Day#127 - Edinburgh to London

Monday, July 19th

This morning came quickly. We were out of the hotel and down by the bus stop at 5:45am. I said farewell to Randy and then made my way to the train station for a 6am departure to London. It was a crazy 8 days with Randy in town. I think things turned out really well. We pulled off everything logistically and had a really good time in the process.

I wanted to get to London today before 3pm so I could visit the Visa Company that will help me get my Russian Visa for later in the trip. Getting this Visa requires that I give them my passport so they can send it off. I will need to wait a period of 10-14 days for processing. I'm a little uneasy about being in a foreign country without my passport; however, I do have several copies.

I arrived in London around 11am. I took the metro to the area where the Visa company was located. I then walked over and made the transaction. I hope this move will turn out for me. I asked numerous questions and talked to several people here. I was very clear on my position and I think they could see/feel the urgency in my voice when I stated: "Is there anything else I need to do at this point to make certain this goes through?"

After completing the forms, I grabbed another metro and headed to Victoria Station. I then took a 30 minute train to Gatwick Airport (I didn't realize it was that far south). I had reserved a hotel about 2 miles from the airport. I ended up having to go 1 station south of Gatwick, then walked to my hotel.

This was actually a bed & breakfast - run by an older couple. I asked right off the bat if they indeed had internet service. They said: "No, sorry, we do not." This made me angry as I had booked this hotel because of price and internet. It clearly stated on their internet site as well as in the window of the hotel that internet was available. I mentioned this to the guy. His response: "Yes, I know. We have thought about taking it down". Now, I was really angry. I said: "You can't do that sir. That is false advertising. You can't bold-face lie on your internet site". This guy was basically disinterested in what I had to say. I told them that I would not stay here and would not pay even though I was within the 24-hr cancellation window. They were OK with it. I guess I was a little harsh. But, I had just spent $15 on train fees and 30 minutes of research last night to get this spot - and now I needed to do the same again to find another place. Normally I would have been OK with it but my plans for today included lounging in a hotel and catching up on some emails and blogs.

I made it back to the Gatwick Airport and just stayed at a hotel within walking distance. I paid way too much but will make it up later. I needed some down time. I've just finished one of the most ballistic 3 weeks of the trip. From Belgium to Netherlands to Venice to Pamplona to Geneva to Paris to Edinburgh.

I worked on the computer a couple hours. Got some food at the airport grocery store and basically passed-out around 8pm. I would wake up on Tuesday around 9am - ready for battle once again.