Why is it that every time we make a plan of going somewhere by car (I don't mean little journeys to the shop to get food etc) the \|\!@##$%$% car has something wrong with it so that we have to take the @#$%%%%%%^$#@ train... It never plans out right. I don't mind going by train, I really don't but every time we had to change plans last minute the train journey has been also either extremely expensive and\or stressful. I think it's time to sell that stupid car ( which was bought just for the summer trip - that didn't happen as planned) and get another one, because how many times can one car break down or simply have other problems that mean it can't be (legally) driven, just before a longer journey. It's like it's doing it on purpose, because there was nothing wrong with it sept-dec.
A little (a looong one actually) recap of the things that have happened - the recent one is the WORST
Initially we were supposed to get from Corsica to Paris by car and tour everything in between and have daytrips all summer. Didn't happen coz some stupid registration document didn't arrive on time and if you get caught driving without it in France, the car would be confiscated and you'll get a fine... So instead we paid more than 200 euros for freaking trains (last minute you see) and almost died trying to carry all my stuff. In Toulon Mr. Special had a serious meltdown... The hill in Paris from the metro station to our flat didn't help either.
Then Mr. Special offered to go Christmas shopping to Chester. The night before that the car was vandalised: passenger wingmirror kicked off, the back wiper pulled off... the missing wiper made the car not road worthy and if caught he could've faced fines and got points on his licence...
To add pain to injury, the next day he was supposed to drop me off in London for me to catch my flight home... We took the train.. 98 quid one way... Where do you get these prices from????? The car journey would've been half as much as that!!! Seriously, and then everyone promotes public transport! What makes up that ridiculous price??????????
Should I even mention that in an ideal world, we were supposed to drive up to Edinburgh for Hogmanay. But obviously the day before my return to the UK, it started snowing in North-Wales, where Mr. Special spent his Christmas... And with no special winter tyres driving on ice is a crash waiting to happen. And it did. A minor one luckily: Mr. Special is alright, but the car needed repairs (again!). So he rushed it to his mate and there was hope we could get it back on the road the next day :)
Meanwhile I bought a train ticket from Stansted to Chester. 40 minutes after my flight was scheduled... I thought it's a small airport, there's no way Ryanair will actually fly 3 hours as it had stated and felt quite comfortable doing that... The first panick moment came when it was 5 minutes to our scheduled departure and there was no plane to be seen... Normally they are always on time but this time when I really need it (I don't want to pay another 100 quid for a train ticket) they are freaking half an hour late!!!!!!!! I got lucky though, sitting in fourth row, I was one of the first ones out :) Hovered around for 30 seconds or so to wait for Emma, who was at the back of the plane. We'd made a deal to meet up and struggle finding the train station and getting our tickets from the machine together :) But there was no staircase to the back of the plane in sight... I looked before I ran off :D In one of the corridors there was a HUGE queue. I thought this is it, not gonna makee my train coz I can't even see the border control yet... Turned out it was a queue to get up the escalator :D And now I remembered Stansted airport and realised my huge mistake in just leaving 40 minutes to get from the plane to the train.... That is the biggest crowd I've ever seen in passport control history... Luckily the electronic gates for special passports worked this time and that queue wasn't long at all. I had prepared my ID card and so in search of my passport let a couple of people in front of me :) Finally at the gate (2 mins later? after looking to see if I can spot Emma anywhere) I waas through the gate which seemed to be taking forever... Did it take photos of me????????? I think by that time I had about 5 minutes left before my train went... Still looking back to see Emma, I half rushed (part of me had given up) to the train station, where I got my tickets (2 minutes left!!!!) and look for my train... The board didn't have it anymore - I blame that but I saw people running to a train that was according to the board about to leave in half an hour. Obvs my train. So I ran... Just as I was about to push the button to open the doors, the light went off!!!!! @$#@$@##@@ Noticed one door was still open, ran to that as it was closing, got my foot in the middl of them to try to make them open again and they #$@#$#@% wouldn't. Literally if I hadn't taken my foot away would I been dragged with the train???????? They shouldn't close if something's trying to stop them! RIGHT?!?!?!
The fact that if I had just simply dashed from the plane to the train I would've made it with ease, made me so furious. At myself obvs. I would've had at least an extra minute if I haven't had stopped to wait for Emma, if I haven't had let people in front of me in the passport queue, if I had pushed forward in the escalator queue like one smelly old lady did (imagine sitting next to her in the plane), if I had actually ran from the passport control to the train station - I would have made it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The next train was due 15 minutes later. Only fifteen minutes, I kept telling myself, I'll make it up in the tube, I will!!!!!!! On the train Emma now texted me saying she got through the passport control 40 minutes after me!!!! Long story short, I got to my main train with three minutes to spare and this time I ran (as much as you can with a suitcase) from the tube stop to my train, even bypassed people on the escalators... Some old lady sat in my window seat... So I sat next to her and watched her sleep all the way leaning on the window... like I wanted to do...
Now back to the car curse :D We were hoping to get the fixed car back so we can drive it up to Edinburgh but obvs it once again started snowing in North Wales and the repairman couldn't get the missing part, it was there, it was ready to be fixed (probs a 5 min job), but he thought it too risky to drive with the snow... fair enough. So we got a train... you don't even want to know how much it was... a ridiculous amount... We had one change in Warrington where Mr. Special jinxed everything: This isn't a bad journey is it? Oh you've seen nothing yet. Luckily we got ourselves positioned right where the standard class carriages arrived and soon noted a slight problem... the train was full... So we squeezed in and stood by the door for the whole duration of the journey... about 4 hours? More? who knows. And since the train was heavily overcrowded it didn't go as fast as it should've so we were late as well... We were the 'lucky' ones though... loads of people were left behind in Warrington and Carslile. In Preston? even the train manager had difficulty getting on, so she phoned up all the stations to say no more people to be let on etc (but how can you stop people from getting on the train??? 9 carriages).
Some people had the cheek to complain that the shop isn't open (coz there were too many people standing in there) and they are hungry etc. You have a SEAT, go sit in your seat and be quiet!!!!!!!!!!!!!! are you serious???? You see tens and tens of people standing up and you start whining in front of us that you can't get a coffee!!!!!!!?????
So yeah... I think that car needs to be sold and another one without a curse on it bought...
Ttyl ;)
Jazzz...
