Update On Rail Strikes - how we and Carolyn coped

Carolyn's reassuring photo of her train on Saturday 20t August 2022.

We had conflicting directions from the TFL sites. One said the trains were not running. The other said that Overground lines w delere mostly cancelled,  but some underground would be running, with delays.

We sent an overseas visitor by a cab company to a local station. The fall back was that if the trains were not running, a member of our family would fetch her and drive her to the coach at Liverpool street bus station.

It took us a day or two to realise that the train station was not the coach station.

The train goes to the Liverpool street train station. Where is the coach station? It is shown as six minutes from the railway station. Hm. She said she does not want to carry luggage and will take a taxi. 

But when I tried to take a taxi from Kings Cross to the adjacent station, taxis would not go. The journey was too short to make it worth my while, or theirs. And the traffic direction system was one way in the wrong direction.

We waited to hear from her. She messaged she was expecting her first underground train. So far, so good. 

She sent a picture on Facebook  

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Rail strikes: Stansted dropoff, hotel, taxi compare

 

With rail strikes in the UK this weekend and next I was looking online for a friend who has to travel from Stansted in the UK overseas.

Coaches go from central London several other cities. 

Coaches go from Liverpool Street and other places in London, including Watford, depending on your ultimate destination.

How do you get to the departure point of the coach? Stay nearby overnight. Try uber. Phone your favourite taxi company. If its nearby and they are on the phone you can walk round.

I booked a pickup at Heathrow last month. I could not get through later when diver, "The the passenger phoned to tell me, 'My plane's landed earlier.'

I got a message from them saying when I called they were on the phone (taking another booking). They knew about the early arrival and told me, 'The driver knows. He's on his way.' 

The fare was higher than expected. 

I had asked for the taxi number and phone when booking the day before, but was told, 'We don't yet know who will be available'.

We used to wait until the day to book a taxi, because we once booked the day before and they came a day early.

However, with all the current problems, you might want to book i n advance.

Stop location

We looked up the Stansted dropoffs online. 

You can get a paid for place in the short stay. But free in Midstay. You need to take the ticket from the machine for exit. I was wondering if you need a car park exit ticket from, for example, having a sandwich at Marks & Spencers. (At busy times, like musical chairs, seating in the indoor forecourt outside).

If you were leaving your car there for a week, as we did when we went to Cyprus, you book in advance and give them your car number from the number plate. On arrival at the car park entrance, they have automatic numberplate recognition and the gate swings open. Have your paperwork printed and in the passenger's hand. Did you book short stay, midstay or longstay? The prices are different. 

FREE in midstay. Why? Maybe because you will be eating and shopping.

Feeder Bus

You need to catch a bus to the terminal. Allow time. A marchall might direct you to the nearest spot. If you have pushchairs or wheelchairs ask for a nearer spot to the bus. The bus is a loop.Bus pickup and drop off points  are different. We once waited at drop off and when we tried to board the driver would not let us on. He pointed to the pickup stop.

You can get a street view which shows you exactly what street signs you will be seeing. 

The same goes for driving to unfamiliar places. You can do a complete street  view of your journey from a hotel or home to a railway station or motorway exit or entry point. When you are told, turn off at the roundabout, you can see the exact road name, and the houses or shops or church to look out for. Even if the streetview shows the motorway sign partly obscured by trees. Very helpful. Relieves mishaps, midirections, and stress.

Stansted Hotels

Radisson Blu

Useful Websites

https://www.stanstedexpress.com/travel-information/rail-strike-advice/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Stansted_Airport

https://www.instantstreetview.com/

https://www.uber.com/gb/en/ride/?

https://www.taxipricecompare.co.uk/

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Hit on the head by carry-on luggage in airline cabins? How many people are affected? What can you do?

One estimate says about 45,000 people a year are hit by luggage on planes, resulting in law suits. That is without those not going to court, and those in other countries. Plus people like me who want to report the supposedly minor incident, but are unable to do so.

Angela's Incident

I was hit on the head, by a suitcase, downloaded by a passenger from the overhead locker.

I was on a Ryan Air flight, which had arrived at the destination airport, Stansted, from Paphos in Cyprus. Jun 9 2022. Afternoon flight.

