Day 17: Tue 11 Sep – Brisbane to Hervey Bay to Home

We landed on time about 6:30am and I got through Immigration pretty quickly and then had to wait for what seemed like forever for my bag to arrive. Declared my muesli bars but was allowed to exit without having my bags searched. Re-checked my bag to Hervey Bay, jumped on the Terminal Transfer Bus, went through security here in Brisbane airport, and was in the QC having a shower a little short of an hour after landing. It was then time to relax and have a good Aussie coffee and some raisin toast.

Set up the laptop at the standing bench and caught up on these words before talking to Greg after he came back from his ride to Burrum Heads with the gang.

Boarded for HVB on time and took off shortly after. I had no one sitting next to me in the window seat so I found a pillow, moved to the window seat and managed to have a few very short LLDs 

We landed in Hervey Bay a few minutes ahead of schedule and my bag was third on the carousel – amazing! Texted Greg and he arrived just as I walked out the terminal building. We were home on Hippo Farm just before 1pm. After unpacking a few things, I really need to nap, so went to bed for two hours. Unpacked the rest of the luggage, had an early dinner with Greg and was in bed by 8:30pm.

And, so ends another FIP Congress with a mostly like-minded group of friends and colleagues. We are off to Abu Dhabi next year, Seville in 2020 and Brisbane in 2021 – yay!

Day 16: Mon 10 Sep – Dubai to Brisbane

40-14 degC

Got a little more sleep on this leg thank goodness. The aircon was actually on, and although there were a lot of kids on the plane, I did not let their noise annoy me.  I tried sitting in a different cabin on the A380 this time and will probably go back to where I usually sit – seat 50. Or, right up the back so have a better chance of getting a spare seat next to me. Watched a movie, then a TV series in between naps. Then got the laptop out and watched a few episodes of a series I had downloaded before leaving home. I was certainly very glad when we landed in Brisbane. Also did a lot of these words on the plane.

Day 15: Sun 9 Sep – Glasgow to Dubai

12-38 degC

Despite going to sleep early’ish I slept quite well and could not seem to wake up. Eventually got up about 8am, spoke to Greg then had breakfast. 

The weather was particularly ordinary again, so spent the morning relaxing, computing and packing. Just as I was getting ready to check out, I had a look out my window to the car park at the back of the Marriott to see a few people running around with lots of gesticulating happening. All of a sudden, there are 2 unmarked cop cars, four marked ones, all with lights and sirens, and then two ambulances turned up. There seemed to be a few hotel kitchen staff involved as I could see aprons on at least three of them. Last night I had watched a couple of those reality cops and robber shows and then this afternoon, there it is in real life in my back yard!

Decided I had had enough excitement, and after the victim had been loaded into the back of the ambulance I made my way downstairs and checked-out at 5pm (I had arranged a late check-out) and left for airport shortly after. Arrived at the airport about 5:30pm, and was second in the Gold status check-in queue. Did not feel much like lunch today so by the time I got to the Emirates Lounge at Glasgow airport I was quite peckish. Had a Greek salad to start and cold smoked chicken pieces and I was full, washed down with a small glass of bubbles recommended by one of the hosties.

We boarded on time and pushed back pretty much on time. Again, I thought I would sleep relatively well on this leg given it would be well after 10pm that I would settle, but, once again, the excitement of going home and a very warm and noisy flight prevented sleep from happening.

Real-life police drama outside the hotel this morning

Emirates Lounge at Glasgow

On the plane

Day 14: Sat 8 Sep – Glasgow

10-17 degC

Before going to bed last night, I thought I was going to sleep really well as I was quite tired, but I did not sleep well at all as I coughed a lot, and when I was not coughing I was trying not to drown in my own post nasal drip! 

Had breakfast on my own, again, and was going to walk to the parts of Glasgow I missed seeing, but the weather was not good and I did not really want to be out in the drizzle and lazy wind, seeing as though I did not sleep well. Instead I caught up on posting pictures to FB, wrote some more words for the photobook and generally rested.

Went out for lunch – Maccas, my one and only visit for this trip and it tasted just like it does at home. Then to find a pharmacy to see if I could get some cough mixture or tablets so I do not disturb my fellow passengers when I fly home tomorrow. The only OTC mixture they could give me was pholcodine – told him I may as well just drink sugared-water. So, went to Tesco Express and bought some Strepsil lozenges and hope these do the trick. Also bought a salad for dinner and went home to rest some more.

St George's-Tron Parish Church

Day 13: Fri 7 Sep – Glasgow

8-19 degC 

Slept really well last night for the first time in ages. Coughed a bit before going to sleep, but then not a peep until the morning. Had breakfast on my own this morning which was a bit sad. Although Sylvain had not yet left, he had an early start for a meeting. 

I decided that seeing as though I had two and a half days in Glasgow on my own, I should at least see some of the city. Sylvain and Regis had done a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour on their first day here and said it was pretty good, so that’s what I did. I bought the ticket online and saved myself a whole GBP1!! In hindsight I should have bought a two-day ticket for only GBP2 more. Before setting out I decided to have mornos in the room to ensure I got the coffee I wanted (I had brought a heap of Robert Timms coffee bags with me so had to use them before returning home).

I did a complete circuit first-up and marked the places I wanted to see more of. I then got off at one spot and walked to another then hopped back on until another place. My first stop was at the SECC and I walked over the Millenium Bridge to see the Cineworld Cinema Glasgow IMAX (the pupa shaped building), Science Centre and Science Centre Tower. I then re-crossed the Clyde on the same bridge and walked the short distance to the Clydeside Distillery, a re-purposed old pump house and then onto the Riverside Museum of Transport and Technology and The Tall Ship. The roof line of the museum is supposed to depict the meeting of the waves where the Clyde and Kelvin Rivers converge (judge for yourself, looks more like a wonky ECG trace to me). 

