Returned to Scotland
Nov. 28th, 2022 10:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mtbcMy return to Scotland went approximately to plan. Starting out toward the airport, we found ourselves in dreadful Saturday evening traffic in Bicutan, we reversed course toward Arca South instead. Check-in at the airport wasn't as bad as it can be, sometimes on flights to the Middle East one is queueing with many overseas workers who need their employment documentation checked.
I had forgotten quite how grand Dubai International is, at least in comparison with, say, Heathrow. Furthermore, through my being late in noticing a gate change from one concourse to another, I ended up taking an unnecessary bus trip across the airport that revealed to me an underground tiled city of winding roads through interlinked tunnels.
Emirates were flying me again, I am less impressed with their food this couple of years later. Still, more impressive, in one of their
Travel across Scotland proved to be as challenging as travel from SE Asia to NW Europe, partly due to my inexperience with Glaswegian rail, also because, by that point, I was carrying probably nearly 150lb of luggage, far exceeding Megabus' terms. My rail ticket was marked as being from Glasgow Central or Queen Street. Knowing it to be a major station, I opted for the former, closer, one, to which I took a bus from the airport and, I think, got off a stop too early. The name mentioned the station but I was just on a normal street, no station in sight. I found the station, entered, discovered a lack of trains in a useful direction, and was directed to another bus to the other station.
At Queen Street, I also found no trains to Aberdeen, but took one to Stirling, from where I got a rail replacement bus to Dundee, then a fairly busy and slightly late train, only three carriages, for the rest of the journey. I took a taxi home as, with the luggage, on foot I take up the whole width of a large sidewalk (so thank you to the railway stations for their closely spaced metal bollards).
The last train was a disappointment in that the carriage was arranged with a stretch of passenger seating in between the doors and the too-small luggage storage that was half full of smaller bags that should have been on the overhead rack instead. So, I arranged my substantial luggage in the forbidden vestibule and remained with it. The inspector didn't complain, I figure they probably saw the situation for themselves and understood.
Once home, I headed out to Spar for easy food and basic groceries. Then, I slept for over ten hours.
Update: amended with strikethrough to correct for my fallible memory
I had forgotten quite how grand Dubai International is, at least in comparison with, say, Heathrow. Furthermore, through my being late in noticing a gate change from one concourse to another, I ended up taking an unnecessary bus trip across the airport that revealed to me an underground tiled city of winding roads through interlinked tunnels.
Emirates were flying me again, I am less impressed with their food this couple of years later. Still, more impressive, in one of their
hatracks I caught size of their
universal protectionprecaution kit, quite compact for something that sounds so very powerful. I could do with some universal protection, in the US I did at least hold a generous umbrella liability policy.
Travel across Scotland proved to be as challenging as travel from SE Asia to NW Europe, partly due to my inexperience with Glaswegian rail, also because, by that point, I was carrying probably nearly 150lb of luggage, far exceeding Megabus' terms. My rail ticket was marked as being from Glasgow Central or Queen Street. Knowing it to be a major station, I opted for the former, closer, one, to which I took a bus from the airport and, I think, got off a stop too early. The name mentioned the station but I was just on a normal street, no station in sight. I found the station, entered, discovered a lack of trains in a useful direction, and was directed to another bus to the other station.
At Queen Street, I also found no trains to Aberdeen, but took one to Stirling, from where I got a rail replacement bus to Dundee, then a fairly busy and slightly late train, only three carriages, for the rest of the journey. I took a taxi home as, with the luggage, on foot I take up the whole width of a large sidewalk (so thank you to the railway stations for their closely spaced metal bollards).
The last train was a disappointment in that the carriage was arranged with a stretch of passenger seating in between the doors and the too-small luggage storage that was half full of smaller bags that should have been on the overhead rack instead. So, I arranged my substantial luggage in the forbidden vestibule and remained with it. The inspector didn't complain, I figure they probably saw the situation for themselves and understood.
Once home, I headed out to Spar for easy food and basic groceries. Then, I slept for over ten hours.
Update: amended with strikethrough to correct for my fallible memory
no subject
Date: 2022-11-29 05:23 am (UTC)what
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Date: 2022-11-29 12:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-11-29 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-11-29 05:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-12-01 02:33 pm (UTC)If it helps, Google Maps is good at telling you where to go to get trains. And the Scotrail app is also pretty good.
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Date: 2022-12-01 08:37 pm (UTC)And the ScotRail staff were nice even if some other aspects were lacking.