Christmas in the UK

[drron]

well here in Osaka it is 8C at present. The range was 3-11.

 

[OATEK]

Breaking news: It's snowing (at Glenlivet in Scotland).

 

[OATEK]

Boxing Day football is an English tradition, but today we went local. No premier league or championship match for us, we went to about level 7-8 of English football to see the local team Dulwich Hamlet play Carshalton in the Isthmian League. It was a cracking game played in a small stadium in front of about 2,700 spectators. It was so much fun that the pilot of BA268 coming in to LHR from LAX turned over head for a quick look.

 

[OATEK]

After a few days recovering from Christmas excess we are off to Oslo for a few days. Just waiting in the BA Galleries Lounge until our gate # goes up.

 

[OATEK]

Arrived in Oslo, and will head to Lilliehammer in the morning.

 

[OATEK]

RE10 train to Lillehammer

 

[OATEK]

Lillehammer

 

[OATEK]

Lillehammer, New Year's Day

Beware the killer icicles.

Icicles even on the lamp posts.

 

[OATEK]

Back in Oslo we have had constant light snow. Cold but manageable, and unlike @OZDUCK's adventures with DB, the trains in Norway are great. Amazing to fly along through heavy snow cocooned in a regional train.

Today we have used the buses to get to the Fram Museum (all about polar exploration) and back to the Munch Museum.

Fram Museum

The Fram, that explored into the Arctic from Oslo.

Dinner about to be served on the Fram (often to musical accompaniment).

There is an immersive display as the seas get heavy via big screens, and the seat goes up and down with the waves.

The Polar Ship Gjøa.

Then the Munch Museum. My eldest daughter has long had an interest in Munch, from early studies in high school. The colours in the later Munch paintings like the Scream and Despair show up in my daughter's jewellery designs.


The Museum beside a half frozen waterway.

Behind the museum is a very evocative sculpture of a mother contemplating loss, by Tracey Emin.

The commercial side of Munch included portraits of many notables.

The Scream.

 

[RooFlyer]

The Scream.

 

[OATEK]

On our way out of London via DXB to SIN. The Emirates set up at Gatwick is very good. We enjoyed the chauffeur drive and First class check-in experience, met by a host to drag our bags to the check-in desk. Priority security worked well. Just enjoying dinner in the lounge which is a step up from the QF LHR lounge in every respect.

 

[Pushka]

On our way out of London via DXB to SIN. The Emirates set up at Gatwick is very good. We enjoyed the chauffeur drive and First class check-in experience, met by a host to drag our bags to the check-in desk. Priority security worked well. Just enjoying dinner in the lounge which is a step up from the QF LHR lounge in every respect.
View attachment 363674View attachment 363675

I thought we were the only crazy ones doing the Dubai - Sin - Australia leg. Beware the lounge in Dubai for this flight isn't not exactly luxury. Terminal 3. The old one.

 

[OATEK]

I thought we were the only crazy ones doing the Dubai - Sin - Australia leg. Beware the lounge in Dubai for this flight isn't not exactly luxury. Terminal 3. The old one.

Yes, just did the train and long walk to get to C gates. First lounge is ok, but the location of the gate is a real let down. Might have to rethink strategy for next time.

 

[Pushka]

Yes, just did the train and long walk to get to C gates. First lounge is ok, but the location of the gate is a real let down. Might have to rethink strategy for next time.

We kept walking and walking to lounge. Then walking and walking to gate lounge.

 

[OATEK]

Our view, Crowne Plaza, Singapore.

 

[OATEK]

Just to discuss the indirect flights with EK, the one over SIN-DXB-MAN worked well, after our classic reward to position to SIN. The only downside was the short transfer time in DXB meant no lounge visit.

The return flights LGW-DXB-SIN was an underwhelming experience. The lounge at Gatwick was small, but very good and not crowded. Way better than QF at LHR. But the flight to DXB was the worst we had, with many staff indifferent, a very slow dinner service (we were over Turkey by the time they finished serving) and MrsOatek's seat would not recline. They managed to get it half way down but it was not really comfortable for sitting or sleeping.

Edit: I mentioned up thread about the long transit from the A gates to C gates following @Pushka's comments. Definitely not the fun experience we had envisaged of using the First Lounge above the A gates.

The DXB-SIN leg was very good, perhaps the best we had with EK.

Just got word we have been upgraded from PE to J for our final leg to SYD tomorrow so that is upgrades for both QF legs to/from SIN.

 

[OATEK]

Just in the QF First lounge in SIN, relaxing before the final leg home. It has been an enjoyable trip despite a few things going wrong, like taking a tumble on ice in Oslo the day you are flying to London, which was two days before flying out of London to SIN via DXB. Have a sore shoulder but otherwise glad I didn't finish up in an Oslo ER.

Having upgrades on both QF flights to/from SIN, from PE to J was a great result. First ever flights on EK, 3 of which were very good and one was ordinary. We did the points to SIN and paid J from there to cut our costs a little, which was over $2k each less than the previous trip we did in March 2023.

While a lot of our travel to UK is about family reunion, we enjoy the side trips when we are there. Norway was lovely, cold and friendly, but quite expensive. Seemed dearer than previous visits to both Helsinki and Stockholm, although Mrsoatek thinks I have a short memory. But you can't buy the experience of being in an exotic place with your granddaughter and daughter.

 

[Pushka]

Just in the QF First lounge in SIN, relaxing before the final leg home. It has been an enjoyable trip despite a few things going wrong, like taking a tumble on ice in Oslo the day you are flying to London, which was two days before flying out of London to SIN via DXB. Have a sore shoulder but otherwise glad I didn't finish up in an Oslo ER.

Having upgrades on both QF flights to/from SIN, from PE to J was a great result. First ever flights on EK, 3 of which were very good and one was ordinary. We did the points to SIN and paid J from there to cut our costs a little, which was over $2k each less than the previous trip we did in March 2023.

While a lot of our travel to UK is about family reunion, we enjoy the side trips when we are there. Norway was lovely, cold and friendly, but quite expensive. Seemed dearer than previous visits to both Helsinki and Stockholm, although Mrsoatek thinks I have a short memory. But you can't buy the experience of being in an exotic place with your granddaughter and daughter.
View attachment 364596

I prefer this lounge to any other Qantas lounge. The staff are wonderful. We were there - four days ago.