I told the passing flight attendant who told me to report it to the person at the front of the plane. I don't know who we spoke to, a couple of cabin crew, two re, three, one left, two. To my surprise the airline staff made no record when I tried to report the incident.

I said, "If you won't report it, I would like to report it. Do you have a comments form?"

They said, "We don't have a form."

At the time, I thought, that is odd. But later, in retrospect, I realize that everybody has gone paperless. I shall look online.

If I had been on a Singapore Airline flight, I could have asked for a comment form, and got one. I once asked for a comment form so I could say I liked the dessert.

The steward anxiously wanted to know, 'Do you have a complaint? Is it anything I can put right?'

On Ryanair, the two or three staff on the plane asked, "Was it was a member of our staff who had struck/injured you?"

"No. A passenger."

They asked if I could 'identify' the passenger.

I could not.

(I could only identify that he was a grey haired tall man in the seat across the aisle from mine.) My seat was an aisle seat.

I had two witnesses. The woman (initials J P - whose name I know) seated in the middle seat beside me heard the noise and my yelp.

The readl visual witness was a well-spoken young woman (young British blonde) seated behind the person who removed the suitcase saw what happened.

She said to him, "Did you know, you hit that woman with your suitcase."

He replied, "No, I didn't. How could I? I am over here!"

(Ryan air flies only Airbus 737-800, my husband says. (Unlike Singapore Airlines which flies the giant double decker 380s). The smaller plan'es aisle is so narrow, it is only the width of one person facing fowards, so that you have to stand sideways to pass somebody else.)

I did not get the blonde's name. But she accompanied me to speak to the pilot/steward. But they did not take her name or mine.

To give them credit, they listened patiently. If I had been bleeding or visibly bruised the airline would have called for medical assistance.

But they made no record of the incident. I was surprised.

Things are done differently in other organizations. When I fell over, slipping on a floor wet from rain, by the swimming pool at a condo (Cashew Heights) in Singapore, the security staff made a report. Even though I soon got up and walked away. (And at least two of the staff kept enquiring when I passed days later if I was feeling better and had recovered.)

Once, at a private swimming pool club (Harrow, UK) I was hit on the head by another swimmer. (She was doing backstroke in a laned pool. She was very apologetic and later insisted on buying me a drink and offering me food at the bar.)

The staff insisted on calling an ambulance to check my pulse etc, even though I declined to go to hospital for an x-ray, before letting me leave.

I wrote a brief mention of the RyanAir insiceent with the suitcase on Facebook which has a higher readership and more personal friends to see if friends and fellow travellers had experienced anything similar). However, I have more to say on this here on my travel post.

Airlines always (? - certainly frequently - so it must have happened before, and often) make an annnouncement about being careful when removing items from overhead lockers. It must happen a lot.

But my incident was not reported. So my incident is extra to the annual statistics of anybody who keeps records.

I was asked by the airline crew, "are you ok?"

"No, my head is aching."

"But you don't want medical assistance. So you are OK, to walk?"

"Yes, but what if I get delayed reaction? What if I had collapsed an hour later, or a day later? I might not have a claim against the airline, but I might have a claim on my insurance."

I might have found that I needed to prove to my employers that I had had a genuine accident.

My GP might ask me to fill in a form. I might be asked later if I had ever had a blow to the head. A blow to the head is serious.

An x-ray can show up lesions from blood clots in the brain. Blows to the head can result in numerous problems, years later. Brain problems. Parkinsons disease.

Aircraft need to be redesigned. The system for lifting down heavy objects from overhead lockers with people next to each other needs re-thinking. You pull an item out of an overhead locker and it hurtles down. I wasn't even standing in the aisle standing. I was sitting down in the aisle seat. But the next day I am still shaken, mentally, and my right hand is trembling as I write this. What do health and safety departments think about this?

Let me end on a lighter note. I can write a humorous speech about this. I can buy myself a lightweigh cyclist's helmet to wear on planes. When people ask if I am going cycling, I shall reply, No, I am protecting myself on the flight from flying suitcases.

Tips For Travellers

What can you do?

