Trip Report Le voyage de beaucoup de désastres Day 1 ,Pt2, and Day2 added

[bonhoga]

By way of an introduction, let me first explain that [as far as I can remember] this is my first trippie.......so please be patient! And although I know it isn't DLRP I'll start with the graduation in Glasgow so you can get a feel for the scale of our mishaps . Also I should add that the trip was to celebrate the graduation, so kinda relevant I suppose?

So cast

Kaye [44], that's me, Granny to be
Davie, DH, just the other side of 50
Toby 22 DS
Erin 20 DD
Jonny 18 DS
Rex DS 14
Liz 59 cousin, coming to investigate her and Erin's big birthday trip next year [they are doing a joint 21st and 60th]

Leaving Shetland [why, oh why do we live so far from anywhere?] 10th July, staying at the Sequoia Lodge 13th - 16th July 2012

Tuesday night finally rolled around, Liz, Erin, Jonny, Rex and me set off on the Ferry to Aberdeen in grand style. The girls were booked into the restaurant, while the boys [who are not very good sailors] opted to go straight to the cabin and lie down.
It was a calm night, we had a lovely meal and arrived 14 hours later in Aberdeen where we temporarily parted company with Liz who was going flat hunting in Edinburgh while we set off by train to Glasgow for Toby's graduation

We arrived at our hotel just after 1pm and expected to find DH waiting for us......but he was nowhere to be seen . I went to investigate possible options for lunch/dinner and on my return Erin announced that he had texted to say he had missed his flight [Disaster 1] to join us and didn't know how he could get down in time now . Thankfully he was able to get a seat on the evening Edinburgh flight and a bus through to Glasgow so he arrived just before Toby [who was also coming through from Edinburgh] and we were all together at last ready for the big day.

The Graduation

We were up bright and early and the sun was shining . I unpacked all our smart clothes and pressed them, gave Toby his suit for Disaster 2 to strike . Yes I had packed the wrong suit....it was his younger brother's.....whoops and although they are equally tall, there all size similarities end !

Toby and I legged it up to Buchanen Galleries where we bought the first black suit we came across in NEXT and belted back to the hotel.....for Disaster 3 to hit!!!!! My good shoe just snapped !!

DH suggested I wear my flip flops, but they looked quite ridiculous so once more I belted it up the road and grabbed the first pair of black shoes I saw , and all this before 10am

Anyway it was worth it

A very proud Mam and Dad with son

 

[Carrie_Cat]

I'm here

Don't you all look fab, very proud parents and well done to Toby. What did he graduate in ?

 

[loladelorean]

Oh dear, I hope there were some nice things as well as disasters?!
Congrats to Toby.....Strathy? I graduated from there last year and it's the same hood

 

[Ms Poppins]

Yayy, you've started!

I agree, you all look lovely.

And it's no mean feat running up Buchanan Street in a hurry, well done

 

[bonhoga]

Now onto what our family does best

Ceremonies completed we headed for lunch and found a great Street cafe serving tapas and light lunches. The sun shone and we really started to feel like we were on holiday

Erin, Jonny and Rex waiting for their lunch to arrive.....doesn't Glasgow look good, I think it looks almost continental in this photo?

We then went strolling [literally] quite aimlessly through the city centre. There was so much to see and 4 hours to kill before our next meal and Glasgow as we discovered had some of the best street entertainment going.....I wish I had remembered to take photos , especially of the invisible man I know, sounds impossible but it was very well done.

Our next meal was the Big One to celebrate the day in style and kick start the holiday proper. I had exchanged my clubcard vouchers for Browns vouchers and we were all set for a slap up meal.

The restaurant was beautiful and had a live jazz/classical pianist playing, we all started with cocktails....except Rex

Erin enjoying her strawberry and chocolate martini .

Erin and me !

Rex and jonny

Jonny and me



Anyway as i hope you can see from the photos we were all very happy [and it wasn't just the cocktails.....honest!] except for DH, who was rapidly turning from Prince Charming into Grumpy

Thankfully he apologised for his mood the next day [combination of missed flights, heavy work schedule etc] as otherwise the holiday really would have begun on the wrong note, and as we still had many more Disasters to go it was good to stay positive. We are a couple who never do anything by halves [you could probably tell from the size of our family ] and that was certainly going to be true this trip!!!!!!

 

[bonhoga]

I'm here

Don't you all look fab, very proud parents and well done to Toby. What did he graduate in ?

It was International Business and management science Carrie and he says he wants to try and work in Paris in the near future, after his graduate placement

Kaye

 

[loladelorean]

I'm enjoying the Glasgow trip report lol as the continental bit is just around the corner from my flat in merchant city do lucky not to have been rained on, I think a few graduation days were spoiled with the recent monsoon weather.
Looking forward to more!

 

[the_princess]

I'm ready for more

 

[bonhoga]

Oh dear, I hope there were some nice things as well as disasters?!
Congrats to Toby.....Strathy? I graduated from there last year and it's the same hood

yep! It was Strathclyde. I really like Glasgow this was only my second ever visit [proper] but it's so lively and much friendlier than Edinburgh

kaye

 

[bonhoga]

Yayy, you've started!

I agree, you all look lovely.

