Coda: Schengen Again

Further Adventures in the Inaccessible Isles

Departing from my accommodation, I decide not to head directly to the airport but to drive to the airport overview to see what the prospects are for flying home today. It looks sub-optimal … why am I torturing myself?🤷‍♂️

Oh well, the flight status is still showing as OK so will just head to the airport and see what is happening.

All seems to be going OK until I go though passport control. The immigration officer looks very confused and asks me when I entered Portugal. I say Monday before realizing that it was on fact Sunday, when we landed in Porto. This of course was followed by an exit and re-entering on the same day. I try to explain but he doesn't seem that interested. I am resigned to getting quizzical looks from immigration officials every time I enter the Schengen area now.

Of course when we get to the gate, things start to get a little tense as everyone tracks the flight path of our incoming plane. Audible groans indicate that it has gone into a holding pattern. There is temporary excitement during the attempted landinga before it heads off to Lajes airstrip on Terceira to refuel. At this point we think it will be coming back for us, and the information from BA suggests that this will in fact be the case.

The weather has begun to clear and other flights have been landing.

But this is not the BA way.

They have strict rules about crew hours and coming back here rather than back to London will exceed that.

We wait resignedly for the next news. We are not allowed to leave the terminal until the flight is officially cancelled. We are starting to feel like hostages

Eventually the flight is cancelled, probably going tomorrow, maybe? BA inform us that they cannot help with accommodation (other than reimbursement) and so a mad scramble of people trying to book on various platforms ensues. I see a cheap option but decide that BA owe me a decent hotel and quickly confirm.

And of course, having de-schengened, we have to re-schengen to get back to town.

My entry and exit record now looks so ridiculously suspicious that nobody would actually suspect anything.

Still the hotel has a better view than my previous digs

So, making the best of our extended stay, a few of us head off for a fine meal before trudging wearily back to hotels. I opt for a quick nightcap and foolishly do not ask how much before I order a double Woodford Reserve. 28 euros! 28 flippin euros! I rarely pay much more than that for a bottle. I'm not sure of the etiquette of refusing to pay once the drink is poured but will just have to swallow it I guess. And indeed I do.

I don't suppose that BA will reimburse that but I will chuffin well try. I think they owe me that much at least for the unexpected adventures. I am absolutely going to savour this…

And hopefully this will be the last word on the matter before the journey home ..?