Hello all, hope you all had a nice holiday & now to have a great new year.

For Christmas I flew to be with me fella (MIAspotter). I had booked it a few months ago, after getting a great deal on Skyscanner.ie: EI DUB -BCN -DUB for €80 all in!! So on the 23rd November I dragged me old man out of bed to bring me to DUB for 5.30am   . Despite the disgusting hour, I made an effort with high heels (yay) which would later cripple me when traversing Barcelona (boo), oh well, a girl's gotta try!    I clip clopped up to the self service check in machines in T2. I had never used them before, but found them grand. However, to my horror...I saw I had been assigned seat 26E...NOOOOOOOOOOO....As I was going through security I prayed that my flight would not be full. DAA staff were in fine form, saying good morning, unfortunately to silence; but I did smile...they just laughed at our stupid sleepy heads. However a scary man barked at me to take me shoes off when going through the scanner. Yeah, screw you pal! I didn't put these babies on 30mins ago just to take em off for you! {joking, but grrr). Oh well, that the first time I ever actually had to de-shoe myself, so compared to the horror stories I've heard maybe it wasn't so bad. I checked the fids & saw "go to gate" so I scurried down & planted myself in a seat. They boarded us by seat rows: "Zone A" so I actually got to board first. This seemed to be confusing for some people, maybe they didn't understand it in English. I was terrified they would take me little suitcase off me as it was packed full of goodies & I was carrying a bag with a big bottle of Baileys aswell (I know, cabin crews worst nightmare    ) but fortunately a man created a diversion for me by refusing to fit his bag into the baggage checker. He actually just walked off while the agent was saying"Sir...Sir...SIR!" My case barely squeezed in so I just slinked away after that. I interrupted the cabin crew talking at the door to say hello & somehow made it the end of the jammers A320....hmm those prayers had not been answered.

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Photo © Paulo Santos - Aerospray

EI 562

A320 EI-DEA Fidelma/St.Fidelma (8 years old)

Dep: 6.50

Arr: 10.10

Seat 26E

There was Christmassy music playing during boarding, which was a nice touch. I heaved me case up into the overhead but it would only go in sideways & I'm sure some people were giving me evils. Usually it just slides in, but there was something blocking it & I didn't want to break whatever it was...sigh...I wish we could just explain these things instead of worrying what people are thinking.   I looked across the aisle & saw a free seat in between two people...maybe I would be so lucky...nope. A man & woman took their seats & enclosed me. The woman slept for the whole flight. The man, bless him was lovely, but we really didn't have much space: his broadsheet paper was right in me face & he was practically sitting on top of me. Not his fault. After old Fidelma made it into the sky thanks to her CFMs, I grabbed the standard ham, cheese & mustard toastie sandwich for €5 from the Sky Deli & an orange juice for €2. The man beside me dropped his fiver change on the ground, & I tried to pick it up for him without sticking me head into his lap (as happened to me on an FR flight, more to come on that soon) but my decision to wear heels that day came in handy: using a spearing motion, I could kick his fiver out til he could then stick his head into my lap & retrieve said fiver. After this I just passed out, as I didn't get much sleep with my little cousins all staying over in my house earlier that night.                  

Soon we were descending & (very rare) I associated this with relief!    The cabin crew went around clearing up rubbish & the man handed over his empty cup to the fa. I tried to be all helpful & pass the cup but someone in the threesome wasn't letting go...a bizarre little tug of war lasted for about 2 seconds before the cup made it into the rubbish. Note to self: just mind own business! The man pointed out the Pyrenees.   MIAspotter always recommends sitting on the right hand side of the plane as if they use a certain rwy at BCN you will see the city. Interestingly this was my first time landing in BCN in daylight & I was delighted to see Montjuic & the Olympic stuff below. Coming in for landing over the docks was quite choppy & I really thought we were going to go around but Captain Niamh settled us on the runway with barely a bump.

After we parked we had to wait AGES to get off. The man asked me "Should I say this is my first time to Spain, or Catalunya?"   Hehehe, funny divil. Eventually I got off the plane & going through security I tripped over the guy in fronts suitcase & pretty much ended up with my face in the passport controllers window.    I made it out to Terminal A: does anyone know why it's all boarded off to Terminals B & C? Poor Christian didn't know where the flip I was! We got the Aerobus to Placa de Espanya, & who should be sitting in front of me but my EI seatmate! He remembered me & said hello. Small world & all that!

