media, know random crap is never far away. I firmly believe I’m on some sort of TV show in a parallel universe although I can’t quite put my finger on if its a comedy show, a drama or a soap opera… So I was apprehensive in the sense that this trip would either be absolutely amazing and a classic episode in my life, or could turn into one where everything could go wrong. I mean I have form in that department, getting a puncture on the bike and having to walk 12 miles back into Valencia in 42 degree heatwave is just one of many moments abroad where shit happens. Above all of that though I was excited, not least for the eight flights ahead of me, two of which were on the 787 (avgeek squeal!). I was very excited and couldn’t wait to see family and keep the anglo-canadian/Irish links as strong as ever and above all it was Canada. A country I’ve loved since I first went as a child.

I leave with one question in my mind that I haven’t told anyone about, due to the uncertainties around my job and that was “Could I live there? Could I actually move here and start a life here” by the end of this holiday, that question would be firmly answered. I’ll know in my heart and my head if its meant to be. I’m at that age now where these decisions will be clear. So it’s now the night before I leave to travel thousands of miles across the ocean and what an adventure I hope I have in stall for me. The plans for the next few weeks are to fly to Ireland, then to Heathrow, then to Toronto, then to Edmonton, then to Calgary, then to Heathrow, then to Dublin and then finally back home. With a bag that was full to the brim, it’s time I get some sleep and its a time to leave.

The long trip west

I’ve grown quite fond of travelling on my own, there is a simple serenity in doing things the way you want to do them. There is a relaxed pace about it all which suits me down to the ground and above all I get the freedom to explore without having to please other people. Travelling around the UK or Ireland on your own is one thing. Travelling halfway across the world is a bigger kettle of fish. As much as I am an avgeek, travelling by plane is still stressful, at least the parts before you get on the aircraft. The hustle and bustle of the airport is exciting but can be a little daunting, especially when you have connecting flights in different countries to catch. I never really relax until I’m through security, there is just something that makes you think you have something on you even though you know you don’t, as you’ve patted yourself down so many times its boarding on weird. Yet never as weird as the guy who gives you the eye going through the detectors, you just know if that alarm goes off he’s going to love putting his hands everywhere. Seriously, I hope some of these people are vetted. I’ve been through airports before where it hasn’t even gone off but still got a free grope.

I have a long trip ahead of me that’s for sure and sitting in the living room of my house just before I’m about to leave and I know it’s going to be a long one and time is dragging. The first leg of my journey to Canada was to fly to Dublin first. Seems a roundabout way of doing things right? But starting and ending my Canada flight in Dublin saved me a massive £1000 believe it or not than flying out of the UK. I never know why Ireland is much cheaper, especially when you have to fly back to the UK to fly out to Canada but hey £1000 is a £1000. So with a return fare of £60 on Aer Lingus from Liverpool to Dublin I saved what was essentially my holiday spends.

I’ve checked my bags so many times that I probably could name every item and in what order it was in my suitcase! If this was supermarket sweep i’d make Dale Winton proud. The drive to the airport was fairly quiet and I was getting a twinge of excitement. I’d planned this trip for months and all of a sudden it was finally here. I hadn’t quite believed it yet and I wasn’t out of work mode yet either. The clouds around signalled some rain but of course its UK spring, whatever else!

Typical Liverpool airport fashion the airport was dead, it was a carbon copy of my flight out in November (outlined here: Day one of my Ireland Trip). As mentioned in that blog, I don’t get excited anymore flying to Ireland, it’s like getting on a train for me. After my parents said goodbye to me for a few weeks I trundled through the delights of security and then sat in Burger king with no-one but the cleaner looking out at a near empty and a now very wet apron. I don’t mind waiting for flights, I’m happy to get there super early, especially if I can do a bit of spotting but the only spotting I was doing was the raindrops on the windows. Liverpool is a great regional airport but when it’s quiet, it’s quiet.

