It is no secret that we here at Flying Fluskey LOVE dim sum. It’s why we try to stopover in Hong Kong when we go east. Actually, we’ve written a post about the 7 Top Dim Sum Spots in Hong Kong. Imagine my delight when I found a place to learn the art of Chinese dim sum in my home town. For years I never quite got around to booking a spot on one of their courses, until now! I jumped for joy (no, really, I did) when I booked a lesson making dim sum at School of Wok!
When you are browsing through Kayak.com and you stumble across a one way fare to the Maldives for £192, you book it! Right? Well we did, and so found ourselves with a two leg journey to Male via Zürich. This is the review of SWISS Bombardier Economy LHR – ZRH, the first flight of the day.
Ahead of time, we downloaded the SWISS app. Here we submitted our advanced passenger information about a week before the flight and set it to issue our boarding cards automatically. This meant no early rising to complete online check in. That is one big win for SWISS, it was very easy to go back into the app and change our seats (got to have that view out of the window).
Airport Experience
London’s Heathrow Terminal 2 plays host to the airlines in the Star Alliance group, of which SWISS is a part. We were directed to a bag drop area in Zone B. Here there are bag drop machines where you can print your own bag tags. This was our first time doing this; but it was very easy. We scanned our mobile boarding passes and it gave us loads of options for seat changes, bag tags etc, etc.
Bags tagged, we proceeded to the queue. Despite there being just one person in front of us, we were whisked over to the first class check in desk. This was great and had us on our way in two minutes flat.
Boarding was very smooth, but the airline was making constant announcements encouraging passengers to check in their small hand luggage suitcases due to the full flight. This may just be the curse of the hand luggage travel revolution, overhead bins just aren’t designed to fit all our larger pieces of hand luggage.
Interior
The Bombardier C Series CS100 was designed by…Bombardier and had 2 years in service before being renamed the Airbus A220-100. The decor was white & black with silver highlights. It seemed very modern and clean. I especially liked the silver seat trims which gave it a touch of 1950s/Americana vibe.
The lighting was plain white which I always find a little unimaginative.
The windows were quite large, with smooth moving window blinds that tucked all the way up, giving a fabulous view.
The Airbus A220-100 or Bombardier C Series CS100 is quite a small aircraft, smaller than the Boeing 737s we are used to for European hops. Seating comes in a 2 – 3 configuration, which always leaves me feeling a little lopsided. It is nice that you can have your own space though if you are a couple travelling on a busy flight.
The leatherette seats seemed quite thinly covered. I guess you could say that they weren’t very plush. They only had a small recline function. Add to this the very thin arm rests and I think I would be pretty uncomfortable for any more than about three hours.
The head rest was just a small pad with a leather Swiss cover. There was no support there.
Leg room was about 30 inches, pretty standard for an economy cabin.
My seatThat is going to be a real elbow scuffle if you both want some arm restThe leg room
The seat back pockets were split into three sections. The top is a plastic slot for your reading material. If you put anything small in this section, it would drop out the bottom when the tray was opened. Below the tray were two small pockets, perfect for your phone and other things that I would inevitably forget.
Entertainment
Honestly, this was not up to scratch for a full service airline. There were no seatback screens, just tiny overhead ones. This isn’t just annoying for entertainment purposes. I (as a visually impaired girl) couldn’t see the safety video whatsoever.
The inflight magazine was pretty standard fare. Lots of adverts, long articles about destinations they serve and snappy little listicles. However, being very tired and in need of completely passive entertainment, I was bored by this extremely quickly.
Amenities
There was no amenity kits provided on this flight. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting one at all for such a short haul trip. There was no pillow or blanket, and it was quite a chilly flight. If, like me, you get chilly at altitude, bring your own cover.
Neither Mr Fluskey or I made it to the bathroom on this flight so we can’t show you the facilities unfortunately. Although the two different cabins were marked by no more than a curtain, we were reminded that Economy guests should use the toilets in the back of aircraft, just in case we got any ideas above our station.
Food
Now, we got about four hours sleep before this flight. A taxi pulled up at 05:40 and we piled in, eyes still full of sleep. Our breakfast of eggs royale and Buck’s Fizz from Heston’s Heathrow offering, The Perfectionist’s Café was joyfully delicious. It is with all this in mind, that I describe just how hard it was to stay awake. With head drooping I willed the cart to reach me back at row 24. I tried so gamely to stay awake so I could review the food for you and JUST managed it.
First we were given a croissant. This wasn’t crispy on the outside, but if I were the cleaner, I would love that the floor wasn’t covered in shards of pastry after every flight. The inside was quite nice and soft. The whole thing tasted quite salty, a bit like a soft pretzel. After that, we were offered a choice of water or Coca-Cola, and a little Swiss chocolate.