Make Records

The first thing is to have a complete record of when and where the incident took place. The day, the time, the people. The event. The after effects.

Witness Contact Details

Ask for the name address and contact detail of witnesses. If they decline to give you their contact details, give them yours. They might decide to contact you later to ask if you are ok, or even to say that they do not wish to be a witness.

Visual Evidence

If possible, photograph the seat, the aisle, the luggage, the assilant, the witness, the staff person helping you with the incident.

Any bruising. Even the person sitting looking dazed. Looking angry. Sympathizing. Shouting. Accusing. Denying.

Video or record the voice of the witness. If they don't want their name, they might allow you simply to record their voice. Then you have their words.

Medical Checkups

You can visit your GP (general practitioner in the UK), or go to an Accient and Emergency area which might involve a long wait. (Avoid the wait by going privately.) You can get legal advice for free in the UK by calling Citizens Advice Bureau.

On Facebook, another friend wrote to me that such an incident falls under Work Health Safety. They have a duty of care.

another comment referred to authorities:

Danae Penn

I am so sorry to hear about this, Angela. The UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal has Passenger Facilitation Groups in each continent. The one for Ryanair is part of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) and Ireland and the UK are members of that. Singapore (where you live?) will belong to an Asian equivalent. Ryanair have a bad reputation, including for passengers with reduced mobility. Perhaps the UK Consumers Association 'Which?' could advise you.

Useful Websites

Statistics

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB879112846832468000#:~:text=One%20new%20estimate%20says%20that,thousands%20of%20lawsuits%20or%20claims.

RyanAir View From The Window of Wind Farm's Wind Turbines, clouds and land between Stansted, UK, and Paphos, Cyprus

 

Ryanair wing, sea and land. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Wind Farm At Sea Off the Essex, UK coast. Taken from a RyanAir plane from Paphos Airport, Cyprus, to Stansted airport, UK. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I had the aisle seat but I knew what to do. Ask the person in the window seat to take a photo. You have to hope that they will not fall asleep. 

You see wind turbines on a  wind farm on the drive from London, England, up to Derbyshire on the M1.

Wind farms around the world are listed in Wikipedia, in the UK (England, Scotland and Wales), the USA, China, Japan, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. They are also listed by sea location, in the Baltic Sea, Irish Sea, and North Sea.

Useful Websites

Ryanair

https://www.ryanair.com/flights/gb/en/flights-to-cyprus

Wind Farms

History of one wind farm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfleet_Sands_Offshore_Wind_Farm

List of farms with number of turbines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_offshore_wind_farms_in_the_United_Kingdom

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_offshore_wind_farms

Secrets of Suitcases, wheels and strong sides, and belts with holes to fit - our perfect purchases from Gogo

I had packed light in a ten kilo small size suitcase (cheaper than 20 kilos) checked in and only a handbag to carry on which both economised on our Ryanair flight from Stansted in London, England, to Pathos in Cyprus (the Greek-speaking side). However, after buying wine bottles, and clothes, we needed a larger suitcase for the return journey.

In Larnaca, we went to a Gogo suitcase and travel goods shop. The lady in charge showed us their range of suitcases. The cheapest Suitcases from 15 Euros for a small pull along bag, were only two wheels. We wanted four wheels. In fact, much of the time, we had pulled the bags along on two wheels going up and down between the car park and the Stamsted terminal. That might wear out two of the wheels and eventually make the suitcase tip to one side.) On level ground, your suitcase pulls along lightly on four wheels. If you have not packed over-full so the suitcase bulges and tips over with heavy front pocket.

She also explained that the cheapest of the bigger cases were plastic which is more likely to split/break. The dearer option is the PTFE, another stronger type of plastic (I though she said silicon.) The middle price were the expanding suitcases, which I prefer, which have a soft front where the second zip extends the suitcase forwards.

Spills?

I would prefer to have liquids, such as wine, as well as food, completely separate, with solid souvenirs, packed away from clothes, in another suitcase, or carry on luggage.  

The Gogo shop

The Gogo shop has their own brand of goods. Suitcases. Bags. Belts.

My Red Belt's Holes

I bought a red leather belt to co-ordinate with my red leather and imitation sandals. The red belt also goes with my red (synthetic) shoulder/handbag. But what about the holes.