Lunch with a view

With a distinct lack of aircraft arriving or departing I decided to head downstairs to a little café’ I found last time I flew out of Liverpool, tucked away in the departure lounge. The peppermint tea was still as good as ever, as were the hot blonde chicks behind the counter. Easy job they have too, over the course of the hour I sat playing on my phone checking my flight had departed from Dublin and texting, they served a grand total of six people! Six people an hour. What a job. When you’re waiting for a flight, especially one which leads onto an adventure I was about to have, time stands still. With every gulp of warm tea it felt like minutes. When the gate finally appeared and we made our way to the queue I could hear the rain hammering down on the roof. Not great for flying in that’s for sure. I opened my aviation apps, looked at the METAR’s (Airport weather system) and it was red across the board. Strong wings, turbulent clouds and very heavy rain. There was no chance I’d be seeing anything flying today and I was glad I opted for a small lunch. At Liverpool you have to walk to the plane, no air bridges here. You could barely see the aircraft due to the weather. I haven’t seen rain that bad for a long time, people were running to the plane steps like I run for the last cake in a shop. What’s the point I asked myself? You’re going to be drenched either way, you would have been drier in a shower.

Flight over to Dublin

Once on board and dripping wet, I noticed that once again this Thursday afternoon flight was completely dead. I head almost the entire rear of the plane to myself! Something I should have appreciated more, especially as every flight from then on, on that trip was always a full flight.

I’ve seen Eurofighter typhoons have a longer take off run that we had coming out of Liverpool. After a few bumps, a quick nap, 30 minutes later we were wheels down in my second home of Dublin. The original plan had been to pop into Ashbourne to stay with my grandparents and see them before I went off to Canada the next day. However with a change of flight time it would have meant getting a bus at 4 a.m. to get to the airport. With a long ass day ahead of travelling I opted to go to an airport hotel instead, the Radisson Blu. Great hotel, with great views of the approach into Dublin airport which I enjoyed while tucking in a really delicious burger which surprisingly was well priced for room service. After a bath and a few phone calls, I settled down for the night.

DAY TWO: Toronto via Dublin and Heathrow

Maybe it was the excitement of the trip ahead but at 4 a.m. I was wide awake and raring to go. After a quick shower I was in the lobby of the hotel waiting for the complementary shuttle service. I was amazed at how busy the lobby was at this unholy hour of the morning but then again, early morning is one of the busiest times of day for any airport so I should have realised that. However, everyone was very friendly, Italians, American’s, Spanish, it was a real mix of passengers in our little minibus to the airport. Early morning in airports have a really exciting atmosphere about them and its something I love. Outside is still dark, the world hasn’t really woken up yet but inside the terminal is a hive of activity. I love the excited chatter, the noise of the cases being hauled along and the smell of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. It really gets you in the mood for travelling. Especially as the way Terminal 2 in Dublin is designed is so bright and spacious that it’s a very smooth and stress free experience.

Queuing up to check in only took me five minutes and once at the counter the check-in clerk informs me…

“ I’m moving you onto the early flight of 6.20 am to Heathrow as they’re expecting severe delays in both Ireland and London later due to weather and capacity issues. I’d rather you had longer to wait in Heathrow, than sit here worrying that you might miss your flight”.

He was very helpful and a great gesture as if I didn’t get moved I would have missed my flight! Lucky break number one on this trip already, good job that I was checking in so early. This now meant I didn’t have a great deal of time to get through a very busy security screening and by great deal I mean squeaky bum time deal. The stress o’meter was beginning to climb. The good thing about Dublin T2 is they’re very efficient and within a quarter of an hour I was through security but didn’t have any time to grab any breakfast. I only just had enough time to ping a text to my dad that I was on an earlier flight if he was up to track it. Of course I had enough time to take a picture of the plane though.

Morning departure to London Heathrow with Aer Lingus A320.

After that it was straight to the gate to board Aer Lingus to LHR. The flight was a stark contrast to the one the previous day. There wasn’t a spare seat available and sadly I was put in the middle seat at check-in. Never fun, especially as the dick with the window seat was asleep the whole time, such a waste! Announcements were made for people to check in their carry-on luggage because the flight was so full but as I was connecting I didn’t have to worry about that.

I settled into my seat and claimed my elbow rests and got ready for the second flight of the trip, the first one of today.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking….We’ve got a delay with our slot time. There are delays in Heathrow and that means we have to wait for a new slot here at Dublin. We’ll be pushing back in around half an hour”.

Knowing I now had a three hour lay-over to play with I wasn’t in the least bit annoyed by that delay. The only thing that annoyed me was the fact I left my headphones in the overhead locker with my bag. There is only so many times you can read the safety card. After half an hour we finally pushed back and I counted 9 aircraft ahead of us waiting to take off. So it took another 15 minutes to eventually get off the ground at Dublin. Solid cloud all the way until on the approach to Heathrow. I so wish I was right next to the window as London and all of the landmarks were perfectly in view! Yes, he was still asleep until we pulled into the gate.