Honestly, I think we were expecting something a little better. We hope you found our review of SWISS Bombardier Economy useful. The Airbus A220-100 plane was clean and neat, the staff attentive enough, and there was nothing unclear, or tricky about the flight. However, it seemed a little dull….or clinical, and the lack of entertainment was a bit disappointing. I would fly with SWISS again, but they really wouldn’t be my first choice. We paid very little for our ticket, but you can pay in excess of £400 return just between London and Switzerland. For that, you could book a seat on EasyJet, pack heavier hand luggage and have plenty of change in your pocket for a hotel, a bus to Luton and an overpriced drink onboard.
Mother’s Day quietly snuck up on us this year. One minute it was February and suddenly, March was upon us in a surprising hurry. It was time to put special mummy plans in place and so I booked a table for the Mum and I at Cahoots’ Squiffy Picnic. (She is one of the only people I’ve ever met that actually says “squiffy” when she means “drunk”!)
What Ho Scoundrels!
What is Cahoots?
Tucked away near London’s Carnaby Street, you could easily pass this bar by. It is underground; in fact, it’s whole theme is underground.
Cahoots is a bar that is entirely themed as a 1940s London Underground spot. Vintage posters, slang and props abound. I’m not sure how they manage it, but it’s not cheesy. I wouldn’t say it was classy either, maybe tongue in cheek.
Let’s go underground!
Myself and a close friend visited in summer 2017 and we had such a lovely time, that I knew I’d be back. The first time, we had just enjoyed a few cocktails, but this time I was booked in for a Squiffy Picnic!
What is Cahoots Squiffy Picnic?
Part afternoon tea, part picnic, part show and part piss up, the Squiffy Picnic is just a good excuse to blow off your Saturday evening plans in favour of a great day out. Cahoots does this every Saturday afternoon, which is probably why it’s taken me so long to go (shift work…)
Do you know someone who loves getting squiffy? Then do share this with them!
Our Arrival
Our table was booked for 13:00 and so we arrived at about 12:50. The doors weren’t due to open for ten minutes so we didn’t mind waiting outside. They were a little delayed in opening the doors but ushered us in quickly.
Down the stairs and back in time
They took our coats in the free cloak room. You’ll want to do this, as it is plenty warm enough inside and there isn’t much space for your stuff.
Here we are on the Bakerloo linePicnic ReadyThe fully stocked barThe main roomThe best bit area for large groups
Our waiter showed us into “The Carriage”. This is my favourite spot in the bar as you get to sit on old tube seats and who wouldn’t want to be in the train at an underground themed bar. (For Squiffy Picnic there was one downside to this, but more on that later).
The carriage
Drinks – The Squiffy
Round One
We were presented with a welcome drink. It was sweet and perfectly agreeable, I guess they have to make sure everyone likes it. It came in vintage tins which made us smile.
Yum! (And you can almost see my victory rolls)
We perused the Squiffy Picnic menu. It gave us three cocktail options to pick from for the rest of the meal. Two gin-based options and one vodka-based. I thought it meant one more drink of the same size, but happily, we got two enamel camping mugs and the cocktails came in a milk bottle.
Oooops, I forgot to take a picture earlier.
Round Two
We split the two gin cocktails and they were both very quaff-able. The three drinks combined left me a very happy tipsy. Just tipsy enough to order one more drink for Mum and I from the full cocktail list, which looks just like a newspaper.
This picture is a little blurry….but then we were squiffy! This is a Keep Maam and Carry On and a Brief Gin-counter.
There were also two other drink add-on options. The first was to make the cocktails bottomless. This will cost you an extra £20 per person. If you are planning to do this, tell the waiter straight away as you only get it for 1 hr 50 mins and you want to make sure you get your full time before you have to give up the table.
The other was to get a bottle of champers for £40. As there was only two of us, we thought this was an expense we didn’t need, but between four, it would be a nice addition.
On arrival we saw our little picnic hamper. Inside sat three paper bags. One was full of crisps and bread sticks, the other two had a sandwich each. Now, this isn’t afternoon tea so they aren’t dainty, crustless cucumber things; these are proper sandwiches!
Recognise those Bakerloo line seats?
I had told them ahead of time that my Mum is pescatarian (she doesn’t eat meat, but does eat fish). We both had one half tomato and mozzarella, and the other half smoked salmon and cream cheese. I’m not sure the ingredients were very time period appropriate. I think we ate a week’s family ration of cheese each and the soft, white bread would have been a total luxury after a couple of years of National Loaf.
We also had a little potato salad (shame we both hate it) and a pot of green pesto (which we both love).
