A New Year’s Travel Extravaganza Featuring AF, CI, SQ, LX, BA, EI, EY, LH, KM and KL
 

Part 1: Zürich to Paris CDG with Air France Business Class
 

Here's the link to the photos

INTRODUCTION
The first two months of 2019 I’ll be spending travelling more or less nonstop, and six of those eight weeks will be for work. But luckily, the start into the new year sees me going on vacation first.Unlike my usual vacations, which normally have me travelling to a lot of different places, this time around I’m planning to spend most of my time in one place. On the one hand, I just need a place to wind down after a very hectic and overall not very pleasant 2018. On the other hand, now that I’m a PhD student, I guess I had better make a start if I intend to complete my degree within the minimum permissible timeframe of three years.

There will be a slight detour getting to some of the destinations, but by my standards, I’d like to think they’re only minor ones. But I’ll come to all of that later on. The first leg of this trip is more or less a positioning flight – the preamble, so to speak…

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
One day before departure, I receive an e-mail from DNATA, Air France’s handling agent in Switzerland, informing me that everything is ready for my flight in La Première and if I have any requests, I should not hesitate to contact them by mail or phone. About two hours later, I receive a phone call from Air France, inquiring about the pick-up for the complimentary transfer to Zürich airport. We agree for the car to pick me up at the office in Winterthur at 13h30. The journey to the airport should take about thirty minutes, which means I will get to the airport just around 14h00, a bit over an hour before departure. At exactly 13h30, I receive a message from my driver, informing me that he’ll be expecting me outside on the parking lot. It turns out the car Air France has sent to collect me is a BMW 730X, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. I honestly have no idea about cars and I haven’t even got a driver’s licence, but this car is just really nice. Of course, it also helps that the interior is colour coordinated with my Pumas…

CHECK-IN
The driver drops me off in front of Terminal 2. He takes out my luggage and wishes me a pleasant journey. I haven’t checked in yet, so the first stop will be at check-in. The agent there immediately checks me in to my final destination and puts a print out of the whole itinerary and the boarding passes in a bright red La Première branded folder. He suggests having somebody escort me to the lounge, but I tell him I’m quite familiar and know my way. And so I decline.LOUNGE /

AIRSIDE
In Zürich, Air France uses the Aspire lounge, which is operated by DNATA. There is no dedicated or separate First Class section to the lounge, but that seems hardly necessary.

BOARDING
My flight will be departing from gate B 34. Boarding starts with a delay of about thirty minutes. Apparently, the aircraft was late departing from Paris on the inbound. Boarding is done by zones, and the first to be allowed aboard are zones 1 and 2. As I am travelling in La Première, I am invited to use the manned gate instead of one of the automatic gates.

CABIN
I like the Air France cabin. First of all, because I think it looks very colourful with the dark blue leather seats and the bright read headrest covers and pillows. There are four rows in Business Class with a total of 16 seats on this flight, although I would say only half are occupied on this flight.

CREW
The crew on this flight is really excellent. There are four ladies in total and they are very charming and professional in their demeanour and the way they go about their duties. As soon as boarding is completed, the maître de comes to welcome me aboard and offers me a welcome drink. She also brings me a bottle of still water and a pre-packaged, scented towel. She also informs me that she will send a message to Paris to make sure there will be somebody at the arrival gate to pick me up. Funnily enough, she also checks if there was somebody there to escort me from the lounge to the gate and on to the plane. When I say no, for a moment she looks quite upset. So then I explain that I specifically declined an escort because I didn’t think it necessary. And she seems to accept that.

SERVICE
The flight time is announced as one hour, which isn’t really very much. Even so, the crew still succeed in delivering a professional and unhurried service. As soon as the seatbelt sign is turned off, the lovely smell of something heating in the ovens starts wafting through the cabin, and I’m curious what the source of the smell is…

THE MEAL
The meal consists of one tray. On it there is· a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel with cucumber· a small plate with pumpkin and zucchini salad· a bowl of apple compote· a small dark chocolateAs it turns out, the divine smell is from the waffles that are served warm with the meal. And man, their good. To drink I have a Coke Zero.

ARRIVAL
As soon as I finish, the crew come to remove my tray and shortly thereafter, we start our descent into a dark and cloudy Pairs. The maître de comes to let me know that she has been informed that there will be somebody expecting me upon arrival. We land on the southernmost runway and then take the long way around to Terminal 2F. The doors open and there’s a gentleman standing there holding an iPad with my name displayed on it. He takes me downstairs and packs my bags into the booth. As I said, I’m not the expert, but I think this is the same type of BMW that picked me up in Winterthur to take me to the airport.

Nice to have you back! Impressive AF La Première service at an out station! Looking forward to the rest.

Part 2: Paris to Singapore in Air France La Première
 

Here's the link to the photos.

TRANSFER IN CDG 2
The driver takes me to Terminal 2E, which is where the First Class lounge is located. He explains that afterwards, he’ll also be escorting me to the aircraft when the time comes. Along the way, the driver chats pleasantly about this and that. Funnily enough, his curiosity gets the better of him and he cannot help but ask how my experience so far compares to the First Class product of other carriers.

LOUNGE / AIRSIDE
Once we arrive at the terminal, he takes my passport and boarding pass and tells me he’ll return them once the police have checked them. After that, he leads me upstairs and gives me a brief explanation of where everything is in the lounge. There are a few passengers in the lounge, but I would not go so far as to say it’s crowded. Quite the contrary. The lounge is large and the way it is laid out, there is plenty of room for passengers to disperse. The lounge is well equipped with anything the travel-weary passenger may seek or desire to relax and revive from the labours of modern air travel. There are large, well-appointed showers with toiletries, a dedicated dining area, a relaxation area and a small spa. But apart from all that, the lounge is very elegantly appointed and both the facility and the staff have a lot of style about them. The lounge is not flashy, but it’s definitely comfortable.

