For about three weeks the delay’s and cancellations have plagued the airline world here in the states. We were in England when they opened the new Heathrow terminal and the chaos that followed.

My experience with American Airlines has generally been fine, I fly them all the time. However, I had another bad flying experience when headed across the pond. Virgin Atlantic lost our bag and it took nearly a week to get it back. We never had any idea IF and WHEN we would get the bag.

They wouldn’t deliver it to the hotel, so it cost not one, but two cab trips to the airport because the only phone number for Virgin Atlantic is a baggage hotline that gets routed to a call center in India. There are no customer relations phone numbers and we were told to send any concerns to an e-mail address. As of yet, our concerns and bills, which mount (including international phone calls and tips to the concierge) to more than $350, have yet to be returned. I also sent a fax with no response as of this writing.

Oh….my bag arrived with multiple rips in it.

Not a fun arrival in London, but at least we landed safely. Unfortunately, international or domestic, these types of stories seem to only be getting more numerous.

What are some of your travel nightmares and what can be done to remedy this situation?

I have been promising this for a bit, so here it is. We actually got the idea from your partially absent Baghdad blogger. Yep, Shaffer suggested that when we swung through Belfast, we make sure to see the Europa. It was a fantastic time for me, since I heard and studied the unrest in Northern Ireland as a kid. I can still remember my school teachers mentioning the story from time to time. Of course in fourth grade, it’s tough to get a handle on the story. Belfast is booming and while the tension hasn’t left, prosperity is winning. Nice to see.

Only a few days left and continuing with the whole small world theme, my brother and family suggested we head north to Wales near Liverpool. They have friends in the area and everyone raved about what we would see in the north parts of Wales, many times overlooked for the more populated (and also beautiful) south. So since they were in the area we headed north and a bit west. The train ride was only a couple of hours and as the countryside flew past, the brick town homes of London quickly turned to beautiful lime green fields, fresh with new grass. Puffy white sheep dot the hillsides and pastures, while the steeples of brownish brick churches look out over the landscape in all directions. We arrived in Chester, a great town on the border with Wales and then drove about 45 minutes to the west and arrived in Conwy. The town was built by Edward I between 1283- 1289, the caste and walls around the city still stand. The site is truly breathtaking. Here are some of my pictures.

I have to say, Americans get a bad wrap. We have seen our share that have come across the pond and we have yet to see the rude, annoying people portrayed by Hollywood. In fact, most Americans have been very friendly, whether we’re speaking to them or just observing. I cannot say the same for those from other countries and I will not be mentioning them in this forum. I will however report what I have always felt. The great majority of the time Americans are welcoming. Of course, I am biased. Our British friends have been nothing short of fantastic. When we dared venture to one of the biggest football (soccer) games in recent memory, Chelsea versus Arsenal, we were embraced and my four year-old nephew was a hit. We apparently are now “a part of the Chelsea nation and family, even if you do live across the pond.” Here are my first pics from London, notice the police officers dressed in bright yellow and lining the rows to separate the fans from the two sides at the game. By the way Chelsea won 2-1. Great game.

We’ve got some great stories already here in London and I have met up with some of our SKY News pals we’ve worked with reporting overseas. I’ll pass those stories along, but first….we met Max. Great kid and very smart as Tamera notes. He is a great history buff and here’s the video.

You hear that said all the time, “It’s a small world.”

But really, I have never felt it so much.

Lately in airports I have bumped into a few friends, former teammates and even a high school alum. But nothing compares to the luck (pun intended) of my job. Yes we get to see history in the front row, but just as important are the amazing people we get to meet and even get to know. Such is the case of Patrick Lane, who runs an Irish pub in New York where we like to hang.

During my time here at a Fox he always has a great welcome and makes you feel at home, even when you are missing holidays, birthdays and reunions. Every time he reminds me….”If you go to Ireland, you have to meet my family.” So, Tamera and I made the run out to Galway and are so glad we did. The area is stunning and I wish we had more time to explore it, it would take days. This slideshow comes from the drive to Galway from Dublin and then the area around Clarinbridge.

We are off to London next (we’ll see Max) and I have been told we’ve had a Shaffer sighting! I am told he is embedding next and I look forward to his stories. Also, I will explain the bombed hotel and some of the locations in these pictures.

Just a few short years ago, our trip through this land would have been a treacherous one. Catholics and Protestants were at war and for TV viewers across the globe, each night meant a report about a bombing on unrest amongst the sides.

The pictures in my mind are now replaced by a stunning, much more peaceful portrait. Belfast is a city on the rise, it’s downtown is spectacular and growth and advancement is everywhere. The buildings sparkle and the mix of new and old makes this city so much more desirable than I had ever imagined. We visited the most bomber hotel in the world, or so some claim. The Europa has undergone a huge transformation, much like the city itself. Yes there are still tensions here, but the peace seems to be so prosperous, that once bitter enemies can somehow get along.

Throughout our drive through the countryside, it is very evident that Northern Ireland is building. New homes shoot out of the rolling green landscape. Along the Causeway Coast, homes and businesses thrive. We had an absolute blast and the people were most welcoming. If you come to Ireland, you cannot miss the North!

So….it took a whole day and more great travel stories. That I’ll save for a later time, I am on vacation you know. Meantime, I am told Shaffer has written and should post any time. He’s got to get there safely and get situated….then watch out!  So, this is my first trip to Ireland and I do have a tad bit of Irish blood. We go here Sunday evening and hit the streets on this beautiful sunny day to see the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin. How cool! This is a 4 minute video highlight of what it’s like to watch the parade (about 2 hours long), and like parade’s, it gets better as it moves along. There are tons of American bands here and all doing us proud. We saw the University of Illinois Marching Band, Auburn University Marching Band and high school bands from places like West Bend, Wisconsin. You can see some of them on this video also. The Irish were great hosts and they let me in the media area to get some of this video…they like Sky News.

Robert Shaffer has made it to Jordan and has already written his first dispatch. Be prepared for that to come on Monday. He will be able to comment and answer some of your questions. So as Robert arrives for work, I am taking off for vacation. BUT….where am I going? No cheating now. The person who guesses the right answer gets a special greeting. The only hint…..not tropical. Good luck!

I have been meaning to post this for a while, but since we have spent some serious time in airports the last 6 months and in specific, the last few weeks, I had to start this post. Sky Harbor here in Phoenix isn’t one of my favorites. First you have to go 30 miles away to get the rental car, or so it seems, then the signage is very inadequate. Plus you’ve got two different sides to pick people up…the place can get real frustrating. San Francisco’s airport has some issues getting to your rental car and Las Vegas has a new car terminal like Phoenix….too far away also. So….I have decided to list my top airports here stateside, we’ll talk about international at a later time. Give me your best, worst, or what you like. Here are my favorites…yeah, I know they are smaller and in no particular order: Sacramento, Tucson, New Orleans, Salt Lake City.