Plane spotting at Heathrow

Luckily I was transferring in the same Terminal, terminal 2. This meant that from plane to departure gates including security was less than 15 minutes! Very handy and stress free. Terminal 2 has recently been renovated to the similar specs of Terminal 5 which I’ve flown out of a few times and love how much natural light comes in with great views of the runways. Duty free was bought, new sunglasses, whiskey and finally some breakfast!

Terminal two at Heathrow, waiting for my flight.

Finally got to do some spotting which is great at Heathrow and before long I was waiting at the gate for the 7 hour flight to Toronto. I was flying premium economy so got to board first which really is a god send. Not to mention the huge seats and excellent food (I’ll do a full review blog of my flights soon, so I won’t bore you with the details!). The Boeing 787 is a fantastic aircraft, bigger windows, very quiet and all round great experience. After listening to music, stopping for meals and watching a film and taking pictures before I knew it I arrived in Toronto. The holiday finally was about to start and oh boy did it start!

Waiting to take off into the storm at LHR

Over Northern Canada

Great food on the plane.. Vegetable Lasagne was delicious.

Most scenic wee ever!

Lunch with a view

(Blog two to come soon, including a police escort through the airport, a private tour of an Emirates A380 and my first full day in Toronto. Exciting day!)

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December 18, 2015

Ireland Trip Part 2:Change of views, family and coastal walks

After a good night’s sleep in a bedroom that has barely changed in all the time I’ve been coming here, I felt refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Nan’s full Irish breakfast is always a good way to start the day. My Grandad often says I should come over more often as it’s the only time Nan will make his breakfast for him! There is something about Irish White pudding that just goes so incredibly well with bacon in a sandwich. Delicious!

However today was not about me revelling in the delights of Irish cooking (to which there are many delights I assure you!) today was about spending some quality time with my grandparents. Let’s not pull any punches here, they’re getting old. They’re into their 80’s now, not long had some major back surgery and the recovery hasn’t been as quick as they’d hoped. They’re both in pain and it’s showing and one of the reasons I make the effort to come over a couple of times a year is because I know I have much less visits left on the cards than I used to have. I want to make the most of my time with them while I can. Many people are very fortunate to pop down to their grandparents every week. I never got that luxury. Not when they live in another country. So your relationship consists of phone calls and then short visits. So I’m always mindful to maximise my time with them, share my life with them as much as they share theirs with me. I love all of their stories, they’ve visited over 40 countries, they’ve seen the world, and they offer great support and advice.

Even though I’ve heard some of the stories a billion times I still sit and listen as something new always comes up, another layer to the story that wasn’t there before. I’m still fascinated by my grandad’s stories of the war. Despite thinking that watching Spitfires dogfighting over Liverpool with German Me109’s with stray bullets flying around you while you watch is awesome in your head. They very much come across as quite terrifying and his stories of his service for the army in Jungle warfare are as exciting, scary and detailed as the best action thriller. The Gurkhas he is forever in debt for, for their protection in the jungle.

So today, with them both not as active as they once were due to their backs, it was nice to be invited along to the “men’s shed” with my grandad. It’s a new initiative in the village, where retired men can get together to build things, have a place to chat and meet up. I think it’s a wonderful idea and to come along to such a place was very rewarding. The amount of knowledge and expertise in the room is amazing and despite all being later on in life, in their eyes they’re teenagers. I found it very funny too, as typical Irish some of the things they would come out with deserves a blog in its own right! It did feel like I was in an episode of Father Ted! Yes I was every five minutes asked would I like more tea…

One thing I took away from that visit to the men’s shed was a young man called Aaron. He was only a few years older than me, at a push, has learning difficulties, not much family around, some say he was in an accident as a child, others say he was born with it. The men’s shed invited him in as one of their own, to be a friend to him and give him a place to fit in. The men’s shed were given the task this winter of building the crib for the local church and on the day that I visited they were planning how to make it and what it would look like. Aaron was instantly, and I could see it in his face, pride beaming away, instantly took me through all of their plans. He took me on a tour of the facilities, took me on a tour around the Church, explaining in very accurate details how he pictured this crib would play out from his ideas in his head, to how they would look in real life. There was a real pride from him in the way he spoke about the project and the men’s shed. Almost akin to an artist pitching his ideas to prospective buyers. To me, when I arrived it was just a meeting place for older dudes to hang out and to build a crib for the church for Christmas. Nothing mind-blowing, at least not to me. Yet, this project and place was this guys home, he felt for once like he has responsibility, for once people here treated him as an equal. He has learning difficulties but it doesn’t make him any less of a human than anyone else. Why people think that is beyond me. He told me with such pride how he had finally been given a job “washing the big pans” in a local takeaway. His smile was a wide as the river Liffy. For me because I’m a dick wouldn’t even bother myself to do that, at a push I certainly wouldn’t be smiling about it. For him it was as if he had won the lottery.