BOARDING
Around forty minutes before departure, my driver comes to pick me up and drive me to the waiting aircraft. Theoretically, I could have walked. But to be honest, I figured that if we took the car, that might give me a better chance of taking a picture of the aircraft carrying me to Singapore tonight.

CABIN
As I step aboard the plane, the driver welcomes me aboard and introduces me to the First Class flight attendant, who is already expecting me. The driver then bids me good bye and wishes me a pleasant journey. I then make the right turn into the cabin and I’m really speechless. Of course, I’d already seen pictures of the new First Class cabin, but seeing it for real is something else. Clearly, a lot of thought has gone into the design of Air France’s First Class cabin, both in terms of the comfort and functionality of the seat, but also with regard to branding. The little seahorse, Air France’s trademark, is omnipresent in the cabin. You will find it on the lamp, pillows, pyjamas, slippers, etc. But I think was surprises me the most, is the mint condition of the cabin. Either this is a fairly new aircraft, or Air France just takes excellent care of its fleet. In the take-off and landing position, the seat doesn’t offer much privacy. However, there is a screen that can be raised around the back and side of the seat. In addition, there are curtains that can be drawn and which provide a lot of privacy and darkness. The seat has an ottoman, which could also be used for a second passenger to join for the meal, for example. Below the ottoman is enough storage space for a large laptop bag, the slippers and a blanket.In the sum of all thing, I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience the First Class product of quite a few of the world’s leading airlines. But the Air France hardware is definitely my new favourite.

CREW
The First Class cabin is served by a very charming and very professional middle-aged lady. I really cannot express how good she is at her job. I know it probably sounds like a horrible stereotype to say this, but she’s just so very French in the best possible way. Her manners are impeccable and her attention to detail is flawless. For example, it strikes me during the meal service that whenever she brings a new dish, she always makes sure the seahorse logo on the crockery is the right way up. I know this may sound like a small and unimportant thing, but I still think it’s a nice feature that enhances the First Class experience.

SERVICE
While we’re still on the ground, the crew bring me my pyjamas and a vanity kit and check to make sure I’m properly settled in my seat for the next twelve hours. With that out of the way, I am offered and subsequently brought a glass of the Krug Champagne and a small ramekin of mixed nuts and dried fruit. The menus are not handed out until after take-off.

AMENITIES
The amenity kit contains the usual collection of mostly useless items. There is no toothbrush or toothpaste in the kit, but these are available in the lavatory, where there is also mouthwash.The pyjamas come in a very nice felt folder. They have a nice, comfortable cut. The cabin crew will ask you what size you would prefer. I’m 184 cm tall and the size L fits me perfectly. Slippers are also provided and can be found in the drawer underneath the ottoman.

THE MEAL
The meal service is definitely one of the highlight of the Air France First Class experience. The table is set up nicely, with a choice of either balsamic olive oil or tomato infused olive oil and a choice of both salted and unsalted butter. Throughout the meal, the crew replenish the bread and drinks. For each dish, a new set of cutlery is provided. And I really must say, in terms of the quantity and quality of the food, it’s excellent:

Amuse bouche
Caviar with a crêpe and sturgeon cream.
Soup
Cream of chicory soup.
Mixed salad
Made to order – it contains chicory, mushrooms, smoked haddock and beets.
First course
Pan-fried scallops with potato rose and a balsamic vinaigrette.
Main course
Chicken breast glazed in a rare pepper and citrus honey, with caramelised pineapple and mango and vegetable sticks.
Selection of gourmet cheese
Beaufort, Pérail and Langres.
Dessert
Blueberry tarte by Lenôtre, served with two scoops of gingerbread sorbet.
Drinks
I stick to Perrier with the meal, and for dessert I have a mint tea, which is served with a box Michel Cluizel of chocolates.

The meal is excellent, and with every new dish that she brings out, the flight attendant makes a point of explaining to me what I’m eating and what the dish includes. By the time the service finishes, I’m totally full and completely and utterly impressed. I think, if I compare this service to the Garuda First Class experience for example, the Air France service just seems a lot more polished and experienced. Furthermore, because all the dishes have a very European or French touch, the crew just come across as being very authentic in their explanations of what the food is.

SECOND SERVICE
I actually manage to get about five hours of sleep. When I wake up, we’re still about three hours out of Singapore. As soon as the flight attendant notices I’m awake, she comes to ask me if there’s anything I need. So I request a cup of coffee and ask her to remove the bedclothes while I change back into my clothes. About two hours out of Singapore, I decide it’s time for breakfast, which the flight attendant thinks is a brilliant idea.The breakfast is quite extensive, and all the dishes are brought more or less at once, instead of having them served as different courses.

My breakfast consists of

Coffee and orange juiceFruit
A small bowl of grapefruit and orange.
Yoghurt
Served with granola.
A selection of pastries and bread
I have a small bun and a brioche, served with butter and jam.
Choice of hot dish
I go with the scrambled eggs with mushrooms and a mushroom sauce.Everything tastes excellent and the presentation of the hot meal, which is served with the lid still on the dish, is just so elegant.

Once the meal is over, the flight attendant clears my table and we have a nice little chat about flying and travelling until it’s time for her to start preparing the First Class cabin for landing.

