As a special treat, we took a Christmas trip to visit family, as so much has changed in the two years since our last visit.
Time was limited and we had quite a bit of travel to do whilst in the UK, all by public transport. Undaunted, we set off.
Because our flight was early on Christmas Eve, we decided that it would be better to stay in a hotel near the airport at Porto so we drove there on the day before. The secure car parking was just a few minutes walk from the airport and the hotel a further 10 minutes, all pretty convenient.
Having checked into the hotel we walked out to find a local restaurant to have a meal. The place almost next door to the hotel was not quite open and looked a little uninviting so we walked further. After a while, we encountered 'O Convite' (The invite), the posted menu was varied and not very expensive so we went in. The inside was warm and friendly, the waiter was very helpful and was happy to speak Portuguese with us. Janet ordered the cooked chicken - which turned out to be a whole chicken! My choice was the Francesinha (½ dose) - which was larger than the normal full size offering in many places. With the addition of chips (and rice for Janet), we had a huge meal. Highly recommended if you find yourself near Porto airport in need of a feed.
Our flight was to be at 08:15 in the morning and after an early breakfast, we were at the airport about 07:00, dropped our cases at the desk, and then passed through security with no problems at all. This meant we had a lengthy wait for the boarding but it was not significantly delayed. Due to the time constraints of our trip, we had to take Ryanair for the outbound flight which was a small worry but it all seemed to go well on this occasion.
We arrived at a rainy Manchester airport (no surprise) and went directly to the train station, bought tickets then boarded the waiting train to go to Manchester city. There was a delay with the train which meant that more and more people got on board until it was pretty much packed when it finally departed. We had to change at Piccadilly for the train to Macclesfield and arrived safely at the Travelodge, knowing that we would be able to join the Christmas dinner the next day.
We took a walk around the town centre, looking at the empty shops and sparse Christmas decorations in the streets - quite depressing. Based upon the next day being Christmas Day, we bought a few provisions to keep starvation at bay and went to the hotel to rest.
We had pre-booked an evening meal at Chilli Banana Thai restaurant which is just a few minutes walk from the hotel. Although the meal was excellent, we found the cost to be shocking. Although the food prices were quite high, £4.80 for a pint of beer and £3.95 for a bottle of alcohol-free lager - with a further 10% service charge is an insult. For the same cost, we would each have had a three-course lunch, including drinks, for 3 days at our local restaurant/bar. But it was a special trip.
Christmas morning was most unusual, waking up in the hotel room with no tree, no decorations, no cooked breakfast, and no pressies. A breakfast box of fruit juice, cardboard cornflakes, a flapjack bar, and pain au chocolat was provided by the hotel (at a cost), but it was better than nothing.
Later that morning, Janet went to a Christmas service at church with Emily and Lyla while I went to Rachel's flat to see her and her partner Steve. At least I got a nice cup of tea and a bacon buttie.
Our pre-booked Christmas dinner was not until 4 pm so we had some time to relax back at the hotel and change for the party.
At the restaurant, we enjoyed a super meal and finally a chance to interact with our Granddaughter, Lyla. At 3 years old we have had little opportunity to see her and even less for a cuddle, here she is with her mummy.
And here we all are, full of Christmas dinner.
As ever, the gathering was over all too soon, and we returned to our respective abodes.
Boxing Day was supposed to have been used for some shopping but the lack of any useful shops in the town put paid to that idea. Instead, Janet and I went to Rachel's flat for more bacon butties, a decent cup of tea and a long chat.
That was effectively the end of our visit to Macclesfield, as the next morning we planned to be on our way to Halifax.
All packed and ready to travel we arrived at the station and boarded the train to Manchester Piccadilly, a simple journey with no problems. At Piccadilly, we took the free bus service to Manchester Victoria for the train to Halifax. Arriving in good time for the train, we noted that one earlier train to Leeds was still at the platform already more than 30 minutes delayed. We asked, but were not allowed to use that train as it was scheduled earlier than our train, not a problem, we just went to the platform for the correct train.
