Vilnius; Friday, 25 May, 2007

Having escaped work early I headed down to Gatwick. In the end I didn't need to leave work as early as I did as checkin didn't open for nearly an hour after I arrived, so, as I was flying with an airline which doesn't serve food in economy, I had a very early dinner before checking in.

With it being the Friday afternoon of a long bank holiday weekend I was glad of two things. One that I had arrived early as it took nearly 40 minutes to clear security, they were being very quick but the sheer number of people (an alarming number in matching t-shirts all jetting off on Stag and Hen weekends) were taking time to clear.

The second thing I was glad of was having taken my bosses advice that the £17.00 for the business lounge was worth it. I'd booked it a couple of weeks in advance, and was not so certain that it was value for money, until I saw the departures lounge. It looked more like the concourse at Victoria station, when half the trains have been cancelled and the rest delayed. Chances of a seat were zero and the air conditioning was struggling to keep the space bearable. So with some glee I walked into the quiet environs of the business lounge, with its working air-con and ample seating (completely ignoring the free food and booze!)

The only down side to the business lounge is that it is that little bit further from the gates that the normal lounge, and when your gate is as far away as it is physically possible to get... (up until last summer the gate I left from was part of the satellite terminal, linked to the departures lounge by a monorail. However in Gatwick’s continued expansion the gap between the buildings has been filled in with walkways and offices, making it take almost twice as long to get to the gate as it was with the monorail, but that’s progress for you.

The flight was uneventful (ignoring the stag party who were generally doing what the stereotype of British Stag parties is!) and we landed in Vilnius 15 minutes early. Even with a relatively quick transit through the terminal, the time difference meant that it was gone 10 by the time I emerged into the arrivals lounge. I couldn't be bothered to try and find the bus stop so I got a taxi from the rank and promptly got ripped off. The guide book says that the fare into the centre of town should be Lt15 (2003 version), Lt18 (2004 version) or Lt20 (2006 version). I got charged Lt60 (not including the tip of Lt0 that I gave, the taxi driver appeared a little upset that I didn't want to tip him)

Having checked in to the hotel, I decided to take full advantage of the facilities and made a good 10 hours use of the bed!