England (April 2022)
Experiencing international flights again
It finally happened! Australian borders reopened in November 2021 after being unable to leave the country since March 2020. We were finally allowed out! I didn’t book a trip straight away though. Australia had a very high vaccination rate but the pandemic wasn’t over yet. During our Summer of 2021/22, Covid rapidly spread throughout Australia and I wasn’t convinced things wouldn’t revert back to lockdowns and border closures again. Plus there were still quite a few impediments to travel. I knew it wouldn’t be as easy as it was pre-Covid.
We were desperate to see our family and friends in England so after weighing up pros and cons we decided to book a month long trip in April, spanning a week either side of the Easter school break. Brandon had finished high school and was taking a break while looking for work. For Cordy two weeks off school wasn’t ideal but as it turned out, schools were experiencing heavy teacher and student absences anyway- either getting covid or being forced to isolate due to a family member having covid.
Once all our passports were renewed and international vaccination certificates organised, I booked our tickets. I chose Qantas as they had rules you had to be vaccinated to fly with them, which gave me great comfort. Three out of the four of us were triple vaccinated, but as Cordy was 14 years old, she’d only had two doses since they hadn’t yet opened up the third dose to that age group. We bunkered down for the last two weeks before we left; I worked from home and only ventured out if absolutely essential, with my mask on. I am sure people thought I was being overly cautious. My caution proved to be worthwhile though because four days before we were due to depart one of my colleagues at work got covid and infected three other people during a meeting which I attended by Teams, instead of in person. I was glad I’d been so cautious!
England had just dropped its pre-arrival testing requirements so fortunately we didn’t have to get tested before we left. However we had to complete a declaration during the online check-in, confirming we had no symptoms.
Bags packed, Uber booked and everything else organised, we left for the airport on Sunday 3rd April around lunchtime. I couldn’t help feeling nervous and anxious about travelling. Mainly because the last 2 years had seen so much disappointment for everyone with trips and plans having to be cancelled, plus none of us had had Covid19 yet.
Arriving at the airport early, with our mandatory masks on, we experienced a new Covid era check-in system. First we lined up to show our international vaccination certificates and then we were instructed to head to the automatic check-in machines where I inserted my passport and answered some questions before receiving our boarding passes and baggage stickers. We popped the stickers on our bags, placed them in the weighing machine and watched them disappear – hoping we would see them at the other end again! It amazed me how deserted the airport was, compared to pre-covid days. It also amazed me that people were trying to check-in without the correct paperwork ready. I thought the airline’s pre-departure communication had been quite clear and helpful.
After a quick selfie at the departure area, we moved through the immigration lanes. Again the process was different from the last time we travelled. We now had an automated gate system, with no interaction with immigration officers.
We scanned our passports, placed our feet on designated foot markings, removed our masks briefly, and our faces were scanned by cameras. Then the gate opened to allow us to move through the security screening area where our carry on bags were x-rayed. Finally we found ourselves in the empty duty free area and quiet departure lounges.
The process was very smooth. Though I still couldn’t relax. I couldn’t believe we were finally travelling internationally again and wouldn’t believe it until we were on the plane. As I looked around I was struck with a sad feeling, almost like grief. The airport felt like a ghost town. There were hardly any people around, very few flights leaving and many of the stores, bars and food outlets were closed. This was incredible for a Sunday afternoon. Pre-Covid it would have been one of the busiest days and times to travel. We bought some snacks, then headed over to our departure gate to wait for our flight.
Once we boarded our flight and as I sat down in my seat, I finally started to feel excited. We were on our way! Our flight was very full, although Brandon was lucky enough to have an empty seat next to him. Everyone was wearing masks, as we were required to do, except when we ate or drank. Everyone had an opinion on how effective this protection was. We dutifully complied with the rules.
The first part of our flight was a direct route to Darwin. I’m not sure if this temporary route change was due to the Sydney-Perth-London route being re-routed (WA was slower relaxing their Covid rules compared to the rest of Australia) or if it was due to Singapore airport having issues coming out of the pandemic. The flight to Darwin was around 4.5 hours, arriving just before midnight. After we landed and disembarked, it looked like most of the flight piled into the Qantas Club lounge and I chuckled as very few people sat with us out in the airport area (thankfully, since there weren’t many seats). I think we had the better deal, except the temporary international terminal set up in Darwin was pretty desolate – nothing was open and it was quite hot and humid.
