John Edward Cooper’s Notes
Monday 30 September 2013
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[2013] [Sunday 29 September 2013] 08:00 Marmaris, Turkey—16:00 Dalaman—18:30 Manchester Day 273 Monday 30 September Malachi 1-4 Disembarkation information 
Cruise News 
 Explore Ashore 
Visa information 
 We got up late, as compared with other days this holiday. Janet helped me shower because of my painful right arm; she dried my back also; and she put my travel socks on for me. It was ca.9.30am when we went for breakfast on the deck outside the Lido restaurant. Everywhere seemed crowded, because most people had vacated their cabins; we’d spent £15 for a late check-out cabin. Janet did final bagging up of stuff that she’d not put in the cases before we put them out last night. Copied yesterday’s photos from the camera (10:26–10:27); viewed them, rotating those that needed it (10:31–10:35), and deleting one or two. “…I packed the last few bits,” Janet wrote, “and then went to Hemingway’s (just me) for a drink and to make notes for my journal. I’d packed it in the case. “At ca.11.30am we left the ship and were both sad — it was really hot out — and we stopped briefly to admire (a last look!) the sea and the harbour. Our coach left Marmaris at 12 noon and we arrived at Dalaman Airport at 1.30pm.” There was an additional security scan of baggage on entering, before we joined the very long queue at the Thomson Airways check-in desks. “It was busy, and took us 40 minutes to check in. We couldn’t book extra leg-room seats.” We asked the Turkish clerk for extra leg-room seats, and thought he had booked them — though it seemed strange when we asked him how much we had to pay that his polite answer was that they didn’t accept tips. But after we turned away from the desk, I saw that the seat numbers on the boarding cards that he issued were the same ones as we’d reserved previously: 46A and 46B at the rear left of the plane. We found a Thomson rep and explained what had just happened, and she took us back to the clerk and checked the position re extra leg-room seats with him. It turned out that there were none available. Janet wrote: “Once through Security and Passport Control we headed into the main part of the airport. It was 3pm by then. We found an ‘English pub’ and [John] had his last Efes Dark and a meatball panino, which he enjoyed. I had a large Coke. We used the loos then discovered we’d missed the last call for our flight and legged it to the gate.… We’ve never been that late before. Our seats were right at the back — only two seats in that part of the row — and, actually, they were OK. I reckon it was because there was no-one behind us and I was sitting in the aisle seat so didn’t feel boxed in.…” I found the leg-room adequate. “The plane left on time,” Janet continued. “It was a woman pilot — our first time with that — and [the cabin] was lovely and toasty. I didn’t need my coat or scarf on!… Unfortunately, we were ‘surrounded’ by ‘Jeremy Kyle[i]-type people’, Yorkie bastards — fat,[ii] noisy, common, uncouth. One of the men even removed his T-shirt. I was appalled. He was asked to put it back on.[iii] What a … moron. I made a [private] comment about one of the children (that’s the tragedy, really — the kids will end up like their parents) to [John] (the child was annoying me) and her mother overheard. If [John] hadn’t stopped me I would have told her what my problem was.[iv]
“We arrived Manchester Airport on time at 6.30pm BST (thank goodness!) and were through all the checks, had got our bags, and were in the station very quickly.… [It was] cold! We used the toilets then went in the buffet, and [John] had a ‘Meal Deal’ of a butty, a bag of crisps and a drink. I had a drink. Our train departed at 8.47pm. It was reasonably warm on there. It was nearly empty. We chose non-booked seats — a table — and were not ‘invaded’. When we arrived in Sheffield we were told to get off the train, something about it having to be replaced as — a driver had been attacked? I have to… commend First TransPennine Express for how fast they dealt with the situation. About half an hour later we were on a replacement (I think!)[v] warm train, which left from a different platform (not far away), and we finally arrived in Grimsby[vi] just over half an hour late.… We managed to bag a taxi immediately and were home just before 1.00am.”[vii]
Started up the “little feller”, to make arrangements to meet Andrew tomorrow, if possible. Found that he’d already sent me an e-mail about this:
So I replied:
[2013] |
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