Friday 19th July 2024

Woke around 0830. Hauled ourselves out of bed…descended for breakfast. Bade the staff a fond farewell…one of them insisted on giving us a hug. Saw online news pertaining to airport delays due to a global IT outage. Got messages from easyJet warning of possible delays to our flight. Packed our bags and checked out. Got to Terminal 1 in good time...it seems our flight hasn't been cancelled, and most flights appear to be leaving. An hour's delay was being posted on the departures board. Got through security, then took our time wandering about in Duty Free for a bit...bought some Iberian ham to donate to Tami for breakfast at her pad on Sunday morning. Aki decided to browse the Sunglasses Hut...big mistake. She took ages finding a pair she fancied, and on purchasing them was told she could go to a desk to get the Portuguese tax refunded...what a palaver that was! She spent 20 minutes in a queue, and then gleaned she needed to get the receipt from the sunglasses vendor validated at a separate desk, so managed to persuade those she was in the queue with to save her spot, then queued at the validation desk, then re-joined the tax refund queue, and then had to argue with the staff...blimey! Thought we were going to miss our delayed flight! Naturally, our departure gate was furthest from us, so we walked at pace, banging into the crowds with our luggage, and eventually joined the throng at Gate 47. Waited for 30 or 40 minutes before boarding began, and the flight got away at 1700, about an hour and a quarter late, so not too bad. Started reading my next Dickens, "Nicholas Nickleby"...really enjoyed it. Landed at Luton, and made our way through passport control without mishap, and headed for the railway station...had feared the trains would be badly affected by the IT outage, but we got on one and headed into St Pancras, where we caught a No.91 bus home. Ate some bits and pieces we'd managed to pick up at M&S on our way out of St Pancras station, and then bath and bed...exhausted!