by Wendy Hawkin | Oct 6, 2017 | journal, travel
If you’ve been reading my blog this summer, you know that I travelled in Ireland and the return trip to Canada was a nightmare. I wrote about the experience in this post:
http://bluehavenpress.com/2017/08/06/dear-air-transat-we-are-over
I didn’t leave it there. There is an EU law that you should know about.
At the airport, we were only given a piece of paper that mentioned the EU law because we asked for it. And we only asked for it because someone else in the queue knew about it. Passengers started talking and informed each other. So that’s why I’m informing you.
Although I was feeling very ill when I came home, I submitted a formal complaint to the airline.
Your Right to Compensation
If you’re travelling in Europe and you experience a delay of over three hours you have rights and are entitled to compensation. This is a solid article from “This is Money” about those rights and how to make a claim.
There are some organizations that offer to help you with this, but we just used this form and filled it out ourselves.
I’m happy to say that we received an email from Air Transat within three weeks offering us each compensation (600 Euros). This is the amount owed for:
| a delay of 4 hours or more |
More than 3,500 km between an EU and non-EU airport |
€600 |
A cheque arrived about three weeks later. It’s important to know your rights and to act. I’m sure there were many other passengers on this flight who were so happy to finally be home, they just let it go. Know your rights.
by Wendy Hawkin | Aug 6, 2017 | journal, travel
Dear Air Transat,
I am so annoyed with you. Not only did you put my health at risk, you blatantly lied to me and other passengers. You would not listen. You would not help us. You put passengers last. There is no excuse for what you did and an apology won’t cut it. I feel betrayed and I will never book a flight with you again. Ever.
Our flight was scheduled to depart Thursday at 1pm. We all arrived and cued in Dublin. While we were in the cue, word went around that the flight was delayed 9.5 hours. It didn’t come from you. The plane was broken. Better to be broken on the ground than in the air! When we finally got our moment with the poor harried girl taking bags, she gave us alternatives: you can take a taxi into town and we’ll pay for it, or you can have lunch at the airport. We’ll give you 12 Euro each. For nine hours? From someone else, we heard that other passengers were told they could go to a hotel and hang out in the lobby.
By the time we got back to the shuttle, the hotel manager was stopping people from boarding. Their lobby was already full. We had stayed in this hotel the night before so I appealed to him and he let us go back. At the desk, I was told they were not to give out rooms. I offered to pay. I was sick. Thankfully, we were given a room but had to pay for the whole night. This turned out to be a blessing. Before I left at 8:30pm, I had a bad feeling, returned our keys, and told the hotel we were going to the airport but not to give away our room.
On the shuttle back to the airport, the driver told us that our flight was cancelled. Sure enough, when we arrived our bags stood there (thank God) with one man standing guard. We took our bags and were instructed to come back the next morning at 8:00am for an 11am departure. At that point, your rep called our hotel and instructed them to refund the cost of the night’s room. They would comp it. They also threw in dinner. OK. Fair enough. (Other passengers were taken by bus to a hotel, given dinner in a banquet room and a room for the night. The next morning the bus brought them back to the airport).
This is when things went downhill.
We had a connecting flight. Dublin to Montreal and then Montreal to Vancouver. I called Air Transat twice (offices in Ireland and in Canada). Both reps told us that they had no idea when or how we’d get home. Our bags would go with us to Montreal and we were to sort it out there.
We cued for almost two hours. You had two people handling all the economy passengers. In this photo, you can see where we are in zone 8. We had to get to zone 5. Before we left Dublin that morning, a rep at the airport showed me an email on his phone that said: we will do everything to ensure customers flying on from Montreal to Vancouver and Toronto will be on the earliest possible flight. They will most likely fly with West Jet or Air Canada. Good, I thought, we’ll be home soon. West Jet and Air Canada fly all day long. Hurray!
As we were landing in Montreal at 1pm, it was announced that passengers flying to Vancouver would be on Air Canada flight 311 at 8:25pm! Another wait time of 7.5 hours! Surely, there were flights to Vancouver before that. Passengers needing to take the one hour flight from Montreal to Toronto were also booked on an evening flight.
I talked to the rep and explained that I was sick and had to get home as soon as possible. She said, that Air Transat had done their very best to get us on the first possible flight, but it was Friday of a long weekend and all the flights were booked. On appeal, she checked her screen and said that Air Transat had a flight to Vancouver at 7:30pm and there were two seats available. It was an hour less. She sent us upstairs to talk to the supervisor. The rep there spent a lot of time on the phone and even went away to talk to someone else. She came back and said, “No, there are no seats on that flight. There are no earlier flights. Everyone is booked up.” This was the “official” lie.
