Return to Europe (in style)

[RooFlyer]

he photos and information are wonderful RF, but I felt I couldn't 'Like' post 257 with the news of your friend's heart attack.

Thanks; I feel a bit awkward even mentioning it, sort of putting it in the 'entertainment' of a TR; but its just part of what happened.

 

[RooFlyer]

More amazing windows. You could (?should) spend hours trying to understand them. Virtually all the stained glass here is Victorian (ie along with the nave decorations ... the Victorians really put a broom through the place)

 

[RooFlyer]

For an extra fee (Ely also charges admission), there was a tour up to the lantern. With a guide, there was only one other taker, so it was good.

So we are heading up there:



On the initial climb




to the first stage, where we had to leave all bags (inc camera case - camera around neck OK). you know what these are?



Like York, a scoot along the rooftop halfway up



and more spiralling stone stairs



... to reach the level of the painted panels beneath the glass in the first pic, and standing above the fan-work also in that pic





The oak beams holding it up are massive - and you can see the original 14th century adze-work.

 

[RooFlyer]

The painted panels (last touched up by the Victorians) open up







The red lying on the edge are (synthetic) poppy petals - they rain them down on Remembrance Day services.



Them unexpectedly, we climbed again, up on the outside of the lantern



Views over the fens - now reclaimed, the horizon would have been water when this was built.



All lead-covered wood.



Some of me old mates

 

[RooFlyer]

A few more views







Down to the ground and back to the car.

I was due to drive to the NW of London and stay at Brentwood, then have a gander about London (ride the Elizabeth tube line , then end up at Gatwick after having a coffee with @Flashback. The day after that, I was due to fly to Dubrovnik to join an Exodus tour of the Balkan states.

By this time I had decided that that wasn't going to happen, so I stopped at Colchester and e-mailed my Travel Agent with instructions to get me home ASAP. Colchester being NE of London and outside of the M25, giving me options for either a LHR or LGW flight out the next day.

Holiday Inn on the western edge of Colchester. Two levels, 'country club' feel (or so they tried)



I booked a standard queen room. Checked in at about 3:30pm and found 2 singles when I got to my room. Went back to reception and asked for a queen, but told no, sorry, fully booked. Being Plat with IHG I could have argued that being 3:30pm they very likely would have been far from being all checked-in and maybe they could give me the room I booked? but I was too washed out to bother. For the record, zero status recognition. And I mean zero.







This looked weird



I got an e-mail from my TA at about midnight (9am in Melbourne) and then I called them to discuss options. I could use my current F ticket on SQ, with a +$3K 'fare difference', or hold that ticket in abeyance and get a new one-way J ticket for about $8K. There were some other options but they involved some faffing around I didn't want. Ultimately, the flights I chose mainly revolved around how early I could get into Australia on Saturday and then make a flight down to Hobart, as by then I knew my friend wasn't going to survive and time really was of the essence. Frigg'n consolidation of domestic flights meant that the only viable flight with SQ connection was a VA one after lunch on Saturday from MEL.

Flying out Thursday evening from LHR, so a day to kill, very downhearted. I took the Elizabeth line into London and walked about a bit but not good, and it was rainy.

So I took the M25 across to LHR to return my Avis car. Got lost twice, thank God I was early. You take one wrong turn there and you spend about 15 mins getting back to where you were. The car was originally scheduled to be returned to LGW, so I called beforehand to make sure that I could return it to LHR, where I hired it from without hassle. Answer was yes - and I'd get my £75 one-way fee back.

Checked in, taking great care to take it slowly, carefully not to leave anything behind and to check paperwork. Hang on, no one-way fee returned. Go back to counter - they check - I was originally only charged a £1 one way fee, and that had been returned. .

 

[RooFlyer]

I hadn't been to T2 at LRH since well before its renovation/rebuild. And it showed.

Check-in was OK, until I asked how to get to the SQ F lounge. Now, I'm pretty good at navigation, but the instructions the guy gave were just hopelessly vague. Twice. And after I completed the journey, I also new they were also wrong at 2 critical points. In the end we agreed that I would just follow the signs.

Just like at ZRH there was no suggestion given that the lounge might be a long way off. like at ZRH the gate was at the satellite terminal, with lounge nearby. Come along for the ride, once I realised it was going to be a hike (about 1/2 way along).

OK, the lounge is either going to be a dungeon or its a satellite terminal building. Security was blessedly no hassle.



Trafficator afer trafficator after trafficator under the aprons. When was this place built? 2010s? Why the F didn't they do what other airports in similar situations (like ZRH!) do and put a automatic train in?







