Portugal, Sicily, Greece and the Balkans

[Lat34]

Pub Quiz = Pivo!

 

[Scash]

The next morning we hopped on a local bus for the 10 minute trip to Split Airport for our Jet2 flight to EDI. The flight was about 3 1/2 hours and uneventful. There was a bit of a queue at passport control in EDI but it was moving along OK and we were through fairly quickly. Our bags weren't too far behind and we made it just in time for the waiting tram for the trip in to town to visit our son and daughter in law. They have lived in Edinburgh for about 6 years and bought a flat on Easter Road towards Leith about a year ago, and this was the first time we had seen it (apart from photos).

In typical Edinburgh fashion it was windy and raining with a temp of 13°c, but felt like 9°c. We had come from low to mid 30°c temps in Croatia, so this was a bit of a shock to the system. It was actually warmer back home in Noosa despite it being winter in Aus and summer in Edinburgh!

We only had 4 nights there, but arranged it so we were there on a weekend and could spend time with them. We had previously spent about 6 weeks with them in 2023 and saw a lot of Edinburg and Scotland then, so this time was spent mainly catching up with the kids.

On the Saturday evening we went to Sotto Restaurant which was mentioned in the 2025 Michelin Guide. I had the breaded lamb cutlets but they were more like battered. The lamb was nice but the coating spoiled it. However all was forgiven with the Tiramisu and Espresso Martini!




Sunday morning and the weather was still wet, windy and cold so a Sunday Roast at the local was the perfect antidote.



Followed by a visit to a new coughtail bar specialising in Mexican spirits called Chancho for a warming Mezcal Tequila coughtail.

 

[RooFlyer]

There was a bit of a queue at passport control in EDI

Any tips for landing at EDI? Be there in a couple of weeks.

 

[Scash]

Any tips for landing at EDI? Be there in a couple of weeks.

Nothing I can think of. It was all pretty straight forward and they herd you through the egates. There was a couple of border control staff manually checking passports etc but they were mainly for families, and at times they were sitting there doing nothing. As you are no doubt aware the Fringe is on so it may be a busier time when you arrive.

Depending on what time you arrive we find tram is the best option. It runs every 10 minutes early morning and late evening, and every 7 minutes other times. You can now tap on with a contactless card so no need to buy a ticket. The trip takes about an hour and cost was £9.50 .

https://edinburghtrams.com/sites/default/files/2024-11/Website%20Timetable%202024_1.pdf

We spent the month of August in EDI in 2023 and the place was buzzing. The Edinburgh population doubles during this time but luckily we stayed with our son so accommodation was free. We went to the tattoo which was a truly amazing experience, plus saw quite a few shows, comedians etc.

 

[RooFlyer]

We went to the tattoo which was a truly amazing experience,

Ah, that’s what I’m doing there. Again, any tips for attending that? Rock up as soon as the gates open (90 mins prior) or leave it later? Big crush and long time to exit?

Thanks for the arrival and trams advice.

 

[Scash]

Ah, that’s what I’m doing there. Again, any tips for attending that? Rock up as soon as the gates open (90 mins prior) or leave it later? Big crush and long time to exit?

Thanks for the arrival and trams advice.

My memory is a bit vague but I don't think it took too long to get through. Looking back at photos we got there about 40 minutes before it started, which was enough time to have a beer (note the beer cart) and wander around before taking our seats.

It did take a while to get out of the stand as we were at the far end away from the aisle (nearest the castle) in the nosebleed seats.

 

[ellen10]

Just re reading your wonderful trip report @Scash
We leave for Portugal in 3 weeks. What was the name of the food walking tour you did in Porto? I have been looking at a few.

Also you free walking tour in Lisbon?

Thanks.

 

[Scash]

Just re reading your wonderful trip report @Scash
We leave for Portugal in 3 weeks. What was the name of the food walking tour you did in Porto? I have been looking at a few.

Also you free walking tour in Lisbon?

Thanks.

Hi @ellen10, the Porto food tour was booked through Get Your Guide (https://www.getyourguide.com/porto-...ing_uuid=cc283690-574b-42eb-a861-dcdf11e207a7) and was operated by Bluedragon Porto City Tours (Food & Wine Tasting Porto Walking Tour | Porto Food Tour).

We also did an Ebike tour with Bluedragon which was really good.

We booked the Lisbon tour direct with Take Free Tours (LISBON FREE TOUR | TAKE FREE TOURS).

Enjoy your trip.

 

[Scash]

Edinburgh was the last stop on our trip and the journey home to Brisbane begins. We are flying out of Glasgow and we catch a mid morning train from EDI. We were then going to get the airport bus but it was actually cheaper for two of us to get an Uber to the airport than to get the bus!

Our preference would have been to fly out of EDI but there was no availability using our QFF points, so GLA it was. The other option was LHR but obviously GLA is a lot closer. Flights are with EK in F as there was no J availability (I would have been happy to save points and go J but hey ). Our flights are GLA-DXB-BNE (both on the 380) with a 9 hour layover in DXB.

The EK lounge at GLA is one of the better ones I reckon. It's open with natural light, good views and a really good food offering.