Thankfully, our refueling stop was only brief, about 90 minutes, then we were reboarding again for our very long, non-stop flight to London. We discovered another extra seat next to Brandon (two spare seats by the window with him on the aisle) so we asked to flight attendant if I could switch from my aisle seat in the middle section to the window seat, so we could spread out a little. He agreed but was confused about the extra vacant seat because his ipad showed the window seat was supposed to be occupied. We wondered what had happened to the girl who had been sitting there from Sydney to Darwin?
The next 17.5 hours was very, very long – one of the longest non-stop flights in the world. Unlike pre-covid, we were asked not to move around the cabin. This was to prevent spread of covid should someone unknowingly have it. Sitting in your economy seat that long with a mask on was really, really difficult. We slept, watched movies and eventually made it to London, arriving at 6:35am on Monday 4th April.
Arrival in England
As we moved through Heathrow, clearing passport control smoothly, collecting our bags (which we were relieved to see made it through ok), it was fairly uneventful. Again there were not many people around and it was an easy process, mostly automated. After stopping briefly for some duty free items, we exited the terminal and were out in the chilly air waiting for the Hertz shuttle bus. Nobody was wearing masks – except us. Things felt normal! We picked up our rental car, a Kia compact which despite my worries, managed to fit all our luggage. I had paid an astronomical amount for this small car, thanks to Covid and its impact on supply chain and the rental car industry. Then we were on our way to Poole in Dorset. We drove down the motorway, stopping once at Services for a quick pitstop and to get a coffee – they still cant make a decent cup. Again, things appeared to be normal. Very few people were wearing masks, it didn’t look like much had changed, apart from the cost of things.
We arrived at Steve’s parents house at 10:30am in time for a cuppa. It was so lovely seeing them again after so long! The rest of the day we spent catching up, drinking copious amounts of tea – oh and a quick trip across the road to the local co-op supermarket to buy scotch eggs and some other British sweets and goodies we had been missing the last few years. Later in the afternoon, Steve’s sister and our niece also popped in briefly. We only made it to about 9:00pm before we crashed full of jet lag.
The next two days we visited local shops, went on a couple of walks to ward off jet-lag and caught up with some of the family. Then things took an unexpected turn.
Covid strikes
We had all avoided getting infected with Covid19 in Sydney despite the escalating cases before we left. At the end of our third day in England, I thought my nose felt a little blocked and then Cordy developed a slight sniffle. We did a Covid test and it was negative so we assumed it was from the cold air when we’d been out walking that afternoon. Then I had a bad night sleep (not unusual when jet-lagged) and the next morning I woke up with a blocked nose and a headache. I thought perhaps I had a hangover as I’d had a few G&T’s the night before. Steve got up and I lay in bed a while, then to be on the safe side I did another covid test. Positive! I couldn’t believe it! I had been so careful, wearing a mask everywhere. For another 10 minutes I lay there in bed, wondering what to do. Eventually I texted Steve with the news (yes I texted him in another room) and suggested he get Cordy to do a test. He sent her to me and she did a test and was positive too! We compared symptoms. My sinus was blocked, I had a headache and slightly scratchy throat. She was the same but was also coughing a bit. We lay there a while and then my mother-in-law said we may as well move about the house as normal since we had already all been together anyway the night before and last few days. It was probably too late to avoid getting infected, like shutting the gate after the horse had bolted. Interestingly nobody else tested positive. Yet. My symptoms were mild and my mother-in-law already had it in January so perhaps had some immunity. Nevertheless we kept our distance from everyone and opened the windows.
I spent the morning researching the rules in England and learnt there was no requirement to isolate and you were allowed to go out and about if you felt well enough. In the afternoon I decided to take a drive in the rental car on my own and try to find Knowlton Church ruins. The roads were quiet so I got there quickly and parked up on the lane – there was nobody around at all. I had the place all to myself so walked around for a while, enjoying the fresh but chilly air, taking photos and basking in the peace and quiet.