ARRIVAL
We land at 16h30 local time, five minutes ahead of schedule. It’s either just been raining or it’s just really very humid outside because the ground is wet. Air France serves Terminal 1 at Singapore Changi airport. The doors open, and there’s already a young lady expecting me to guide me through security. The flight attendant bids me good bye and hands me over to the ground crew. And with that, my La Première experience comes to an end.

EPILOGUE
To get into town, I will be taking the MRT, which is fast and efficient. The MRT departs from Terminal 2, so I first need to take the Skytrain from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. The Skytrain is a complimentary service. Purchasing a ticket for the MRT is not as straightforward as one might assume in Singapore. A single ticket into town will cost you SGD2.80. However, you can only purchase a single ticket if you buy it at the machine and only if you pay in cash. If you’re not paying in cash, you need to go to the counter, but there you can’t only purchase a single ticket. So instead, I buy a two-days card for SGD10 plus SGD16. The SGD10 are a deposit that is refunded when you bring the card back…Only the green line runs into town from the airport. At the second stop, which is Tanah Merah, passengers alight and connect to another green line train heading into the city from the opposite platform.

CONCLUSION
This experience with Air France’s La Première has impressed me. First of all, I think the overall quality of the product is very high and also very consistent. From the car they sent to pick me up in Winterthur, to the very elegant experience in the lounge in Paris and the beautifully appointed cabin and amenities aboard the aircraft, clearly a lot of thought has gone into the design of the product. Not only of the cabin and seat, but also of the ancillary products. I think Air France’s interpretation of the First Class seat with the curtain is brilliant – because it offers a level of privacy that most other carriers simply cannot match. Even with Garuda for example, where you have a fully enclosed suite, you are not completely concealed from view because the doors of the suite do not reach all the way to the ceiling.

I also just love the branding of the First Class product with the little seahorse, which is omnipresent in the lounge and in the cabin and promotes this sense of consistency of the experience and in the product. And finally, there is the professionalism of the staff, who have all clearly been trained well for their roles working with the First Class product. The maître de on the flight from Zürich to Paris went out of her way to provide as much of a First Class experience even on a short sector of 50 minutes. Then the driver, who managed to make pleasant conversation but without being either tedious or prying and who had excellent manners.

And finally, last but certainly not least, there is the fabulous, splendid and simply formidable flight attendant working the First Class cabin. I think she did a really outstanding job. I know I already mentioned this above, but her attention to detail and the fact that she made sure the seahorse logo was always the right way up says everything about her work ethics and the service standard she delivered. It’s difficult to say from memory which First Class product I’ve enjoyed the most over the years. One thing’s for sure though, of the four European carriers that still offer a First Class product, to my mind Air France’s is definitely the best.

Part 3: Singapore to Taipei in China Airlines Business Class
 

Here's the link to the photos

INTRODUCTION
I spend 22 hours in Singapore, which just gives me enough time to have a rest, get some food and have a shower. And now I’m off again. This is one of those slight detours I mentioned previously… The reason why I’m taking it, or rather, one of the reasons I’m taking it, is that I’ve been wanting to try China Airlines for some time and it’s also been a while since I logged a new airline. As I write that, I can literally just see my friend, the wiry R. doing an exaggerated eye roll.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
In Singapore, I’m staying at the Sofitel City Centre, which is on the MRT line that goes to Changi. It’s twelve stops from the hotel to where the line branches off for the airport. The journey from the Sofitel to the airport takes me close to an hour to complete. My first stop of course, is at the MRT service desk, where I return my travel card and have the depot refunded in cash.

CHECK-IN
China Airlines checks in at Terminal 3 in Changi and their counters are located on row 11, right in front of the escalators that bring you up to the departures hall from the station.I’ve already checked in online, but seeing as I’ll still have to go to a counter to pick up my boarding passes, I figure I might as well drop off my carry-on suitcase so at least I won’t be carting that around with me.

LOUNGE / AIRSIDE
China Airlines is one of only four carriers to use the DNATA lounge in Terminal 3. In all honesty, it’s not a very pleasant lounge. That last time I visited was with the tall, blond M. and it hasn’t improved much since. It’s also very hot in there. So I leave the lounge after only spending about ten minutes there and instead go one floor down to the food court for a bowl of noodles. The views downstairs are much better too, as the windows in the lounge are covered in dots. What kind of cruel soul does that…?

BOARDING
The flight is late arriving from Taipei, which is why boarding is delayed by about thirty minutes. In Singapore, the security check takes place at the gate. In other words, there is no centralised security checkpoint. This can be a bit of a nuisance at times, but seeing as the flight is delayed, most passengers are already in the holding area by the time I reach the gate. Oh yes, and there are no loos in the holding area. So think twice before you enter…The first boarding call is for passengers in Business Class and passengers with children and other disabilities. There’s a separate air bridge for Business Class passengers leading to the L1 door. Economy Class passengers use the L2 door.

CABIN
As it happens, I’m the first to enter the aircraft, so I take the opportunity to take a few photos before the masses arrive. Initially, I’m on 1A and there’s another person sitting on 1B. But the seat pair on the other side of the aircraft is still empty, so once we’re airborne, I pack up my things and shift to seat 1K, which is also a window seat but has nobody sitting on the aisle seat. So now I can really spread out!The Airbus A 330 is one of my favourite aircraft, because I think it’s just so elegant to look at. This example though, is clearly starting to show its age on the inside. The seats are in a 2 + 2 + 2 configuration and the inflight entertainment system seems almost prehistoric! But the flight time is announced as four hours and ten minutes, so I think I’ll live…There is one feature of the seat that’s quite irritating: the position of the armrest between the two seats is awkward. On the one hand, it’s uncomfortable to rest your arm. But also, more than once I accidentally end up pressing one of the buttons to extend the seat into a bed or raise the footrest inadvertently.

