If this is a precursor to summer, then I cannot wait! Feeling slightly lazy, not really bothered putting together any form of detailed post. Current read: Rusty Young's Marching Powder.
Showing posts with label Gatwick Express. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gatwick Express. Show all posts
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Monday, 13 July 2009
Viva La Vida
The familiar yet still unsavory chime of my alarm rouses me from my sleep. Scrunching my eyes tightly together I breathe a heavy sigh and roll over to my side. I blindly fumble for my alarm clock. Prying my eyes open proves to be a less than simple task. "Just another 5 minutes". Despite having almost 12 hours of sleep I still feel completely rundown and soon find myself negotiating with my sleep deprived alter-ego for more sleep. "How about going to into work late? Actually, you should call in sick".
Snapping out of my stupor I casually slip my earphones on and listen to Coldplays' Viva La Vida. The introduction brings back a wave of memories, Spain, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Pamplona and Ibiza. In short, this trip is best described as an agglomerate, a sensory orgy of all things Spanish; food, culture and friendships old and new. Indelible and memorable, this trip will be forever held as the climax of my European travels. If my EU travels were to be analogous to sex, this would be the orgasm. Similarly, I find myself lying on my back in a state of contemplation.
I trudge into the shower and soon find myself humming the tune that will forever be associated with what was an amazing holiday. Viva La Vida, Spanish for "Long Live Life". Amen to that.
Snapping out of my stupor I casually slip my earphones on and listen to Coldplays' Viva La Vida. The introduction brings back a wave of memories, Spain, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Pamplona and Ibiza. In short, this trip is best described as an agglomerate, a sensory orgy of all things Spanish; food, culture and friendships old and new. Indelible and memorable, this trip will be forever held as the climax of my European travels. If my EU travels were to be analogous to sex, this would be the orgasm. Similarly, I find myself lying on my back in a state of contemplation.
I trudge into the shower and soon find myself humming the tune that will forever be associated with what was an amazing holiday. Viva La Vida, Spanish for "Long Live Life". Amen to that.
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Saw us coming ...
'If you met two girls on this trip and they asked you to stay one more night in Berlin would you do it? OK, OK, how about if you met two girls and one of them was hot? What if, one of the girls was interested? What if I met a girl and I needed a wing man would you stay?' Suffice to say, I answered yes to all these hypothetical questions about the circumstances that would keep me in Berlin. Heineken in one hand, relaxing by the river as the mysterious Berlin fluff idles on a beautiful Monday afternoon. What better way to wind down another weekend trip. Monday 4:35 pm.
"Hey, I'm not going to be coming into work today. I missed my flight back to London. The next available flight is Wednesday morning". It so happened that we missed our flight home, by a lot. The S-Bahn arrived at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport at 6:30. Our flight was at 6:30. Standing disorientated and covered in sweat we stood dumbfounded staring at customs. How did we completely mismanage time? The next 2 hours was spent trying to find an alternative route home. We poured over the possibilities: Other flights to London, flights to adjacent cities, trains, buses. We even contemplated driving home, but at €1300-2000 to hire a car in Berlin and drop it off in London, this idea was quickly abandoned. Dejected and defeated we booked the next available Easyjet flight back to London (£52). Wednesday 7:25 am.
Up until now our Berlin trip had been amazing, glitch free. First two nights were spent at Hotel Berolina Kurfürstendamm (£29pn).
Diner at The Berlina Republik.
Partying at Fitz Club.
City Bike tour with Fat Tire.
Wall on the East Side Gallery.
The trip malfunction essentially split the holiday into two halves; almost like the old city of Berlin. Spent two nights in CityStay Hostel.
Dinner at KFC.
Bike riding and getting stuck in a storm. It was almost completely the opposite. Still, Berlin is not the worst city to be staying an extra night even if it's for the lousy reason of missing your flight.
"Hey, I'm not going to be coming into work today. I missed my flight back to London. The next available flight is Wednesday morning". It so happened that we missed our flight home, by a lot. The S-Bahn arrived at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport at 6:30. Our flight was at 6:30. Standing disorientated and covered in sweat we stood dumbfounded staring at customs. How did we completely mismanage time? The next 2 hours was spent trying to find an alternative route home. We poured over the possibilities: Other flights to London, flights to adjacent cities, trains, buses. We even contemplated driving home, but at €1300-2000 to hire a car in Berlin and drop it off in London, this idea was quickly abandoned. Dejected and defeated we booked the next available Easyjet flight back to London (£52). Wednesday 7:25 am.
Up until now our Berlin trip had been amazing, glitch free. First two nights were spent at Hotel Berolina Kurfürstendamm (£29pn).
Diner at The Berlina Republik.
Partying at Fitz Club.
City Bike tour with Fat Tire.
Wall on the East Side Gallery.
