On our travels again

We’ve had the great pleasure of a couple of swift visits from Pam and Geoff lately: they were passing through Gatwick on a cultural rip to Riga (which, incidentally, they thought a very attractive city).

Tuesday

As I write, we are on a train to London, sweaty and stressed.  The taxi we ordered to get us to the station had failed to arrive half an hour after the due time, so we’d to schlepp our cases down to the bus stop.  Needless to say, it was a few minutes before the hour at which I can use my bus pass.  Still, the bus got us to the station just in time for us to miss our fallback train.  Fortunately, there was another 12 minutes later, but with two further connections in town to get us to the airport, we’re glad we’ve built in plenty of recovery time.  Why is travelling so stressful?

Later: as it turned out, we were at City airport with plenty of time to spare, which was handy, since the supposedly rapid security clearance involved quite a long queue.  Still, we had time to eat a sandwich before the flight was called, and to listen to a thoroughly unpleasant, patronising, bullying woman in the row of seats next to ours harrassing (I suspect) a junior colleague.  Fortunately, if she’s on our plane, she’s nowhere near us!

The plane is one of Swiss’s new Bombardier aircraft, which I’m disappointed to say I find cramped, uncomfortable and very noisy.  I think the problem is the ventilation fans: I had read that this was a problem.  The engines are of the current geared turbofan generation, and at a certain speed give the pronounced growl that we often hear from the Air Baltic planes that pass over us on approach to Gatwick.  Still, Swiss provided us with a mozzarella and herb sandwich and a glass of wine, which is more than we’re used to on short flights.

Once in Switzerland, everything worked fine, of course.  Clean train connecting with clean train connecting with a clean bus that dropped us close to the hotel.  Fine views of the Zürisee and the Walensee on our way down to Chur, and in fine weather all the way.  The hotel is basic but adequate, and is next door to a Migros that will supply pastries, and hence save us from the ordeal of hotel breakfast.  Like the true Brits we are, we brought a small kettle and teabags with us, and the Migros equipped us with nice china mugs and fresh milk.  Good pizzas for supper close by the hotel, but the wine, if good, was positively Cunard-priced.  Oh well, it’s only money....