CREW
There isn’t really very much I can say about the crew. Their English language skills appear to be much better than those of crews working for the airlines of mainland China. But other than that, interaction with the crew is limited.

SERVICE
The service begins on the ground with a welcome drink, served with a packet of nuts and Japanese crackers. To drink there is a choice of champagne, water or orange juice. Once that has been cleared away, the crew distribute cold, scented towels. After take-off, thick slippers and the menus are distributed for those passengers who haven’t already ordered their food. I should perhaps explain that the China Airlines app is really good and allows you to pre-order the meals for all your flights, even if you do not have any special dietary requirements.

THE MEAL
As I already mentioned, the flight time is just slightly more than four hours. This means that in Business Class the first service consists of a drink and three small canapés. The main meal is served about ninety minutes out of Taipei.The canapés are: duck, crab meat with apricot and bell pepper with tomato pesto.Exactly two hours out of Taipei, the lights in the cabin are turned on again and the smell of hot food, with a lot of garlic, comes wafting through the cabin.The meal consists of:
Starter
Prawns with a ginger and mango salsa and salmon with crème fraiche and capers.
Main course
Herb crusted fillet of beef in a red wine sauce with mashed potatoes, zucchini and pumpkin.
Dessert
Bowl of fruit and a choice of either ice cream or a coffee and chocolate mousse cake.

I’m not really sure what exactly I was expecting from the meal service on China Airlines, but this is actually very tasty and much better than what I was expecting. The salmon and the prawns are not at all fishy, the beef is perfectly cooked for my taste and tender, and the mashed potato is divine and so creamy!

ARRIVAL
I finish the meal with another cup of black tea from the Sun Moon lake region of Taiwan and then close my eyes until it’s time to land.Eventually, we arrive in Taipei at 18h50, with a delay of only five minutes. The last time I was in Taipei was exactly 11 years ago. Alas, the airport hasn’t really changed much during that time. It’s still an odd layout, old and gloomy and seriously unattractive. I now have nearly five hours to make my connecting flight.

Part 4: Taipei to Sydney with China Airlines' A350-900
 

Here's the link to the photos

TRANSFER IN TPE
My flight to Sydney will be departing from the D concourse, which is either new or newly renovated, because it doesn’t look quite as drab as the arrivals concourse my flight from Singapore ended at. Taipei has two Terminals and technically, the D concourse belongs to Terminal 2, which is not the China Airlines terminal. There is a China Airlines lounge on the D concourse, but from what I understand, their main lounge is over in Terminal 1. But that seems like just too much of a schlepp right now. If you’re transferring between international flights in Taipei, you will not need to go through either immigration or customs, but you will have to undergo security screening.

LOUNGE / AIRSIDE
The entrance to the lounge is right opposite from gate D4, which rather conveniently happens to be the departure gate for my flight to Sydney.The lounge looks new and well maintained. Like the rest of the D concourse, it’s basically one long and narrow room. It has all the basic facilities, including computer work stations, toilets, showers and a dining area with a noodle bar. The lounge is located in the basement, so there are no windows. In the sum of all things, it’s not a bad place to wait for your connecting flight. But my layover is nearly five hours and for that both the terminal and the lounge are not really very pleasant.

BOARDING
Boarding starts with a slight delay due to ‘ground operation’ issues – whatever that means. Never mind, it’s only a minor delay and all I plan to do on the flight is sleep. There is a separate air bridge to the L1 door for Business Class passengers. Economy Class passengers use the L2 door.

CABIN
China Airlines has a herring bone seating configuration on its Airbus A 350-900, which provides direct aisle access for every passenger and a lot of privacy. On China Airlines, the seats are staggered, so that once you’re seated, you can’t actually see your neighbour on the other side of the aisle unless you lean forward. The colours China Airlines has gone with in the cabin are very dark. And admittedly, that does make the cabin look elegant and stylish. But with the dimmed lighting during boarding for one, and the fact that I have seriously deteriorating eye sight for another, the upshot is that it’s rather difficult for me to actually see anything much as I stow away my things and settle in for the flight. It also strikes me that the colours they’ve gone with for the carpets, upholstery and the shell of the seat do not reflect the livery or the logo of the airline.Storage space on this seat is somewhat limited though. There is a small compartment in the armrest adjacent to the aisle, but that already contains the amenity kit and a bottle of still water. Then there are two small compartments by the window for storage, but one of these contains the slippers and the earphones. And then there is another small compartment by the side of the seat, but this is not very large either and couldn’t hold more than a kindle, and certainly not a laptop. But there is more than ample storage space in the overhead bins, even if there are only bins on the sides of the cabin but not in the middle.

CREW
The crew on this flight is much better than the previous one. They’re welcoming and go out of their way to make sure passengers are comfortable. They also make a point, I think, of interacting with the passengers and chatting with them about little things. And it’s doesn’t seem forced either, so as a passenger you’re made to feel very welcome.

SERVICE
While we’re still on the ground, a welcome drink with a packet of nibbles is served. To drink, there is a choice of still water, orange juice, champagne and smoked plum juice. Of course, it goes without saying that I decide to try the plum juice, because it sounds interesting. And well, let’s just say I’m guessing it’s probably an acquired taste. More than anything, it’s just very sweet. While we’re still on the ground, I quickly nip into the loo and change into my shorts to be ready to sleep once we’re airborne.

THE MEALThe flight’s scheduled departure time is 23h55 and the flight time is announced at eight hours and forty minutes. Even at this time of night, the crew are planning on doing a full meal service after take-off and a breakfast service later on. But I tell one of the flight attendants that I will not be having anything, despite having pre-ordered my dinner, and will be going straight to sleep. And indeed, the last thing I remember is the crew handing out the wine list. And then I’m off to the land of nod for nearly seven hours.