Re-surfacing



Now, somewhere down there?



Nope. Up there.

 

[RooFlyer]

When I finally arrived at the lounge, I probably un-necessarily exclaimed that that had to be one of the most ridiculously long airport walks I have ever experienced, in a modern terminal. God, I've never needed a First Class lounge as much as then!









Reds



Whites



I'm not a Champers guy, but I didn't see any 'big names'.

It was about 6pm by now, with a departure on SQ319 at about 11, so I wanted something to keep me going



A small laksa hit the spot



Shower suite was 'disabled' type, so plenty of space!

 

[love_the_life]

For an extra fee (Ely also charges admission), there was a tour up to the lantern. With a guide, there was only one other taker, so it was good.

So we are heading up there:

View attachment 329598

On the initial climb

View attachment 329606


to the first stage, where we had to leave all bags (inc camera case - camera around neck OK). you know what these are?

View attachment 329607

Like York, a scoot along the rooftop halfway up

View attachment 329605

and more spiralling stone stairs

View attachment 329612

... to reach the level of the painted panels beneath the glass in the first pic, and standing above the fan-work also in that pic

View attachment 329599

View attachment 329613

The oak beams holding it up are massive - and you can see the original 14th century adze-work.

View attachment 329600

View attachment 329604

I am getting acrophobia just thinking about it! Waaaaay too high for me and I don't do well on those narrow stone steps. But a great experience no doubt.

 

[RooFlyer]

My frazzled state gradually subsided - its a v nice lounge with good attentive staff, and views over the T2 apron area.



At last, boarding and there's the ride and my seat the middle pair on the top front.



SQ319 dep LHR 20:50 arr SIN 16:55, 13hrs, Suites, 2A.

Same as last time - I think its pretty good, but @Cruiser Elite is going to disabuse me of that opinion next time we catch up . That said, second time up, I became conscious of a few shortcomings (below)






Satay



Caviar



and lamb



Sleep - or tried to. There was a lot of turbulence.

Faults: I think the lack of personal air vents in these enclosed suites is criminal and I loath the big heavy controller thing - sitting under the LH porthole. I left it out for a long time and the battery in it went flat. Speaking of portholes, there should be three, but one is missing. No worries, but why is it missing next to the chair (far left below) where you could look out of it, and not over the bed? Not sure if its the same in the other suites. The way the bed is stowed, it could easily have been wider when made up.



and I think lunch



Sorry that's a bit brusque for a F flight, but it was all a bit of a blur.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Sorry that's a bit brusque for a F flight, but it was all a bit of a blur.

Hopefully you got some well deserved rest @RooFlyer , and thank you for sharing this part of your journey ✈

 

[RooFlyer]

I had some hours at Changi, with access to The Private Room this time. If you are in th concourse, its up there (hope I'm not giving away the secret handshake or anything)



The new TPR I found a much better experience than my couple with the old one. Good attentive staff and a more contemporary feel. There was only one other person there when I arrived - a whacker talking loudly to his laptop. I gave him the evil eye and he toned it down







Lots or marble as you'd expect







There are a couple of sleepers, non-bookable and available only for 2 hours at a time, so I grabbed one to try to get a bit of extra rest.

 

[RooFlyer]

Dinner at TPR.









Crispy noodles and seafood



Excellent cheese platter.

 

[RooFlyer]

SQ237 dep SIN 00:25, arr MEL 9:50, B777-300, 1C, 7H25m.

Landed at Melbourne on time. Immigration was deserted, so I whipped through to get my bag. If I got a very good run, I could get to Virgin check-in and use 'fly forward' to catch an earlier flight to Hobart. By this time, hours counted.

I didn't get that good run. My SQ F 'priority' bag came out, I dunno ... in the middle? The carousel was jammed with bags by the time it appeared. When it appeared, I grabbed it; customs was pretty quick and I flew up to Virgin check-in. I missed the earlier flight by 10 minutes.

I realised what I should have done was just abandoned my bag on the Melbourne international carousel, but you don't think clearly in those situations. I then could have caught the earlier VA flight and then not waited for bag at Hobart, either.

I was picked up by a friend in Hobart and just made it to the hospital in time. My friend died a couple of hours later.

Sorry to end on such a sad note. There's been a lot of sadness over the past week; it makes you put things in perspective, such as me grizzling about the SQ flight above, which I've deleted. Another time.

Enjoy life and travelling, folks; my friend did; he and his wife and I travelled to Russia, Finland, South America, Tahiti and Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam together. Great times. I'll now finish and have glass of excellent red - he'd approve entirely.