Making More Holes

I tried the belt and could see it was too big. In a department stores, often if you ask for an extra hole in a belt, they glare or shrug. 

I asked the lady if she could make more holes to fit me. She produced a hole punch from under her desk. She measured the distance apart of the holes. She tried the various punch sizes on the rotating ring so the holes were matched in size as well as large enough for the buckle spike. 

My husband said he could have made holes. We have tried this before. It works. But I would have to wait to wear it. DIY back home with a pen knife, scissors, in awl, takes longer, and could cause an argument between us. Besides the holes would have been less regular in shape. A cut risks splitting the belt. 

I had taken a photo of all the belts in case I wanted to go back for another. This was good, because I looked and could not see orange. Which stopped me worrying about it. 

Later in Nicosia I saw another Gogo shop. Interestingly, the suitcase styles, sizes and patterns, were completely different. So it is worthwhile shopping around from city to city.

Useful Websites

https://www.facebook.com/gogotravelgoodscy/

I was pleased with what she did, willingly, at no cost. I should have had one more hole, more than I thought I needed for the trousers with a shirt tucked in. Later, on a thin dress, the belt was slightly loose.

Useful Websites

https://gogotravelgoods.com/

Sunny Cyprus and Perfect Paphos Hotel, Casa Mespilea, meaning the Japanese medlar or loquat

 

Paphos on the west coast of Cyrus is the airport where RyanAir planes go from Stansted in the UK to smaller airports. Paphos is a small seaside town, with palm trees and art deco buildings. The town which has received a lot of money which has redeveloped it attractively. 

Casa Mespilea was ready to greet us with smiles at 1.30 a.m. The heady, sweet smell of the trees in the back courtyard wafts over you. Our room was beautifully decorated with a huge artwork over the bed. 

Next morning the buffet breakfasts was laid out under the shade of the back of the hotel. We sat under the trees having breakfast. The views in all directions were idyllic. Breakfast was not included in the hotel price but I reckoned breakfast was the best meal of the day, offering lots of variety. Apart from cereals and boiled eggs and ham, and sweet buns, and orange juice, they had tiny brown bread rolls wrapped around white cream cheese.

The manager is planning to hold wine tastings and other events. If you are interested, get on the mailing list.

Across the road is a Caffe Nero overlooking the sea. On the clifftop in front of Caffe Nero a statue sits waiting for you to take a selfie. (The two f letters in Caffe Nero are not a mistake. That is the Italian spelling.)

From the top roof of the hotel, you can look across at Caffe Nero and the sea. Paphos has half a dozen branches of Caffe Nero.

We took a drive to the harbour. Down on the harbour are cafes overlooking the yachts. Souvenir shops sell clothes including hats and attractive ladies dresses at more than 25 euros. I thought that was dear, but other shops in the major cities sell the same dresses in those styles of the same brand at identical prices. (The cheapest pretty dresses were sleeveless dresses, made in India, ten Euros, inland in the mountains at Troodos. You can also shop for cut price dresses and accessory outlet and seconds shops with lots of tee-shirts and dresses in Limasol or Lemassos in Greek.)

We took some photos, then went for a coffee away from the harbour.

Before travelling, I had ordered two useful books, a Berlitz multi-language guide, a Greek language phrase book, and a Cyprus pocket guide.

Perhaps the best thing about the garden was the aroma. Unfortunately, two sets of diners, at different times, were smoking, which must have detracted from the perfume for them as well as for us. However, the garden was big enough for me to move away and immerse myself in taking photos of the colours and shadows cast by the bright sunlight.

Useful Websites

Ryanair

https://www.ryanair.com/flights/gb/en/flights-to-cyprus

Paphos

https://www.visitpafos.org.cy/

Cyprus

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Casa Mespilea (Mespilea House hotel, Paphos, Cyprus)

https://www.casamespilea.com/

Caffe Nero (clifftop branch opposite Casa Mespilea)

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g190384-d14796459-r663996151-Caffe_Nero_Kato_Paphos-Paphos_Paphos_District.html

.....

Photos of this idyllic location will be add later.