And a little video of our plane arriving -

Service on the first leg GLA-DXB was a bit hit and miss and the crew disappeared a lot but menu was amazing. I had the Tomato Consommé with lobster medallion (a bit more lobster would have been nice) which was one of the tastiest dishes I've had on or off a plane. Next up was the Crab Quenelle followed by the lamb cutlets. All delicious.





The lamb came with Biryani rice and veges but I swapped the rice for a salad.

I didn't shower on this leg but did change in to the PJ's. Also scored a Wimbledon towel as Emirates is a Major Sponsor and were handing these out on flights departing UK.




The flight time is about 7 1/2 hours but the time difference meant we landed at DXB around 1:00am local time. I love the meet and greet at DXB when you're transiting in F. It makes life so much easier and quicker as you're driven on a buggy and fast tracked through security.

We then had a 9 hour wait till our flight to BNE. Whilst I enjoy lounges 9 hours is way too long, even in the EK F Lounge! We found a couple of lounges in the quiet area but they're not the most comfortable and I didn't get a lot of sleep. I looked at booking the transit lounge but baulked at the cost but in hindsight should have done it. I didn't take any photos as i was just too exhausted.

The crew on the DXB-BNE leg were super friendly, nothing was too much trouble and they really looked after us. The menu on this leg in my opinion wasn't as good as the first leg but still OK. I had the beef tenderloin which was nice but the standout was the beef sliders I had later in the flight (plus an espresso martini as it was early morning!)



At one stage we were at the bar and got chatting to a guy who, it turns out, was one of the pilots. He was on his break and didn't feel like sleeping and instead preferred to sit there. He was quite engaging and we spoke about aircraft, but particularly about flying the A380. It was really interesting for a plane nerd like me! Just before we landed he came out to say thank you and goodbye to me.

I did shower on this leg about 2 hours before we landed in BNE, and it really makes a difference to how you feel after travelling for so long.

Our arrival in to BNE was early morning at around 6:00am and luckily a friend had offered to pick us up to take us back home to Marcus Beach. We were a little tired and not completely with it by the time we landed and got through immigration and customs so suffered a little mishap. We had purchased some duty free and placed it on the floor while we rearranged the luggage on the trolley. We then started walking out of the terminal when Mrs Scash suddenly asked did I have the duty free!

She quickly raced back inside and fortunately it was still where we had left it.

We feel very privileged to be able to do a trip like we did, and it can become a bit of a chore to keep going with a trip report. AFF is such a wonderful sharing community and I enjoy the comments from you all which helps motivate me to keep going.

Thank you all for following along. Until next time.

 

[VPS]

Thanks for your TR - some lovely places that I have seen and enjoyed the memories and a list of more places that I want to visit.

I did enjoy the Glasgow Emirates lounge and I was really slack and got the Uber all the way from Edinburgh to the airport.

 

[jastel]

My memories of the Tattoo from about 20 years ago were -

Bloody Cold.
Seat is about half the size it should be, think primary school sized.
My knees in person in fronts back and someone behinds knee in mine...Im average size.
Took ages to get out as only one way in up the Royal Mile.
Sitting on the floor of the airport with 100's of others waiting to check in and leave a day or so later.
DOM flights only open 1 hour before or something back then.

But I would 100% do it again.

Hopefully things have improved a bit...


Nice Trip Report!

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks very much for the TR. Many of your photos bought back memories of our travels through Yugoslavia and Greece in the 1970's. Although, for some reason, we didn't make it to Albania.

 

[drron]

Loved the TR and the EDI hints are welcome. hopefully we will be at the Tattoo in 2026.

 

[ellen10]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip report and fantastic photos.
It takes such a lot of time and effort to write a trip report while travelling. Well done!

And thanks for all the wonderful information and hints. I really appreciate it. We leave in 3 weeks and first stop Porto.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Just re reading your wonderful trip report @Scash
We leave for Portugal in 3 weeks. What was the name of the food walking tour you did in Porto? I have been looking at a few.

Also you free walking tour in Lisbon?

Thanks.

Look forward to a TR @ellen10
We loved Portugal

 

[ellen10]

Look forward to a TR @ellen10
We loved Portugal

No pressure @Flyfrequently !

I'm not sure how I will go. I will only have my phone and not my trusty laptop.
I dislike posting wordy thing things on my phone, I don't have fast fingers. Maybe a few photos and limited words. This is our first trip to Portugal.

All you trip report people do an amazing job on the go! And I do love reading them.

 

[Scash]

This is our first trip to Portugal.

We loved Portugal

Lisbon was great but I really loved Porto!

 

[Scash]

Thanks for your TR - some lovely places that I have seen and enjoyed the memories and a list of more places that I want to visit.

I did enjoy the Glasgow Emirates lounge and I was really slack and got the Uber all the way from Edinburgh to the airport.

Thank you @VPS

 

[Scash]

Nice Trip Report!

Thank you @jastel

 

[Scash]

Thanks very much for the TR. Many of your photos bought back memories of our travels through Yugoslavia and Greece in the 1970's. Although, for some reason, we didn't make it to Albania.

Thank you @OZDUCK. Things would have been a lot different back then.