We flew from Dortmund to Luton (which, by the way, is not in London) with Easyjet which we haven’t done for a few years. Normally we travel by car through the Eurotunnel so that we are more mobile in England. Because our visit was only a short stay, we chose to fly. We had a delay of nearly 2 hours due to a bird hitting the plane on its flight into Dortmund but I must say the crew and pilot were very apologetic and we even got a complimentary snack and drink. An added bonus was that we saw the Borussia Dortmund players go through security as they prepared to fly to Stuttgart for their match the next day.
Practising for Brexit
On our arrival we were met by a long queue at passport control. My thought was…is this a practice run for post Brixit travel into the UK? The staff greeted us with the question: “Anyone got an e passport?”. Unlike my husband I had checked-in using my German ID card. I am still getting used to having dual nationality but decided (wrongly) that it would be quicker to use this rather than my British passport! The result was that I had to queue for about 25 minutes longer than my husband. Be warned! If you have a German ID card which can be read by the scanner in German airports, this may not work in England.
A quick pint in the pub
We were picked up from Luton airport and after a drive of 9.5 miles we landed in the lovely village of Sandridge, near St Albans. After our tiring journey we just had time for a quick pint in the local pub called “The Queens Head” – something I really miss.
Party time!
We were in England for a birthday party. A great evening was had by all with family and friends. Live music, great food (including a fantastic birthday cake) and lots of chat about “the good old days”. The next morning we were woken by the bells of St Leonard’s Church which was just at the end of our street. As they say there is “No peace for the wicked”.
Cups in the cupboard
Teacup wind chime
One of the more unsual presents received by the birthday boy was a teacup wind chime. When you look at the photo it may confirm the view that the English can be at times a little eccentric. In German you could say that someone has “nicht alle Tassen im Schrank” , which when directly translated into English is: ” not all cups in the cupboard” – most English speakers would struggle to understand this! This is what I call a “Kloppism“.
Our visit was “short and sweet” but was well worth it.
