Island dreams a weekend away in the Isle of Man COMPLETED 7/15 - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
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PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
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That's our small airport for London, only two terminals, while Heathrow has five - now that's a big airport!
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You know I thought we were the only one's that while in security check some people just have no idea how to move through quickly. I did not think airports had the gates that you must walk to plane with no covers!!!
It's not usual for Gatwick, although it has happened a few times to us recently there.
Saturday 14 June part two: we have two cars reserved for you
We quickly found our seats on the plane, and settled down. Mark got chatting to the guy next to him, and honestly I dont think they stopped all flight. They got on like a house on fire, even though theyd only just met.
I got some photos from my seat
We figured the cabin crew had been to Southwest to take lessons in how to entertain the passengers, as the announcements were classic, except I dont think they were trying to be funny. It sounded like the guy said he was our cabin crew miniature and then he said the flight is supposed to be about an hour More entertainment was to come when one of the cabin crew very proudly announced that it was a full flight. Well, that would be fine, except we left with about 10 empty seats. Then she told someone that they couldnt move up five rows to the empty row because it would affect the weight distribution. By this point, our row was trying hard not to lose it, we were in hysterics. Now this was not a small plane, this was a full size, 30 rows with three seats either side, so honestly is one person moving five rows going to make the slightest difference?
Fortunately we were soon on the runway, and taking off, and we all just about managed to keep it together without falling into complete hysterics. There were some great views and, from here, you can see why its called a green and pleasant land
but it wasnt long before we were above the clouds. I read my Doctor Who Magazine, while Mark and his new friend took the Mickey out of me.
Finally, an hour or so later (well, it was supposed to be an hours flight! ), we were coming into land, and the Isle of Man was coming into view. It looked beautiful from up here
When we landed, we were a bit freaked out by the fact that there was a church right next to the airport, and I mean right next to it
You wouldnt want to have a wedding here, would you? I took some more photos as we taxied along
We were soon at the very small terminal, and I have to say I really prefer small airports. Theyre just so much easier to get through. Everywhere we walked, there were signs welcoming us, which was so nice to see.
Our little plane!
Then we were through and out into the front of the airport. As I say, I love small airports.
I loved seeing all the signs that we were in the Isle of Man .
The Avis counter was right there, so over we went to get our car, and when we got there, the woman greeted us with the immortal words ah yes, we have two cars reserved for you It turned out one was a manual, and one was an automatic, so we went for the automatic. I think what happened is that one was an Internet booking, as I tried to book online, but then it wouldnt accept my card details, so I ended up calling. I guess the Internet booking went through after all, as I remember there only being manuals available, because when I called, the guy told me I could have an automatic if I wanted, and I snapped his hand off with that offer.
Anyway, we only ended up with one car, and at a cheaper rate than the guy had quoted me on the phone. I had £120 ($200) for the price, but the woman did it for us for £90 ($150), including insurance excess waiver.
All set, we headed outside, and bizarre as this is going to sound, this reminded me of some of the airports in Hawaii .
We soon found our car, although literally it was right at the end of the parking lot.
They even have unique number plates here, although sadly our car didnt have one of these, so I had to photograph another rental car to get it:
I tried to phone my friend Carole, but my phone unhelpfully kept telling me it wasnt registered on a network. Umm, excuse me, you are still in the UK whats the problem? I have no idea what was going on, but this became a constant, so Im going to have to go back to where I got it from and ask what the problem is. Thankfully, Marks phone worked, so I was able to call her, and had to leave her a message, as I think she was out shopping.
The flight crew commentary does sound hilarious and the fact that they were clueless and people around you were cracking up makes it more so. I like small airports, too. Very welcoming.
The photos taking off were awesome. Looking down on the land below reminds me of puzzle pieces. I think I would like smaller airports too. New Orleans airport is pretty big.
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Saturday 14 June part three: the zoom on this camera is pretty good
We set off, having to back up for a very miserable van driver who entered the car park just as we were about to leave, and he wasnt backing down for anyone.
Finally, we were on the road, and heading past the airport, seeing lots of plants that looked very tropical, which was a very weird, considering this place is a good couple of hundred miles north of us
Literally less than five minutes later, we were entering Castletown, our first destination for the day, and very quickly, we found a gas station, as we were told the car was almost empty, and to bring it back empty. Ok, not what were used to, but fair enough
Mark put in what he thought was reasonable for the next day or so, and then we headed off again, into Castletown itself, which was beautiful
Our first sighting of Castle Rushen that wed be visiting And a bit closer to it
Wed been told that they use disc parking here when we picked the car up, and sure enough, it was everywhere. We had a disc in the car, and basically you set it to the hour and minute you arrive, then its good for a couple of hours. Its a system that I personally think is highly based on trust. Of course, if you set the wrong time, and a traffic warden comes by, you will get caught, but I was just surprised that its down to you to sort it out
We parked up right by the waterfront, and got out to get some photos.
Mark spotted this guy, so I tested how good the 50x zoom was on this camera. The answer, I think, was pretty darned good actually
Mark noticed that the pedestrian bridge was being opened to let a boat out, so we got some photos of that
I was fascinated by how the cloud was just hanging
then we wandered back that way
and by the time we got there, a boat was coming through the other way, so we watched the whole process close-up this time.
This is such an inviting little town, just beautiful. I am amazed how low the clouds are setting. I'm thinking the residents here love being on the water!!
This is such an inviting little town, just beautiful. I am amazed how low the clouds are setting. I'm thinking the residents here love being on the water!!
You'll have lots of cloud photos to come, as I was just fascinated by the patterns they made. I'm sure if you live on a small island, liking the water is probably part of your day to day life...
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I did not think airports had the gates that you must walk to plane with no covers!!!
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and then he said the flight is supposed to be about an hour 
Then she told someone that they couldnt move up five rows to the empty row because it would affect the weight distribution. 
By this point, our row was trying hard not to lose it, we were in hysterics. Now this was not a small plane, this was a full size, 30 rows with three seats either side, so honestly is one person moving five rows going to make the slightest difference? 
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