VTT Postcard - Flying To And Arriving At Destination

Location: back in Johannesburg, South Africa

So just to recap and ensure we are all on the same page :-)

I left for my trip on Thursday, 16 December 2010 at around 8pm and reached Frankfurt, Germany for my connecting flight at about 5am the next day. My connecting flight was due to depart at around 8am in the morning but was cancelled because of adverse weather in London.

And from there on, it just became a very long day for me.

I queued for at least 2 hours trying to get the next plane into London. I must say that my travel agent and my husband reacted very well to my frantic smses of cancelled flights. Frankfurt airport was in chaos and everybody was trying to get onto a plane just to get out. Some passengers were even there for 2 days already. My agent managed to book me on a 3:45pm flight out of Frankfurt to London on the same day.

Don't know if the crew and the passengers were just out of their minds, but we were crazy enough to leave Frankfurt to arrive in London at 4:40pm (London time). London Heathrow airport was definitely not expecting us as the airport took at least 15 minutes to get an unloading ladder onto the plane to get the passengers off.

And then I went through passport control and thought, "Okay, this should be fine from here on out".

But nooooo. I had to even think that. And as soon as I got to baggage claim, I had the sinking feeling that my baggage did not take the same flight with me. My baggage was probably saying, "I don't want to go to winter weather. Let me travel somewhere warmer!" And so it did. Or well, I really don't have any idea where it went.

So, there I was, along with the rest of the passengers, standing in another queue to report missing baggage. All I had was my handbag and the clothes on my back. I kindly pointed out to the baggage handler that I am in London for the next 3 days and then I'm off to my tour. Please deliver the baggage at the hotel if it arrives. But after December 20, send it back to South Africa. By this time, I had the feeling that nothing will go my way or as planned.

I got out of the airport terminal at around 6:30pm and another surprise lay ahead of me, because it took me so long to get my missing baggage reported, my airport transfer to the hotel left me. Phoned the service provider but was informed that no driver was available to get me to the hotel anymore.

I suddenly felt renewed faith. What the heck was the problem? London was English and everything was in English so I should not be scared. I know where I need to go and best of all, I had a London map. Followed all the signs leading to the Underground and I took the tube to get me there. The people at the station were so helpful informing how everything worked.

I got to the hotel at just before 8pm. Got all the stuff (what little I had) into my room and just lied on the bed a bit, thinking "I am so lucky to be here."

I stood up and went out of the hotel across the street to the telephone booth. I phoned my cousin so we could meet up.

Yep, I was lucky to be in London.