Me and Aaron. Very proud of the Men’s shed.

It amazed me, it humbled me and I went away that night lying awake in bed and had to re-evaluate my outlook on things. To not take things for granted and to be grateful for the little things. His passion he showed I can only describe as a child before Christmas or me when I talk about my research or cycling. That’s almost frowned upon in everyday life now. It’s a real shame, I think we can all go back to being enthused by the little things. With a very firm handshake and thank you from him to me for showing me around (despite me repeatedly telling him it is me who is thanking him for the tour! Again that struck a cord with me. He was so thankful for someone listening to him to give him the time of day. That to him should be the norm, not a rare gift) I left with my grandad after a few more hours with the guys there having spent a lovely day with my grandad and his friends. I may have left one mark on the project and that was my suggestion of using modelling artificial grass for the roof of the crib. Something they hadn’t thought of, so it is nice to know a little piece of Tony Cliffe’s idea is a part of the Men’s Shed 2015 Ashbourne church Christmas crib!

The cribs outline and instructions

I was very touched by the day’s events and some very enlightening conversations and stories with my grandparents and before long it was 11pm and it was time for bed.

The next day I woke up with both my grandparents still asleep. The snores from both of them rattling through the wall of my bedroom as if a jackhammer was digging up the road outside. I elected to skip a shower that morning. A, as I didn’t want to wake them and B. climbing up a very large hill I was going to get pretty smelly anyway!

After Jam on toast I waiting for my Aunt Susan and Uncle Dave to come pick me up. I was really looking forward to today for a few reasons. Howth head, is a stunningly beautiful place in Ireland and the pictures throughout this blog will show that. I’m a Geographer, I love nature and the outdoors and walking in those environments is very recharging for the soul. Especially after a very stressful and busy few months in work it’s nice to cut yourself off from the busy world of deadlines and emails and just drink in nature’s beauty. More than that, I was really looking forward to spending a quality day with my Aunt and Uncle. Something I don’t think I’ve ever had a day on my own with them, I’m either with family or over with my dad, so to just spend a day with the two of them was really really nice!

Stunning Howth head © Anthony Cliffe

Susan and Dave have the best sense of humour, extremely down to earth and are two people who work incredibly hard and have their heads screwed on. So despite the amazing scenery, it was really nice to spend a day getting closer to them both and laughing an awful lot! To have two locals as a tour guide on this walk was invaluable and I just about kept up with the pair! Howth head is a stunning place and a brilliant walk if you ever get the chance. From sweeping Cliffs that drop into a deep emerald waters of the Irish Sea, to dense and colourful forests that suddenly give way to shimmering marbled outcrops that overlook the city of Dublin and the bay, to the popping greens of the fields. It’s amazing! A Geographer and a photographers dream.

Amazing scenery © Anthony Cliffe

Even the typical Irish weather couldn’t dampen the spirits and made it feel even more like an adventure and blimey it was some walk! Close to 10 miles we walked and up some bloody steep climbs and some scary cliff walks! I loved it. I’ve been going to Ireland for many many years and I have to say that day was right up there with the best.

©Anthony Cliffe

Just when I think the day couldn’t get any more awesome they took me to the quirkiest pub I have ever been to for tea and soup after the walk. It’s almost impossible to describe it. In fact I can’t! It’s called the Dog House and well you could be a traveller anywhere in the world when you were in there. Such a cool place!

I finished the day off with my nans famous Steak and Guinness pie. What more can you ask for!?

