Travelling in Britain when there are a few inches of snow is a good way to remind yourself why you are living in Spain!

What happened?  How was my journey?  Don’t read unless you want to know – here it is!

• Monday morning receive text from Easyjet saying plane will be delayed two hours till 18.05
• Decide to leave early anyway because of possible train problems
• Get to Cambridge station early to catch 11.15 to Kings Cross
• 11.15 to Kings Cross ‘delayed’ – no other information
• Hope rises with announcement that 11.15 will leave from Platform 7.   Lug case over there.              Who would think that 16 kgs would be so heavy. It’s the haggis I suppose.
• Platform 7 already has a crowd of people and a silent waiting train bound for Liverpool Street
• All trains to Kings Cross cancelled because of an accident.
• There is no-one giving information in person so we all try to intuit what is the best way to get to London. Much frowning and jumping on and off the quiet train as it waits for a driver to arrive.
• Eventually we all set off  for Liverpool Street on this train.
• Slow gentle ride to London stopping at all stations on the way. How pretty the snow!
• Tube journey to Kings Cross and a short walk to St Pancras – how do old or disabled people manage with all these stairs?
• Train to Gatwick is ‘delayed’.  There is still no-one giving information. But there are a lot of people with suitcases. We scan the departure boards anxiously. After the Cambridge experience I no longer trust the word ‘delayed’ which might without warning change into ‘cancelled’.         This is when I get that feeling of hatred for public transport in the UK. That sort of reaction I normally judge in other people. That ‘what is the matter with this bloody country I can’t wait to get out?‘ sort of feeling. Then there was one of those wonderful tannoy announcements made famous by Jacques Tati in M Hulot’s Holiday which was was like someone gargling under water and totally incomprehensible.  I began to laugh and felt better.
• Should I wait patiently or go to Victoria for Gatwick Express? Yes No Yes No …….ah, the train arrives.
• Slow gentle ride to Gatwick  – no toilets. But how pretty the snow!
• Arrive Easyjet check-in 45 minutes before original flight time. The check in desk said  ‘No, there is no delay! The flight will leave on time’   She looked surprised that I had thought otherwise.
• Departure lounge – no gate details yet so I go to the loo – at last!
• Coming out again I look up and it says ‘Gate 46 Easyjet.  Gates Closed’!
• Nightmare run along endless corridors alongside a hundred other panting and panicking passengers. Our gate is at the furthest end of the airport. No time to buy a paper or coffee or water.
• Gate 46 – two bored Easyjet staff smile at us as we arrive sweating and dishevelled.  ‘No that was a mistake – the gates are not closed. Please take a seat!’
• There is a vending machine – I lose £1.20 trying to buy a bottle of water.  So does another woman.  After that we stand guard to warn people off.
• Sitting down, tired, hungry, thirsty and confused we all receive another text message telling us the flight is delayed and offering food coupons.
• We get on the plane which leaves exactly on time – at 16.05
• Lovely Barcelona airport.
• I have a strong coffee and a potato omelette roll.
• The walk to the train is so easy. There are escalators. The journey takes one hour and I am home.
• Lovely welcome from dog and man.