Tag Archive for travel problems

German Wednesday : The last!

Alternatively : In which my parents are in Cologne for a whopping 3 days and manage to get themselves German passports, a feat I haven’t achieved after nine months…

I can’t quite believe that this week is my last. This time next week I’ll be back in Wales, in fact, at this exact time next week I’ll be at training! While I’m excited to be back in the U.K, leaving Germany will be difficult. I love Germany, I love Germans and their orderly, staring, beer-drinking ways. Germany feels like a second home to me, and I’ll miss Dortmund terribly.

But I’ve said enough about how much I’ll miss Germany – I just wanted to share the fact that my parents are now, for all intents and purposes, GERMAN. They travelled to Cologne for a mini city break and to basically take half of my things home. So, this meant I exchanged my very full suitcase for their very empty one… except they forgot that their passports were in the back pocket. HOW SILLY. I got a text this morning (because my Mum tried to ring me several times and just got answered by a German man, this is what happens when you forget to put the dial code in) and sent over their passport numbers, and after much toing and froing around Cologne airport on their part, they succeeded in getting back to the U.K!

I really really hope this doesn’t happen to me next week! Note to self : CHECK FOR PASSPORT EVERY FIVE MINUTES!

AAAARGH

ARRRGH

I knew this would bloody happen. So what do you do when your flight might be cancelled? I’m half tempted to book onto another one, but for all I know, we may still fly tomorrow. Snow has stopped, but for how long, who knows? I’ve never hoped for rain so much in my life!

Half tempted to add a ‘DAMN YOU EASYJET’ tag…

I’m also tempted just to stay up until four instead of sleeping – way too worried to sleep tbh.

I officially hate travelling

So after a lovely Christmas at home, I’ve been struck  with the same problem as when I tried to get home from Germany – delays, cancellations and snow, everywhere!!

We were meant to have flown at quarter to seven last night – but as the time ticked closer to our departure and they still hadn’t told us which Gate to head to  for boarding, it became increasingly obvious that our flights was likely to be cancelled. Eventually we were told to head to Gate 91, in which we were checked in for boarding, got onto a bus that was supposedly meant to take us to the plane… except we had a little tour of the runway for about half an hour before being ferried back to  Gate 91 by a very angry bus driver. We joked that he didn’t know where he was going, that he’d got lost, but I think we might have been close to the truth there, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a serious lack of communication which meant that he didn’t know where to go because no one was telling him. He wasn’t the only one, no one was telling us what was going on. No announcement from Easyjet, all we got was an angry speech from a Gatwick employee telling us that it was nothing to do with them, the problem was with the carrier.

Three flights got cancelled last night, leaving a serious amount of angry Easyjet customers. One German guy attempted to take the lead, announcing that everyone should stick together and that they had to give us all a flight or no one would go. I was struck by how selfish he was speaking only in German, presumably not counting in those who couldn’t speak German/weren’t German in his little plan, and what was he expecting Easyjet to do, conjure up a plane and a slot in which the entire flight (or just the Germans on said flight) could fly?

We ended up getting free accommodation for last night and a free transfer to a flight for tomorrow morning. Unfortunately had to pay for today, but what can you do? We’re well and truly stuck, and being as all three of us (Beef, Gravy and I) are from Cardiff, there really was no point in us going home. So that’s a right kick in the teeth, I wanted more time at home, but not like this.

And now we have all these weather warnings about snow – app. it could be up to 16 inches in London. After London Gatwick and Easyjet’s handling of the snow before Christmas, I have my doubts about our flying tomorrow.

This is so frustrating!!! Anyone else been stuck because of snow? How’s it been affecting everyone else in the U.K? I heard that all the schools are closed, surprise surprise. I hope none of you are snowed in!