Pre-holiday

Having got a bank draft yesterday (the Russian embassy only accept payments by draft or postal order), I went over to Orwell Road in Rathgar to submit our visa applications. I left again after forty minutes without making any progress. There was quite a long queue ahead of me (I got there around 10.30, halfway through the consulate's opening hours) which didn't move at all while I was there. I spoke to a couple of people who told me this was the normal situation. It's quite a small room with one hatch at one end which is manned by one person (who seemingly takes five- or ten-minute breaks now and again without warning). I was anxious to get back to do some more work, so decided not to hang on, but to go back again bright and early tomorrow morning. I was told that there'd already be a queue outside if I got there before the gates open at 9.00 am, but the earlier I get there the earlier I'll get out again.

I went on in to town to the currency exchange my bank recommended and got a starter pack of Rubles to add to the Norwegian Krone I got yesterday. This whole foreign currency thing seems very strange. I guess we're so used to travelling within the euro zone and not having to bother changing money that it comes as a bit of a shock to have to go out and get strange money and adjust to the old-fashioned business of calculating exchange rates and all that. At least we'll be in familiar territory during out time in Finland.

Luckily, we don't need our passports to be returned complete with visas until the end of next week, so everything should be ready in plenty of time. Even so, I'm not looking forward to queuing again tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be a bit less chaotic than today.

It feels strange uploading my blip so early and on the actual day, but I might as well get it out of the way and settle down to some more work. It's important to keep the happy client that way.

p.s. I've back-blipped Sunday and Monday while I was in uploading mood.