After our jolly family day things went rapidly downhill! The next day was Bob's birthday so we were meeting Chloe in Brighton. Bob had arranged an eye test with Specsavers as he needed to order new galasses. He turned up for the appointment, but was told the NHS wouldn't pay for it because he had been examined earlier in the year in Fuerteventura. The weather was atrocious with wind and driving rain, but we traipsed round every optician in the city looking for someone who would do one, and fuming about unhelpful regulations. Eventually we returned to Specsavers and used the Spanish prescription. Lunch was to have been fish and chips on the pier. The pier was closed because of the huge waves lashing. So that was off
, and instead we sat in Harry Ramsden's watching the weather!Eventually we met Chloe in the supermarket and bought her some supplies, then went back to her house for introductions to house-mates. The evening with her and new beau Ben was fun but we stayed late in the Italian and when we reached the station (long wet uphill walk!) the last train had already gone. A helpful employee said there was a solution - so we took it! This meant a long wet downhill walk to the coach terminus and a depressing wait until the 1 am service to Gatwick Airport, where we had another miserable wait for a night train to East Croydon.
Next day we went to Balham to do some business and then abandoned any plans for activities in Central London because the weather and our spirits were so damp. We got ourselves to Victoria Coach Station and eventually boarded a coach to Stansted Airport, after an argument on behalf of ourselves and a number of foreign tourists with a driver who maintained our tickets were for the previous service (which had never turned up!). This is,in fact, a very useful, efficient and cheap service, (there is even a half-fare for the over-60's), but it doesn't feel like it as you crawl up through North London. We had an early supper in the Irish pub at the airport, then took the shuttle to the Holiday Inn Express. This is also useful and cheapish, as well as comfortable.
We were up at 4am for the shuttle back to the airport, and a quick Easyjet check-in with no baggage weight problems:- straight through security, the day's papers and a coffee - so far so good! There were warning notices about the time time taken to get to some gates, so when ours was put up we set off, only to to discover that we needed to use the shuttle. This runs every 3 minutes and should have two coaches, but mostly there was only one, and Bob had a severe attack of claustrophobia when he saw the crowding. (A huge number of flights leave between 7 and 9am!) Ruth went on ahead without passport or boarding card. Eventually, after a great deal of frustration trying to deal with both Easyjet and BAA staff, Bob was brought in a vehicle, but 5 minutes too late. So.... we missed the flight! Bags were off-loaded but lost somewhere in the system and we were told to wait to be accompanied back to Arrivals. This took ages and meanwhile we saw that there was a virtually empty Thomas Cook flight going to Fuerteventura, but unavailable to us!
We were led back through staff doors and onto the (empty) shuttle, and found the bags. Easyjet declined all responsibility (as did BAA) but could sell us a ticket for the Saturday (3 days on!). We opted to go back to Gatwick on a three hour coach journey to catch an afternoon flight to Gran Canaria. This worked but was very stressful! Fortunately we know Las Palmas airport so went straight to the right area for inter-island flights and got ourselves onto the 19.30. Buses worked except that at this time of day they don't go down to the ferry, so we had a bit of a trek from the bus station. We were home by 10pm - just 18 hours since we started (and a few pounds and euros the poorer!)