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Matt & valid Visa
Matt looking exhausted but happy upon his return from Lisbon. Louise gleefully opening a bottle of bubbly.I'm sure we've all experienced that small feeling of panic prior to passing through immigration - I just put it down to momentary paranoia. However, unfortunately for my brother Matt, his momentary paranoia turned into over 72 hours of hell!
At 6:00pm on 27 June Matt entered the British immigration hall, happy that his journey from Australia was finally over, but when he told the immigration officer that he was here to get married - it all suddently got very serious.
The short version of the story:
- Aussies marrying Brits in the UK now need a special visa (as at Mar 2005)
- Matt didn't know about this visa, nor did he have one
- Threatened with immediate deportation to Canberra for the British Embassy to issue the visa
- Got a 48 hour reprieve & was allowed to enter the country (sans passport)
- at 6:00pm on 29 June... many long distant phonecalls & an expensive hot shot immigration lawyer later, Matt is officially deported & put onto a plane headed for Lisbon Portugal.
- Matt is interegated further by Portuguese immigration for 1.5 hours & finally allowed into the country
- 12:00pm 30 June, Matt is
issued with a visa and makes his way to the 2:45pm flight for London
- Matt enters the British immigration hall once again & encounters the officer responsible for all the paperwork surrounding his deportation - she reckons he got a raw deal & says that no-one had been deported before for not having this new visa - it's a discretionary thing & can be issued on the spot.
Elaine & James point out that he's the second Matthew Rice from our family to be deported from England - only the first was our great great grandfather (not sure how many "greats" really?) He was deported for stealing a singlet & 7 bottles (we don't know what was in the bottles - we can only assume).
So fresh after the celebrations of Matt's legal entry, we all wearily make our way to bed - I'm about to fly out to Prague the next morning at 6:15am - I quickly check my e-mails (it's 10:30pm) only to discover that my flight has been cancelled & no reason or alternative offered. I have to make my own arrangements! No flights or feasible options available for 1 July - I take
the only flight available on 2 July - I send frantic e-mails to agency who booked my Prague package to try & hopefully shift some of the things that had been arranged for me the day I landed.
I go to Henley Regatta the following day instead with Matt. We wearily get up the next morning & make our way across London & into the throng of Old Public School Boy tossers, wearing old school blazers & ties & phaffing on like pompous old gits. Henley Regatta is very similar to Flemington Races at Spring Carnival time - only it's a rowing regatting with more tossers! The Pimms was really flowing as was the bitter & ales - possibly flowing more than the river Thames itself. I don't know how many people were actually watching the rowing - but they were all having a jolly good day!
I head back to James' place - it's a really hot day - the trains and tube are sweltering - very unpleasant. England is playing Portugal in the World Cup quarter finals - pubs are heaving - shouts & screams emerge from within. I arrive back at James for the last
10 mins of the game - it's nil/nil. Another tense 30 mins in time on - still nil/nil. They play for some penalty thingy - Portugal wins. England is devastated - the streets are very very quite.
So finally I make it to Prague - it's on the plane that I realised I've not really thought much about this element of my trip. As we're landing I scan the language section of the guide book - ah jeez - it's a lot harder than Spanish!!
A moment of paranoia as I easily pass through immigrations & head to the arrivals hall where my very handsome driver is waiting to take me to my accommodation. My guide book mentions that Prague is renown for it's beautiful women (clearly written by a man) but Lordy Lumpus! I think Prague is the capital of the world for extremely good looking men! even the guys with the ping pong bats that direct the plane to the terminal were pretty special! Now I'm not saying that there aren't your "Viktor - you are a very unattraktiff man" around - but goodness - some of them are very handsome!!
My 4 days in
Collenades of Karlovy Vary
This is where the outlets for the hot springs are housed. Temperatures of the springs range for 38'C to 78'C Prague was squished into 2.5 & it's was very hectic - city tour, Black Light Theatre (very cool) a trip to Karlovy Vary (exceptionally gorgeous provincial town with hot springs) A chamber orchestra with the most flamboyant cellist I've ever seen & generaly wearing down the pavement with my peregrinations. It's also been very warm & you find yourself seeking the shade at every opportunity. Unfortunately I didn't have time to really see Prague this time round - I'll just have to finish reading the guide book & make another trip!
I really had to restrain myself form speaking my exceptionally fluent Spanish - somehow my pea brain thought that if I spoke in Spanish - they'd understand me! I have grasped absolutely no Czech - well I know that pivo = beer! But the truth is that almost everyone speaks English (thankfully) and the pronunciation of their words is very difficult - especially if you read with an Anglo head like mine!
So today is the day of Matt's wedding & if the day goes anything like the wedding rehearsal last night - it's going to be a hilarious day!
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Oh Lordy!
What an ordeal. Poor Matt! Hope the wedding more than makes up for it. Prague sounds amazing (as do the men!). Really looking forward to the pics. Just checked the calendar only to find you are just days away from returning. I bet it's been a whirlwind. Can't wait to catch up when you get home. Mwah!