who has got family stranded by the volcanic ash?

[MrsShu]

me ! easy jet have cancelled return flight

I am just outside Geneva, if anyone needs a room for the night please let me know.

Lufthansa has a cooperation with German railways, Deutsche Bahn. You can exchange your plane ticket for a train ticket if your flight was cancelled. The trains are packed though.

Another one in Geneva, with a spare room

Dh stuck in Vienna, so if anyone fancies a swap... (BAD, BAD joke I know.. sorry).

Actually he's just texted me, he's on the train... next to about 30 teenagers on a school trip. He sounded suicidal, even by text. Still, i know he is among the lucky ones.

Oh, your poor DH, MM but I am glad that he is on his way home.

I wonder if even the airports that have re-opened (like Glasgow) will stay open: live video.

BTW - 'cos it is live, if you are looking at this in a couple of hours it will be black and you won't see anything. At the moment, you can see spectacular billowing clouds of ash.

Apparently, at about 5pm (6pm our time) the Icelandic coastguard monitored ash clouds at 30,000 feet.

Anyone in Shanghai? My poor dh is stuck in a hotel near the airport, slowly going mad. he's only got BBC news on the TV and they repeat the same thing every half an hour!

Franca I'm in San Siro, and had strings pulled to stay in heavily booked Hotel Brun on thurs. I'm banking on the fact that they will not have an influx of people this weekend and therefore I am pretty much settling in!
I think I will most probably have to go shopping tomorrow, but alas my budget is more H&M than Armani - and I'm not thinking I can get away with this on expenses!!
Oh, and DH has just phoned to say that the French trains are on strike - anyone heard about this? So even working on the train idea seems fated.
Good thing I am learning Italian anyway - I should treat this weekend as total immersion!

MmeLindt My DH was stranded in Geneva - should have sent him round and you could have given him the lowdown on the place!! He's making herculean effort to get home, driven to Caen, long ferry to Portsmouth then train to Yorkshire and when he gets here he'll be handed three kids as have been on my own all week!!

mum and dad were in london for mum's annual checkup and scans at the Royal Free in Hammersmith and flight back was cancelled.

They got train from Euston to Glasgow today instead. They are in their mid 70's and the train was mobbed and not one person offered them a seat, dad ended up sitting on the floor in the aisle as he couldnt stand anymore (at able bodied people on train not ash clouds!)

So sorry for everyone set adrift by all of this, especially parents separated from young children.

DH just rang me from conference dinner in Granada to say that everyone is bored stupid about it as it's the only topic of conversation, full stop, but there is no new information so all discussions are circular. Think he's given up on the 'charter a coach' idea but is still thinking of hiring a car with some colleagues and hoping ferries available by the time they get there. I've suggested small fishing boat from Dunkirk/ Actually, given that we can cope here, I think he should stay 2 extra nights in hotel and then see if flights are back on.

My sister, DP and DS are stuck in Portugal (worse places to be stranded I know!).

They were due to fly back to Heathrow tom. She has heard on the news out there that BA are putting people up in hotels. Anyone heard this?

Can't get through on various telephone numbers. No further info on their website either.

They are in a apartment and the owners have offered them another night for free but after that .... not sure. Hopefully the next occupants are unable to fly too so they can stay on for a bit!

My friend has just sent me a text to say they are stuck in St Lucia and wont be flown back until the middle of next week

Elastamum - aw, damn!

I know it's been asked before, but anyone heard anything about who you should apply to for compensation or refund? I have an unclaimed ticket to Spain and wonder if I should try Iberia Airlines for refund, or my direct line insurance.

Sophia, yes I'm told the French trains are on strike too.

There's plenty of things to do in Milan. I can suggest:

• a visit to villa necchi which is in via Mozart 12 (nr san babila tube station). It's stunning and the area is beautiful.

• a stroll in zona tortona (tube stop stazione di porta genova), which is very trendy and probably quite busy due to the salone del mobile
• Palazzo reale (by the Duomo) always has good exhibitions
• a stroll in the Brera area, the Pinacoteca (built by Napoleon) www.brera.beniculturali.it/ has several treasures.

Mondadori international in corso vittorio emanuele has lots of (overpriced) british newspapers/magazines and books.

There is also a very good zara in corso vittorio emanuele (and the rinascente is there too, but horribly expensive!)

DH is stuck in Antigua (sounds funny but its grey and raining) and the next flight isn't until Wednesday, but he's due in the States for a meeting next Friday so is now going to go straight there making over a fortnight away and youngest dc is missing him a lot....

I know others are in much more difficulty but I confess to being Fed Up

Au Pair's family have booked ferry from HArwich (5 hr drive) then onto Amsterdam, then hiring a car to their home in Germany, then back to airport to collect their car. God knows when they're going to get home.

Is anyone stuck in Glasgow, in need of tea, sympathy and a hot shower? All reasonable bribes accepted!

BCBG, similar here.......

Keep going x.

It seems even the rich and famous have yo listen to air traffic control. No flight. No mb home to her baby

And she lost her spot on tomorrows flight so Tuesday it is.

Am Fed Up too.

Joining the ranks of Officially Fed Up.

Sophia - sorry that DP won't be able to help you as his flight to Milan was cancelled (he and his colleagues were planning to hire a car and drive up to Brussels where they had booked a Eurostar seat for Monday so you could have joined them). It's a shame it's really too long a drive for one person

He has no idea now when he's going to get back. It could be a week, from what they are saying to him in Cairo

my poor mate is stuck in Mexico city

she's a teacher with 2 dc and a bastard ex

she got the chance to do a swap for 2 weeks and agonised over it, leaving the kids

she agreed, loved it and has been told that she can't get home until thursday, was supposed to be yesterday

so she's having THREE weeks asway from her girls and she's devastated

(teaching swap I mean)

My email is [email protected] if anyone needs any Belgian assistance.

Norkily - bad news. I'm not really sure what to do, to be honest. on Thursday I was all keen to try and see how far I got. Now I'm getting more resigned to staying - because as I mentioned, I am in a comfortable position. It seems a bit daft to start travelling across Europe with no knowledge of where I can get to or stay!

Franca (thank you!!) has given me a guide of what to do in Milan centre, I need to at the very least buy some pants today and I'm staying opposite the Harbour Club which I can access. I'm having a hard time feeling sorry for myself even at the moment!

HOWEVER - still up for overland route if anyone else lands up in northern Italy!!

Not sure if mentioned yet - but last time this type of thing happened the dust cloud last for...20..years that would bugger up a few plans.

Hope people are finding some solutions to their immediate travel problems.

Pavlov - go and stand in the corner for saying that out loud on this thread

Sophia - I know what you mean, especially if it meant travelling by yourself. It's hard to know what to do for the best.