Cyprus, on a cheap Ryan Air flight from Stansted, super seats

Sunny Cyprus, is a popular holiday destination, an island on the Eastern end of the Mediterranean sea (the word Mediterranean means middle of the territory or land). 

From Stansted you can fly from the UK to Cyprus (and many other European cities) on 'budget' Ryan Air. Booking early means you can get those cheap flights. People who booked a day or two before the flight had to pay a premium.

Stansted was very busy in May 2022, with the world opening up to travellers, business, family reunions and holidays after Covid-19. Welcome signs greeted everybody on arrival. We had booked meet and greet valet services (which still require a bit of a trundle to their reception with your hand luggage on wheels).

Ukrainians Welcomed

 Inside the airport were welcome signs under the blue and yellow horizontal oblongs of the Ukraine flag. The kiosk for them offered help with accommodation, transport and more. I was glad for them.

Well-organized England. It made me feel glad to be British, because we were organized. But also, a relief to be on a holiday, a holiday maker, not a refugee. 

Fine Food

We had cautiously arrived early. Our early arrival left time for a delicious chicken sandwich from Marks & Spencer. 

On board we had pre-booked a hot meal which was surprisingly good. The Thai green curry did not look like the picture which showed the ingredients but was very tasty. I had a glass of Prosecco.

We had no films to watch. The seats did not recline. That is Ryan Air. Nothing like the luxury of Singapore Airlines which charges everybody a lot more.

Money Saving

We also saved money by not booking the priority booking - which was very popular, the larger hand luggage with overhead locker space, and choosing who to sit next to and where on the plane.

Wonders of the Window Seat

I got moved around and ended up in a window seat, although I find the aisles less claustrophobic. I thought, it's a cheap flight. Just go with the flow. I was rewarded with great window photos of the clouds and wings of the plane showing the airline name.

Our flight was slightly delayed, so we arrived at 1.30 pm UK time instead of 1 pm, which was 3 pm Cyprus time.

We took a taxi from the Paphos airport, although we had an Avis hire car the next day. Taking a taxi was costly, but saved us having to drive in the dark and find our small hotel. 

Stansted Spelling

Yes, the spelling of the airport is Stansted. Sted. Not Stead. If you don't have a flight ticket to check, you can easily check by typing it into Google, Chrome, and seeing what comes up.

In Cyprus, at Pahpos, the first night hotel was a delight. See my next post.

Road Accidents in Romania and the UK

We had been talking about the dangers of accidents in the Romanian being greater than the dangers of accidents in the UK. Then this happened, Jun 23 in the UK.

Car accident UK. Car upside down in tunnel, on route from S t a n s t e d airport to London, on M25. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I have seen four major accidents in the last fortnight. (A fortnight is fourteen days. Americans and Singaporeans would say two weeks. The British shorten this to a single word, fortnight, short for fourteen nights.) More stories about the accidents and pictures at the end. Read on.

Problem
Are the roads safe? Should I take extra care? What extra care should I take?

Answers
You get four kinds of warnings about the likelihood of accidents and need to take extra care. First you see the signs. Depending on the driver's personality and car, the driver might slow down or think, that's for others. Then you see accidents on the motorway. Passengers tend to worry more. Finally drivers start taking more care, or leaving extra time for journeys. In addition to taking care to avoid having an accident, you need extra time to be able to visit sights en route and to reach an airpot in time for your flight.

What you need to do:
Recognize warning signs.
Know local conditions and dangers.
Allow extra time.

 Warning Signs
In the UK accident blackspot. In Europe symbols such as children running near a school, old people with sticks, slippery surface, hairpin bend in road.

After an accident you might get told, as in the UK:
1 Accident warning flashing and symbol of upside down car
2 slow speed to 50 or 40 m.p.h. (miles per hour),
3 L a n e  closure,
4 Junction closure,
5 Diverge lanes arrows - so you need to slow or stop to change lanes,
6 Police car might block a lane
7 Policeman standing or waving or holding hand might stop your car to allow large recovery vehicle to reverse to remove vehicles to road.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to posts.

Fog, London's delayed flights, Stansted Airport Car Troubles Solved

Problems
1 What do you do when your car won't start at the airport?

