Trip home

The rest of Wednesday was fairly mundane – pack up, walk to London Bridge tube ( I had a conversation with a group of men outside a pub about my backpack – rather more loaded than when I left Canberra), negotiate the fairly crowded trains ( bit tricky) , Heathrow Express ( a tube would have been cheaper but I am learning ( very slowly) sometimes to take the more expensive but more reliable and faster option) , Vat refund office. When I came to check in at one of those boarding pass dispensing machines like at Canberra airport, the screen refused – said I needed to have more documentation. There was a nearby man who said I needed a visa to enter Australia. I said but that’s OK I will enter Australia on my Autralian passport. He said but now their system automatically connects to an Australian immigration site that won’t let people with British passports checkin to a flight to Australia without a visa. I said but I entered England on my British passport – doesnot matter he said. No point in any more questions I wanted to get on the plane. I groveled under my clothes and produced my Australian passport which got me a boarding pass.

Someone should write a book or do a study on people’s behaviour on aeroplanes or on etiquette on planes. The lady next to me insisted on using the arm rest between us, but that had the controls to my screen. Several times I had to ask her to move. Her husband was on her right, so at least she never asked me to move so she could get out. She also several times leaned right across me and called out to her friend who was sitting across the aisle and a few seats forward of me and talked in a loud voice in a language which I could not understand. ( I might not have been quite so put out if I could have eavesdropped) . The BA flight offered cranberry juice as one of the juice options which I have not seen before. The flight was OK. The lady sitting next to me on the leg from Singapore was a smaller woman and kept well within her seat. I got straight through customs and onto an earlier flight to Canberra.

I was pleased with how the trip went. I think 5 weeks may have been better. I think it would have worked better if I had taken a few days off between Venice and London and stayed somewhere in the country that provided all meals, somewhere I did not have to think. I was a bit too tired in London and did not appreciate the museums enough. I used all my clothes except my sun hat and should have used that sitting in the sun for lunch in Ireland – I was just too lazy to walk upstairs and get it. One of the nice shirts I bought was very useful in London and for dinner in Ireland so I will consider taking something similar next time. I had 16kg coming home – quite a few extra books and odds and ends.

Once again, I have appreciated knowing that some people were reading of my activities. Thank you. It helps me not feel lonely.

Till next time..