Satuday, 27th of November 2004
London, what a wonderful city! My friend Seva and I had decided that we would go there for a couple of days. The flight was booked and so was the accommodation, but sometimes, plans change at the last minute. And this was one of those occasions. The passport of Seva had expired about three months ago. Unfortunately, when he realized that, we where already at the Check-In Counter of Ryan Air and the kind Ryan-Air lady refused to let him check in.
What a pity! We were really caught of guard. But when the woman turned to me and asked if I would still go to London I just replied “Of course” without any hesitation. Thinking about it now, I should have taken an extra minute just to show a little bit more sorrow for Seva.
But he was quiet cool about it. We decided to spend the rest of the time before my departure, smoking a cigar outside the airport, recording a message for his friends in London with my camera and making plans for the next trip to England, of course with a valid passport then.
The flight was very pleasant and upon my arrival in London, I was even more pleased to discover that my hostel, “the Ace Hotel” was superb. It had just opened up a couple of weeks ago, the interior was brand new and the staff was very friendly.
The initial plan was to meet with some friends of Seva, but as he was still in Austria, it was my duty to call them and tell them that Seva wouldn’t show up. They where disappointed, but I was invited to join them for night out in a club called “Ministry of Sound” which I happily accepted. So I met this group of Australians and immediately felt like I’ve known them for years. We danced to House music until early in the morning (very unusual for me) and I wouldn’t even return to my hostel until lunch the other day. I also have to admit that this must have been my most expensive night out – EVER!