Picnic perfection
Round Two
The pie round was brought in an army mess tin which was very cute. We smelled meat and could see that one of them was full of mince. Uh oh! A mummy who doesn’t eat meat. That was a bit of a fail, I took the tin back to one of the waiters and they nipped off to find us the vegetarian option (thank goodness one was an open pie).
He returned with a spinach slice, a sweet potato feta and spinach pie and falafels. Well, they said falafels but they were more like deep-fried veggie balls. They were sweet with peas and full of potato. They were all tasty, but two spinach options was a little uninspired.
Meaty PiesVeggie Pies
Round Three
The desserts came a long time after the pies, once the picnic was officially over actually. I think they forgot about us (but by this time we were on drink number four so I didn’t mind too much).
For dessert we were given a little flapjack, some grapes and a mallow cake. My mum was very unimpressed with the mallow cake, she has disliked them since the age of ten. She has no sweet tooth whatsoever. I ate mine but couldn’t quite get through my flapjack. I was stuffed by this point!
The Show
Have you met Lois!? Once you have, you won’t forget her! Part of the Squiffy Picnic is the one woman show performed so excellently by Lois, who has flown all the way from 1942 New York. It is so much fun. We even did the conga line to the Chattanooga Choo Choo. I never thought I would admit to that….maybe I am still squiffy!?
The Stage
Audience participation is encouraged, and the boys got particular attention. I think New York’s Lois likes a British boy! She did two short sets, singing some old school tunes, and a couple that were jazzed up, much in the way of Postmodern Jukebox. Everyone was laughing, singing along and enjoying the show.
Revellers swaying along
Remember that I realised there was a downside to sitting in the carriage? Well, it was difficult to see what was happening in much of the show. She did come around all the tables but the majority of the show took place in the main room. It is probably worth asking for a table in front of the stage if you want to see the whole thing.
Was it Worth it?
This is not a cheap afternoon. The normal picnic will set you back £46 a head and with a few extra drinks, you are looking at £65/70 including service charge. However, this isn’t your average Saturday afternoon. It is a truly special treat that, realistically, you will only do once. If that is the case, then yes, I think it’s worth it. (Plus, if you are all paying for yourselves, it doesn’t feel quite so painful).
I loved that despite the price tag, it didn’t feel stuffy. I’ve had a few afternoon teas in silent dining rooms, they can be kind of awkward! Here there are classic songs playing and the whole idea is to get squiffy!
We had such a wonderful time at Squiffy Picnic, I would recommend it whole-heartedly! I can only hope that my mum loved it as much as I did.
I am definitely going to return to Cahoots, but for a different event, or just for cocktails. It just wouldn’t be the same twice. (Plus, I should really take Mr Fluskey at some point, instead of leaving him at home every time). Maybe we’ll see you there!?
In London, you wouldn’t expect to find somewhere bursting at full bloom in mid-February, winter still has a hold on the trees and gardens. However, at this time of year Kew Gardens plays host to its annual orchids festival to brighten up the dull days.
The Elizabeth Gate
My parents and I took a trip west to Kew Bridge to see it for ourselves.
A Little Disclaimer
I am not a gardener. In 31 years, I never managed to keep anything green alive. I don’t know my orchids from my orchards, and so this a review of the experience, not an in-depth horticultural breakdown of the exhibition.
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens used to be the private playground of the royal family, but in the 1840s it was officially transformed into a botanical garden. It has grown and grown, and now houses over 30,000 plants spread over 300 acres of lawns, greenhouses, follys and flower beds. Visiting today, you will find a Chinese pagoda from the 1700s, Victorian glass houses from the 1800s, and incredible modern art from 2000s.
Even in winter, the trees are interesting to look at.
Admission
Kew Gardens can be reached easily by train. The overground stops at Kew Bridge. Alternatively, the district line on London Underground stops at Kew Gardens.
The good news is that the orchid festival is included in the price of your entrance ticket. It is cheaper to book tickets in advance from the website. The ticket prices can be found here, but the most you will be paying is £18.75 for an adult ticket on the gate. Being partially sighted, my mum and I get in for free with a carer each.
The Orchid Festival
Entering the Princess of Wales Conservatory, it is not immediately obvious where the orchids are. Push on and find the main hall. As you pass through the doors, you will feel a whoosh of warm, humid air and suddenly you will see the delicate pops of colour filling the room.
This year’s festival is all about Thailand. Not only will you see the orchids that originate from this area of South-East Asia, but learn about the culture, food and people of “The Land of Smiles”.
This may seem like an odd thing to pick for an “oh so British” institution, but Thailand is home to over 1000 varieties of orchid! Plus, King of Thailand’s sister is incredibly interested in the science and beauty of horticulture. She has worked closely with Kew Gardens, swapping samples and research.
