As the saying goes… “It’s not what you know, Its who you know!” This couldn’t possibly be any more true for when I went to the french riviera. When someone offers to guest you into an airline’s airport lounge its not an offer that you can’t turn down. But if someone offers to guest you into a First Class wing it couldn’t have been an easier decision.
The french riviera has always been somewhere which I’ve wanted to visit and when I got this offer it was a done deal. I had to take this opportunity to go somewhere high on my travel list to make it extra special so Nice it was! As with my last blog this was to be a short day trip. But then again these do allow me to visit way more places in a year than if I were to visit for a few days or a week at a time. And lets face it, It just adds to the adventure making it a really long day.
Now when I say really long day it quite literally couldn’t get any longer than this, After finishing work at 9pm I had a 1am coach to take me to the airport. I was at Heathrow before check in even opened for any flights!
The BA First Wing at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 offers an absolutely out of this world experience for any traveller. You simply can’t be disappointed by the customer service and almost royal treatment the BA staff give their customers. The first wing also boasts dedicated private security lanes which make the entire airport experience so much more relaxing. Never before have I experienced such speedy security at Heathrow Airport, It reminded me of how quiet Southampton Airport security is. And to top it off the first security takes you straight into the first class lounge, eliminating the long walk through all the shops.
After spending a few hours in the lounge enjoying the peace and quiet in comfort it was time to board my flight to Nice. This time I flew British Airways on a couple of A319’s. It was quite an uneventful flight to say the least spent mostly by typing my previous blog from Innsbruck. Then before I knew it I was confronted with the spectacular views of the Alps before descending and been given the outstanding views of the french riviera. No matter how many pictures you see they just don’t live up to the real thing. As many of you may expect it was a rather bumpy approach into Nice being on the coast and just off the mountains.
I headed straight to the bus terminal on arrival with one thing in mind. A bus to Monte Carlo! You just can’t visit the french riviera without spending some time in Monte Carlo can you? Monaco lived up to everything I was expecting and then some! Those views, cars and super yachts are simply mind blowing. Hard to believe this luxury is under a two hour flight away from the UK. I spent a few hours exploring the many sights and gardens including getting lost, snapping many pictures along the way. I was surprised how easy it was to get here from the Airport however it balances out as finding the bus stop to get back to the airport was a completely different story as so many streets look very similar.
Unfortunately as I only had a few hours to explore the sites I was unable to see some of the sites I intended to. Only means i’ve got to come back! Thanks to me getting lost so easily and getting off at the wrong bus stop I never got chance to walk down by the marina or see part of the Monaco F1 Grand Prix race track.
The time so quickly came around for my flight home but being on the Mediterranean Sea the views were jaw dropping whether taking off or landing, So I still had that to look forward to. The flight home was quite a bit more eventful with the wind picking up. No sooner had the landing gear retracted we started a sharp right turn out to sea and as soon as we did. The bumpiest departure i’ve ever witnessed had started. People were holding onto the seats and everything but being a frequent flyer as much as I am I don’t take much notice of turbulence. In fact dare I say it, I actually find it quite fun! Much like a rollercoaster but without knowing what’s coming.
These long days seem to keep getting longer and longer. Although i’m very tired by the end of them they are totally worth it. This day trip lasted nearly 23 hours from door to door and I absolutely love it!
Special thanks to John for the First Wing experience!
Keep an eye out for my next blog as once again i’m typing this from 37,000ft.
