Snow Screwed Up My Travel Plans

Posted by Martin R on December 2, 2010
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I was at a Viking Period workshop in Birmingham until Wednesday noon. A sudden, major and sustained snow dump on the area south of London meant that I couldn’t go home the way I had planned: train to London, train to Gatwick airport, plane to Skavsta, bus to Stockholm, be home in the early hours of today. Instead I had to sleep at a B&B near Gatwick, and then strike out for home after breakfast.

Here’s what I’ve managed so far. Bus through the snow from Gatwick to London, train from London to Stansted airport where I type this, and now I have an air ticket for this evening to Gothenburg. There I will sleep on the couch of my friend Dr. Mathias Klang, and then fly to Stockholm tomorrow morning, if all goes according to plan.

My Birmingham trip was actually originally scheduled for April. But it got canceled because of a volcanic ash cloud…

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Comments

  1. #1 immo
    December 2, 2010

    hi martin – safe trip back. Stanstead airport has some nice open architecture: Sir Norman Fosters work.
    And you can sample some good whiskies at World of Whiskies. Or are you tee-total?

  2. #2 blf
    December 2, 2010

     ✓ Volcano.
     ✓ Snow.
     □ For your next trip, currently available options include:
        ○ Tsunami.
        ○ Meteor strike.
        ○ Pandemic (your choice of disease).
        ○ Alien invasion.
        ○ Sane people in government.
        ○ Other (inquire about special requests).

    Reasonable rates. ISO 9001 certified.

  3. #3 Richard D
    December 2, 2010

    On behalf of England, I would like to apologise about the fact we can’t cope with snow. Having said that, according to my parents who live south of London, it has been pretty bad there.

  4. #4 Art
    December 2, 2010

    The distance from England to Norway is only about an inch on the old Rand-McNally, from there to Stockholm about that again. Being a stouthearted Swede, rugged oceangoing stock undaunted by a little water and a brisk breeze, its just a matter of finding a rowboat, wearing warm clothes, and practicing your friendly look to make your hitchhiking across Norway easier. Your fellow Swedes will, of course, pick you up immediately at the border and sweep you off to the destination of your choice out of national solidarity and community spirit. Being an internationally renown archaeologist , and all-round great guy, they might give you a parade. You could be home, sitting by the fire brushing ticker-tape and confetti off, before sundown. Easy.

    Do it that way and you will have some epic tales to tell. Nothing like a good ripping yarn.

    However you manage it, epic adventure, or pedestrian means such as airliners and trains, I hope you get through swimmingly (hopefully not swimmingly if you opt to go by rowboat) and in good health and time.

    I wonder what an inch is on the R-M … hmmm … that’s a fair bit of a rowing … might want to pack a lunch …

    Have a nice flight.

  5. #5 ArchAsa
    December 2, 2010

    I begin to see a pattern here… Maybe it’s the Illuminati behind it all?

    I hope you manage to get home. It’s weird how differently this has struck down English infrastructure. On the day you were travelling back to Sweden I was taking a plane to London from Stockholm. Since we were flying in to Heathrow we only had a slight delay in the morning and then not much of a trouble. Phew!
    I do hope it doesn’t get worse on Sunday when we are planning to go back home…

    Good luck!

  6. #6 Manda
    December 3, 2010

    I hope you have got home! I will try and arrange the next workshop in a climatically neutral place, which does not lie in the path of ash and has NO potential for tsunami, meteors or aliens. Hmm. Suggestions on a postcard please…

  7. #7 Martin R
    December 3, 2010

    Thanks everyone for the good wishes! I’m home now.

    Immo, I walked through that store! But yes, I’m tee-total.

    Blf, haha!

    Art, I could have asked my stranded Icelandic colleagues Gudhrun and Gudhmundur to row with me.

    Manda, I hear the environment on the Moon is pretty stable, barring meteorites…

  8. #8 Sandgroper
    December 4, 2010

    I hear the Moon has some quite decent restaurants – good food, but no atmosphere.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11901718

    Should have gone to western Ireland instead, maybe.

  9. #9 Natascha
    December 6, 2010

    Good to read that you made it home at last. My journey was okay, almost no delay. It was good to meet you!

  10. #10 Martin R
    December 6, 2010

    Likewise, Fräulein Doktorin!