When I awaken, I’m feeling rather hungry. The maître de spots me and says ‘oh, you woke up’ with a laugh. She also asks me if she can bring me something to eat ahead of the breakfast service. I may perhaps agree to that a little over eagerly, because she laughs again and a short while later returns with plate of fruit, cheese and crackers.

About thirty minutes later, the cabin gradually starts to dawn and the crew start preparing the cabin for the breakfast service. The breakfast is served on one tray. It includes:
A croissant with butter
There are no refills though, and no jam either.
Müsli
A small ramekin of müsli with fruit and nuts.
Fruit
A bowl of fruit salad.
Hot breakfast
A hot dish with frittata, tomato, bacon and polenta.

The meal is tasty and hits the spot nicely. It’s quite a large meal for a second service, especially considering that the flight is not that long.

AMENITIES
The vanity kit comes in a nice hard shell case I may actually be able to use. What’s more, this one also includes a small bottle of Moroccan mint oil, which I’ll be able to use to keep my beard from drying out the skin on my face. And there’s also an A 350 Sticker! So full brownie points to China Airlines for that! The slippers are of the same fluffy variety as those on the previous flight. Other than that, China Airlines does not provide pyjamas or bedding for the seat.

ARRIVAL
Much to my surprise, the weather’s really ...... in Sydney. It’s overcast with a chance of rain and visibility is limited. I know for a fact that we flew past the Sydney CBD with the opera house and the bridge on the approach, but I very much doubt the passengers on the port side were able to see anything much.We arrive at the last stand on our pier and from there it’s a long schlepp to immigration and customs.

China Airlines provides its passengers in Business Class with express immigration vouchers, which give passengers access to the fast track. However, if you have a biometric passport, you probably needn’t bother as the e-gates are much faster and more efficient than the fast track. I’m taking public transport into town. I exit through customs and do a sharp right. Then I continue to the end of the arrivals concourse where the entrance to the railway station is marked out. To purchase your ticket, you can either queue at the counter or at a vending machine, or you can just badge in and out with your credit card. The T8 line will take you right into the heart of Sydney, with stops at the central railway station and Circular Quay. I’m staying in Darling Harbour tonight. Normally, I think I’d probably take the train to Town Hall and then walk to Darling Harbour from there. But with the rain, I decide to get off at Central Station and then take the 501 bus instead, which more or less drops me off right in front of my hotel.

CONCLUSIONAll in all, I rather enjoyed my China Airline experience. I think their product is solid and makes for a pleasurable journey. The crews were good and especially the crew on this second flight were very pleasant. Of course, it also helps that the A 350 is a pretty mean machine. It’s quiet in the cabin and the interior design of China Airlines’ aircraft is nifty. As I already mentioned above though, next time I transfer through Taipei I think I would try to get a better connection, because the airport really isn’t very pleasant for a longer layover.

Nice read. Hope the Sydney weather got better they are having a wet summer

Hi wtcmor
Certainly improved a lot. Today I had the glorious idea of going for a run in the sun at around 11h30... and nearly collapsed with the heat. There's a nice breeze going here in Manly, but I think my body's still adjusting to the warm weather.

Great trip report. thanks so much.. Enjoy Australia!...

This is a great trip report. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy the rest of the journey

Part 5: Sydney to Melbourne in Virgin Australia Economy Class
 

Here's the link to the photos!

INTRODUCTION
Next year I’ll be going on sabbatical for six months. Right now, the plan is that I will spend at least part of those six months working and living in Melbourne – if they’ll have me, of course. So today I’m on my way to Melbourne to introduce myself to the people at the language testing research centre of Melbourne University.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
This has to be just about the coolest commute to an airport ever! My day starts at 06h00 in the morning, when I leave the house I’ve rented in Fairlight and make my way down to Manly wharf for the 06h35 fast ferry to Circular Quay. The journey into Sydney takes roughly thirty minutes to complete and includes some of the most beautiful abd spectacular vistas of the Opera House and Hanger Bridge.At Circular Quay, I transfer to the railway station for the suburban trains to Sydney airport. The station is just opposite the wharf at Circular Quay and the journey to the domestic terminal at Sydney airport takes just over fifteen minutes. The trains run to the airport run frequently.

CHECK-IN
I alight at the station for the Domestic terminal, which is one stop before the international terminal. There are two domestic terminals. Terminal 3 is for QANTAS, while Terminal 2 is for everybody else. I’ve already checked-in online using the Virgin Australia app, which is a good thing because the Virgin Australia counters look very busy.

LOUNGE / AIRSIDE
And so I head directly for the security checkpoint. Access to the Virgin Australia lounge is on the right side, just as you exit from security. I’m not entirely sure, but as an Etihad Gold member I think I’m entitled to use the Virgin Australia lounge despite the fact that I’m travelling on an Economy Class ticket. But it turns out the a) the lounge is way too busy and b) the views outside the lounge are much better, with the sitting area for the food court located right by the windows overlooking the domestic apron.

BOARDING
Boarding starts exactly on time and there is a separate lane for Business Class and priority passengers. If this were Europe, the moment the gate agent announced that boarding had started, there’d be a scrum to get on the plane. But here in Australia, passengers obviously have better manners and just wait until their group for boarding is called.

