It all starts tuesday when the flight from Catania to Barcelona was late and I was sure to miss my connection flight to Bruxelles. But I arrived to the terminal 20 min before departure to Bruxelles and ran from one gate to another. 8 min before departure I was sitting on the plane from Barcelona to Bruxelles. Of course my bag was left in Barcelona. I arrived to Bruxelles and made a PIR report. Problem was that my winter clothes were in my missing luggage so I had only a scarf and a sweater, but in my hand luggage extra change until the bag comes. The Lost & Found never works well in any airport and it was hard to get updated of the situation and I really needed the bag because Thursday I had to leave to London at 6 am. After many pushing mails my bag finally arrived Wednesday at 7:30 pm. My plans for wednesday were cancelled as they said a totally different time for the arrival for the bag. Thursday early morning we leave the apartment for London in good time to take the speed train to London.

We take the tram and it is the first time in eight years in my friends life the tram drives the wrong way. And now we start to be stressed because if we do not check in 30 minutes before departure, we loose our tickets and new last minute tickets for the train costs approximately 300 euro each. We jump out of the tram and try to find a new. We call a taxi but it is 25 minute waiting time (in Bruxelles!!!). Finally we are on the tram, but during the trip already late for check in, but we decided to run there anyway to see what happens. We stand in line nine minutes before departure and get checked in anyway. When we passed we saw that luckily we were in the business line and the girl did not check our type of ticket so we got on the train three minutes before departure. And I even had the time to by breakfast for us to eat on the train! It took about 30 minutes before we started to laugh and be able to talk again.

Friday I have a visit booked at a customers warehouse west of London and have to take a train there. We have the hotel in the Belgravia area and had to be at Paddington station at 09:20. So I leave the hotel two hours before departure time because if something would happen, I have good time to arrive to the trainstation in some other way. I am on the metro safe a sound, but suddenly the metro stops at a station and I did not hear exactly why. But I knew something was wrong so I decided to jump out and take a taxi. To get a taxi on the streets of London is not easy. I run on the street to find a taxi point and finally find a hotel and grab a taxi there. I communicate to the driver that I have to be at Paddington station in 40 minutes. He says I am out of my mind because they do road work in the whole Paddington area and the traffic is a mess. But if I want to chance it, he will do his best. He askes me if he shall take the narrow road or the main road, because if we are lucky the narrow road moves and is faster. But if we get stuck, then it is over. I tell him to take the narrow road. Narrow road went well and arrived to the station 12 minutes before departure time. When I was about to pay, his card machine did not work and I did not have pounds on me, just euros. So he accepted to take euros and he got my phone number if it shows to be less than the fare, he just calls me and we meet so I can pay the rest. But he got three pounds more. I run to the station and I am there eight minutes before departure. But I can not find the train! I go to the ticket office and they say that the train is cancelled and I have to take the next one. Then I start to laugh and the cashier looked eased because I was not angry as the other passangers. She asked me why and I told her shortly about all the happenings with my trip. I took the next train and postponed the meeting with the client. After this the rest of seven week trip went very well!

Story of my life!

Svenska

Det hela b?rjar tisdag n?r flyget fr?n Catania till Barcelona var sent och jag var s?ker p? att missa anslutningflyget till Bryssel. Men jag kom till terminalen 20 min f?re avg?ng till Bryssel och sprang fr?n en gate till en annan. ?tta min innan avg?ng satt jag p? planet fr?n Barcelona till Bruxelles. Naturligtvis var min v?ska kvar i Barcelona. Jag kom till Bryssel och gjorde en PIR-rapport. Problemet var att mina vinterkl?der var i mitt saknade bagage s? jag hade bara en halsduk och en tr?ja, men i mitt handbagage extra ombyte tills v?skan kommer. Lost & Found fungerar aldrig bra p? n?gon flygplats och det var sv?rt att f? uppdatering om situationen och jag beh?vde verkligen v?skan eftersom torsdag skulle jag till London 06:00. Efter m?nga p?frestande mail kom min v?ska slutligen onsdag kl 19:30. Mina planer f?r onsdag st?lldes in d? de sade en helt annan tid f?r ankomst f?r v?skan. Torsdag tidigt p? morgonen l?mnar vi l?genheten, i god tid f?r att ta snabbt?get till London.