After a short wander through the museum, a gander at the Tall Ship and a sandwich in the café, I hopped back on the bus and got off again at Glasgow University. This is truly a mix of new and old buildings with the old ones being REALLY old! Imagine what stories those buildings could tell.  It was a short stroll to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. I really did want to go inside and have a sticky, but time was getting away from me and the weather seemed to be closing in so took a wander around the outside and it is quite a grand building. 

Hopped back on the bus at the Kelvingrove Museum and got off again at George Square. I walked the square then decided to walk home as it was only another 1.5km and was now 3:30pm. I got home just in time as the drizzle became a light rain. The bits I missed were the Glasgow Cathedral, The People’s Palace, Glasgow Green, and possibly many more. Might have to come back another day.

Not long after getting home I got a text from Sylvain asking if I wanted to have dinner with him. We went to the same place as the first night (Sir John Moore pub) and I had a pizza with a very light base and washed it down with a glass of NZ sav blanc.

The Garage, a nightclub

City of Glasgow College

Mural done by an Aussie artist someone Bates - a wee robin

Toll booth clock tower

Oldest pub in Glasgow where a young Billy Connolly allegedly strutted his stuff

Gallery of Modern Art

Sauchiehall Street

Another Bates mural, done for the Commonwealth Games in 2014

Clyde River with the Clyde Arc (aka Squinty) Bridge and Finnieston Crane

SEC Armadillo

Cineworld Cinema Glasgow IMAX

Glasgow Science Centre and Tower

Glasgow Science Centre Tower

Clydeside Distillery in an old pump house

Riverside Museum

Inside the Museum

Glasgow University

Glasgow University

Wolfson Medical School building

Cenotaph/War Memorial at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

A squirrel

George Square

George Square Cenotaph

Glasgow City Council building

UK Defence Force Recruiting and Personnel Centre

A dress I thought about buying

Day 12: Thu 6 Sep – Glasgow

6-17 degC 

An even earlier (6:20am) start to be at SECC by 7:15am for a 7:30am departure to Edinburgh Castle for the day. We were scheduled to arrive in EDN at 9:30am and arrived just after 9am, so the drive took us for a wee tour of EDN itself including the Royal Mile. We were dropped off at the Castle Wynd N stairs about 9:25am and climbed the 72 steps to meet one of Ellie’s friends at the top and he escorted us into the Castle and to The Castle Club where we had mornos and presentations. 

After a short presentation about the National War Memorial Museum we were taken on a tour, including the Shrine which I equate to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier here at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. It was very moving but the guy doing our tour went on a bit too much about the individual artists like we knew every one of them. We then had about 15 minutes of free time to wander the Museum and the Castle before gathering to go to lunch at the Officers Mess. As it was Thursday, we had the traditional Curry lunch, complete with raisins, coconut, cucumber&yoghurt, onion&tomato sauce and it was pretty good, the only thing missing was the banana. 

At 12:45pm we all gathered outside to watch the firing of the One O’Clock Gun, a tradition started in 1861 to provide an audible signal for ships in the port of Leith to set their time pieces by. It is fired everyday, except Sundays. I managed to capture the moment of the firing to most people’s surprise, including mine!

We then settled into the Castle Club again where we were given two very interesting presentations on Defence immunisations past and present and Fentanyl lozenge story.  These were followed by afternoon tea, then the last presentation of the day. This was on Modern military blood transfusion support and was also very interesting. Ellie had obviously done a lot of thinking as all three presentations were very topical and not just for the military members in the audience. 

Once the presentations were over, we were left to our own devices again. Some went shopping, some stayed in the Castle grounds and some did a bit of both, before we had to be back on the bus for a 5pm sharp departure for Glasgow. On the way home Richard arranged for the driver to drop us at out hotel as there were eight staying at the Marriott and at least five others living nearby. It was sad to have it end that way, instead of all getting off at the SECC and being able to say goodbye properly. We arrived about 6:30pm.

Due to hectic pace of the last few days none of us really wanted to go out again for dinner so we had it in the hotel. I had a set two courses for GBP23. Still a bit expensive but when you consider a steak alone was GBP21, it was not too bad. Was quite hungry as well, so had the smoked chicken, fig and rocket salad which was a good starter. And then the 250g rump for main. Could have had a main then dessert, but opted for the starter instead. Washed down with a really nice cider.

Sleep time was a bit later than usual as I had had an extended LLD on the bus on the way home.

On the bus heading for Edinburgh

Part of the grandstand at the Castle for the Military Tatoo

Walking through the Esplanade to enter the Castle

The building in which we had our presentations

View from our classroom

Scottish National War memorial within Edinburgh Castle

Entrance to the National War Memorial

Courtyard for the War memorial, Great Hall and Royal Palace

Inside the War Memorial

Tomb of an unknown soldier

Guardian of the tomb

Royal Palace, and The Honours of Scotland The Scottish Crown Jewels

Officers Mess

Entrance to the Officers Mess

One of the rooms in the Mess

Curry lunch

A very young Her Majesty the Queen

A very young Prince Phillip

Inside the Great Hall

Crowds gather to see the One O'clock Gun fired

And there it is

The Gun

Sylvain thanking Ellie for organising MEPS activities

Castle and surrounds

The Royal Mile

St Columba's Free Church of Scotland

The Castle, taken from the bus

Google Maps shot

The Esplanade at Edinburgh Castle is where they hold the Military Tattoo and the space is surprisingly small