Then I went to West Jet. They had a 7:30 flight to Vancouver with seats available.
Then I went to Air Canada. First of all, she couldn’t find us in the computer for their 8:35 flight. Air Transat spelled our name wrong. When she eventually found us, she said that they had a 6:30 flight with lots of seats available–26 in fact. But she couldn’t change the ticket, even if I paid the $75 per person fee to change it. Air Transat had booked the ticket and not us, so it couldn’t be changed. She talked to her supervisor. Finally, I begged, and yes, by then, I was crying. “Can I talk to your supervisor? I’m sick and we’ve been two days now trying to get home.” She went away again, and with kind regard, Air Canada booked us standby on the 6:30 flight She took our bags and gave us a boarding pass. Thank you, Air Canada!
So, you see Air Transat, you lied to us. At the gate, we realized that you’d booked all the Vancouver people on the 8:35 flight. We were asked: “Are you a party of seven?” I don’t know what happened to the other five people. You lied to us to save yourself time, and perhaps, money? You created your lies, and then you washed your hands of us.
I finally arrived home at 11pm on Friday–24 hours late. It could have been worse, and I know that other travellers have experienced the horrors of travel. Yesterday, I threw up twice. I can’t sleep. Post-traumatic stress? Perhaps.
But your lies and blatant disregard for passenger comfort are what has ruined you in my eyes. Never again, Air Transat. We are over.
by Wendy Hawkin | Jul 30, 2017 | Ireland, journal, nature, travel
Ireland is rife with beautiful locations: sea vistas, mountains, pasture lands, and rolling fields of grain. One of the best places we stayed was a self-catering cottage in Avoca.
The farm is at the end of a long one-track lane with verge on either side. Finding it was an adventure. The first lane brought us to a farmhouse where the lovely woman explained to us where we needed to go. We were close. Then another woman drove in and said she’d take us there. So we followed her to the right turnoff. I was nervous going down the thousand-year-old laneway because if anyone came at me, there was no way I could back out. Fortunately, we made it in and out three times without running into anyone.
It is an incredibly peaceful scene. The hosts live next door in Holly Farm. Sanchia explained some of the history to me:
The house has been here since the early 1600’s. There was a farm and people already living here then. The same family were here for eight generations before the farm was sold in 1918. It changed hands twice since then until we bought the derelict buildings in 2000.
The Granary was a farm outbuilding used for storing the grain used to feed a small dairy herd. It also held the milk churns before they were collected by the dairy.
The farm was a small one, 80 acres. It is now joined with the neighbour’s farm. He sold the derelict buildings and a couple of acres to us.
The lane is part of what used to be called ” mass paths”, going across hills and farms from outlying areas to the church–our lane went between Ballycoog and Croghan (the big hill with the windmills you can see from the deck) and Avoca church. The lane is possibly 1000 years old.
Croghan Hill is the scene of my research. We climbed it the day before and were now on the other side of it. The scene was remote, but we also felt wonderfully secure and part of the landscape. We were able to sit out on the back deck and enjoy the countryside. The weather is fickle; changing from sun to cloud to rain to wind and back again constantly. One of the more beautiful moments was this rainbow:
We were able to watch DVDs, cook our own dinners, read, and generally make peace with ourselves and our travels. Avoca is the town where Ballykissangel was filmed. I can’t imagine how the film team managed with all their equipment. They must have parked in the large lot across from the church on the hill. There are not many stores there–a touristy Ballykissangel shop, a small grocer, the Fitzgerald pub, a Tourist Info shop with computers/wifi–but Arklow is about a twenty minute drive and has all the shops including Aidi and a Dunne’s store in the mall. We also spent a day hiking in Glendalough, which was gorgeous and is less than an hour’s drive north (remembering that I drive slow on these thin twisty roads).
We loved the animals. Three dogs met us every time we ventured out; in fact, two of them spent the whole day with us when we first arrived. There are also a pair of white geese and a flock of free-ranging ducks. Birds sing, sheep bleat, and the wind whispers through the pastures.
