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Here but exhausted
I'm in Norway!! I know I wasn't supposed to be online this soon, but the crazy events of today mean that (a) I have wi-fi tonight and (b) I feel the need to at least get a base outline of today down since it was so completely draining and unexpected. And then bed!
So yes, instead of being nicely tucked in at my friends' hytta, I am in a hostel in central Bergen. How did that happen, you ask? (Well, in my mind you do...) Um, yeah. The events of today:
1) national rail replacement buses + victoria line suspended + my natural slowness + national express bus taking 30 mins longer than advertised due to traffic + ryanair and their MEGA long lines despite everyone having booked in ahead of time online = JENN MISSING HER FLIGHT
Serious suckage here. I was thinking back, and I can't think of another time in all my flying that I've actually missed a flight just for being late to it. I've come close plenty of times, but I think this is the first time it's actually happened. I've missed one due to airline screwups, missed connections, weather, etc but not through my own means. So that's a first.
2) Working against time (my computer's 20 min battery life + the 30 mins of wi-fi access I paid for) my mom and I (on the phone with her) concurrently searched any and every airline site we could think of to either get me out today or find a flight in the next few days that was reasonably priced. I thought I was going to have to call my boss and be all "hey, guess who's coming to work tomorrow!" but thankfully it was not to be. Instead we found a €100 flight on Norwegian air, out of Gatwick. Of course it was a night flight, since by now it was around noon, and flying into Bergen instead of Haugesund as planned, but those were small complications. I called Kathleen, and after much negotiation it was decided that I could find a hostel for tonight and that they would come into Bergen tomorrow. And so, flights were bought, hostels were booked, etc.
3) I hopped BACK on the national express bus to go to Gatwick (I was at Stansted for RyanAir). This is a three hour journey that costs frakking £30. Insane. NE are not my favourite company right now.
4) Got to Gatwick around 3:30 and killed 3 hours until I could check in. Checked in and got to lounge. Flight delayed. OMFG!
5) Finally flew out around 9:30 PM GMT, arrived 12ish CET. Wandered through the airport until I found a bus to the center of town, wandered around the center of town until I lucked upon my hostel. (This was really lucky actually - Bergen is really really deserted at night. There was literally NO ONE to ask and I didn't have a map.)
6) Hostel is quite cool actually since it's all automated - swipe your credit card, they give you a key card, every door opens with a code, etc. No people around at all. Also, I have a private room because that's all they had. Normally I wouldn't have sprung for it, but the way the day was going I was just happy to find one that had room and said it was very near the bus station. Also FREE WI-FI!
So yes, I am here, and the holiday can begin! I can't say when I left my house around 7AM this morning that I had any idea about all of this, but such is life. At least I only lost about half a day (OH AND LOTS OF MONEY) because of it.
Let us never speak of it again. :) BED..........
So yes, instead of being nicely tucked in at my friends' hytta, I am in a hostel in central Bergen. How did that happen, you ask? (Well, in my mind you do...) Um, yeah. The events of today:
1) national rail replacement buses + victoria line suspended + my natural slowness + national express bus taking 30 mins longer than advertised due to traffic + ryanair and their MEGA long lines despite everyone having booked in ahead of time online = JENN MISSING HER FLIGHT
Serious suckage here. I was thinking back, and I can't think of another time in all my flying that I've actually missed a flight just for being late to it. I've come close plenty of times, but I think this is the first time it's actually happened. I've missed one due to airline screwups, missed connections, weather, etc but not through my own means. So that's a first.
2) Working against time (my computer's 20 min battery life + the 30 mins of wi-fi access I paid for) my mom and I (on the phone with her) concurrently searched any and every airline site we could think of to either get me out today or find a flight in the next few days that was reasonably priced. I thought I was going to have to call my boss and be all "hey, guess who's coming to work tomorrow!" but thankfully it was not to be. Instead we found a €100 flight on Norwegian air, out of Gatwick. Of course it was a night flight, since by now it was around noon, and flying into Bergen instead of Haugesund as planned, but those were small complications. I called Kathleen, and after much negotiation it was decided that I could find a hostel for tonight and that they would come into Bergen tomorrow. And so, flights were bought, hostels were booked, etc.
3) I hopped BACK on the national express bus to go to Gatwick (I was at Stansted for RyanAir). This is a three hour journey that costs frakking £30. Insane. NE are not my favourite company right now.
4) Got to Gatwick around 3:30 and killed 3 hours until I could check in. Checked in and got to lounge. Flight delayed. OMFG!
5) Finally flew out around 9:30 PM GMT, arrived 12ish CET. Wandered through the airport until I found a bus to the center of town, wandered around the center of town until I lucked upon my hostel. (This was really lucky actually - Bergen is really really deserted at night. There was literally NO ONE to ask and I didn't have a map.)
6) Hostel is quite cool actually since it's all automated - swipe your credit card, they give you a key card, every door opens with a code, etc. No people around at all. Also, I have a private room because that's all they had. Normally I wouldn't have sprung for it, but the way the day was going I was just happy to find one that had room and said it was very near the bus station. Also FREE WI-FI!
So yes, I am here, and the holiday can begin! I can't say when I left my house around 7AM this morning that I had any idea about all of this, but such is life. At least I only lost about half a day (OH AND LOTS OF MONEY) because of it.
Let us never speak of it again. :) BED..........