Flying to the continent

Thoughts on leaving Ireland

Even though we had thought of visiting Ireland for many years, we’ve only just done it.  We seem to prioritise countries that are more different to where we live in New Zealand in terms of culture, landscape and weather.

We enjoyed our stay, the scenery, the friendliness of people but it is too similar to wow us.  But absolutely recommend Ireland as a destination.  Just wish the NZD wasn’t so weak against the EUR at the moment.

Leaving Ireland

Today we fly out of Ireland on the cheapest commercial ticket we could find, so it is to Amsterdam at 1335.

We left our B&B at 0830 and after some delays filling up the car, arrived at the Budget car returns at 0915 and was swiftly dropped off to the airport at 0930.

Security was swift and I was at first surprised that there were no immigration checks.  I guess that is similar to the UK and USA with no exit checks.  For that reason, domestic Irish flights and international flights leave from the same departure gates.  The exception would be USA flights where passengers go through USA immigration pre-clearance.  Since, Ireland is not part of the Schengen zone, no flight is considered intra-Schengen.

Our first attempt to enter the lounge failed as it was too busy but an hour later, at around 1040, we were let in.  It was surprisingly quiet when they warned online in the Priority Pass directory that the busiest time starts at 1100.

While in the lounge, we received notification from Budget claiming that we had damaged a tyre.  We provided photo evidence of the pre-existing damage by return email swiftly.

Getting to our gate around 1215, we sat nearby waiting for a boarding announcement.  We had misunderstood the TV monitors and thought that our aircraft was at a remote gate accessed by shuttle bus.  In fact, we had to take the shuttle as soon as practical to the South Gates where passengers can walk up to the aircraft.

The 21 year old A320 was in tip-top condition in the cabin.  It was only the old style fittings (air vent, lights etc) that gave away its age.  Aer Lingus operates like a budget airline on flights of this duration and everything is charged for, including water unless one asks specifically asks for a cup of tank water.

Arriving in Amsterdam

There had been reports of horrendous waits at some EU airports including Amsterdam following the introduction of biometric kiosks.  To our great joy, there were no queues and it worked like a dream.  We gave our fingerprints and facial scan at a kiosk and then walked through an automated gate without having to see an officer.

We took the train to the InterCity Hotels one train stop away.  The walk to the hotel was a pleasant surprise, with tall office buildings giving way to cows and crops in the adjoining farm land.  The hotel was a steal by Amsterdam standard, probably because it wasn’t in the city centre.

Train problems

We received email notification that our upcoming train to Brussels had been disrupted due to power failure on the route after Rotterdam.  This would last for about a week.

Our tickets will allow us to board other services on the same day without having to book but I still had to work out the connections.  It didn’t help that the booking engine was still showing the disrupted services for our date of travel, as the trains will only be cancelled the evening before.

Meanwhile, Kim was scrolling through annoying videos on social media with the sound on.  It was very distracting to my concentration and after telling him a few times to turn it down, he threw the TV remote on the floor.  Tantrum.

Evening walk

Around 1815, we took a train to Amsterdam Centraal and had a walk around the scenic spots of the city.  Even the third time around, it is a place full of atmosphere.  It’s only ruined by the crowds but it’s fair that everyone wants to experience it.  We returned around 2130 while it was still light, because sun sets around 2200.