It's getting real
February 2020
The frustrations with the process and the delays are finally over. We received our passports back with the all important vignette, allowing us 30 days to get our backsides over to the UK and collect our Bio-metric Residence Permits. This will be our visa for the next five years to enter the UK.
As we are getting onto the plane, the moment is not as big as I thought it would be, as we are only going for the week. So does not really feel like we are leaving our heartland and family behind. During this week Hennie will meet with his new colleagues, and i have to meet with the relocation agent as well as view a few potential properties to rent.
As with most companies, we cannot elect which airline travel with, and have to go for the cheapest option. In this case it was Turkish Air via Istanbul. Due to the extra luggage allowance for international travel, it was in our best interest to travel with one carrier to our final destination. Well, low and behold, the cheapest airline (Turkish Airlines) was also the shortest trip, staying with international sectors, thus not causing any issues on being over on luggage allowances. With my luck I expected the cheapest route to take us via Singapore and a donkey cart connection over the Himalayan mountains and then trudging the last bit, barefoot, over snow covered mountains. Well this time the gods of travel smiled upon us, offering us this option, and the only snow covered mountains were the Alps as we crossed over Northern Italy. The lay-over at Istanbul was a manageable 2 hours which we could while away tasting Turkish Delight in duty free shops and having a VERY EARLY breakfast omelet in the lounge.
We arrived in Manchester mid morning and had a driver waiting to take us to the Stallingborough Grange hotel, our abode for the week. The Stallingborough Grange reminded me of a middle ages inn and the inside I think, was last updated in the early seventies. But the reception staff was very friendly and the place was clean. Between us we heaved our 3 massive (but luckily not that heavy) suitcases, plus 1 cabin trolley case and Hennie's computer backpack up a very tight, steep and circular staircase. The room was quite cold and we did not know how the radiator worked. Later on we realised they switch the radiators on and off during the day an night. So just when you kicked off all the bedding in the sweltering Sahara, you wake up shivering in Siberia. At least that kept us occupied, as both of us struggled sleeping.
Luckily the rental car had a GPS that also advised instantly on the speed limit, as everyone warned us that UK is not SA in terms of law enforcement, and the speed limit changes at the drop of the hat.
The weather was chilly and overcast with scattered rain and even some light snow the one morning - which turned us into kids jumping for joy. As expected, UK was VERY green. That area in the UK are more vegetation hedges than the stone fences you see elsewhere. And everywhere were yellow daffodils brightening up the scenery.
The frustrations with the process and the delays are finally over. We received our passports back with the all important vignette, allowing us 30 days to get our backsides over to the UK and collect our Bio-metric Residence Permits. This will be our visa for the next five years to enter the UK.
As we are getting onto the plane, the moment is not as big as I thought it would be, as we are only going for the week. So does not really feel like we are leaving our heartland and family behind. During this week Hennie will meet with his new colleagues, and i have to meet with the relocation agent as well as view a few potential properties to rent.
As with most companies, we cannot elect which airline travel with, and have to go for the cheapest option. In this case it was Turkish Air via Istanbul. Due to the extra luggage allowance for international travel, it was in our best interest to travel with one carrier to our final destination. Well, low and behold, the cheapest airline (Turkish Airlines) was also the shortest trip, staying with international sectors, thus not causing any issues on being over on luggage allowances. With my luck I expected the cheapest route to take us via Singapore and a donkey cart connection over the Himalayan mountains and then trudging the last bit, barefoot, over snow covered mountains. Well this time the gods of travel smiled upon us, offering us this option, and the only snow covered mountains were the Alps as we crossed over Northern Italy. The lay-over at Istanbul was a manageable 2 hours which we could while away tasting Turkish Delight in duty free shops and having a VERY EARLY breakfast omelet in the lounge.
We arrived in Manchester mid morning and had a driver waiting to take us to the Stallingborough Grange hotel, our abode for the week. The Stallingborough Grange reminded me of a middle ages inn and the inside I think, was last updated in the early seventies. But the reception staff was very friendly and the place was clean. Between us we heaved our 3 massive (but luckily not that heavy) suitcases, plus 1 cabin trolley case and Hennie's computer backpack up a very tight, steep and circular staircase. The room was quite cold and we did not know how the radiator worked. Later on we realised they switch the radiators on and off during the day an night. So just when you kicked off all the bedding in the sweltering Sahara, you wake up shivering in Siberia. At least that kept us occupied, as both of us struggled sleeping.
Luckily the rental car had a GPS that also advised instantly on the speed limit, as everyone warned us that UK is not SA in terms of law enforcement, and the speed limit changes at the drop of the hat.
The weather was chilly and overcast with scattered rain and even some light snow the one morning - which turned us into kids jumping for joy. As expected, UK was VERY green. That area in the UK are more vegetation hedges than the stone fences you see elsewhere. And everywhere were yellow daffodils brightening up the scenery.
Hennie managed to meet some colleagues and see where his office was. We also visited 3 potential rental properties, but more about that later.
I had coffee with a lady i met on a Facebook group for SAFFAS emigrating to the UK, and realised exactly how small the world is. Somewhere in our discussion she mentioned her parent's address, and I realise they live in the same retirement village as my parents. Now what are the chances of that??? She gave some useful hints, as they arrived about 2 months before us.
On the last day we left one suitcase with some clothes and a few South African staples (spices, grandpa headache powers and a few bottles of whisky and wine :-)) at the office, giving us a jump start when will return one month later...
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| Having a beer at the bar |
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| Stallingborough Grange hotel |
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| Snow on the Alpes, enroute from Istanbul to Manchester |
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| Living it up in business class |
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