The Pagoda
The main attraction of the hall is a Thai pagoda, based on the Bang Pa-In Palace, that sits in a large pond. In this pond you will also find some very large fish. Now, I don’t know if they were eating one another but every time we spotted the next fish, it was bigger than the one before!
The pagoda is stuffed full of flowers and glorious riot of colours. Being visually impaired, I’d have liked to get closer and wasfeeling a little saddened but quickly realised that there were other things to stick my face in.
The Arches and The Orchids
Over the paths that wind through the glasshouse are arches of greenery, studded with orchids. Here you can up close and personal with the flowers. They really made me want to get married again, but on a Thai beach, surrounded by one of these arches.
Each one had a different selection of orchids and so I enjoyed discovering all of them. They are such stunning flowers that we spent almost two hours in there. As I said, I don’t know enough about these gorgeous species so I have just put some snaps together in a gallery. There are a few but I think they are really worth scrolling through. (See if you can find the teeny tiny pineapples).
Look at the tiny pineapples!
Amazingly, most of these orchids don’t need the soil to thrive. You can just tie them to a tree and they will attach themselves, growing without damaging the trees or leeching off them.
The Rice Paddy
The clever people at Kew has constructed real rice paddies. Yes, they are actually growing rice! In between the flooded areas, small orchids bloom. Standing over them is a huge water buffalo, ridden by a moss man.
Next to this is a Thai market cart, and here is where I found the plant that most astounded me. I was convinced they were fake but these amazing plaited leaves are 100% real.
The Carnivorous Beasts
Did you know that despite their reputation as beautiful, delicate flowers, some have quite the appetite. You will find several varieties that are commonly called bucket orchids and they like to chow down on insects.
These plants are known as “pitcher orchids” due to the jug shaped bells hanging from them. They tempt silly insects into these pitchers with delicious nectar and, once trapped, the bugs can be digested.
Look at that face!
And The Rest
Of course there are still plenty of other plants to look at too. The Princess of Wales conservatory offers up a huge collection. My mum knows her botany and she was having a whale of a time looking at all these leafy beauties.
It’s the mummy and step-daddy.
Down below the pagoda, you will find a little underwater world. A series of fish tanks take you through aquatic plants over time. There are also some gorgeous little fish to gaze at. Just check out this dressed up chicky. I wish I could show you the glisten on those scales.
Other Attractions
Now that you’ve paid for your ticket, it is time to have a look around the gardens.
The Hive – Cold
The Hive opened at Kew in 2016. The metal structure comes into view on your left as you walk south along the Great Broad Walk. It looks a little out of place, like a strange alien colony. It is actually an immersive piece of art all about the importance of bees as pollinators. You can stand inside it and enjoy the flickering lights and sounds that surround you.
It is actually connected to a bee hive at Kew and the activity of the bees is what changes the experience. It is really amazing.
Underneath you will find four posts. You can pick up a wooden stick and it will teach you a way to feel the bees inside your head. They were out of sticks when we visited but my mum had her wooden coffee stirrer so we used that, and it worked really well.
Photography Exhibition – Warm
Inside the Nash Conservatory, very close to the Elizabeth gate is the International Garden Photographer of the Year exhibition. It was a lovely way to warm up our frost-bitten fingers. The photos were interesting, not just for their subjects, but also for the ways they had been edited. I assumed that you weren’t allowed but each one had a description of how it had been done.
I won’t show you the winning picture. You must go and see it for yourself! Plus, there are a couple of stones in there that have a very silly and brilliant back story.
Treetop Walkway – Cold
This is always a fun activity, but at this time of year, you better make sure to wrap up warm as the wind can be a little bracing. This will take you 18 metres into the air, through the trees. Don’t worry if you can’t do stairs, there is a lift.
Palm House – Warm
This is a serious piece of Victorian architecture. Well, only the engineering is serious, the decoration is quite frivolous, and in fact, I think it is twiddles and frills that make it one of my favourite spots in London.
The Palm House is full to the brim with palm trees and other tropical delights from all over the world, divided into geographical areas. You will see rare plants in here, some are so rare, that they are only found in this glasshouse.
You can take the stairs up (there is a one way system so check the signs) and walk around the edge of the ceiling. This takes you up close to the largest palms, and gives you a great overview of the canopy. You will get a nice view over the gardens too.
Top Tip – The heating pipes up here are simply delicious for your cold hands.
Eating and Drinking – Warm
This is the Orangery. Despite it’s lofty origins as a place for afternoon tea, it is now a reasonably priced cafe. We didn’t eat here as we were off for some cider elsewhere, but it smelled great. We used the bathrooms in here, and warmed our cockles.