My final full day was spent driving through horrendous weather to head up to the boarder of Northern Ireland to see my great Aunt Essie. I always muse to myself at all of the glacial features there, so many drumlins! It’s only then that i realise how much being a Geography academic turns you into a nerd but ah well, I digress! She’s my Dad’s favourite Aunt and he would spend all of his summers on the farm with them all. In fact the Grays have been on that plot of land for hundreds of years. I love going “up country” because it really is like going back in time. SO remote and I mean remote! It was only a few years ago they stopped washing in the well because well (pardon the pun) modern civilisation just didn’t reach this part of the world. It still amazes me how basic it is there in a developed country. Crazy. It was the first time back since my great Uncle Tommy died. I wrote a blog about him when he did pass and it still felt like his presence was in the house, I certainly couldn’t sit in his chair where he always would sit. As we backed out of the driveway after a few hours with her, I could picture in my mind Tommy backing us out, with that full head of hair and rosy cheeks, puffing away on his pipe or cigarette and waving like he always has done. My dad has recently come back from Ireland and it was nice to know he thought the same as he was backing out of the driveway too. The biggest thing about those who live there is they haven’t been corrupted by the modern world or celeb culture. They’re just real down to earth genuine people who cook THE BEST food around. Seriously if you want home, traditional cooking, where everything you eat has been grown within sight. That is the place to go. Still makes me laugh of the story when they said to my dad, “Fancy some chicken tonight?”
“Yeah sure”
“Okay, pick one”…You can’t get much fresher than that! Despite on that trip eating my own body weight in potatoes at every meal, Irish spuds are the best.

How long they have left there I don’t know? What will happen to the site that my family have been on for hundreds of years now there is no one really to take it on and up keep it? I don’t know and it’s a worry. The house that has been there for centuries is falling down, the forest was sold off, and farming in rural Ireland doesn’t support those who worked it for years anymore. I’m a proud family man and to see such heritage be lost is quite sobering. In the future i want to hopefully take a partner and our kids there one day and say, “Look part of your family grew up here, your granddad spent his summers here and so did I”. I want them to be apart of that and not look at a new estate or a pile of rubble. I genuinely fear i’ll never get to share that. Sadly modern day life has arrived and it has hit hard. Each time I come here I notice new builds of the rich city folk who’ve built mansions and large second homes on the surrounding land. Sure, the roads are still full of cattle and tractors who think they’re on a race track but there are more and more cars, more and higher end cars at that, appearing. It’s a real shame. That one place that was untouched by modern life is sadly dying away with each passing of those who live there.

View from her garden © Anthony Cliffe

Despite that being quite a sobering thought it is one of positive, at least for me this trip was. It was a trip were I could switch off and spend some quality time with family. To reconnect with the simplistic beauty of nature and to remember a life outside of social media and my smartphone. Strengthening bonds between family members is important and above all cherishing those moments you have with them. Although I hope they all have many years left in them and I’m sure they will have, you do have that horrible thought in your head that as you step on the plane and you whisper goodbye to Ireland for a few months as you climb into the clouds back home. Is that the last time you’ll see them? Despite how sad that is, it makes those memories and the moments even more special and I hope I have many many more memories and moments to share with them. Especially my grandparents who have supported me through everything and without them I certainly wouldn’t be in the position I am in today.

I’m back over in a couple of months where I’ll start a brilliant solo adventure to Canada. To see family in Toronto and then to travel right across the country to see Robbie my cousin, one of my best friends growing up and when he moved out to Canada from Ireland a few years ago I’ve been dying to go see him, Nicky, Luke and now baby Oliver. Yes I am so jealous he lives there! I’ll get over there one time but for now a week and a bit will have to do!

So remember always cherish time with family and go visit Ireland! You won’t regret it! Please click on the thumbnails below for full size images of some of the shots I took on this trip! Please comment too if you want to 🙂

Until next time.

Toe

: Forest of Leprachauns ©Anthony Cliffe

: Howth Head ©Anthony Cliffe

: Storm rolling in ©Anthony Cliffe

: Power of the Irish Sea ©Anthony Cliffe

: Looks like a bowl of water cut in half! ©Anthony Cliffe

: The house that’s been in our family for hundreds of years! ©Anthony Cliffe

: Marble outcrop ©Anthony Cliffe

: Sheltering from a rain storm in a cave. ©Anthony Cliffe

: ©Anthony Cliffe

: Peppermint tea after a long walk. Dog House was awesome ©Anthony Cliffe

: Cliff walking ©Anthony Cliffe

: ©Anthony Cliffe

: Dublin Bay ©Anthony Cliffe

: Views from the back garden ©Anthony Cliffe

: Looking down on Howth lighthouse © Anthony Cliffe

: At the top of Howth Head

: Aunt Sue and Uncle Dave

November 15, 2015

Day one of my Ireland trip

Day one of my Ireland trip:

So I’m trying to stay true to my word by doing more regular blogs so I thought I’d take a departure (no pun intended for the topic) from recent relationship blogs and blog about my recent trip to Ireland.