Answer
On the bus the driver told us: "If you can't start your car, go to the help point in the bus stop. Tell the person who answers the number plate of your car. That will enable him to work out which car park and the exact position of your car and he will call the AA for you."

Story
Fog in London has delayed flights in Heathrow and Gatwick. Also a multiple pile up on a motorway.

We were very relieved to touch down at S t a n s t e d after a 45 minute delay on the runway at Prague.

(Sorry about the spaces I have had to insert in the airport name. Predictive text tried to change it to Stagnated and Satan!)

We saw all the cars in the long stay car park at S t a n s t e d were covered in ice. The bus to the long stay car park runs every fifteen minutes and you may have to wait up to 15 minutes.

London was colder than Prague. Luckily I had prepared for cold weather. Boots. Gloves. Hat. (For warmth I wore two hats, one over the other.)

You pay in advance for the long stay car park. As you enter the car park has number recognition. The system automatically connects your number plate and your parking place. A sign tells you which section of the car park to go to.

The advantage of leaving your car at the airport is that if your flight home is delayed, you are not keeping your taxi nor your relatives waiting.

Tips
1 In any car park, photograph your car, its position in the car park, the car park name, and any ticket you have been given. That way even if your ticket is lost by the time you get back, you still know where to find your car by looking at your phone.
2 The long stay car park at Stansted is better if you have luggage to carry. The long stay car park has a bus. the short stay car park is nearer but is so large that you may be at the far end of it. You also have to drag your luggage up the long ramp up to the terminal building, whilst the bus from the distant long-stay car park drops you right outside at the bus stop.
3 If you see fog at anywhere, you can still get a good photo of fog, perhaps two photos side by side, comparing the same scene before and after the fog.

Here's an atmospheric picture I took of a street in fog in north west London.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright December 2016.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Losing your car at an airport:: what to do

Have you ever lost your car in a car park? What a worry. Is it stolen? Moved by the police? Moved by the parking people? Will you ever find it?

Who will help? How quickly? Where do you think you left it? Which car park?

What is the numberplate? The colour? The make of car?

Lost Car
A relative of mine lost their car for about half an hour on returning to S t a n s t e d airport. The driver noted the car park (three huge car parks) and the nearby bus stop for the link bus to the airport. But when they came back they could not find the car.

Trudging around a car park, although brightly lit at night, when you are tired from travelling and its raining and you are worried is not fun.

Websites
I went on line to try to help. The help lines go off at 6 pm. Nobody to call for help. I remember once something similar happened to us as Disney, I think it was the one in Florida. They had a bus to drive people around. Each car park was named for an animal or something memorable. At least you were driving in the warm. And there was no charge for the help.

Stansted
Back to the problem at S t a n s t e d. (Predictive text called it stagnated. Yes, the driver was stagnated.)

Valet Parking
Valet parking sounds a good idea. Unfortunately the cost is £45! I presume that's on top of the cost of the parking charge. If you are highly paid and on expenses, maybe.

Photos
My solution in an unfamiliar car park, at a supermarket, is to take a photo of both my care and the parking place and the exit I use. I can show any helper the car I have lost. I have a record of the number plate. I know the model of the car. I can't do what has happened a couple of times, forget I am looking for my relative's car instead of mine. If it's a hire car, I know the numberplate.

Number Plates
No good just remembering just the first three letters or the last three letters. I've done that, either deliberately or accidentally (having forgotten the beginning or could not read my writing. It may turn out that all the city's cars have that ending which happened to me (in India), or all the country, or all the state, or all the county (Middlesex), or all this year's cars (UK), or all hire cars have the same prefix or suffix (Malta).

Success
The good news is I got a call half an hour later to say the car had been found. What was the reason for the problem? Two nearby bus stops, went to the one ahead of the car and not behind it, the furthest not the nearest.

Remote Control Sounds
Eventually the driver had thought to try using the remote control door opener. The lock or unlock flashes twice as it does when you get into or out of the car. So you walk along the rows and whether the car is right or left, even a few yards away and in the dark, the remote locates it and alerts you. If you are really desperate you can press on the warning triangle which makes the siren.