Around the world, every year, there are cities that erupt in a riot of rainbows and glitter as their LGBTQ communities take to the streets for pride. Some call it a march, some a parade, but however you describe it, it is a wave of people celebrating something they believe in; the right to love.
A Bit About Me and Pride
I grew up in Brighton, England’s “gay capital” where being out and proud is really very normal. I am straight, and have been to Pride for years and, covered in rainbows and glitter myself, I have always had a ball! It’s inclusive, usually sunny enough to get a tiny bit burnt, and the atmosphere is one of joyful excitement.
Waiting at our “usual spot” for the parade to reach us
On a serious note, Pride is something that we probably take for granted here in the UK. It is fifty years this year since being homosexuality was decriminalised and we have come on leaps and bounds. There are a huge number of countries where it is still frowned upon, some where it is still illegal and even some where you can be put to death for your feelings. That is why I think it so important to express how proud I am to live in a country where you can love whomever you choose.
2017
This year, I was lucky enough to be chosen by my company Virgin Atlantic, to walk with them in both London’s and Brighton’s Pride parades.
Now as a statement, I couldn’t agree more but as a theme….this is one of those wishy washy, all-inclusive themes that has been the scourge of the Pride world for the last few years. Worried that LGBTQ wasn’t inclusive enough, themes have become increasingly more like mission statements. We have always enjoyed dressing up with the theme (musical theatre was a particular favourite of mine, I went dressed as Judy Garland and my male companions were all “friends of Dorothy”).
However, with such a vague theme, nobody knows what to wear!!
Interestingly, this year, major brands got in on the action in more than the parade. Clothing shop New Look for example brought out a range of slogan t-shirts (I kissed a girl and I liked it, I am a unicorn etc etc) to cash in on the Pride vibe in London. We saw quite a few of these en route.
Our preparation
Arriving at our base camp, a Starbucks near Euston, I started looking around for any familiar faces. I signed in and they handed me my “Pride in Flight” t-shirt. It was white, which was a bit disappointing really. I was hoping for a punchier colour. It was time to take matters in my own hands. Just then, my friends from work arrived.
Many years before I had purchased a rainbow face paint crayon. You swipe it once and all the seven rainbow colours are applied at once. I got my friend to draw a stripe up each of my legs. Tada! Home made rainbow stockings.
As you can see, they had faded a bit by the end of the parade…too much dancing!
We scoffed the provided breakfast to prepare for the long walk ahead whilst adding war paint to everyone’s faces. The contour look got a rebrand for the day.
I lamented my forgetful nature, I had completely neglected my massive glitter pot. It was lying sad and lonely at home with no sunshine to make it sparkle.
The Float
Instead of a float, in the traditional sense, we had a customised jeep with a DJ booth on the back. It was pumping out music towards the crowd and loud enough to be heard for quite a distance.
In front of the car, seven people danced with peacock tails made of balloons. Each was a different colour of the rainbow. I helped carry these along, and they made a rather lovely feather boa.
The rest of us walked behind a big, white banner and gave out “pride in flight” luggage tags. Most people ran out within the first 20 minutes but I rationed mine hard! You had to earn it by singing along with me and giving it some welly.
The Route
We set off from Regents Park and made our way incredibly slowly down past the BBC’s Recording House. There was a bit of delay further up in the parade and so a lot of energy was expended on the first fifth of the route . We danced the entire time! The parade then travelled South through Oxford Circus and down Regent Street.
Next we partied around Piccadilly Circus, down towards St James Park and along the finishing stretch to Trafalgar Square. After the initial hold up, the parade moved quite slowly but it we eventually made it to our destination about three hours later than planned.
The Parade
I was quite surprised at how many massive companies were involved in the London parade. Huge international brands like YouTube were there along with Tesco and even a cheeky Nando’s. I think I was used to a more local vibe. There seemed to be lots of double decker buses with people on, rather than more traditional floats. I think it is probably more about presence than “a parade”.
The Best Bit
Our music was fantastic. As we walked, we weren’t allowed past our sign (a rule which I kept getting distracted and forgetting about). Most of the route was fenced in by traffic barriers or temporary metal fences. This meant there was no spontaneous dance parties to be had, instead, I just tried to get the crowd to sing along. We became a walking karaoke-mobile which was great fun.
I met some really great people who work elsewhere in the business, and who I might never have had the chance to meet. Dancing with the guy above, who had flown over from the USA was awesome!
Read all our favourite things to see and do in Loving London
Brighton and Hove Pride 2017
“Summer of Love”
In 1967, the world fell under the spell of the summer of love. Hippies distributed flowers, the contraceptive pill increased choice for women, leading to sexual revolution and homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK.
