We checked out of the Airbnb at 10.00. Paul and Jamie weren’t flying home until later so they headed off to do some more sightseeing. My flight was much earlier so I went straight to the airport, Linate. This airport is much closer to Milan than either Malpensa or Bergamo (which in any case would be full of sad Chelsea supporters today) and you can get there very easily on the metro
Although I was checked in I needed to collect my boarding cards at the airport. So that was the first job.
Everything went well and I was through security very quickly. Time for a last pizza and a glass of red wine before the flight. There was more of the artwork I’d seen at Malpensa Airport when I arrived.
It turns out that Italy are hosting the Winter Olympic Games in 2026 with Milan and Cortina being their main centres.
I was flying KLM. The flight was busy but I was tired and dozed on and off throughout the journey. I did feel a bit sorry for the young lady sitting next to me who had to cope with my intermittent snoring and occasional slip into her personal space, not to mention possible drooling!
I had to change at Schipol and then fly to Manchester. Although the flight from Milan landed a few minutes late I thought there was plenty of time for me to get to the gate to board my next flight but Schipol airport is huge so I only got there with a few minutes to spare.
As I was arriving back in Manchester about 16.30 I decided to get the train home rather than subject Denis to the horrors of Manchester and the M62 in the rush hour. We actually landed a few minutes early and although I was tired I was quite pleased with the overall journey.
But once back in the UK things deteriorated! First we had a delay getting off the plane as (apparently) all the heavy people were sat at the back and as people disembarked from the front there was the grave danger that the plane would tip up backwards.
Like this …
So there was a delay partway through disembarkation while they redistributed the weight – moved some of the fat people forward I suppose.
Then everyone was interrogated by Border Force Special Police as we exited the walkway from the plane. Where had we been? Where before that? Why? Etc. I don’t know whether they’d had some sort of tip off about drugs given the flight came from Amsterdam. Or possibly they were simply all Man Utd fans who wanted to give the returning Liverpool fans some hassle. There were a lot of fans who had made the same journey as me (which may explain the weight problems 😂)
And there was still passport control to negotiate.
Denis had worked out possible trains for me but of course the one I wanted – which I had made a big effort to catch despite the delays on the plane – was cancelled so I had to wait half an hour for the next one.
But eventually I got home. It’s been a great trip and nice to come back with 3 points. I’m fairly confident we will progress though now.
Next up is Marseille away which will also include a short stay with friends who live near Nice.
But that’s for January …
Pearl Blog 3 