I'm leaving on a jet plane......................

Good afternoon! This is probably the only chance I am going to get to use the Internet outside of work, so I thought I would take the opportunity to say hello!

Thanks for all the good wishes! I'll be looking to post as much as possible!

Yesterday was a bit of a trauma getting here. After having to get my brother in law to pack my case due to my ineptitude in packing, I was looking forward to my new life. We had a massive struggle in shutting the case and once it was closed I had realised that I still needed to pack a belt which I had left in the sofa in the lounge and all of my toiletries which were supposed to go in the case! Zut Alors!

Anyway, I got everything together and my taxi (Thanks Tom) arrived at 4am to take me to the airport. After queing (that is probably how it is spelt over here) for 45 minutes, I put my case on the weighing thing only for the woman to advise me that my case weighed 33kg and I was only able to take 20kg on the plane. I panicked a tad at this point and asked if I could pay the extra, which I could! I was told that this would cost me 91 quid, which I didn't mind being loaded and all! She advised that I still had to take 1kg out as this was in breach of health and safety rules! so I chucked some stuff into a bag that KLM gave me and popped the case back on the 'scales'. 29kg! Get in! The kind woman decided that she would only charge me 24 quid which was nice of her, so I was on my way!! She couldn't give me a boarding card from Amsterdam to Lux for some reason and advised that I would have to go to check in in Holland before I would be able to board my next flight. I thanked her and was on my way!

The flight to Amsterdam was trouble free and there was a nice cheese roll and coffee served up by the ever friendly Dutch ladies. Amsterdam airport is massive, and I mean massive!! I must have walked about 4 kilometres (they don't use miles over here!) and 20 minutes before I got to the transfer area. Unfortunately my sense of direction is about as good as David Blunkett without his dog and I got myself lost! I asked the KLM woman where I should go and she told me to go through Customs to check in. So I did! The dutch have these self service machines which helpfully didn't recognise me and told me to check in manually. After queiing (Even worse spelling of word) for about 45 minutes the woman behind the counter told me that I couldn't get on the plane as my seat had been sold! Those of you that know me well, know that I hardly ever get angry (bar Colin Mackay always nipping my head about going for drinks!!) but I was fuming by this stage. 'What do you mean I can't get on this plane, I've got a bloody ticket I said!!' She gave me some blank boarding card and told me to go to the gate and they'll 'see what they can do'.

So, I got to gate C24, showed the troglodite at the gate my boarding card and he told me to go back to the check in desk as it hadn't been filled in! I told the man in no uncertain terms to stop being a pain in the a**e and that the woman had told me to speak to a supervisor. One of his friendlier colleagues looked at the boarding card and let me go through telling me I was 'on standby' for a flight I had been booked on since about 1977! To compound matters further (It was now 9.40 and my flight was 9.55) They stopped me in that X ray thing telling me I had a knife in my bag! I assured the guy I didn't own a knife but he made me open the bag. What a trumpet I felt as the Penknife I had bizarrely decided to take was withdrawn. 'OOps' I muttered, asking him to chuck it away so I could get on with my journey. He then asked if I had a computer in my bag, referring to my PS2. So they had to take this and scan it seperately which delayed me even further. Happy that I wasn't a terrorist or a drug peddler, he left me to pack my bag and in my hurry, I broke the zip and couldn't shut the bl**dy thing! Sprinting a further 4 kilometres and arriving at 9.43 I saw on the screen that my flight had already left!!

I was close to breaking point by now and as the KLM woman advised it was my fault as I hadn't gone to the transfer desk (She was probably correct but at this time I was nearly ready to commit suicide!) but they were willing to compensate me and put me on an alternative flight. The choices were a 3pm via Geneva or a 9pm direct to Lux. The joker next to the woman suggested I visit Amsterdam whilst I waited! How I laughed! There was a Norweigan girl in the same boat as me (Wish I had gone by boat, may have been quicker!) who was offered the train, which would take about 6 hours. I asked if I could do this and they agreed! The compensation woman then took us a further 2 kilometers to her office.

After a short wait in which myself and Ingvil got to know each other, we were offered a business class flight to Brussels and a train from Brussels to Lux. We accepted! As well as this, we were compensated 250 Euros, and given a 50Euro discount off of another flight using KLM. Things were looking up! Ingvil was really nice and seemed to laugh at my nonsense chat which was refreshing and her English was excellent, better than most of the Scots I met in Edinburgh!! We boarded the flight to Brussels and joked about how our luggage was probably in Asia by now (more about this later!). The place to Brussels was so rotten that business class consisted of being at the front of the plane! Not the best, but I was happy to be going anywhere! We arrived in Brussels at about 1 and walked to get our luggage. Typically we waited a further 30 minutes, saw people coming and going with their cases, and when we were the only ones left, figured that our luggage was not going to arrive. By this time, all you can really do is laugh so we went to the lost luggage department, reported our lost luggage and made our way to the train station.

Arriving at 2, we found a train to Lux at 2.45 and we went to buy our tickets. The lady behind the counter, asked if I was under 26. Quick as a flash I replied 'Does it make a difference to price if I am?' She confirmed it would be cheaper, so I confirmed that 'Yes, I am indeed under 26'. Norweigans are too honest and Ingvil (being 28) paid 10 Euros more than me!!

The train journey was pretty uneventful, we both fell asleep pretty quickly (I bought a baguette and a chocolate croissant at the station which went down a treat!) and then I toook the opportunity to see what I had taken out of my case in the morning to ensure I could get my luggage on the plane! Helpfully, I had a pair of boots, 4 pairs of sports socks, 2 towels, a fleece and 4 football scarves!! Typical of me not to select anything even remoteley useful!

We got to Lux at 5.45 and Ingvil and I went our seperate ways (We exchanged numbers but her marriage of 3 years probably hinders any minute chance of romance!). We both had a good laugh about our day and having somebody to keep me company was a great help!! Last night I met up with everyone, watched England sneak through against Ecuador (There are loads of English here!!), went fo a meal and was taken to my apartment

So here I am, in a foreign country, about to start a new life! My apartment is 'cosy'. It reminds me of the type of room you get when you go on a cheap package holiday to a Spanish Island! To be fair, it has pretty much all I need (There is a tv, but no picture - My Playstation is rigged up though!), I went out today and bought a kettle for 10 Euros and did a bit of shopping, going to be eating very European now, so bought lots of bread, cheese, ham etc! As I also forgot my razor, I had to purchase a new Mach 3 turbo and blades (of which the smallest denomination is 8 so cost me a fortune). Have a microwave, a primitive iron and washing machine and a kind of grill thing which looks like it was shipped in from the 80's!! Still, it is free and is only a temporary home! We are still looking for 3 bedroom apartments and apparently there is a minted one which Sven is waiting on a reply from.

Took the bus into town today to get my bearings, and think I have sussed where all the useful shops are. If I am honest, this place would be the last place I would suggest that the ladies come for a shopping trip, but that is maybe being harsh. I bought the Daily Telegraph and sat outside with a coffee but then it started to rain so left quick smart! So this brings me to now! I am still without luggage and Karen (my new boss) has said if it doesn't turn up I can have Wednesday off. To be honest I just want to get started and meet my new work colleagues. I met a few in the pub yesterday and they all seemed really nice.

Incidentally, it is Portugal v England on saturday and there are loads of both Portuguese and English, apparently the last time the 2 teams played there was LOTS of trouble out here! Fingers crossed it all passes off peacefully!

Au revoir