Sanchia and Richard have lovely gardens and she gave us fresh zucchini and cucumbers from her hothouse! She also provided duck eggs, almond milk, butter substitute, gluten-free bread, and condiments. She caters to people with food allergies. Just be sure to let her know in advance.
ducks & dogs
by Wendy Hawkin | Jul 29, 2017 | healing, journal, nature, travel, writing and publishing
This trip to Ireland has been challenging for me because I suffer with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). If you don’t know what that is, Dr. Campbell offers
this page. At home, I can control my environment and stay balanced, but on the road every environment comes with hazards. The city is rife with toxic chemicals from cigarette smoke to perfume to diesel exhaust. While every B&B is a potential bomb of scented laundry detergent, fabric softener, perfumes or air fresheners. The symptoms lessen when I leave the area but are persistant; for example, I can taste perfume almost constantly now. I’ve experienced new symptoms over the last couple of weeks: tingling tongue, tremors, fatigue, insomnia, and brain fog. I now carry antihistamines which help with some symptoms and an epi-pen, just in case.
Sadly, this may be my last road trip.
Some folks have been amazingly kind and understanding, especially women who’ve reacted themselves to different chemicals. One woman rewashed all the sheets before I arrived in hot water with no soap. But, let’s face it, anyone accommodating guests has to wash their sheets with detergent and a business can’t afford to use “natural” unscented soaps. Some places that I’ve queried send their laundry out so have no control over what the commercial laundry uses. My daughter says that I should open a B&B for people with sensitivities and allergies.
All of this creates stress and anxiety. I power on, but the threat is always looming.
What can you do in this situation?
Avoid. This is number one and also the biggest challenge. You never know what’s coming around the corner.
Spend as much time as possible outside in the fresh air. I’ve done lots of walking in the pastures and fields of rural Ireland. In Dublin, I had to reverse this process because the downtown core is loaded with smokers, diesel buses, and perfumes. Boys, your cologne and after shave is the worst! One family I met at Uisneach, who have lived in Ireland for thirteen years, moved to the country when their children were born because the particulate level is so high in Dublin.
Communicate. Phone ahead, explain the situation, ask if they use scented fabric softener, and warn your hosts. Airbnb was good enough to refund two nights accommodation when I had to leave because the scents made me sick. Sometimes I feel like a whiner, but health is your priority. If you suffer in silence you will only get worse. Ask if you can see (smell) the room, and if it’s scented, walk away.
Hotels might be slightly better than B&Bs but not always. We checked into a hotel in Waterford because we were unable to find any other accommodation, went to the room, and had to leave within the hour. We both reacted to the old carpets, dust, and smoke in the hallways. That was our worst day yet. We drove another two hours and tried three other B&Bs before we found one that was suitable in another town. Even then we had to make some adjustments.
Air out the room as soon as you can and leave the windows open at night. A couple of places I slept in socks, slippers, pjs, sweaters, and wrapped in blankets, but the country air was fresh. At one location, we were able to find another duvet that had not been freshly washed in fabric softener. Cover the pillow with your clothes, then remember to wash your clothes and hang them out in the fresh air; otherwise, you’ll be packing the scent with you.
Be an advocate. I think that people with MCS have to talk about it. The truth is: these chemicals hurt everyone. People with MCS are just the canaries.
Try and stay balanced. This is difficult at times. I’m also food sensitive (gluten and dairy intolerant) so keeping myself fed is an ongoing challenge. Ireland is quite hip when it comes to food allergies. I saw this sign at the surf shack at Curracloe Beach.
Some restaurants are excellent. One server said, “What would you like? I’ll make you up a plate.”
Another host, left us almond milk, butter substitute, gluten free bread, and fresh free range duck eggs; then brought us fresh zucchini and cucumbers from her greenhouse!
On the other hand, in one small town, after scouting three restaurants, the only thing we could find for supper was french fries and salad. Everything else was breaded, buttered, or cheesed. Tonight we were fortunate to find a Malaysian place in Kinsale (near Cork) and feasted on pad thai and curry!
Take vitamins, meditate, and sleep when you can.
The Outcome?
Despite all of this, I’ve undertaken loads of research, which is why I came here. I’ve learned much about myself and my subject. I’ve met wonderful folks and made new friends. And I still love Ireland, the landscape, the culture, and the people. If you’re planning a trip to this beautiful island, message me and I’ll recommend some people that will look after you.
by Wendy Hawkin | Jul 25, 2017 | Ireland, journal, mythology, travel
If you enjoy the experience of visiting sacred sites, Uisneach (pronounced ish-neck) is one you should not miss. It has all the magic and myth of places like Tara and Newgrange, but it’s off the tourist trail, so you can enjoy a heartwarming trek with a small group. It is in the process of becoming a UNESCO site, so this may not last. The space has a warm and friendly energy, and is staffed by just two (at least the day I went). Justin met me and invited me into the Visitor’s Centre for tea and biscuits. He is an archaeology expert and knows much about this site and others like it in Ireland. He also provided tea and biscuits after the two-hour tour and people had opportunities to converse and ask questions. (The tour begins at 1pm daily–closed Monday and Tuesday.)