That night Cordy and I slept in the same bed so I hopefully wouldn’t infect Steve. On Covid day 2 Cordy & I spent most of the day in bed watching netflix and staying away from everyone. My symptoms were still like a mild head cold. In the late afternoon I felt quite good, apart from blowing my nose so decided to go for a walk after dinner around Hamworthy shores. I walked for almost an hour, admiring the nearby houses, colourful beach huts and sunset over the harbour. It felt good to get some exercise after lying around all day.
Day 3 of covid – we had a lay-in since Cordy hadn’t slept well (coughing and finding it hard to breathe with her nose blocked all night) and we lounged around the house in the morning. The weather was nice and sunny and after lunch I took Cordy for a drive to Lulworth Cove. We both enjoyed the drive through the green countryside, admiring the yellow gorse hedge and trees starting to bud. Being a Saturday, it was quite busy at Lulworth. I only just managed to get a parking space. Cordy decided to stay in the car while I donned a mask and went for a walk down to the cove, giving everyone a wide berth along the way. I couldn’t do the walk over the hill to Durdle Door. I didn’t have the energy, time or inclination, especially with Cordy waiting in the car. We drove around to Durdle Door and I started to walk down the pathway from the car park (again Cordy wanted to stay in the car) but realised the walk back up was too steep and although my cold was very mild I didn’t think my chest could manage it today. So I abandoned that idea and drove back to Poole via Studland, passing Corfe Castle along the way.
Day 4 of covid I took it easy in the morning and was feeling much better with just a slightly runny nose so took a Covid test – it was negative. I’m not sure I believed it but ok…. Steve also took a test and was negative. We headed out in the afternoon for a drive to Dorchester to a friend’s place so Steve could pick up his Lambretta. We kept our distance and stayed outside in their garden. Our friends had all had covid previously but I was still uneasy in case I was still infectious. We didn’t stay long; Steve rode his Lambretta back to Poole with me following him in the car. When we got back, Steve said his eyes were stinging and he started to cough so he did another covid test. I was hoping it was just from the riding but this time it was positive. He was not happy! He went to bed early.
Covid Day 5 – Cordy and I were both testing negative with hardly any symptoms so we went to Bournemouth to do some shopping and have some lunch. I was sad at how much Bournemouth had deteriorated. I’m not sure if it has fallen victim to the pandemic or recession or maybe the increase in online shopping? Bournemouth used to be vibrant and busy with really good shopping options and some quirky stores to browse. Most of the high street chain stores had closed down apart from TK Maxx, H&M, Zara and Primark. There were plenty of vacant shops, with “For Lease” signs in the windows. The historic arcades looked tired. Hardly any people were about and only a few cafes, chemists and shops seemed to be open. On a positive note we did stumble across an excellent place to eat in a back street, called 7Bone Burger Co. I had earlier read about this as being one of the top 5 places to eat in Bournemouth. It didn’t disappoint. I had a delicious patty toasted sandwich and a PB&J shake; Cordy had a burger and salted caramel shake. We then did a small amount of shopping, walked to the beach through the gardens and then headed back to the car with sore feet.
Week 2 Highlights
London. Covid Day 6 – Cordy and I were past our Covid symptoms and testing negative again so we caught the early 7:40am train to London for some sightseeing, shopping and to meet my Uncle for dinner. Arriving at Waterloo station just before 10am we discovered it was as busy as ever. If I hadn’t already had Covid I would have been very anxious about catching it there because it was impossible to keep your distance from people. The tubes, streets and shops were all very busy. It seemed completely back to normal here. I guess major cities bounce back from recession/pandemic pretty quickly and easily.
We walked to the London Eye but decided not to take a ride, having not booked tickets, plus it wasn’t open yet. Instead I took a couple of snaps of the Houses of Parliament across the Thames. Next we walked to Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Covent Garden, finding some quirky stores and markets along the way. By lunchtime, we were getting peckish and stopped to eat, just off Oxford Street. Next we walked to Carnaby Street – another disappointment as this place is so commercialised now there wasn’t any shop I was tempted to enter. We decided to catch a tube across to Camden to visit the stables markets and had a much better time browsing stores there.