 

[love_the_life]

Thank you RooFlyer - I realise this last bit would have have been difficult to put into words. It makes one think about the fact that no one really knows what is around the corner. There will be a lot of sadness and wondering and even anger. It is so good that you were able to make it in time to see him. Take care.

 

[Lost Redditor]

I’ve been following this trip report and it looks like a fantastic trip. I did a fair bit of travelling around Europe when I still lived in Norway, but after 13 years in Aus I realised I took it for granted. I look forward to doing this kind of travelling again once i no longer need to bring a stroller/pram everywhere.

So sorry to hear about your friend, it’s good you were able to see him.

 

[ellen10]

Thank you RooFlyer for your trip report and wonderful photos.
I was so sorry to read about your dear friend, but glad you were able to make it home in time to see him and say goodbye.
Take care

 

[TheRealTMA]

A few more views



View attachment 329626

love this shot.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Enjoy life and travelling, folks; my friend did; he and his wife and I travelled to Russia, Finland, South America, Tahiti and Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam together. Great times. I'll now finish and have glass of excellent red - he'd approve entirely.

Thank you for taking the time to share your story.
You started this amazing journey with your brother in your heart and although there is some sadness now, feel at peace that you found your way to your friend in time.
Maybe time to look after #1- take care @RooFlyer
Here's to you and your dear friend

 

[Drakecula]

A sad note to end a lovely holiday, but I like to think he knew you were on your way which allowed you the chance to say goodbye. Hopefully you can pick up the plans you had for the rest of your journey another time.

 

[RooFlyer]

Thanks for all the kind comments above. As this is a flyer forum, I should complete and note the end of the trip.

SQ237 dep SIN 00:25, arr MEL 9:50, B777-300, 1C, 7H25m.

Night-time flights in F are not a good idea, but no choice in this case. I did not enjoy this flight much. The B777 is one row of 1-2-1 up the front (same as business, behind ... 1-2-1). From aerolopa:



This pic from suitesmile, on-line



Mine. They of course offered to hang my clothes, but given that this lot never saw an iron, I like to keep my gear handy so I can get changed immediately when I want, perhaps needing to pounce on loo availability.



A number of things I disliked about the seat and arrangement:

* Very close to the galley (noise)
* Very close to the forward toilets, which were used by J pax as well
* No overhead bins; storage not a problem, but high overhead lights of my neighbour in 1D spilled light over to my seat
* First row of J is right behind, with bassinet and in this case, yes, there was a screamer
* Lacks privacy of a door, common to many J products these days
* I was startled to see that it was still the 'flip over' style of SQ bed. There were several distinct ridges in it - a throwback to early lie-flat beds
* Toilets were just normal sized or maybe a smidge bigger.

Another thing I didn't like about this flight was the FA (lady in red sarong kebaya). She spoke in giggling sentences, which made her more difficult to understand (together with the mask) and I wasn't in the mood for it. But really irritating was that she would lean in and say "Let me help you with [moving something, pressing some button] and actually go to do it, when I didn't want it moved etc. Several times I had to say "No, thank-you, please leave it ...". Again, I was tired and not in a good frame of mind, but it was unnecessary and annoying.

I only had breakfast; one of my neighbours had dinner/supper after seat belts off; why I don't know. Eat in the lounge at 11pm if that's your time zone. The brekkie was pretty nice. I would post the usual menu pics, except the FA took it away as soon as I ordered.



As noted above, my 'priority' bag came out very late on the carousel in Melbourne, which was much more of a problem than it usually is. The problem may have been with MEL baggage-handlers (order of containers unloaded), but I did see F bags sprinkled throughout the delivery time I was watching. If SQ at Changi can't ensure F bags be the last loaded into the container that should be first unloaded at destination, then I think it'll never happen.

Now, @Cruiser Elite and I may have a ding-dong barney nuanced discussion about this at the OT sometime, but I much prefer the new A380 suites product to the B777 F product. The suites do have some deficiencies, as I've noted elsewhere - missing porthole is in wrong place (missing at chair, not bed); lack of personal air vents; heavy 'tablet' controller; deploying the table means upsetting items on the shelf next to the chair ; bed could be wider, given the way its stored. But it has private space - lots of space and a long, flat bed. And in row 2, as I chose both times, you are insulated from galley toilet/traffic noise.

If I get to fly SQ F again, I'd be OK with the B777 on a day flight Australia-Singapore, but never on a night flight, or a longer day flight.