Airport Security

I have just returned from holiday and am amazed by the type of security scrutiny we are subjected to.

All bottles of water and other substances are removed from you when you enter the departure lounge. You are then able to buy water, wine, oils, balsamic vinegars and other forms of alcohol which you ARE able to take on the plane with you. I appreciate that it is difficult for security to check that my sealed bottle of water I bring to the airport is not a bomb without possibly looking at it, opening it... have me drink from it even(!) but don't see why I can then purchase a second bottle of sealed water - indeed the same brand - and take it onto the plane.

I had exactly the same experience at Heathrow (outbound) and at Marco Polo, Venice (in-bound).

Incidentally anyone going through arrivals at Heathrow will I suspect be as horrified as I was last night - hundreds if not thousands of suit-cases strewn around the baggage collection area, clearly lost and not found. The number of children's buggies was countless. I was quite tempted to trade our slightly worn one in for a better model but morality got the better of me far too easily.

I heard a gret tip on radio last week - if you are travelling abroad then place a piece of paper on top of your luggage, within the suitcase, with your name, flight number and home address. That way if things do go astray they should be able to reunite you with your dirty laundry.

At least it makes it more difficult for BAA to auction it off at a profit!