I’ve lost count the amount of times I’ve been to the Emerald Isle, I first went when I was less than a couple of months old. Subsequently I’ve visited it around on average four times a year, every year since! More often than not it’s been to visit my wonderful grandparents who live there, for which this trip was for to. There is something very familiar and very homely about Ireland and I always class that place as my second home.

For this blog I’m going to talk about the travel over there which was far from exciting, before my next ones discuss the amazing coastal walk I went on and meeting family up north. This break was welcomed after an incredibly successful but demanding period in work and in the run up to this trip I was starting to feel the strain of the continued effort since my last few days off, which were in July. Yep that’s right! I haven’t had a day off work since July for RIAT airshow. So I was well due some R&R and in Ireland for a few days is as good as any until the 17 day’s off at Christmas, oh how I love academia. With no overtime pay in my role, I get my hours back in lei which meant I could take two days off without taking any holidays, further bonus!

I’ve travelled to Ireland by boat numerous times but being an avgeek and flying only being 30 minutes instead of 10 hours by boat, not to mention how much cheaper it is. I elected to fly Aer Lingus, who finally have come back to Liverpool after years away. With a flight price of £40 return it was a welcome return to my home airport. For years I’ve flown by myself or with family from Manchester on Aer Lingus. The hassle of traveling to that airport and walking its soulless walls just to get an Aer Lingus flight far outweigh having to travel on Ryanair. An airline that I despise for many reasons. Not least the owner, who is the definition of neoliberalism taken too far. The way that airline hold passengers and airports to ransom is borderline extremism, in a business sense. No, give me Aer Lingus any day. A proper flag carrier, with brilliant leg room and courteous and professional staff. Y’know, it’s nice having a flight with welcoming cabin staff, neutral cabin colours and flight announcements that are actually about the flight. Not the chewing scruffy cabin staff I’ve experienced on Ryanscare for which I witnessed, who once dropped his gum from his mouth during the service of drinks, into a poor mans overpriced beverage! Their incessant need to use every available minute of the flight to flog some money making scheme and their horrific on time jingle had haunted my aviation nightmares for years. Don’t even get me started on that cabin interior which actually makes me feel nauseous. Plastic yellow tub-a-wear box. Eugh I can feel the sick in my mouth as a I type.

So in short it was nice that Aer Lingus have started back at Liverpool. A much welcomed return! That’s not to say I was happy flying from Liverpool again, a little apprehensive I was about flying from this airport after my undergraduate dissertation. At the risk of a law suit I’ll keep it brief but it safe to say I was never going to get a Christmas card from senior management or their accountant. They learnt the hard way that once someone tries to piss me off or fobs me off I’ll make sure they regret it. My research and what it discovered went all the way to the houses of Parliament. It all could have been avoided if they were pleasant to begin with and didn’t have a very rude and abrupt email. “it’s only a undergrad thesis, you’re just a student why should we be worried?”. Unlucky Bitches.

So I was a tad afraid that I was going to get a full body cavity search. I half suspected to have my face on the CEO’s dart board in his office. Ooops. I needn’t have worried, a change of management and approach seems to have worked wonders and it was a very pleasant, if not a very unusually quiet experience.

It’s been a very long time, possibly before I even did my undergraduate degree, that I’d flown from Liverpool. I was amazed at how much had changed, especially since a child. My dad would often take me to watch the planes, not that there were many back then but I have watched the airport grow. It does still however have a long way to go in my eyes. Security was a hassle more so than it needed to be. Security is a stressful point in any airport travel and some airports are more efficient than others. Dublin for instance is the best there is, Liverpool not so much. I don’t know if it’s because they have relatively little to do in terms of passenger figures and therefore are slower but it seemed very cold and inefficient. Everything I do comes down to efficiency and certainly ever more so in my job so when something is needlessly inefficient it bugs me!

