I left my home on Thursday morning very early to take the 6:25 RyanAir flight from Stansted to Luebeck. Luebeck is a small airport approx. 70 km from Hamburg and normally a one hour bus ride to Hamburg centre. Because my flight was so cheap (just 36 GBpounds) I decided to take a taxi to the office in Hamburg where I have been working Thursday and Friday. The taxi is €85, but together with the flight cost it is still much cheaper and more convenient than flying from Heathrow or Gatwick to Hamburg airport. (The BA flight was 180 GBpounds and Lufthansa even more expensive!). Heathrow is at least 90 minutes drive from Cambridge but Stansted just 25 minutes, so it was a no-brainer this time.
I've been working hard the past couple of days and now I'm staying on in Hamburg for the weekend, heading back to UK Sunday evening - also using RyanAir. I have had some pretty bad experiences flying with RyanAir this year and it is usually on the return flight as they are the end-of-day flights subject to the delays occuring earlier in the day. I am hoping Sunday's flight will go ahead without problems as I have to work early on Monday morning. I'll tell about the RyanAir horror stories some other time.
Lee flew out to join me here in Hamburg last night and we went to a club and then a late bar. We met up with a friend we have met here before, Mark, who obviously fancies Lee. he asked me "Why haven't you married him yet? If you don't marry Lee tomorrow, I will!"
So a quick word on this....marriage or to be more precise, Civil Partnership, is an important step and for sure Lee and I will do it sometime quite soon. It has only been less than one year that same-sex partners are recognised under the law in the UK. Lee and I did not want to rush out and do this just because we could, although we realise and celebrate this change in the law as an important step for equality between hetero and homosexual couples . More about this subject, and how it will influence Lee and me, another time.
Tonight (Saturday) we are preparing to go to the gay bars in the Lange Raihe and then on to PIT ( a gay disco/club) and Daniels bar - apparently it never closes!
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5 comments:
Are you proposing to me on the net????
It is about time that same sex marriage be legalised. I have always thought marriage as a celebration of love. When two people decide that they want to spend the rest of their lives together.
The idea of marriage have undergone massive changes over the last few hundred years. Polygamy has been prohibited in most countries in the world (including some Arab states as well), married women are no longer considered the property of their husbands, divorce is legal and birth control during wedlock is accepted. Thus further evolution of the idea of allowing same sex marriage is only to be expected.
Apart from that, it is really a travesty of justice that the death of a partner would mean that the surviving partner becomes disentitled to inheritance.
By the way, in UK does the legalisation of same sex marriage means that you and Lee are entitled to tax breaks ?
whatever happened to yr other blog page? Someone is ever so ready to harrass....
Hai Avang, hope u r getting well by now.
Wish uols all the happiness and when the time comes, remember to invite me ok.!
lekiu - I have never felt strongly one way or the other about same sex marriage in the same sense that heterosexual couples have done. For me, it matters not whether Lee and I make a grand statement to the world about our love for each other, that is between me and him. On the legal point, I do agree with you; it is totally correct that same sex couples should enjoy the same legal entitlement and protection as heterosexuals. In the UK these days that does not bring along with it any direct tax benefits.
Han - hope you are feeling better. Thanks for reading!
Abg Im - Thanks for the good wishes. When the time comes we will invite everyone who is interested to our Virtual Civil Partnership! You have earned yourself a seat at the top table!
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