Vi tar sp?rvagnen och det ?r f?rsta g?ngen p? ?tta ?r i min v?ns liv sp?rvagnen k?r fel. Och nu b?rjar vi bli stressade , eftersom om vi inte checkar in 30 minuter f?re avg?ng, f?rlorar vi v?ra biljetter och nya sista-minuten-biljetter f?r t?get kostar cirka 300 euro. Vi hoppar ut ur sp?rvagnen och f?rs?ker hitta en ny. Vi ringer en taxi, men det ?r 25 minuters v?ntetid (i Bryssel!!!). ?ntligen ?r vi p? sp?rvagnen, men under resan redan sena f?r incheckning, men vi best?mde oss f?r att springa dit f?r att se vad som h?nder. Vi st?r i k?n nio minuter f?re avg?ng och f?r checka in ?nd?. N?r vi passer ser vi att lyckligtvis stod i businessk?n och kvinnan inte kontrollerade v?r typ av biljett s? vi var p? t?get tre minuter f?re avg?ng. Och jag hade ?ven tid att handla frukost till oss att ?ta p? t?get! Det tog ca 30 minuter innan vi b?rjade skratta och kunna prata igen.

Fredag har jag ett bes?k bokat p? en kunds lager v?ster om London och m?ste ta t?get dit. Vi har hotellet i Belgravia omr?det och skulle vara p? Paddington station vid 09:20. S? jag l?mnar hotellet tv? timmar f?re avg?ngstid f?r om n?got skulle h?nda, har jag god tid att komma fram till t?gstationen p? n?got annat s?tt. Jag ?r p? tunnelbanan lugnt och stilla, men pl?tsligt stannar tunnelbanan vid en station och jag h?rde inte exakt varf?r. Men jag visste att n?got var fel s? jag best?mde att hoppa ut och ta en taxi. F?r att f? tag p? en taxi p? Londons gator ?r inte l?tt. Jag springer p? gatan f?r att hitta en taxipunkt och slutligen hittar ett hotell och tar en taxi. Jag meddelar f?raren att jag m?ste vara p? Paddington station om 40 minuter. Han s?ger att jag ?r galen eftersom de har v?garbeten i hela Paddington omr?det och trafiken ?r en enda r?ra. Men om jag vill chansa kommer han att g?ra sitt b?sta. Han fr?gar mig om han ska ta den smala v?gen eller huvudv?gen, eftersom om vi har tur r?r sig den smala v?gen och ?r snabbare. Men om vi fastnar, d? ?r det ?ver. Jag ber honom ta den smala v?gen. Smala v?g gick bra och kom till stationen 12 minuter f?re avg?ngstid. N?r jag var p? v?g att betala fungerade inte kortmaskinen och jag har inte pounds p? mig, bara euro. S? han accepterar att ta euro och han fick mitt telefonnummer om det visar sig vara mindre ?n priset, han kan bara ringa mig och vi tr?ffas s? jag kan betala resten. Men han fick tre pounds mer. Jag kommer till stationen och ?r d?r ?tta minuter f?re avg?ng. Men jag kan inte hitta t?get! Jag g?r till biljettkassan och de s?ger att t?get ?r inst?llt och jag m?ste ta n?sta. Sedan b?rjar jag skratta och kass?ren s?g l?ttad ut eftersom jag inte var arg som andra passagerare. Hon fr?gade mig varf?r och jag ber?ttade till henne kort om alla h?ndelser med min resa. Jag tog n?sta t?g och sk?t upp m?tet med klienten. Efter detta gick resten av sju veckorsresan mycket bra!

Typiskt mitt liv!