The trip malfunction essentially split the holiday into two halves; almost like the old city of Berlin. Spent two nights in CityStay Hostel.
Dinner at KFC.
Bike riding and getting stuck in a storm. It was almost completely the opposite. Still, Berlin is not the worst city to be staying an extra night even if it's for the lousy reason of missing your flight.
Monday, 18 May 2009
Sensation Yellow
Who in their right mind would fly 2 hours and 10 minutes to a completely foreign country with absolutely no intention to sightsee or experience the local offerings? In total 16 expatriates plus 1 local would make the arduous journey to Budapest. Including transit time we spent close to 8 hours on buses, taxis, trains only to party for 5 hours. The draw card? 28 degree heat, thermal baths and Sensation. I write this blog completely exhausted, drained and sick of weekend trips. Not looking forward to doing it all over again next weekend.
After countless weekend trips I have developed a pretty standard routine. Head home after work. Grab something to eat, pack my luggage, gym, laundry and then be in bed by 12. Wake up 3-4 hours later, have breakfast, catch a bus from Dean Street bus stop towards Victoria Station then find my way to the airport (Gatwick, Luton or Stansted).
Arrived in Budapest Ferihegy International Airport just after 10 pm local time. Caught the metro out to our apartment, dropped our luggage off and immediately headed to our lunch reservation at Cafe Kor. The cab ended up costing 200 Forint per person (£1) and we were convinced that the taxi would be our primary mode of transport.
Some were feeling the consequences of the early flight and headed back to their lodgings for some shuteye. The others (I included) pushed on for some light sightseeing.
Széchenyi Chain Bridge
Buda Castle
5 minutes later we were in a cab heading for the shopping District in Nyugati. Strolled around West End City Centre for an hour and decided we were all too tired to function. Tried to negotiate prices for a cab ride home (essentially 1 km down the road). The shady looking cab drivers offered 5000 Forints (approx. £15). Deciding this was daylight robbery we walked home and crashed.
Waking a couple of hours later we decked ourselves our in our White Gear and headed to Budapest Arena. 17 of us (majority of us Oriental looking) managed to turn heads as the group wandered around the streets of Budapest.
After 5 hours of partying we ended up with kebabs, strawberries and bananas and succumbed to sleep.
The following day, we checked our of the apartment and headed back towards West End City Centre to meet up with the rest of our travel compatriots. Unfortunately we headed in the wrong direction and ended up having KFC for lunch. Next stop would be Gellért Bath. The 9 of us jumped into two cabs paid 5000 Forint only to realise that we had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere in the opposite direction!
Another Cab ride and we eventually arrived at the destination and spent the afternoon lazying in the baths. Top way to unwind after a intense weekend. This trip marks two significant events: an entire year of being in the UK and the last time I'll be traveling around the EU with some close friends. Sigh. Good times...
After countless weekend trips I have developed a pretty standard routine. Head home after work. Grab something to eat, pack my luggage, gym, laundry and then be in bed by 12. Wake up 3-4 hours later, have breakfast, catch a bus from Dean Street bus stop towards Victoria Station then find my way to the airport (Gatwick, Luton or Stansted).
Arrived in Budapest Ferihegy International Airport just after 10 pm local time. Caught the metro out to our apartment, dropped our luggage off and immediately headed to our lunch reservation at Cafe Kor. The cab ended up costing 200 Forint per person (£1) and we were convinced that the taxi would be our primary mode of transport.
Some were feeling the consequences of the early flight and headed back to their lodgings for some shuteye. The others (I included) pushed on for some light sightseeing.
Széchenyi Chain Bridge
Buda Castle
5 minutes later we were in a cab heading for the shopping District in Nyugati. Strolled around West End City Centre for an hour and decided we were all too tired to function. Tried to negotiate prices for a cab ride home (essentially 1 km down the road). The shady looking cab drivers offered 5000 Forints (approx. £15). Deciding this was daylight robbery we walked home and crashed.
Waking a couple of hours later we decked ourselves our in our White Gear and headed to Budapest Arena. 17 of us (majority of us Oriental looking) managed to turn heads as the group wandered around the streets of Budapest.
After 5 hours of partying we ended up with kebabs, strawberries and bananas and succumbed to sleep.
The following day, we checked our of the apartment and headed back towards West End City Centre to meet up with the rest of our travel compatriots. Unfortunately we headed in the wrong direction and ended up having KFC for lunch. Next stop would be Gellért Bath. The 9 of us jumped into two cabs paid 5000 Forint only to realise that we had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere in the opposite direction!
Another Cab ride and we eventually arrived at the destination and spent the afternoon lazying in the baths. Top way to unwind after a intense weekend. This trip marks two significant events: an entire year of being in the UK and the last time I'll be traveling around the EU with some close friends. Sigh. Good times...
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
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