Marty was our wonderful storyteller. Here he is explaining how this 10,000-year-old glacial rock is actually the bellybutton of Ireland.
The two-hour tour involves walking (some up) around the hills and pasture lands. We were several families from Europe and North America and the kids kept us entertained by asking the coolest questions. Marty didn’t miss a beat but incorporated their queries into his stories. (Unicorns even made it into the story). He told us tales of the Tuatha De Danaans and their battle with the Fomorians, and the triumph of the bright and shining Sun God, Lugh, who is said to have met his mortal end here in the pool.
This place is Druid HQ so many pagan groups come here for rituals. Local artists have carved the faces of the gods, Lugh and Eriu (Erin=Ireland). Every May 1 on Bealtaine (Be-al-tin-a) Uisneach hosts a Fire Festival that looks amazing. This is now on my list. You can watch a video here.
The God Lugh
One of my favourite stories was about the souterrains used by Iron Age people. A souterrain is a cave structure dug out beneath the ground. Marty gave us a slapstick retelling of his experience crawling down a channel into a souterrain that was as black as night. After getting over his initial terror, he fell asleep in the womb of the mother earth. The hidden entrances were marked by rocks. If another tribe invaded to steal your cattle (cattle were highly valued as status and currency) the tribe would hide them along with their women and children below ground in these darkened caves where they would be protected. This gorgeous Angus bull would have been a prize, I’m sure.
To take a tribe’s women and children diminished their tribe and strengthened yours. Slaves were always needed in this hierarchical culture.
It reminded me of a story I heard many years ago on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. The Coast Salish people did something similar when the Haida came down the coast in their war canoes hunting slaves. On top of Mount Daniel (in Pender Harbour) is a beautiful space with a fresh water lake. The women and children would be moved up the mountain where they would be safe and protected from the Haida. I like this idea and wonder how we protect our women and children now?
A Stone Map of Ireland
The same 10,000 year old glacial map depicts a map of Ireland from this angle. You can see the four provinces: Connacht in the west, Ulster in the north, Leinster in the east, and Munster in the south. Mide was in the middle where we stood at Uisneach. In ancient times, ceremonial centres were located like spokes around Uisneach and were joined by log roads over which horses, chariots, wagons, people, and food moved. (This brings to mind that image of Gandolph pulling into the Shire with his wagon full of fireworks.) Marty says that each Sabbat festival was celebrated in a different location. This is fascinating sacred geography and it can still be done.
On Winter Solstice, the sun is aligned with the passage tomb at Newgrange. You need to win a lottery to get inside, but it’s worth a try. You can always just camp out on the grass and soak up the magic.
The Spring and Fall Equinoxes are aligned at the ceremonial complex at Loughcrew.
Bealtaine was celebrated at Uisneach.
Carrowkeel in Co. Sligo aligns with Summer Solstice.
The Mound of the Hostages at the Hill of Tara is aligned with the sun at Samhain (sow-in)
To celebrate the turning of the wheel of the year and the passing of the sun through its annual phases brought stability to an agrarian world that depended on the weather for survival. In fact, in times of weather upheaval, whole tribes could be wiped out or have to relocate. This is something to think about given our current predicament.
Blessings from the Faerie Tree at Uineach!
by Wendy Hawkin | Jul 23, 2017 | Ireland, journal, nature, travel
The Golden Way
There are some lovely walks around the Jampa Ling Tibetan Buddhist Centre in Co Cavan. One of my favourite Sacred Web songs is a Tree Chant where the names of trees from around the world are repeated. I found myself singing this as I meandered the forested trail to the lake.
My favourite trees are old deciduous trees. Beech, ash, oak… And they all grow here intermingling with wild ferns, holly, and ivy. It reminds me of Robert Graves’ work in The White Goddess.
One spring I will come to see the bluebells!
Wild Shamrocks!
I did not expect to find wild shamrocks in the woods at Jampa Ling, but there they were, pushing through the ivy and covering the mossy nurse logs. Shamrocks are a type of wood sorrel, belonging to the Oxalis genus.
The old beech tree guards the path to the lake. The sign says: “this ancient tree casts a canopy so dense that no other trees can thrive under it leaving an area as you see free from undergrowth. Nature has created here for us a beautiful quiet place of reflection and contemplation.”
Not long after you reach the lake.
In the field behind the centre I discovered this massive old grandmother Oak, the Druid tree. Ah, she is beautiful. I wanted to climb into her arms and sleep.