CABIN
The cabin of this aircraft is nice. It looks and smells new and with the grey seats it looks rather elegant. This aircraft also has those new style overhead bins that drop down, instead of the old-school bins you still find on many narrow-bodies, where the lid opens upwards.Seat pitch on the emergency exit is also good. I addition, the flight is not completely full, which means that by the time boarding is completed, the middle seat remains empty.And then we have a problem. The captain comes on the loudspeaker to inform us that Melbourne tower has had to be evacuated and it is unclear if they will be receiving traffic any time soon. Eventually though, we push back with a delay of one hour. The flight time is announced as one hour and five minutes.

CREW
The crew on this flight consists of five attractive young females. Whoever selects the female crew clearly has a type, because they all look the same and they’re all wearing way too much make-up. Other than that, they seem okay, if not exactly very warm.

SERVICE
In Economy Class Virgin has a strange mixed concept, the merit of which kind of escapes me. Tea, still water and a protein bar are complimentary. In addition to that, there are various items to eat and drink which can be purchased on board. Payment is possible in cash or by credit card. I order a Coke Zero to drink, which costs AUD3. The protein bar however, is a total abomination. It’s disgusting, to the point where they make you wonder why on earth to they even bother in the first place? Having said that, the bulging biceps on 13C seems only too eager to demolish his bar. Wouldn’t want to start losing muscle mass would we…?

ARRIVAL
Eventually, we land in Melbourne at 11h35, only slightly behind schedule. I step outside and catch the Skybus heading for the city centre to Southern Cross station. The journey to the city takes about thirty minutes, a return tickets costs AUD38.

Part 6: QANTAS Economy Class from Melbourne back to Sydney
 

Here's the link to the photos!

INTRODUCTION
The meeting with the people at the language testing research centre was interesting and I feel quite excited about visiting again, even if that won’t be until next year. At least this will give me something to look forward to.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
The meeting ends just after 15h, which gives me enough time to leisurely make my way back to the airport for the return flight to Sydney. To get from the University of Melbourne, I first take a tram 19 back to Bourke Street and then from there a tram 86 or 96 to Southern Cross. The tram stop is right across the road from the entrance to the coach terminal at Southern Cross station.

CHECK-IN
There are four terminals at Melbourne airport that are connected to each other. QANTAS domestic flights operate out of Terminal 1, which is the last one of the two stops of the Skybus, although the distance is short and you might as well get off at the first stop and then just walk over to Terminal 1. I’ve already checked in, which is a shame really, because QANTAS’ check-in and the whole departure area look very fresh and modern. Seems as though QANTAS is trying to keep up with Virgin Australia in projecting the image of being hip and classy.

LOUNGE / AIRSIDE
Right behind security there is the food court and the entrance to the QANTAS lounge to the right of that. I haven’t had lunch yet, so I figure I might as well treat myself to a snack while I enjoy the excellent views of the apron.In hindsight, I have to say it was totally worth it for the view, but the egg and lettuce sandwich I got at one of the shops is just… meh!

BOARDING
Boarding is from gate 1 on the C pier, which is the gate closest to security and which, I guess, is why it is probably reserved for the Sydney flight. Both Virgin Australia and QANTAS operate a shuttle service between the two cities. What I always find interesting with QANTAS, is that the cabin crew are also the ones who do the boarding at the gate. Because this is something that, to my knowledge, is not done in Europe even though, come to think of it, it’s not a bad idea.

CABIN
The seats are all in black, which certainly makes for a gloomy but elegant looking cabin. I guess it probably also saves on cleaning. In contrast to Virgin Australia, QANTAS has individual video screens installed in every seat back and there are also USB plugs. Complimentary earphones are available as you pass through the gate for boarding and should you forget to pick up a pair, the crew will come by offering earphones just before push-back.

CREW
The crew is clearly what tips the scale in favour of QANTAS, as far as I’m concerned. First of all, they’re older than the ones on Virgin. Perhaps that’s why they all come across as having a lot more personality. Furthermore, the way they interact with the passengers is just a lot more professional. For example, on QANTAS the cabin crew giving the safety briefing for the emergency exit row makes a point of giving a very detailed explanation and that everyone seated on the exit rows is addressed. In contrast, the crew on Virgin did the same briefing in about half the time and with such a total lack of enthusiasm.

THE MEAL
Once we’re airborne, the smell of hot food starts wafting through the cabin and I kind of assume if for the Business Class section. Much to my surprise though, despite the flying time of only one hour and five minutes, QANTAS will actually serve a hot meal in Economy Class too. In fact, there appears to be a choice between either the minced pork in gravy with pak choy and jasmine rice or a cold salad of grilled chicken breast on quinoa salad.

ARRIVAL
About 25 minutes out of Sydney, the pilot eases back the throttles and we start our descent. The approach into Sydney brings us in over the sea and it’s quite spectacular flying along the coast with the sun setting in the distance. We touch down at 19h22. I then make my way back to the trains station and then from there to Circular Quay. I arrive at the wharf at 20h02 and it looks like I’ve just missed the regular ferry back to Manly. The next one is not until 20h45. Fortunately, there is also the express ferry, which costs slightly more and only take 18 minutes to make the journey. And as my luck would have it, that boat will be leaving at 20h15. A single ticket for the express boat will cost you AUD9.80.

CONCLUSION
Hands down, QANTAS wins this round. While the cabin and branding of Virgin Australia are all modern and glitzy, you somehow can’t shake the feeling that they’re trying just a bit too hard to be different. Which is okay, as long as you don’t forget that what makes the passenger’s experience is not only the hard product but also the soft product. And that’s where I think QANTAS has the advantage. First of all, as I already mentioned above, the crew came across as being a lot more polished, professional and experienced. In addition to that, the meal service on QANTAS is definitely way superior to that of Virgin Australia.

