Soooo, I’d set my alarm for 7:00am, given the time it would take to get to Heathrow, and my gramma’s plane was due in at 9:05. So got up, made myself tea, and got online to double check my route and to check the flight status (hoping she’d be late so I’d have some morning time w/ Katy :D). Not only not late, but early! So I had to zoom wake E up, fold bedding, and scoot ;_; I wanted to write some sort of cute note, but ended up just sending an e-mail.
Then we walked to a little gas station shop to break some money for bus change for E, I thankfully still had my oyster card. Then bus to tube to Heathrow!
We got in right around 10:00, which made me suuuuper worried for my gramma, but when we checked the boards it said it’d only just landed and baggage was offloading. So we actually ended up waiting for her about 15 minutes. And then she came out, wheeled by an attendant… with no bags.
Lost luggage.
The wheelchair guy said that the luggage missed the transfer in Dallas but was on the next plane and would be at terminal 3 (we were in terminal 5) at 11:05. We thought noooo problem, we can get it in plenty of time for our flight from terminal one to Ireland (at 2:15p). Then the man said no worries, even if we can’t get it, they’d forward it to Dublin and we could get it there. But since we had plenty of time, and didn’t want to wait further in Dublin, we decided to go get it.
So theeeen the man said we could take an express between the terminals, or wait for a bus and he would take her. Then he strongly recommended the express, that it would be much faster and we wouldn’t have to wait. We said that sounded good. Well then he took us to the elevator, took the wheelchair, and left. Which he hadn’t said we couldn’t take the wheelchair… and… basically he just wanted to get rid of us was his attitude (which was weird because he’d been so genial earlier). AND when we get off at the terminal 1 & 3 stop, it turns out they’re quite far away from each other on totally opposite sides. Uhhhm… did he think she just wanted that wheelchair for kicks? I really wish I’d noted his name, because that distance was way too much for my gramma. Soooo we decided we’d take my gramma directly to the terminal we were leaving from, and then I’d go back for the luggage, with her luggage claim thingy.
But there’s more!
I get there and the luggage claim is on the other side of security, and there’s no one/staff around to help, there’s no British Airways office in that terminal, and the info desk is closed. Thanks guys.
I go back to Terminal 1. Then I spoke to someone at the BA office there and he was very nice and apologetic, and said yeah security, we’ll just forward it to Dublin then, that will be the easiest. We’ve got the claim number etc, no problem. And he said it will probably get there before us, so no worries we won’t even have to wait for it.
All is well. We check into our Aer Lingus flight, go through security, and found a nice little place for lunch.
It was actually reeeeally good.
So then we look up our gate. And it’s miiiiiles away. And there’s no little desk or people around to ask about a wheelchair. But! We ran across a super nice man who was going to the gate next to ours, with a wheelchair, to pick up someone. Seriously we never would have made it without him. This airport is HUGE.
We get to Dublin! Yay!
No luggage! Not yay!
I filled out a form for US Airways, an affiliate where the man told me it was all the same system, with the address and tele of our B&B in Howth, where we would be staying for three days, and the man said no problem, we’ll deliver it right to you (I’m beginning to doubt their word at this point, however pleasant they are).
So then we go through customs, and met with my mum, who’d gotten in about an hour or so before us. On that side I saw a phone labelled luggage hotline, so I thought I’d give it a call and just make sure all was well and the info got in from US Airways. The BA lady told me it wasn’t in just yet, so I gave her all the info again (pretty sure I had it memorized by now) and she said it will be delivered to our B&B within 24 hours.
To the car pickup!
Forms, blah blah, to the B&B!
We stayed at Azure House in Howth, an area just outside of Dublin. It was just adorable. I highly recommend them.
But.
There was a note on the door saying sorry we went out (we had come in either earlier or later than we told them, later I think because of luggage things). So we decided to go to the main-ish road and explore!
We found a pub and had dinner.
I had THE BEST clam chowder. With close to the best piece of bread.
Mi familia had huuuuge portions of… stuff. I don’t know what’s on E’s plate, she doesn’t like fish.
And then of course we had to have some guinness.
There was a cute little icecream shop on the same street, so we got some deliciousness and then E and I went exploring while they stayed and ate.
(same structure as the beginning).
Then we headed back to Azure House and called it a night!
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