We took a private shuttle to the Valencia Airport and waited on our flight. The much anticipated EU biometric collection system was in place and we had to use it. It was really just the standard immigration kiosk with an additional fingerprint module attached. Of course it did not work! I was able to get the EU machine to work. But then there was an additional bank of machines just for Spanish immigration. These machines did not like me and I was unable to pass through. There was an attendant that helped me but even she could not get it to work. So I had to go to the actual human agent and stand there while he waited for his computer to finally let me pass. Leslie could not get the first one to work but the second machine bank of machines worked fine for her so she was allowed through. The rest of the day went smoothly except for Leslie's seat on the plane. We were in row 2 which turned out to be the first row and her sear at the window was only 3/4 width compared to the other seats. Luckily no one sat in the middle seat. We landed at London-Stanstead and had to get all our bags before we could head over to the hotel. It was only a 7 minute walk but the UK is very chilly in November. We had dinner and hit the hay. It was an early start the next morning and we woke up at 5:45. A shower, a quick trip to the breakfast buffet and then we had to roll our bags back over to the airport. There was frost on the ground and ice on the walkways so we had to be fast and slow at the same time. Fast so we wouldn't freeze and slow so we would not slip and fall. We got in, checked in and then had to wait forever to find out what gate we were departing from. The flight was 9:30 departure and they did not even list the gate till 8:40. We got some tea, bought lunch for later on the plane and found an out of the way spot close to the monitors.
Driving to Valencia via a new route and say this quarry
A very large fortified area
Tea in Stanstead Airport
No gate listed for Paphos
Malta Air
First we lined up in the cheese maze area. Then we lined up in the stairwell leading to the tarmac. They had the gall to tell people to get two folks side by side on each stair.
We stood here for 10 minutes. They had to put this sign up to assuage the passengers lined up in the stairwell.
The door is open but we can not enter. Instead we have to stand in the cold, outside for another 10 minutes
Lots of folks lined up outside
The shadows are as long as the wait
The island of Cyprus
It is very brown
It turns out that they are in a drought
Rugged
The south west coast line
Lots of villages
Getting closer
Rows of bougainvillea along the road
Finally we are in Cyprus!