Happy ending. But remember not to rush off in your haste to catch the plane, and end up delayed on your return. As the saying goes, more haste, less speed.

Remedies
At least one of the Disney theme parks has or had characters (animals) in the names and visual reminders of the car parks. A multi-storey car park in Paris has or had different colours or murals on each level.

Malta had numbers on each marked parking place.

Call To Action
If you are a regular user of an airport or have any kind of clout please write and ask the airport to address the problem and to provide ways of remembering.

I hope you will always find your car. Happy holidays.
http://www.stanstedairport.com/parking/

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, speaker and author.

Author of How To Get Out Of The Mess You're In

Malta and Gozo - My Trip and Future Plans

Malta is the European capital of Culture in 2018 and many areas are being refurbished with signs saying that the projects are jointly funded by local sponsors and the European Union. How do you get there from the UK?

Flying to Malta
Stansted airport has a short term car park beside the terminal or you can take a shuttle bus to the long-term car park. My family found you did less walking and dragging luggage by taking the shuttle bus, rather than walking to the far end of the short-term car park. Also the short term car park is so expensive that a few hours delay bumps up your parking charge which is by the hour.

Flight on Ryanair.
The flight of just over three hours went quickly. Seats, three across, were very squashed. More room sitting in the toilet! But we slept on the journey out. Great price flights for a last minute bargain break long weekend.

We had our own healthy salad. Cheese and biscuits, two small crackers and only one small morsel of cheese in foil seemed poor value . It would be cheaper to buy one of those circular boxes of processed cream cheese which gives you about six small portions. Also invest in a pack of crackers. Olives were good value, several for each of two of us.

Let's Go magazine has travel articles and food and drink and gift illustrations and prices. The small bottle of Prosecco at 6.50 Euros seemed fun. The gifts included lip balms tasting of Coca Cola, six of them for 13 Euros. The biggest delay was queuing to collect our hire car.

Malta - Introduction
Once we arrived it was delightfully easy. The two main languages are English and Maltese, which is an Arabic base with words from Italy and other countries. The religion is Roman Catholic, with many statues of madonnas and saints on the outsides of buildings and numerous churches and cathedrals and chapels. The only word I learned or needed was Triq which means street. Once you've worked out that San is saint, Triq San Anna is Saint Anne's Street. Foreign words are most the same, just spelled funny. The Maltese ones are all translated by your maps and guide books. A tourist office in the airport has lots of brochures. Hotels also have leaflets.

Population 400,000 approx.
Size - small, 316 square kilometres.
Weather: www.maltaweather.com

Saturday Flight Stansted-Malta on Ryanair
Hertz hire car from airport, an automatic which are apparently less in demand than manual cars. Very good value, about £10 a day, but more if you buy insurance.
Excelsior Grand Hotel Room overlooking front garden, lovely. (Sea view cost extra but you can see that from the hotel's rooms downstairs.)
Snack supper of cheese plate in bar with live music.

Photo by Angela Sharot from Valletta's Great Siege road looking over to the three cities which have two harbours between them, one for the cruise ships.

Sunday
First view of the yellow historic UNESCO heritage city by daylight. Walked around Grand Excelsior hotel, whose outdoor pool was shut, as was the tiny beach, the only one in Valletta and looked at the harbours opposite.
Breakfast in the hotel with great view of the harbours and cruise ships.

Walked along Great Siege Road, where a plaque tells you about the Great Siege of 1565, past impressive bastions, overlooking the three cities.
Saw statue of Vallette who defended the fortress and said the Turks would come back. He built a wall big enough to protect thousands of people. The city was named in his honour.
around Valletta.
We swam in the Excelsior Grand hotel indoor pool.
Dinner in Valletta at the Legligin (meaning glug-glug) restaurant.

Monday
MALTA - main island - Drove through St Julian's.
Over-developed skyscraper seaside.

GOZO - island of Calypso, where Ulysses delayed, according to Greek legend.
Ferry
to Gozo. Very simple. Just drive on. No ticket needed. Like driving into Wales over the Severn bridge, going there is free - you pay on the way back. Passed the midway island of Comino which has a blue bay, and side trips.

