One day at a time

Arrived back home in Melbourne. Tried the smart gates, but they weren't smart enough, as they couldn't deal with the fact that I was wearing glasses and had a beard. Then had to wait for my luggage, but wasn't sure which carousal it was going to come off. It eventually arrived, but in the mean time I had been cleared to proceed straight through customs. The airport was very quiet at that time and I thought about getting the Air Bus, but wasn't sure if there would be any taxis at the other end, so decided to get a taxi from the airport instead.

Arrived in Singapore and checked in for my Qantas flight to Melbourne and then went to the transit hotel. It was nice to be able to have a shower and I think that I got at least an hour's sleep before continuing on to Melbourne. The Qantas flight was busy and I had a full row and unfortunately next to me was a young child that would not sit still. Lucky for him, I was not remotely tied so I watched movies the whole way over and it was only a 7 hour flight. I prefer the food on Qantas to the food on KLM and especially the small things like ice creams and real drinking chocolate.

Graham gave me a lift to London Bridge train station so I didn't have to struggle with the underground to get there, although in the end it may have been quicker if I had taken the Tube. Got a quick train to Gatwick, with only one other stop on the way. Discovered that my flight with EasyJet left from the North Terminal so I had to take the monorail to the other terminal, which was surprisingly quiet. No problems checking in, although I was surprised to see that my bag's weight had increased to 19.5 kg, not sure what accounts for the additional 6 kg since I arrived. Still didn't have much of an appetite so just had something to drink and again it was a long walk to the departure gate. EasyJet don't allocate seating, but I was one of the first to check in so got on in one of the first groups, although I had a big group of “lads” sit in front of me; apart from being a bit loud, they were no problem. Found that I could check in as soon as I arrived in Amsterdam, so I...

Woke up early, the light comes into the lounge. Although the sofa was comfortable and I think I got a good nights sleep. Didn't do much in the morning as I had to sort out my replacement flight arrangements, following KLM canceling the flight from Amsterdam to KL. Took a while to sort out over the phone, but on my second attempt I changed my flight to one via Singapore. Had to cancel the booking at the transit hotel in KLIA and hope to get a room in the transit hotel in SIN instead. Once that had been sorted out, I went for a walk around the centre of London as it was a nice day. Got back in time to see most of the Budget Speech and that was the main news for the rest of the day. Haven't been feeling great this afternoon, I beginning to think that the problem in Dublin was food poisoning now, as my stomach is being very delicate at the moment. Rang home to let them know that I got back from Dublin safely and to say my good byes. Went out in the evening with Graham,...

Took it easy in the morning and we just left the hotel, before taking the bus back to the airport. Again the check in area was in a completely separate area and as with Gatwick, the route to the departure gate was long winded. The fight was a bit more bumpy this time, but again short. Passport check at Gatwick was a joke, they just collected our boarding pass. Bought another train ticket, rather than collecting the one that I had already booked. At least the train trip was quick and and London Bridge was the second stop. Stayed at Graham's for most of the day and we went to Shaun's to collect my bag. Met his new guest before we left and gave Shaun his Irish souvenir. I cooked the dinner for both Graham and myself, turned out OK, even if it was only fish fingers. Slept on the couch in the lounge at Graham's place and it was surprisingly comfortable.

Got up early and took the tram to the Guinness Storehouse and we went through the experience. Can't say that I really enjoyed the free pint and I left half of it behind. We walked back through the oldest part of the city and had lunch outside in the city. By the afternoon, I was beginning to feel rough and we went to the hotel to have a rest. Unfortunately the headache got worse and I was violently sick, this put paid to anything for me in the evening and I took a couple of panadol and retired to bed. Graham went out and I found out later that he went to the cinema.

Started out fine and then took a serious down turn when the first train from Balham was postponed beyond the time of my train from Clapham Junction. In the end it proved a mixed blessing as I arrived at the airport at the same time as Graham. Took a while to locate the check-in for Aer Lingus, which was hidden away in their own check in area. The flight looks like it will be very busy as we could not find another pair of seats. Had trouble finding somewhere to eat and then finding the departure gate, which was a very long walk from the check in. The flight went smoothly and was very quick. Dublin Airport was also a long walk from the arrival gate to exit. Took the local bus to the city, it took a while but arrived in Parrnell Square, which is where the hotel is supposed to be situated. In fact the hotel was just off the square, so it took a little while to actual locate it. Room has been set up for three people, but otherwise it is ok, although it doesn't have a fridge in i...