And it's no mean feat running up Buchanan Street in a hurry, well done

I know ! I think that's why my good shoe snapped

kaye

 

[bonhoga]

DAY 2
[I'm hoping you've all twigged that I don't include the days spent travelling to and from Shetland within the days actually called holiday? Otherwise this would be Day 3 ]

Friday morning, we had breakfast and packed our bags ready for checkout at 11am which conveniently coincided with meeting Liz [see original cast]. She was arriving at Glasgow Queen Street at 10:50, so I went to meet her and the rest trundled the 50m or so from the Holiday Inn to Buchanan Street station where we were to catch our bus for Prestwick .

It took Liz and I barely 10 mins to catch them all up, but Dh was having a meltdown at the price of the bus.........it was nearly £90 for us all and was barely going to get us there in time for check in . Any delays and we were risking a lot.......then RESULT! One of the bairns noticed that you get half price rail travel when flying with Ryan Air. We set off for Central station [what is it with Glasgow and all the stations??]and were quickly on our way for just £3,50 each......WOW, good value or what, and much quicker .

Have to add this in for Lolodolorean, I was so amused at the number of Blue Lagoons in Glasgow I took a photo of the last one, I could see Liz's face getting more and more worried as I pointed out more, as that's where we were eating that night....I think she was expecting fish and chips on a polystyrene tray

Now Prestwick was lovely and quiet, and really very clean and well serviced we thought . , we didn't have to queue long at check in and then Disaster 4 struck
DH who booked the flights hadn't booked any baggage at all ???????? It was going to be £100 per case.....WHAT? Made the bus/train saving laughable really
Thankfully the very young boy behind the desk took great pity on us , we managed with some rejigging to put all toiletries in one case...5 cases went through as cabin hold , we paid £100 for another case at the desk and he told us to take the second one through departures with us, where it would be taken off us but for only £50.....so thats what we did

The flight was uneventful, apart from one poor little thing sat next to Toby and Rex on his mam's knee who gret the entire way , poor wee thing!
Ezy shuttle weren't at the gate like they said, but a quick phone call revealed there had been a parking issue and he would send the driver straight to the door if we could be standing outside ready ! It was a long drive due to an accident, and we made it to the Sequoia Lodge just about 9ish........mild panic only slightly setting in [ for our Blue Lagoon booking at 9:30] when the woman at the desk couldn't find us anywhere........ She was new. Another cast member came to help and we rushed to drop bags and RUN to the Blue Lagoon [however didn't check anything with the time pressing on , and this might help explain Disaster 6] when I get there!!!!!

Anyway after the mood incident with Dh after his missed flight....I had a feeling of impending doom for this meal, but it was misplaced. here by way of introduction is cousin Liz and Dh finally seated at Blue lagoon after a mad sprint along Main Street .

The food was great

Surf and Turf [I'll try and do a separate restaurant review]

Me, Erin, Davie, and Jonny all had surf and turf, Rex had a burger, Liz had the chicken on skewers and Toby had the lamb, we had a mixture of warm chocolate cakes, creme brulees and coconut sundaes for dessert . The only minor downside was the total confusion this caused.....we had premium vouchers and about 50% of what we chose was from the plus menu . At first the poor waiter said we couldn't choose from a different menu, then he consulted a colleague and said we could....so I then totally perplexed the poor boy by saying could we just use the vouchers at face value then? But they said absolutely" NO WAY" so we really lost out quite a bit.
However the staff were otherwise so friendly and the atmosphere was just fantastic

Poor waiter, he must have been glad to see us go

When we finally finished our meal, two waitresses covered form head to floor in plastic ponchos were waiting to escort us from the park....it was 12pm Dreams had been and gone, it was pouring [and we hadn't brought jackets in the rush ] But we were all in such a good mood it didn't matter...............we went back and had a night cap at the Sequoia which we hadn't even looked round yet

 

[Ms Poppins]

DAY 2
[

They are everywhere! I love Glasgow too

What a crazy day. I take it you flew into Beauvais with Ryan Air? Can't believe your DH didn't book in any baggage And being escorted out of the park at midnight, fantastic

Oh, I hope there aren't too many more disasters to come, though you do sound very laid back and took it all in your stride.

Look forward to more

 

[bonhoga]

Thanks Julie, i think we did take it in our stride but very worried about Liz, it was a real roller coaster of a first trip for her ....hope it hasn't put her off too much

Kaye

 

[Ware Bears]

I'm so sorry you had these disasters but they certainly do liven up a trip report!!

Lovely photos of you all and congratulations to your DS, you must be very proud of him.

It's nice to see a bit of Glasgow too - I'm ashamed to say the farthest north I've ever been is Blackpool but I'd love to get up to Scotland one day. You should have included your journey from Shetland too - I have three Shetland sheepdogs and I could have showed them where their ancestors came from!!

Looking forward to more but hopefully only good times and not any more disasters.

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Hi Kaye ... lovely to read your trip report although there are rather a few too many hiccups along the way ... you seemed to cope admirably though. I am pleased to hear you enjoyed the meal at the Blue Lagoon as this is always one of our favourites and we hope to eat here in October. Congratulations to Toby for his graduation and has the new baby arrived yet ??

 

[MazdaUK]

Gald its not just my DH who can turn grumpy! Although a drinky or two usually smooth things over