Gozo Sights:
1 Capital city Victoria, small, originally called Rabat but renamed for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Everything was closed on an off-season lunchtime Monday last February.
2 Lunch at the wonderful elegant hotel Kempinski.
3 Drove to Azure window, a see-through arch out over the sea (a picture you see at the airport , the tourist office, restaurants and many places), and another arched cave in a cliff face above a blue pool, overlooked by the clifftop opposite where a cafe/lunch place offers a great view.
4 Craft village. Watch the crafts people at work.
5 Winery shop.
6 Ferry back - you pay on the way back - confusing slip roads, this one for the ferry, no that's for lorries, take the other one for cars, but, oops, the third one to buy tickets. The ferry heaved and rocked sideways a lot so I sat in the middle. Before we had time for a drink it was time to land. First I looked out of the window to see Comino as we passed, uninhabited except for a hotel and tourists there for the day, so no major building, then I looked around the handy shop. I bought two Guidebooks, one on Malta, one on Gozo.

Valletta, capital of Malta.
Monday night we drove back into narrow Strait Street to see Chris at the glut-glug restaurant.
Evening meal in Excelsior Grand hotel, which has buffet starters and desserts. You order your main course from the a la carte menu.

Tuesday
Winery tour. Wines include Franc named after founder.
Back to our hotel for our luggage where I bought from the hotel shop the magnetic notepad holder we'd had in the bedroom.
Drove to the Three Cities.
Mdina, hilltop 'silent city, used to be the capital until Valletta was built. Outside the walls is a cafe with view over the plain.
Mosta Dome Rotunda interior with magnificent exterior, interior, and replica of the bomb which nearly destroyed it in WWII (see separate post). Cake shop.

Rabat - another tiny town where you drive into the tiny central square, look for a parking place take the road out and in twenty minutes, unless you've stopped at the main attraction, connected here with St Paul, you've driven around the place three times. 

For us the main attraction is the small Parruccan confectionary kiosk, Publius Cutajar Parruccan Confectionary where a jolly man beckons you to the kiosk and offers you a free taste of something, nuts and sugar, okay.  If you don't immediately buy he offers you another . Then another, answers all your questions, his late father started the business. He lets you try the home made traditional confectionary he makes, including macaroons with Gozitan bitter almonds, Maltese honey rings, nougat, dried figs and orange marmalade in fruit tarts. Some of them are quite dry but my family loved them. The owner is smiling and chatty. 

Bought red and white bottles of Maltese wine from duty free shop:
The Winery on the Waterfront
Paola
Malta
www.delicata.com

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My next trip:
WHAT to see in Malta
Valletta
Malta 5D show with shaking seats, water spray and scents.
Mdina Dungeons Museum. Looks gruesome. www.dungeonsmalta.com 10 am-4pm
St Paul's Catacombs, Rabat.
Marine world Malta national Aquarium complex in Qawra, has La Nave Bistrot and cafe del Mar.
Siggiewi - limestone heritage, in a quarry, diorama museum and 30 ft waterfall.

WHAT to see on GOZO
Megalithic monument - two Gjantija Temples, buy ticket.
Windmill.

COMINO
Blue Bay.
Second optional excursion to a cave.

TOUR OPTIONS
Hire a car from the airport.
Get collected by your hotel's car and then travel by chauffeur driven car tours; hotel Transport office direct line(00356) 2319 2229. or within the hotel extension 2229..
Take local buses.
Open top bus hop on hop off (see Tripadvisor).
Captain Morgan Cruises. www.captainmorgan.com.mt
Jeep Safari.
Underwater Safari.
Dragonara Casino. wptdeepstacks.com
dragonaracasino.com

EVENTS
Malta Wine Festivals are held every year
....................................
Aug 6-9 2015, 7 pm to midnight
Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta
Buy a souvenir glass and wristband and get tastings.
Maltese grapes are Girgentina and Gezlewza.
details from delicate.com/nadur-gozo-2015
Local specialities likely to be available include fried rabbit.
www.visitmalta.com
Marsovin summer wine festival.

Malta is only 93 km South of Sicily and tours go to Sicily.
Media photos from viewingmalta.com