Transit testimonials (aka eff ups)...
'A tale of two cities'...
You all think it's been fun & games all this travelling around Europe but let me share some of the more complex & undesirable aspects of travelling...
But, they do produce great stories of adventure!

1. Arrive into Heathrow airport from Melbourne after 28 hours... I had a connecting flight to Leeds from the other side of the airport. FYI you need to get a train there. I'm at check in, to be told I'm 3 minutes too late. I sit around for 5 hours awaiting the next flight.

2. Train - Paris to Bordeaux. Attendant telling us adamantly that all trains are full. Try another attendant & we get seats. Yes, we had to pay a little more but we got the seats.

3. Train - San Sebastián to Valencia.
We knew we had to get off & change stations. We asked the attendant as we got to the station, no one spoke any English & this took a lot of time. Basically, by the time we found out the train was rolling. Next thing we are being screamed at in Spanish. They've hit the emergency stop button, train stops in the middle of
Tracks, we are pretty much pushed out (with a metre or so drop I might add!). Pretty terrified we walk up the tracks back to the station, we missed our connecting train. Next was in 5 hours. Thinking hats on, change of plans. Scrap Valencia - we're going to Barcelona! Train departing within an hour. We then ferried across to Ibiza that night. A full 26 hours in transit!

4. Ferry - Ibiza to Barcelona.
Travel agent put the wrong date. $30 extra to change.Thanks for coming.

5. Hire car - Edinburgh hostel to airport. Car tripped itself, wouldn't even start. Had to abandon ship & catch a bus. Still fighting to get back the $300 they have penalised us for. Oh and the parking ticket incurred. Expensive shiny hire car!

6. Train - Cologne. Took the opposite train to what we needed. Out in the sticks! No English in sight, two tiny travellers with no clue but a wing & a prayer! Quite funny though.

7. On foot - Split. Given incorrect directions of how to get to our accommodation, no one knew where it was. Very minor.

8. Tour bus - Dubrovnik to Mostar (Bosnia).
Long story short- according to what little information I could translate... You need to pass through 3 ports over the boarder. We were pulled over & detained for 2 hours at the last port. Passports taken & told we couldn't get out of the bus. Not even to go to toilet. Policemen look really scary here. Apparently we were head hunted, a photo of our bus number plate was sent from the 1st port through to the 3rd, all in the name of corruption. Potentially led by other tour guide companies & corrupt police who want to target competitors & bring them down. We eventually got through the port but it just didn't feel right so we petitioned for the bus to turn back. There's much more to this story but that's for over coffee. Did I mention this was all happening whilst we were hit by a huge thunderstorm. We were all pretty bloody scared!!!

9. London - lost count of how many times I caught the wrong train. Meh..

10. Luton Airport - not really a 'eff up' but the biggest pain in the butt of an airport to get to & from. This foresight would now teach me why flights are so cheap there! You pay the rest in trains/taxi fares!! Spent more on those than the flight fares. Don't say I haven't warned you on Luton. I also very narrowly made my flight here as they had the longest security screening process & lines I have ever seen! And if you want to get through quicker you will be charged. They don't give a rats if you miss your flight. They were super mean people.

11. Taxi to airport - Belgium.
Taxi man taking me to the wrong airport, resulting in missed flight & incurring an additional $500 out of my pocket for the cab fare & another flight. Apparently this happens quite often there. Make sure you tell them EXACTLY which airport as they have a few... Make it very clear!

12. Faro (Portugal) airport - I knew
I needed to catch a bus to Lagos & it would take about an hour. I just didn't realise they don't have a night service. All transfer companies said they were completely full as I circulated them all... It looked like I'd be sleeping on a plastic airport chair that night. But persistence paid off & I got lucky with space on a private transfer bus.

13. Lagos hostel to Faro airport - quite comical.
Basically, in a split second of ill fate the hostel gate shut behind me before I had grabbed my suitcase (it was just behind the gate). The bell didn't work to get back into the hostel. I was catching this taxi to the airport with a new travel buddy (Michelle) & yet she wasn't at the front where we said we would meet. I thought this was strange.. So, I ran up this massive flight of stairs to go to the other entrance of the hostel. I could hear Michelle shouting out 'I'm locked in!!!' I couldn't get her out & she couldn't let me in!!! This resulted in having to wake the hostel staff to attend both of our whims. This ten resulted in the taxi running late for his next booking so he consequently floored it to the airport. I asked for him to slow down when I saw the needle on 180kms on the taco. I'm still alive it's ok...

14. Gatwick Airport to Cheltenham.
I asked 2 attendants on the bus which stop I needed to get off for my connecting bus. Both agreed it was the one approaching, they handed me my bag & off I went. An hour of waiting, time of commecting bus passes. I know this is the wrong station. Boring story short I have to get a bus to the other side of heathrow airport, and the next bus is in 2 hours. Time flew as I made a new buddy who shouted me a coffee, my bottom lip was dragging on the floor when he met me but he defiantly made my day.

I don't want anyone to see these stories as negative or to put anyone off venturing into the unknown... Every one of these 'eff ups' has challenged me so much. I've become extremely resourceful & I feel pretty empowered in the knowledge that everything really does work out. In fact sometimes even better than if the original plan had worked out! In most of the above stories there has been a silver lining, all be it, even if it is just for a great story... It can be soul destroying at the time but just know it'll all be alright. GET TO EUROPE!!!
Sarah - 1, Europe transits - 0.