travel, lack of jetlag and home

I tried out an experiment - tried to find the cheapest fare possible for going home. Thus I ended up having to fly with three different companies. Could be risky, but it worked out quite nicely. So, an early august morning, I left warm and cosy Winnipeg, for my little adventure, destination Sweden.
Air Canada obviously had to rip off the back part of my (borrowed) suitcase, but that made me content, because at least I wouldn't lose the luggage after that (statistically). Descending to Toronto, we went through the most amazing cloud formations I've ever seen, which also let me know what I had forgotten to pack - batteries for my camera... Bought ridiculously expensive batteries at the airport, and flew on to Montreal. Now, with the perspective of London, Montreal indeed had incorporated some peculiar measures of fightig the terror threat. At least in London, you're allowed to buy tax free after security. In Montreal, all travellers to London were denied entry to the tax free part of the airport (kind of boring when having a 6 hours layover). So instead I investigated a magazine store for a while. As in Winnipeg, all the drink vending machines were closed, and fridges with bottles were locked. 5 meters away, there was a Second Cup (café), and bottles of juices and pops were happily being sold. I fail to see the logic behind this... We were also forbidden to bring any kinds of creams, make up, chap sticks etc onboard. One would assume that an airport would have enough control on what is being sold after security, but apparently not. London, on the other hand, seemed more logical, after security you were allowed to buy and bring stuff. I guess that's because you're leaving, but still...???

ANYWAYS. Landed in London Gatwick at 4 in the morning after only 5 h 45 min flight. that was pretty impressive. We must have had a nice tailwind. Trying to sleep in the early morning hours at the airport was fairly impossible (got half an hour) so instead we (another phd student heading to an earth-worm conference in Poland with same amount of layover as myself) took a train downtown. And this is when I started to realise how expensive London is. HUVALIGEN! We did the warpspeed version of London sighseeing, in a few hours, and managed to cram in most of the most londonish things. Having gotten rid of the luggage at a station (eeexpeeensiiive, gah..) we got a day pass for the busses, and boarded a red "doubledecker", sat in the top front and had an awesome time. Here's the list of what we managed to visit/do:

- St Paul's Cathedral (not inside, ?9 fee for visiting a church?)
- Sandwich purchase for lunch and eating of this at Trafalgar square (in awesome sunligt - I've never seen London in sun before!!)
- White Hall, in perfect time for the change of guards
- 10 Downing Street
- Big Ben and Houses of parliament
- St James park, down the Royal Mall
- Buckingham Palace
- Green park and some memorial place I don't know the name of
- Hyde Park, including half an hour nap on the lawn(!)
- Marble Arch, Speakers Corner,
- Bus down Oxford street
- British Museum (5 minutes!, my goal was to see the Rosetta Stone, since they were renovating when I was there 10 years ago, and I then missed it - as a bonus we also got to see an Easter island statue.)
- Bus back to Liverpool station, luggage, and train (gaaah! my poor thin visa card!) to Stansted. By then it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Not too bad. Felt somewhat dizzy.

And Stansted was no fun airport. But landing in Säve (not regular airport) was even worse. We ended up in some farmhouse, and had to dive for the luggage in the carts they so unceremoniously had stuffed all the bags. Who cared, I was HOME. My father and middle brother came to pick me up, in Ye Olde Volkswagen Van, and then we picked up brother #3 at the student home, and my "lazy" days were ready to start. Now, due to all the walking around london, I woke up the next morning at 8, no problem at all (Alyssa, you should be proud of me!). Apparently all the sunlight had rebooted the brain, and no jetlag was noticeable. I was amazed.
Home... :) Last photo taken last friday, when one of my goals (swimming in the ocean) was accomplished.