The Cat's on the Windowsill

We have become so used to everything working and transport arriving when it is supposed to, that the first live update from EasyJet came as a surprise. A 40 minute delay taking off, not too bad, we would still be in Edinburgh by 11 pm. But instinctively you know that won't be the end of the matter. Hardly an hour had passed before the 40 minutes had become 1 h and 20 minutes. I think airlines try to lessen the blow of bad news by breaking it to you gently, much like the lady, having agreed to look after a holidaying friend's cat, trying to break the news that the cat had died. "Your cat was on the windowsill and wouldn't come in....." it is a good joke, worth telling (and I have done so, frequently).

When I used to travel with work, we had a saying that when things started to go wrong they tended to go very wrong and in some small way that was how the rest of the day went. We checked out of the hotel and following the recommendation from last night's waitress, headed to Lutry, and a wine festival. There was nowhere to leave our luggage so we trundled downhill to the lake front, rolling the suitcases over cobbled streets. There were flags, tents, food and wine outlets but everyone was just setting up and nothing much was happening. So we pulled the cases back to the station (uphill and cobbles). Next stop Lausanne, where the left luggage lockers had a QR code for instructions backed up by a dreadful internet service and we only just won that battle after a frustrating 20 min. I would have put it down to us being silver surfers but the 2 twenty something girls next to us were having the same issues. Next we fruitlessly followed Google maps trying to find a café, then gave up and dived into the COOP for a sandwich and some Pringles. However after that things started to look up as we found a cheeky wee cake and coffee down by the lake.

Booking a holiday with a late evening flight home feels like you are getting a whole extra day free added on, but there does come a point in the day when you just want to get on with it and hit the airport. I think I reached that point at about 2 pm, but common sense dictated that we stay away from the airport until at least 6 pm. Normally my restlessness to be home starts 1 to 2 days before the end of a holiday (hence the New York New York ritual), so this holiday sets a new record.

Trying to stay away from the airport as long as possible, we stopped off at Geneva for a walk along the lakefront. Geneva's big fountain was going full blast, throwing 500 litres of water 140 meters in the air every second. Originally built as a pressure control valve, the fountain was to become the symbol of strength, ambition and vitality of the city and is one of Geneva's top tourist attractions. It is an impressive sight and one I remember from TV in the 60s as it was used in the title sequences for The Champions, a TV series about a trio of crime fighters who had received special powers from a lost civilisation. Not as entertaining as Batman and Robin but with only 3 channels on TV, beggars can't be choosers.

We headed back to the train station around 5.30 pm, retrieved our luggage and climbed up onto the platform for the train to the airport. There was clearly something wrong, as the 4.30 train was still sitting on the platform. My SBB app confirmed all trains to the airport had been cancelled due to a 'blockage' so we headed for the airport bus. At least we have accomplished our aim to stay away from the airport until after 6 pm and further validated my previous statement about things going wrong.

EasyJet have been sending updates back and forth all day and the takeoff time has been ever changing. The latest estimate is 23.24 (2 h and 10 min late). If this continues on trend, I may have been a bit premature with my New York New York rendition.Read more