Well, we had to start somewhere. And it's not been a bad start. We arrived at Schiphol yesterday to see one of the longest queues at passport control ever. Smugly, we waltzed through using our Privium cards, thus justifying the 100 euro per year fee. In fact, it was almost worth exiting the airport and then going through again, just to be annoying (but we didn't). The flight was on time, Southampton Airport is small but decent, and the rail link very efficient. The station is just a short walk from the terminal, and trains to Southampton take 6 minutes -- to Winchester, just 10. Not, of course, that we plan to be taking lots of flights, but it's good to know that we can get to Dusseldorf, Paris, Amsterdam, Majorca, Murcia, etc quickly and easily.
Southampton itself is also not bad. Yes, it's full of pale, flabby Brits and Yates Wine Lodges -- you were right, Alan -- but it's got a great park, cycle racks everywhere, and lots of shops. Borders! M&S! John Lewis! PC World -- all just a short walk from the railway station! People don't walk into you as you walk through the mall! Parents say thank you when you hold open doors for their baby buggies! Stores have stock on the shelves! This must be a bit like how it was for East Germans after the fall of the Wall -- shiny consumer goods everywhere! And then we got The Observer this morning and it's yet more consumer goods porn, but this time it's all ethical. Because that's less damaging than pikey working-class rampant capitalism, oh yes. It's all lust and satiation and endless guilt and I wonder how long it will take before i tire of it and long to live in a country that doesn't have "shop shop shop!" as its national mission statement.
So, a new blogging template, a new start, a new set of things to worry about. The rantings and ravings will have plenty of life here.
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