Waking up far too early, I wandered down from my Mum’s house, to the Kings Lawns in Hove. This is right next to the beach and it was a wonderful sunny day that greeted me. This time I had volunteered to wear my uniform so I didn’t get one of the T-shirts. It turned out that a few other people who were a few uniform wearers that hadn’t turned up and so there was just myself and one other girl in the bright red bright suits.
Before leaving the house I had applied my Pride flag with that trusty old crayon and whacked on some glitter. However, there were two make up artists there and so I got a glitter upgrade.
We blew up loads of beach balls to throw out to the crowd and the group was split into two unequal groups. Most people were up on the float, and the rest of us were to pound the streets. There were a few people in t-shirts, everyone in uniform and a small group of models in swimwear and bedecked in a tonne of glitter.
Our FloatSlightl overexcited at the seasideThe Pride flag was delivered by skydivers!Our balls
We consumed lots of liquid (no dehydration on the route please) and then had to run to the toilet across the road in The Brunswick pub. It’s a very friendly pub with a performance space attached that houses the “Brighton Beach Boys”, a fun cover band.
The Float
Pulled on a huge truck, we had a mock-up of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. This was all to do with the competition we were running, and mixed with the huge part San Francisco has played in the lovers of both the hippy and gay populations in the USA. On here our colleagues danced and waved, throwing our beach balls to the crowd.
On the ground we were giving out sunglasses, stickers and helping with the beach balls. We had two large instagram frames for people to jump into. I carried one of these for at least half of the parade and I really enjoyed dancing with it despite it being quite heavy. Oh how my sore my arms were the next day!! We were encouraging people into it for photos and it was great to have an easy way to interact with the crowds. We danced with them, sang with them, snapped photos for them and I got a good few high fives (as well as the odd kiss).
The Route
Starting in Hove, we walked East towards Brighton. We paraded past the remains of the West Pier and the shiny new Brighton i360. At the bottom of West Street we turned North up to the clock tower and then turned again down North Street. At the Old Steine we turned once more making a new line for Preston Park, the end point of the parade
The Parade
Brighton and Hove Pride is a much more local affair. Local businesses and support services all parade. The emergency services, as well as the local military are all represented. Everyone’s favourite bit is when the firemen get out their hoses….no pun intended. You also see alot more people who just dress up and join in.
Oh Hans, I do love you!
Floats are big, loud and very brightly coloured. One of my favourite floats has to be the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, who always put on a real show on the way round.
The Best Bit
I am biased. I know I biased, but being by the seaside, in the sun in a city full of love was brilliant. The parade is a real family affair so everyone can enjoy the day.
Afterwards, there are a few choices. You can get a ticket to go to Preston Park. They have rides, stages and tents. You can go down to the beach and hang out in the sun with an icecream. You can go to the “village”. Brighton’s Kemp Town is ticketed and contains most of the city’s best gay bars. Basically, the whole place is partying and you get to choose the way you want to.
Thinking of Visiting a Pride Parade?
Book in advance – Hotel prices can skyrocket over Pride weekend. My advice is to book early, and don’t forget to check sites like Airbnb. People might rent their spare rooms out for these special occasions and may not have the same minimum nights stay or price tag as normal hotels.
Prepare for the weather – It may rain, it may shine, it may hail…it may do all three! Bring sun cream, an umbrella and an extra layer.
Love is love – People are expressing their sexuality and that is great.
Wear comfortable shoes – These days are long and unless you can pound it out in ten inch platforms like the drag queens in the parade, stick to nice comfy flats.
Parading is exceptionally fun. A wave of adrenaline sweeps you down the street but be warned, when you reach the end of the route, you will CRASH! In London I spent the rest of the day trying to fall asleep on my feet and in Brighton, walking 23,000 steps in my work high heels suddenly crippled me when we reached the park!
If you are just coming to watch, have a brilliant time. Support Pride and enjoy every second of the day!
(Thanks to Jacqui, Karl and Naomi for your wonderful photos)
Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class cabin is their top most cabin offering. It is listed as the Virgin Atlantic business class cabin and so lies somewhere between British Airways Club World and First Class (just as a comparison). We are very excited to share our experience of flying Upper Class from London to Hong Kong.
When I say to people that I am taking a flight with easyJet, there are two very distinct reactions.
Reaction 1 – Nose wrinkles as if a bad smell has entered the room, “Oh, sleazyjet!”
Reaction 2 – Slight surprise followed by a genuine smile, “Oh OK”.
It seems that easyJet has its fans and it’s detractors and ne’er the two shall meet.
easyJet
In 2006 a seemingly eccentric, Greek Cypriot businessman named Stelios Haji-Ioannou (or just Stelios in his adverts) set up a low cost carrier that was very orange. It originally flew between London Luton and Scotland before expanding all over Europe. It now flies to over 30 countries, as far away as Israel. London Luton, a small airport north of London, is its hub.