Our London trip ended back near Waterloo Station, having dinner in a Turkish restaurant with my Uncle before catching the 7.35pm train back to Poole. I managed to log 19,500 steps!
By contrast to our lovely day out, when we got back home we discovered that unfortunately Steve had taken a turn for the worse. He’d had a particularly bad day with his Covid symptoms. He hadn’t eaten all day, had a smashing headache, a fever and had slept for about 36 hours. I forced him to drink water and gave him panadol. Fortunately by the next morning he felt alive again. Whatever strain of Covid we all had, it thankfully seemed to be very short lived. Somehow Brandon was still negative. We started to think he had some immunity super power and might escape it.
West Bay & Portland. As Steve was feeling better, we decided (all four of us) to take a late morning drive in the newly named ‘covid car’. First stop was West Bay where the views were lovely but I had the worst fish ‘n ‘chips and calamari I’ve ever had the misfortune to eat. Bought from one of the vans on the quay, it was over-cooked, overly crispy – I couldn’t finish it and ended up throwing it out. We then drove around to the beach and fortunately the place redeemed itself with the glorious views and warm sunshine, plus we found some yummy ice cream. Afterwards we took the B roads through the lovely countryside to Hardy’s monument and then onto Portland Bill for a later afternoon hot chocolate.
Portsmouth Gun Wharf Quays. Another day trip while Steve was recuperating, entailed me taking Brandon for a shopping trip to the designer shop outlets in Portsmouth. It’s a large shopping precinct, with cafes, bars and restaurants, situated by Portsmouth harbour. You can even visit a nearby naval base and see the Mary Rose museum. Another attraction is the Spinnaker Tower, an observation tower which costs around £15 per adult to enter (less if you book online). Brandon and I didn’t have time to look at the attractions this time but spent some nice time shopping together, spending too much money which I justified as helping the UK economy. I could have bought lots more if it wasn’t for the fact that prices had increased since my last visit plus we had limited luggage space.
By the time we hit the Easter weekend, Steve was testing negative again. Over the long weekend we mainly stayed close to home, catching up with family and friends. We also ventured out once or twice to the shops and Steve went out for a ride on his Lambretta.
Week 3 Highlights
On Easter Tuesday, Brandon woke up with a sore throat! He told us just as we were getting ready to leave for the day. He finally tested positive to Covid. So it seemed he didn’t have a super power after all.
Weston Super Mare, Wales and Cheddar. I suggested we do an overnighter in Wales. I’ve never been there before. The kids were unfortunately not keen, especially since Brandon had cold symptoms although they were mild; they didn’t want to come. We stopped off in Weston S.Mare on the way to Wales and spent the afternoon at the Pier playing the arcade machines. Keen to get to Wales before dark so we could see the countryside in the daylight, we left Weston late afternoon. Driving the next couple of hours through the Welsh countryside, we weren’t disappointed. It was beautiful. That night, we stayed in The Castle Hotel in the Brecon area, which I had found online at short notice. It claimed to be the first formal hotel in Wales. The floors felt crooked, sloping and creaky. It was old but had real character. Plus we had ensuites and comfy beds. It was great! They served us a delicious meal in their restaurant and we had drinks in the hotel bar after dinner. Steve reported that the beer was really good but I can’t tell you what it was as unfortunately we had trouble pronouncing its name! The next morning we admired the views out back, sitting in the sun and enjoying peace and quiet. We didn’t really want to leave but had to get back. On the way out of Wales we stopped at Chepstow Castle on the River Wye, and wandered around the castle learning its history. The castle doors on display inside the Castle are the oldest in Europe, scientifically dated to 1190’s at the latest. Afterwards we headed on to Cheddar Gorge, as our last stop on the way home. We went inside Gough Cave, then got some ice cream afterwards. It was quite busy with lots of people around. I’d hate to visit during summer holidays.
Week 4 Highlights
At the start of our last week in England, we visited Swanage Beach and Corfe Castle – places we have been before but like to visit again and again. It should have been a pleasant day in the fresh air outdoors but Brandon and Cordy were arguing that day so we cut it short.
