Sébastien Grosjean

Getting my board

Well once in London I had to go picking up my lovely new board (RRD Twintip 100 L 2008) at boardwise. It took me about an hour to go there with train and tube but the way back was much more fun. I've tried to get in the tube again but at 6.30 PM with guard at the station was no way to get in, I've just eared "TOO BIG" ;-)

Well thinking of cab to the train station should have been fine but they don't have roof bars so no way to I guess.

Then I tried the buses and that was all fun, after 3 of them telling me "NO WAY", "TOO BIG", ... the 4th one let me in until Hammersmith. Once there same shit, 3 of them didn't let me in but after asking the information desk they put me in the bus and all went fine. For the train was all right as it used to be working for airport so...

So it took me about 3 hours to get back to the airport with my board.

Hotel

Then once my bags left at the airport I went to my usual hotel, Europa but for the first time without bookings ... not the best idea I ever had, at appears that the hotel where full but lucky me some clients just before me didn't took them room so could get it, far more expensive than what I use to pay there but I really had to sleep.

Airport

Wow, I've been getting my bags from the airport left luggage about 2.30 hours before departure to be sure to be fine, well I've pickup my ticket getting sure my kit was specified as planed and for free but that second part seem to had been skipped as you will see.
I went then right to the check-in where was still no queue, it took me ages there to find out why they would me to pay for my windsurf bags has I was supposed to get them free, after couple of managers talk and so on, they decided to make me paying but to refund me right away. What a crazy idea, that's gonna make months to be done and lot of papers work for nothing. Anyway once this sorted out they've quickly checked my personal bag but was fine with the 24 Kg, sadly they also would to give a look at my hand bag, arf not the smallest one ever for sure. They would to weight it and found out it where 17 something Kg, at that time the waitress face just switch to all rainbow colors before tell me "No way you got that with you" so explain her that it was only IT stuff (camera, camcorder, hard drives, laptop, ...) but she couldn't let it go afraid plane compartment will not support it. Then after moving the most import to a smaller bag and drop the bag to 10 Kg she finally let me go even if the normal limit with them company is 5 Kg. She let me put my initial half-empty hand bag for free with all the others, which was pretty nice from her.
After that I would to stop to Animal shop checking some jumpers and stuff but once I checked the boarding board my plane was already closing the boarding so had to go right to it.

To conclude, traveling with windsurf KIT, full of IT stuff through London is certainly one of the most memorable things in Western Europe.

Anyway, I'm now in Dahab and all is arrived with me ;-)