Part 7: Sydney to Townsville with Jetstar
 

Here's the link to the photos.

INTRODUCTION
In language testing, the Rasch model is used in psychometric measurement to determine the probability with which a minimally competent test taker will be able to provide a specific response to a particular test item correctly. This probability is interpreted as a function of the test taker’s actual language ability on the one hand, and the true level of difficulty of the item that the test taker is being submitted to and for which they must provide a response on the other hand. As it happens, one of the leading experts on Rasch modelling is Professor Trevor Bond. Very kindly, Professor Bond has accepted for me to visit him in Townsville to pick his brain, and so that’s where I’m heading today.

Currently, the only direct service between Sydney and Townsville is with Jetstar, QANTAS’ low-cost subsidiary. All other connections require a change of aircraft in either Cairns or Brisbane. The booking process on the Jetstar website is tedious, especially if you’re using Firefox. In which case, you’re likely not going to be able to complete the booking. Safari works reasonably well though.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
To get to the airport, I make the same journey I did on Monday when I flew to Melbourne. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. Because the journey by ferry from Manly to Sydney is just so beautiful and tranquil.

CHECK-IN
Jetstar has an app, but obviously it’s not foreseen that people from Switzerland, or at least with a Swiss mobile will fly Jetstar. Which is why the app is not available for me to download. However, you will receive a link to the web check-in page with the e-ticket confirmation you receive by mail and then one day before departure by SMS. But you will have to print that boarding pass at home or at one of the self-service devices at the airport.Jetstar operates out of domestic Terminal 2, along with all other domestic carriers except QANTAS.

AIRSIDE
My flight will be departing from gate 53, which is both good and bad. It’s good, because from gate 53 you have a more or less unobstructed view of the aircraft on the approach. It’s bad, because really I should be reading up about objective standard setting in Professor Bond’s book without distraction, to brush up a little on Rasch before I meet him. But it’s like a compulsion, every time I see a movement in the corner of my eye, I have to check what type of aircraft/airline it is…

BOARDING
Boarding starts with a minor delay. As I pass the gate, the attendant checking my boarding pass asks me if I’m aware of the fact that I’m sitting on the emergency exit. I tell her I am, but her next question catches me slightly off guard, because she asks me when was the last time I flew and sat on the emergency exit? I do a quick think and tell her that must have been two days previously. And for some reason that catches her off guard. Eventually though, she smiles and wishes me a pleasant flight.

CABIN
The cabin looks well-kept and clean. I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not, but the orange colour in the Jetstar logo, which also features in the cabin, seriously reminds me of easyJet. But maybe that just lies in the nature of the beast.Seat pitch on the emergency exit it good. But there are no video screens or electricity/USB plugs on board this aircraft.

CREW
There are five cabin crew on this flight. The young man standing by the emergency exits is kind of strange, because he looks preoccupied and rather unhappy. But I think it must be just his normal face, because he’s actually rather friendly and accommodating once the flight gets underway.

THE MEAL
The Jetstar website allows you to purchase a whole list of ancillary services, including seat reservations, ‘comfort kits’, and food. I order the sandwich trio online, which comes with a hot drink included.

ARRIVAL
The flight to Townsville take two hours and fifteen minutes. The landscape on the approach is fascinating. It’s quite hilly and very green. The airport sprawls over a vast area, mainly because it is a mixed military and civilian facility. The actual passenger terminal is rather small though, with only a handful of gates and no segregation of arriving and departing passengers. Accordingly, it takes me all of three minutes from stepping off the plane to arriving curb side, where I’ve arranged to meet Professor Bond.

CONCLUSION
There really isn’t very much I can say about Jetstar. They delivered me to Townsville safely. Other than that, the flight was unremarkable and calm. Pretty much like taking the bus actually.

Parts 8 and 9: Townsville via Brisbane to Sydney in QANTAS Business Class
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS

INTRODUCTION
My time with Professor Bond is a real eye-opener. I think I was able to ask him all the questions for which I was seeking answers. Having said that, he also gave me a lot of answers to questions I wasn’t even aware I had!

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
The journey to the airport takes about ten minutes by car. After all, it’s still very early and there are hardly any people on the roads.

CHECK-IN
The landside part of the terminal is disproportionately large, compared to the somewhat tight and narrow airside area at the gates.Each one of the major airlines operating out of Townsville has its own dedicated check-in zone. I can bypass this today, because I’ve already checked in on the QANTAS app.There is a queue for security, but it moves quickly. Of course it helps that in Australia they only want you to remove your laptop from your bag and not also your toiletries etc.

LOUNGE
Once I’m through security, I only have ten minutes before boarding starts. But I’m gagging for a coffee. Much to my surprise and delight, there is actually a fairly large QANTAS lounge, where the baristas will even make you a cappuccino to go!

BOARDING
So with my coffee in hand, boarding starts on time with an initial call for Business Class and frequent flyers passengers. It’s only once I settle in my seat that I realise it’s raining quite heavily outside.

CABIN
QANTAS has a dedicated Business Class cabin on its Boeing B 737-800 fleet. There are three rows of seats in a 2 + 2 configuration, which makes for a total of twelve seats. Every seat is equipped with its own video screen, an electricity plug and USB port. There is also a footrest that can be raised when the seat is in the recline position. The wifi on board works surprisingly well.

I think the Americans in particular tend to frown upon the European interpretation of Business Class seating, which basically means blocking the middle seat on a row of bog standard Economy Class seats. Which is, admittedly, pretty lame. But it seems to me that the average sector length in Europe is probably much shorter than in vast countries like the US or Australia, and which therefore hardly warrants the installation of a more comfortable solution with a dedicated Business Class cabin and seat.

