Back home again

Time to reverse the direction of travel. Another very early flight from Florence to my least favourite airport, Charles de Gaulle. This time I managed to wake up in time and to avoid giving myself a terrible shock.

Charles de Gaulle also managed not to be traumatic, just a little dysfunctional. My transfer was one of the ones that can be accomplished by walking (a fair distance), rather than needing to get on an airside bus. It did involve exiting the Schengen zone, and inevitably there were some queues at passport control. In the end, I was sent through an automated gate marked PARAFE, which was also on my boarding card (so heaven knows why I wasn't directed there in the first place....). Going through an automated gate means I didn't get a Schengen exit stamp, which might cause some issues later on, but it's doubtful. However, the main dysfunctionality of the airport lay in the absence of facilities to buy something to eat. Only a few places, and all with massive queues. I gave up in the end and went and waited at the gate. I eventually got myself something to eat in Simply Food in Edinburgh airport before sitting on a packed tram back to Leith Walk. It probably does take longer to get home from the airport on public transport, even allowing for the stupidity of the new taxi system which involves pre booking and a long walk to find your City Cab, but it gives me great pleasure to do it for free and the little walk through Pilrig Park at the end is quite good for the soul.

I was back here in sufficient time to do a long peloton ride as part of my programme, before taking a shower and heading up to town for an alumni event, this time on the e-bike. Luckily my presence was not needed for a particularly long time. Meanwhile, Mr A had arrived back from Tain and he went to buy something for dinner whilst I was out.

Back here, I just about managed to eat my dinner, before retreating early to bed with a hot water bottle. I am looking forward to tomorrow, when I plan to do the square root of nothing.