Made a clever plan this morning to divide and conquer. I would go to the conference, and Simon would head out to the airport to try and track down our lost luggage.
That plan lasted right up to breakfast, when we discovered our suitcases had become separated from each other. Each of our phones was tracking just our own suitcase, so that meant we both had to go on the hunt. Also, it was likely to be a tricky business, and in this sort of situation, two heads are better than one.
We made our way into town, and then I spotted a tram for the airport that was about to leave. We had no idea how often they went, so we jumped on, and immediately threw ourselves on the mercy of the conductor. He was very firm with us. You’re supposed to buy the ticket before you board, we would need to get off at the next stop, buy a ticket, and catch the next tram. Otherwise, you have to pay a fine of £10 if you’re caught traveling without a ticket. And how much does it cost for a ticket? £7.50. What if we bought a ticket from him now? That would be £10. So, can we just buy the tickets from you now? He reluctantly agreed that yes, we could do that. Our tickets were duly bought and paid for, and off we went.
The trams are a very smooth ride. The track only goes along one line, out to the airport, through town, continuing on through to Newhaven, wherever that is. The trams are actually very frequent, going every 5 minutes or so. The last time I was in Edinburgh, about ten years ago, they were in the middle of constructing it, and had just discovered that the tracks in from the airport and the tracks out from town were of a different gauge. A bit embarrassing.
Half an hour later, we arrived at our destination. We went to the Swissport desk, who are the people in charge of luggage. It was mayhem. There were several people behind the desk but all were so busy talking to all the agitated passengers that no one was free to help us track down our bags. One man said come back at 5, so then we went away to see if we could track down our luggage ourselves. We got as close as we could get, but both were hidden away in secure areas we couldn’t reach. So then we went back to the Swissport desk. A different man said come back at 2:30. So, we admitted defeat for now, got back on the tram and headed back into town. We filled up the time with some more desultory shopping, and I got myself a takeaway coffee. Very surprised to see CBD oil as an optional extra, along with a caramel or vanilla shot, or similar. (No, I didn’t try it.)
Soon it was time to head back out to the airport. We were old hands at the tram by now, buying return tickets on the phone app. When we were just a few minutes out, Simon got a phone call to say his bag was in the van, in the process of being delivered. So that just left mine.
We went back to the Swissport desk only to find no one manning it, and just a different queue of disgruntled passengers. Then I spotted a Swissport employee showing someone else into a locked back room filled with luggage, and I jammed my foot into the closing door, and followed them inside. There I found two more employees sitting at a desk, looking at their phones. I could have got into big trouble at this point but luckily one of them decided to be helpful. My apple tag was the one thing that tipped the situation in my favour, otherwise I’m certain I’d have been sent away with a flea in my ear. The chap and his offsider had to go all the way around through departures and security to get to the arrivals hall where he thought my suitcase could be. I wasn’t allowed to follow them; my job was to ping the apple tag continuously until they reappeared. That was a very anxious 15 minutes but finally my suitcase was back in my possession. It was very exciting. So, a happy ending for both of us. Simon’s bag was delivered to our accommodation this same afternoon but who knows what would have happened to mine? I’m certain going out there to track it down was the right thing to do.
On the way back in the tram, I realized I had time to go to the last hour of a session on allergy, so I hopped off the tram early and tried to get at least some value for my registration money (ultimately funded by you, the taxpayer. Thanks!)