So Why easyJet?
There are several very happy days in my year, that I like to call “easyJet Thursdays”! This is when easyJet open booking for the next alloted time period. Its like when a designer reveals their new collection (spring/summer 2018 for example). This always happens, as the name would suggest, on a Thursday and it’s on this day that bargains are to be had.
As well as flying to the location I wanted, I also think that they do a slightly better job than their nearest competitors. Ryanair is fine but can be quite stressful to pack for (their hand luggage isn’t very generous). You can also get a good deal on British Airways European routes but they have stopped providing food and drink, and it’s a whopping €22 to pick your seat, even at check in.
Sitting on a runway, on an entirely different flight, I decided to get us a flight. I booked a one way ticket from Split, Croatia for the pleasingly low price of £35. We had time off in June and I knew I wanted to visit the Balkans. We didn’t know the time span of the holiday yet so the one way seemed like a good plan.
I have the easyJet mobile app and it is surprisingly great. It’s very easy to book with, boasting a simple design and I find it very intuitive. You can also manage your booking and get a mobile boarding pass.
Fast forward to early May and we realised we really needed to book our flight out to the Balkans. We decided to fly to Dubrovnik and started to search flight prices. EasyJet came up with a price around £70. Cheap as that was, we decided to make it even cheaper. We used our Sainsbury’s Nectar points and it made the flight completely free. That’s ten years of brand loyalty which has finally paid off!
What Next?
Our trip was a two week jaunt and so I decided to treat us to an extra carry on bag each. This allows you one regular hand luggage bag (56x45x25cm at any weight) and then one personal item to go under the seat in front (45x36x20cm). It also comes with a seat in the first few rows of the plane (which you can pick in advance) and Speedy Boarding. This means you can board first. We are SO fancy!
Again, I used the easyJet app to check in and it was fast and easy.
The Airport Experience
We were flying from London Stansted Airport, in which Easyjet only has a small presence. Stansted is the hub for their main rival, Ryanair. The check in area (which we didn’t actually use) was small, cramped even but the hand luggage cages gave us a chance to test our backpacks and make sure we wouldn’t have a problem at the gate. The good thing about the Easyjet colours of orange and white, is that you can spot them a mile off against a sea of red and blue airlines.
The gate was set up with two queues, one for Speedy Boarding, the other for the remaining passengers. We were at the head of the Speedy Boarding queue and so were the first to be scanned through. They took a quick look at our bags surreptitiously but we weren’t asked to place them in the cage. (We have noticed that budget airlines are much hotter on this on flights back to the UK so watch your souvenir shopping!)
Although there are jet bridges, we took an escalator and some stairs down to the ramp level and walked across the tarmac to the boarding stairs. This doesn’t seem so bad on a nice summer’s day, and when you are first in the queue. However, it can be utterly miserable in winter, or in the rain, when you are stuck in a queue on the stairs.
The Interior
The inside of the plane looked a little worse for wear. Many of their planes must be 15 or so years old and these small Airbuses work extremely hard. The lining on the back of the seat in front was coming away.
The plastic elements of the plane are a standard light beige, unexciting but inoffensive. The pattern on the chairs is designed to hide a multitude of sins but is reminiscent of dodgy train seat covers. The headrests have adverts on which, if nothing else, give you something to read. There is a standard size tray table and a seatback pocket which has a duty free catalogue, the “Bistro” menu booklet and the laminated safety card.
The Seat
As with most budget airlines, leg room is something that is only available for the chosen few who pay to sit in seat 1ABC by the exit allowing them stretch out. Seat pitch is 29 inches. This doesn’t normally bother me being a stumpy 5ft tall, but I dropped my lip balm and couldn’t squeeze enough of myself between the seats to retrieve it (with a sleeping husband blocking me on one side and a window on the other). I had to interrupt the canoodling couple behind so that they could pick it up for me.
Mr Fluskey’s seat had a random seat cover on it which seemed more than a little suspicious to me. Was the need to operate a super-fast turnaround stopping the seat being cleaned properly?
Amenities
I have found the duty free on Easyjet to be surisingly good (I got a great deal on my wedding perfume on our little pre-moon trip to Copenhagen). On this flight they were offering an additional 20% off all items which made them 36% off the full high street price.
No food or drink items are provided in the price so you have two options:
1 – Buy your snacks on board at an inflated price. It is a bit more expensive but they do have quite a decent selection of hot and cold sandwiches (including a fancy new falafel wrap) as well as posh ramen noodles. They also have crisps and sweets, or the healthier fruits and nuts. Finally, there is good selection of soft drinks or alcohol. I was pleasantly surprised to see mini bottles of prosecco and cans of Rekorderlig cider as well the usual wine and beer offerings.