I stayed for four days with MIAspotter (wish I'd stayed longer!    ) As Christian is originally from Venezuela, I was treated to the traditional Christmas meal of hallacas & ham bread. Omfg it was delicious!! I hate turkey & ham anyway so this was really great!   



Barcelona Bits n Bobs  

I love these little bits, Barcelona really overloads my visual senses!



Lady at Montjuic



Montjuic



Catalan flag



Seat 600   



Torre Calatrava  

Being good geeks, we took a day trip out to BCN. There are brilliant spotting areas, one with reclining seats right beside the ILS lights, & a little grandstand facing the runway. In the glut of VY JK & IB A320s, we saw these gems (while munching on delicious sandwiches)...





On the 27th my Christmas with Christian had come to an end   . We got the good old Aerobus to BCN again (€5.50) & we got there after 9.30am. I had checked in online the night before & picked a nifty seat (29F, last row) por gratis! YES! After the emotional goodbye, I got through security no problems, even though I didn't have a liquids bag...It was a long but pleasant walk to the gate area. I had a look in the shops & was going to buy a sambo but when I saw the accompanying earwig I declined. The gate looked nice & quiet, & I prayed for a nice relaxy flight. Boarding started by rows, so once again I was in the gang. I had printed out my boarding pass on an A4 paper but the agent took it off me & issued me with a proper Newco Airport Services boarding card. Weird. I skipped through the airbridge to my A320, & was warmly welcomed on board.  
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Photo © Pawel Cieplak


EI-DEM hiding behind the bridge




Another Irish airline  

QR A330 which took MIAspotter to DOH & HKG in November



EI 563

A320 EI-DEM Ibar/St.Ibar (7 years old)

Dep: 11.00

Arrr: 12.30

Seat 29F

The Christmas boarding music was playing again. I so far had the two remaining seats free in the last row. Now it was Russian roulette...would they stay free?   

YES THEY WOULD!   

I hung my coat up on the hook on the seatback in front of me (didn't have space to do that on the outbound), shoved me bags under the two empty seats, got out me book (Scar Tissue - brilliant) & settled back to enjoy me flight. Shortly after Ibar left the runway the Sky Deli started. I had fancied the meatballs but they didnt start until 12 & it was only after 11, so I got the Irish Breakfast for €9.It was F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. The mini McCambridge's brown bread & Lyons tea nearly had me in tears it was all so beautiful. I'm not mad on hash browns but I hoovered them up too.

Nom.com!   



I had me tea after, with some Ferrero Rocher that Christian had slipped into me bag as a surprise   . I looked down at Spain far below & could see my A320s contrails.   



After I stuffed me face the Sky Shopping passed through. The ccm cleared off the remnants of me brekkies off the table & I awkwardly tried to get her attention for the duty free without looking like a demanding slave driver. "Yes, what would you like?" "Eh, a regular A320 & a retro A320 please?"    (€18) I felt even though she was polite there was something curt about how she was speaking. Maybe I was imagining it.

Me latest addition  

As Anthony Kiedis was propelled further into stardom & drugs in me book, we got closer & closer to Ireland. All too soon, the spoilers popped up & we were coming home. Again, I was sat on the wrong side to see Howth & Irelands Eye, but it was actually really fecking cloudy so nothing to see! We settled nicely on rwy 28 & taxied over to T2, parking beside some bigger sisters.

EI - EAV & EI - ELA pushing back



I was last off the plane, a new one for me. As I headed out the door saying goodbye the fa didn't see me suitcase & fell over it as I was trundling by! We both apologised. What was with people falling over suitcases on this trip?!    Security was empty & I actually had a conversation for the first time with a Garda immigration officer! "Where are ye coming from, Aoife?" "Barcelona" "Thanks very much Aoife" "Ehh, thanks, see ya".   

A Vodafone advert covering the doors made for a confusing exit, but eventually me ma found me & drove me home. I had a lovely, different Christmas.

EI: 7.5/10 First aircraft was dirty, a big splodge of coffee or tea on the seat pocket. Was very uncomfortable being so packed. Crew were grand on way out, bit weird on way back. Or maybe I'm just weird!

I'm definitely weird...

Other TRs, my lovelies

A Few Hours In Milano EI DUB – LIN- MXP –DUB (by aerdingus Dec 15 2011 in Trip Reports)

The Classic Codeshare:EI BA JQ DUB LHR HKG SIN (by aerdingus Dec 10 2011 in Trip Reports)

DUB-HEL-DUB With EI   (kinda Long-ish W/pics) (by aerdingus Apr 19 2011 in Trip Reports)

Thanks