This is when the whole plan broke down, various trains were delayed, canceled, or otherwise affected by the heavy rain causing flooding in the Rochdale and Hebden Bridge areas. As we watched the platform boards changing and changing again with platform amendments, nobody seemed to know what was going on. We waited (im)patiently while our expected train was delayed further and further and then eventually canceled. Quite bizarrely, a different train destined for Leeds arrived at the next platform but eventually that too was cancelled and left the station empty!
The next train to arrive at the same platform was originally destined for Newcastle and we were advised to use this service to get to Leeds and then change there to get through to Halifax. All the time, there were more and more trains being canceled so we took our chance and got onboard. There we many other people looking for ways to get to Leeds or Bradford also on the train. After quite a delay, there was an announcement that this train was actually bound for Seaforth via Leeds and that it would be departing as soon as clearance was given. Finally, we were on our way, heading for Yorkshire at least.
During the journey, we were debating whether to change trains at Leeds or to get off sooner at Huddersfield. With all credit to the train operator, they announced that passengers heading for Halifax or Bradford should change at Huddersfield for a better chance of getting to their destination. Along with several other passengers we did just that and arrived in Halifax only a couple of hours later than planned.
Another Travelodge in another town, a little further out of the town centre but still accessible by foot. We checked in and walked back into town for a late lunch and a spot of shopping for some of the things that are either unavailable or simply too expensive here in Portugal. After returning to the hotel we decided to try the Babar Khan Indian restaurant at Dean Clough for a curry. What a great place, very friendly and accommodating with great portions and a wide selection.
The next day was a later start than planned so we went into the Piece Hall, to a nice café for a cooked breakfast where we met with my sister, after which we went to her house for a cuppa and a chat. I waited for a break in the weather so that I could walk to the care home where my mother is currently residing. I arrived and my dad was already there, it was so nice that she recognised me and that I could sit with her for a while. Sadly we had to leave after a couple of hours, but it was time well spent.
Back to my sister's house for another cup of tea, a mince pie, and more chatting. Finally, as a treat (mostly for me), we returned to the town centre and to a fish and chip restaurant where we had a slap-up feed of traditional Yorkshire food - who knows when I will taste proper fish, chips, and mushy peas again?
Back to the hotel to pack up and prepare for our journey southward to Janet's mum's house the next morning.
The train journey was chosen to avoid using the underground in London so we had to go from Halifax to Leeds, then to Stevenage, London Bridge, and finally to Crayford. Checking the travel app. in the morning we noticed that the Stevenage to London train was already canceled, as we found later due to a lack of staff on Thameslink. But, not to worry, the app. showed that there were several other trains to get to London Bridge. After an extended wait in both Stevenage and London, we arrived at Crayford almost an hour late.
This was our opportunity to relax for a while before our flight home. It was a lazy 1¾ days, though we did get to the shops for some more important items to bring back and it was great to see Janet's mum and sister.
New Year's Eve and we are again dragging heavily packed suitcases from train to train, this time on our way to Gatwick airport. Not much of a problem on the journey this time.
At the airport, we negotiated the EasyJet automated baggage drop fairly well and, with plenty of time to spare, took a tour of the airport shops and then went for a late lunch. I had a very nice burger and Janet had a large bowl of ragu, artisan prices but top quality. Then, as we have come to expect, the flight was announced as delayed 😞. Once again, a problem with the aircraft meant that they had to bring a replacement. The delay was less than an hour and the boarding process was quite efficient. The flight itself was very pleasant, smooth, and uneventful, a little more than two hours to get back to Porto.
At Porto, we passed easily through the airport and collected the car. Fearing that there would be the inevitable delay on our return flight and that it was New Year's Eve, we had already fuelled up the car before departing for UK. All that was needed was to fire up the sat-nav to negotiate our route out of Porto and head for the highway. The route over the Duro and on the A1 South was reasonably clear though there were a few of the obligatory crazies racing down the highway, but once we joined the A25 there was no traffic. In fact, for the whole 220km, we saw only 5 other cars on our carriageway - though we did see lots of fireworks around various villages and towns along the way as the year ticked over.
Arriving home at almost 2am we crashed straight to bed for a well deserved sleep.
So, a belated happy new year to everyone.
Due to being laid low with cold/flu following our trip, we both had a quiet week alone, doing very little, hence the late post.