2 – The budget travellers friend; buy your snacks before you board. We favour a Boots meal deal.
No inflight hygiene kit is provided on easyJet, but none of their flights are too long so I’m sure you’ll cope. The bathroom on this aircraft is very tight and so changing or washing may be an impossibility without a yoga body anyway. There is soap and water but little else to mention in the toilet.
The Crew
The easyJet uniform has definitely been improved and so they are all very smartly turned out. They seemed very friendly, something that isn’t always true on low cost carriers. They even smiled when collecting everyone’s rubbish. A mum came to wait for the bathroom with her six month old baby and she got a really lovely fuss made of her. We had Maria Anna, Emma and Karen and the First Officer who was making announcements was called Alex.
The Journey
No bumps came along to disturb our flight so we ate in peace and slept a little. It was quite a cold plane and so I am glad I was still in my cold weather gear from the UK. I felt for the keen beans in their maxi dresses and man vests.
The views on the descent to Dubrovnik were glorious. We skirted the Dalmatian coast, the sea was deep blue and rocky cliffs looked startling and dramatic against it. Unfortunately, this was the point Mr Fluskey decided to get his nap in so he missed the whole thing. Pleasingly we landed ten minutes early.
Website – If you are using a laptop/PC the you’ll want to get into the website:
easyBus – Luton, Gatwick and Stansted airports (as well as a few European resorts) served by easyJet can be reached by Easybus. Tickets can be purchased for as little as £2 and they are a little flexible. You can use them on the buses and hour before and after your booked time slot subject to space. This means if your journey goes too well, or you are delayed you still have a chance to squeeze on. The website is here.
Luggage – If you intend to take any more than your one piece of hand luggage you have two options. Both of these I strongly advise you to do ahead of time.
1 – Extra Leg Room or Up Front seating. This costs a bit extra but allows you that extra handbag/laptop bag/personal item. If you choose to check this bag in (maybe you bought some fancy wine during your trip) I was sent an email which allowed me to book that for just £4 extra. You can also have this if you are a easyJet PLUS customer or have FLEXI fare.
2 – Hold Item. This is so much cheaper when booked in advance online. Easyjet offers a 20kg weight allowance with extra weight purchasable in 3kg units up 32kg.
Final Thoughts
I think that when you book a low cost flight, you need to know what you are getting (or aren’t) in advance. My motto is, it’s just a coach, but in the sky, and then I don’t expect any more. easyJet are a good option, not disguising their extra charges until the last second, and having a generous hand luggage allowance. They also win big brownie points for their brilliant mobile app. I will definitely fly them again (and not just because I need to get home).
Taking to the tracks is such a joy. I know that we are Flying Fluskeys, and flying also makes me a happy girl, but there is something special about a train journey. (I don’t mean my morning commute). People say romantic, honestly, I’m not sure I could call it that, but it is kinda special. Here are some of my absolute favourite train journeys.
Visiting our friend Phil had been a plan for quite some time, but we finally got our butts to Germany on Eurostar train. Flights were eye-wateringly expensive and so we decided to take a Eurostar adventure.
The plan : Eurostar from St Pancras International to Düsseldorf with changes in Brussels Midi and Cologne.
I think the lack of real cider options in most pubs leaves us fans a little embittered. Please don’t tell us you have Magners or berry Kopparberg. I blame my mum, she brought me up in a house with “real cider”. So where can you go for the best cider pubs in London, or at least a good glass of real cider in London?
Cider, cyder, scrumpy, appley nectar from the Gods. We love a ” proper” cider, when people tell us that their favourite cider is Rekorderlig a little voice inside our head chuckles and corrects them.
“That, my ill-informed drinking buddy, is a cider-based drink and is akin to telling me that Bacardi Breezer is your favourite rum”
Getting the Eurostar to Germany, what an exciting prospect! So much easier than going to the airport, we could take liquids and as we all know, I do love a train journey. You can read all about it here. We were booked on the 15:07 from London’s St Pancras International and I was really looking forward to a lovely relaxing afternoon. It was not be. Here follows another classic travel fail.
The London Underground is brilliant! OK, so it’s a little expensive, weekend engineering works are infuriating and I’m definitely biased. But trust me, it really is brilliant. This complete guide to the London Underground will help you overcome some of the trickier elements of travelling on the tube.
It is a complex world of unspoken rules, and if you break them, you’ll know about it. If it is your first visit to London, or you’ve been a few times and you want to feel like a local when using Transport for London, here is your complete London Underground guide to tube etiquette and more.
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