I spent 10 minutes waiting with my shoes off and my pants nearly falling down waiting to go through the scanner while the staff chatted. I had plenty of time to kill so I wasn’t worried but oh boy if I had a flight to catch I’d be highly annoyed! There is a time and a place for chatter and that’s in the breakroom guys.

Once through security I was greeted by a deadly silence. The airport was absolutely dead. The rain hammering against the windows outside and with the winter schedules started it was pretty glum. As an avgeek I’d usually sit and watch the planes but with only one arrival and four departures in the two and a half hours I was there, there was little to entertain me.

A glum day autumn day at the airport.

I walked up to the top floor and sat in burger king with my overpriced double cheese burger meal and watched the rain lash off the apron. I did reminisce about the times I’ve sat in that seat watching planes with my dad in much busier times before the economic crisis hit this airport hard. It’s still recovering from that crash and the basis of the lack of people in the airport and aircraft it still feels like a very long way to go. I’m far much more used to travelling from big hubs like Manchester, Heathrow and Dublin. I love the hustle and bustle of these places. The flight announcements, the running of late passengers, the chatter of excitement. Airports have a real buzz about them and that’s something I love when I fly, that atmosphere. With no one but the cleaner in sight it felt very flat and as the rain grew even harder outside with the river Mersey no longer in view and the runway vastly disappearing in the decreasing visibility it all felt very lonely.

The View from Burger King

I love travelling by myself, especially flying. It gives you a sense of freedom and travelling by yourself means you can do whatever you want, when you want. It’s also much easier to just get around as a solo traveller. I really cannot wait for April/May next year when I travel to Canada on my own and cross the country meeting family as I go. It’s going to be one hell of an adventure and I can’t wait. The good thing about that trip is I’ll be excited. I sadly don’t get excited by flying to Ireland anymore. After close to 100 flights to Ireland in my lifetime thus far, it’s just like getting on a bus. So much so, that my family joke that it’s a commute and it kinda is!

With my £8 burger finished and having thought back to the times when burger king burgers were bigger than a 2 pence piece I walked downstairs to an even emptier terminal. I had wondered if I had somehow phased out in my memories and there had been a fire alarm in the process. It was dead as the picture below shows. Private terminal or what!

Empty airport terminal. So incredibly quiet!

Despite the glum weather outside I found a nice, vibrant little café’ called Joe’s Café’. The poor Barista was so bored she was rearranging the brown and white sugar packets into colour order when I arrived asking for a peppermint tea. While I watched the steam rise from the cup like an aircraft leaving the runway and a few Snapchats to Chloe who looked even more glum in her office, time ticked closer to departure.

Bonus of a quiet airport is no queues to get served!

Finally! The only aircraft in was my flight and with only a quarter of passengers that the aircraft could take, being on the flight we were boarded, strapped in and up out of the weather around 10 minutes early. It was as if the aircraft itself didn’t want to spend too much time on the ground at Liverpool in case it got so bored itself.

Flight was less than a quarter full.

The cabin crew were very friendly and efficient as always and I had a lovely chat with Sara one of the stewardess. As there were less than 30 of us on the flight she chatted to a few of us as what else is there to do at 25,000 feet over the Irish sea?

On approach to Dublin.

Finally I had arrived in Dublin just under 30 minutes after leaving Liverpool with a brilliant crosswind landing from the co-pilot who was flying the plane that day. I had my seatbelt off, through customs and border control and then into arrivals in around five minutes! So easy and hassle free!

I was picked up by my Aunt and Uncle and laughed all the way to my grandparents. These two people are legends (Something I’ll talk about in the next blog when I spent the day walking the Irish coast with them! Some amazing views and pictures to come in that blog!) and before long I was at my grandparents. It felt great to see them again and start the process of catching up after a few months apart. Despite leaving my house only a few hours earlier the boredom of the wait for the flight had made it feel like I’d been travelling for days. That and the Irish air always knocks me out. After a few hours I bid my good night and went up stairs to the room I’ve slept in everytime I’ve come here. It’s almost like a second bedroom for me! Before long I was away in the land of nod, looking forward to visiting the Mens Shed with my granddad the following day, catching up with my nan and grandad, having some great home cooked food and then looking forward to the coastal walk the day after.

I was glad to be over there but that journey was boring as hell! I was so glad that the following few days and therefore blogs will be far more exciting!

Come back in a few days to read about the mens shed, my views on the village which has changed so much and then that fabulous coastal walk which was really beautiful and funny, despite the weather!