Winchester. I hadn’t been to Winchester for about 20 years. I organised to meet my Uncle for lunch in a pub near the cathedral. Brandon stayed at home in case his covid was lingering (he was day 5) and the rest of us took the one hour drive from Poole, and had a delicious lunch with my Uncle. Then while Steve and Cordy visited some shops to buy English sweets I spent the afternoon browsing the cathedral and nearby Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishops Palace) ruins. In the cathedral, I found the memorial to William Walker and Jane Austin’s grave, read a few tombs and visited the crypt. My attention span is quite short these days. My uncle and I then spent a while outside taking photos of the beautiful exterior of the cathedral as the afternoon sun hit the building. A short 10-15 minute walk away was the 12th century castle ruins, which was originally the Bishops Palace. As it was late in the day (4pm) there was nobody else there. Best of all – it was free! After taking more photos, we called it a day and walked back to the car, past the river and mill, admiring the bluebells and other flowers along the way.
Dorchester and the Tank Museum. Once Brandon was well again we organised a family outing. We went to the Dorchester Keep Military Museum then the Tank Museum in Bovington. We drove through Tolpuddle along the way, stopping briefly to see the historic sycamore tree known as Tolpuddle Matyre’s Tree, famous for being the birthplace of the trade union movement in 1834. The kids really enjoyed the day, learning all the history, as did Steve and I. It was a thoroughly enjoyable family day out which created some lovely memories.
On the way home we took a long detour to Sixpenny Handley to see the instagram famous Dutch barn in the field of rapeseed. There was nowhere to stop, and I had to drive past about 4 times, finally pausing at the gate when there was no traffic, in order to get my own Insta-worthy shot.
The New Forest and Christchurch. Our final outing of our UK trip was a day trip to The New Forest in Hampshire and Christchurch in Dorset. The children and I spent the morning at Lyndhurst in the New Forest visiting the museum learning about local history and wildlife. Then we had lunch at Peggy Mays cafe where we ate traditional english meals. Brandon had a ploughmans, Cordy had sausages and chips; I finally got the cream tea I had been craving. In the afternoon we went to Christchurch, visiting the Priory grounds, nearby castle and Norman House ruins, and finally the swans at the Quay.
Homeward bound
As we headed home, with our heads full of holiday memories and reflecting on the weeks been been away, I was glad we’d travelled when we did, and that we’d taken a month long trip. With hindsight it was probably inevitable we would get Covid19, though we are still at a loss as to how and where we picked it up. Maybe the plane, maybe shopping in Poole on the first couple of days we arrived…Who knows? At least we all had a mild dose and it went quickly. We all agreed the fear of getting it was worse than actually getting it.
It was also fortunate that we’d been in England when we all got it. Had we been at home in Australia, the whole family would have had to stay in our house in isolation for the whole time, from the time the first family member got it until the last – that was still the strict rules in force in NSW at that time.
We were also lucky they had dropped the pre-flight testing rules just before we travelled. UK dropped the pre-entry test rules not long before we departed Australia; then Australia dropped our rules for pre-flight tests, just before we left England. Had they still been in place we may have still had lingering Covid remnants in our systems, especially Brandon who’d had it last. We may not have been allowed to board our flights, as there would have been no official record of when each person contracted it in England since there was no requirement to lodge positives in the UK anymore.
In the end, we all agreed that Covid19 didn’t ruin our holiday. The forced rest during our time in England when we were laying low with our mild illness was actually well needed by Steve & I after the hectic few years we’d had at work. Plus the ability to spend quality time together with our extended family in England was what we’d really been looking for. It was really valuable and enjoyed.
Our trip back home to Sydney was smooth and uneventful. There were a few extra steps we had to undertake prior to arrival at the airport, with online declaration forms to complete. It took me over an hour to do it for the whole family. Heathrow was a lot busier in the departure lounge area than our experience travelling through airports a month earlier and our flight home was full. All we had to do once we got home was a RAT test – we were all negative thank goodness or we’d have had to isolate at home.
Having reconnected with our overseas family and gotten the bug back for travelling again, we are looking forward to the next trip back. We hope it’s very soon!