Customs car curiosity
About ten years ago I travelled overland from the UK to Bratislava. Flew back via Prague on a Sunday: one of a handful of passengers on one of only two flights departing Bratislava that day - one to Prague, one to Zurich.
The flight from Prague to London was much busier.
On landing at Heathrow the aircraft halted before it reached the stand, and a van with "Customs" writ large on its side drove up under the wing.
After a few minutes we moved forward the last few yards to the airbridge.
My backpack came through on the carousel, but I waited in vain for my Slovakian souvenir - a valaska (wooden axe-cum-walking-stick).
My Slovakian trophy was delivered to my home by courier a few days later.
Ever since I've wondered whether Customs were taking a special interest in me that day. On top of everything else, I left the UK in a car bearing Vermont (US) licence plates, which had just been shipped from the US to Germany, then driven to the UK, and then Ireland, and then back to the UK to pick me up for the journey to Bratislava! In fact I'd be rather disappointed if we didn't set off alarm bells in Thames House that week. We must have looked very very dodgey.