Thursday, May 18, 2023

Scotland 2023 - Day 1. Arrival in Edinburgh - Not looking good

 To add insult to injury British Airways not only stuck me in a middle seat in row 78, but it was also the only one in which the screen was busted, so instead of watching movies all night I had a whisky and soda, ate a hearty meal liberally irrigated with red wine, and then went to sleep until an hour before landing, when I woke up just in time for a traditional English breakfast and a minuscule cup of coffee.

With the time change I landed at 2 pm and manage to finagle a 7 pm flight to Edinburgh, where I got around 8:`15 pm and by the time I came out to the car rental hall I found the Hertz counter deserted. This is where things started to go downhill. I asked the rep for Budget and he told me they had all gone home for the night. Maybe I should try to call the Hertz number? I had arranged with my cell carrier in the US to have phone service here, and went through a rigamarole to get a SIM card that would allow me to do that. Nada!

Unable to contact Hertz I went to Europcar to see what it would take for me to rent a car. 1,000 pounds! He, he, thank you but that is too rich for my blood. So I went to see if there was a tram or a bus that would take me close to my hotel, but no cigar. I had to take a taxi (40 pounds) to my hotel, and in the way I was trying to figure out what to do: Shall I just ditch the idea of a car rental and move through buses and trains? Or shall I go back to the airport tomorrow morning (in a taxi) to try to fight it out with Hertz?

I think I will go back to Hertz, but I have to sleep on my options.

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