CREW
The maître de is serving the Business Class cabin and I have to say, this guy is really absolutely brilliant. His manners are impeccable! He addresses every passenger by name and no request ever seems too much for him.

SERVICE
The service on the ground consist of a welcome drink. There is a choice of still or sparkling water or apple juice. There are no towels, newspapers or anything. The flight time is announced at one hour and thirty minutes.

THE MEAL
Once we’re airborne, the meal service begins. There is a choice of either Quiche Lorraine with bacon or an omelette served with a mushroom sauce, spinach and bacon. I go with the latter option. The tray comes with two slices of sourdough bread, butter and apricot jam. There’s also some awfully healthy looking packed thingy, which I decide to steer clear of. Later on, the maître de passes through the cabin offering cranberry muffins that are fresh out of the oven and taste lovely. To drink with the meal, I have an orange juice, still water and a coffee. Oh yes, the coffee! Full and extra brownie points for QANTAS on the coffee front. Instead of that horrific instant stuff you get on most airlines these days, QANTAS serves a lovely brew made in a coffee press, which just tastes so much better!Once the tray is removed, the crew pass through the cabin with small bottles of still water and ask passengers if there’s anything else they’d like. I order a Coke Zero and then settle in to read the latest book of the PC Grant series, which my friend the wiry R. and I both find quite entertaining.

Transfer in Brisbane
We land in Brisbane about ten minutes ahead of schedule. I disembark the aircraft through gate number 23. I check on one of the FIDS, only to find that my flight to Sydney in slightly over an hour will be operated by the same aircraft from the same gate.

The glorious beauty of the English language…
Language change is unavoidable. One of the key drivers of language change is exposure of the language as it is used in a specific area to the other languages in use around it. In which case there may be regional approximation of two or more languages coexisting in that region. Why am I even bothering you with this? In British English a thong refers to a particular type of knickers or underpants. If you look up the term on onelook.com, it will give you as a definition: ‘a piece of underwear or bottom part of a bikini with a very narrow piece of cloth at the back’. So basically, it’s the type of underpants that look as though they need to be surgically removed from your butt crack.Which makes it all the more hilarious that when I enter the QANTAS lounge during my layover in Brisbane, the lounge dragon will not let me enter because they have ‘a strict no thongs policy’ in the lounge that she’s asking me to respect. Of course, what she’s referring are what we call flip flops in Europe that you wear on your feet.

THE MEAL
In any case, the only other thing worthwhile mentioning on the next leg to Sydney is that there are three options for lunch: a kale and spinach frittata, fruit salad or a smoked salmon salad. The tray comes with a large tub of blueberry yoghurt on it. The bread is served separately.

ARRIVAL
Our arrival into Sydney is stunning. We approach the city from the north. At some point, we make a gentle left turn for the downwind, which brings us in right over Manly. In the distance I can see the harbour bridge with the opera house and CBD. It just looks so spectacular from above! I shall miss this when I leave again for Europe tomorrow.

CONCLUSION
I rather enjoyed these two short-haul flights in QANTAS Business Class. My previous experiences with their Business Class product have been on longer sectors, on which the meal concept was somehow always a bit odd. So it’s good to see that this is not the case here. But apart from that, to me QANTAS’ selling point are definitely their crews, which are friendly and courteous and really do represent ‘the spirit of Australia’.

I wish I was also going on one!

Yeah, it is kind of cool. Everytime I think 'I don't wanna go home', I tell myself: 'you'll be back pretty soon...'!

Part 10: Sydney to Singapore in Singapore Airlines Suites
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS.

INTRODUCTION
I was going to start by saying that I’m on my way home. But given that I’ll only be home for something like 22 hours, let’s just say that, sadly, it’s time for me to leave Sydney and head back to Europe. I’ve enjoyed being here! Fortunately, I know I’ll be back next year and then I’ll be able to spend a bit more time. Otherwise, I think I’d be seriously depressed at the prospect of returning to the cold, snowy weather!

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
One last time, I make the journey on the ferry from Manly to Circular Quay. And what a lovely day it’s turned out to be for it. At Circular Quay I change onto the train, which pulls into the station just as I reach the platform. The only difference is that today I will be going one stop further, to the international terminal.

CHECK-IN
Singapore Airlines checks in on row K, which is the remotest row of check-in counters from the escalators that bring you up to the departures concourse. There is a separate line with two counters for Suites passengers. When I arrive, both counters are already occupied, so I’m swiftly ushered to one of the Business Class counters instead. From check-in, you have to make the schlepp all the way back to row C, which is where the entrance to the fast track is located. Although in this case, I might as well not have bothered, because the e-gate reader cannot identify my biometric passport. As a result, I have to walk all the way back in the direction from where I came, because that’s where the staffed immigration counters are located. And then once I’m through immigration, I’m ushered all the way back again in the direction of the e-gates, because that’s where they’ve just opened a new queue for security that the queue manager wants to me to join.With that done, I’m finally airside and head straight for the Singapore Airlines Kris Lounge near gate 61, from where my flight will be leaving. And that’s quite a schlepp too.

LOUNGE
Singapore Airlines operates its own lounges here in Sydney, and there is a dedicated First Class lounge. It’s a fairly big lounge, and I even manage to grab a seat by the windows overlooking the apron. Cool!Once I’m seated, the waiter brings me a refreshing hot towel and the à la carte menu. There’s also a buffet with warm dishes to choose from. The lavatories seem to be a bit of a problem at Sydney airport, in that they’re the cleanest. And those in the lounge are no different…

BOARDING
Boarding starts at 11h45. Suite passengers queue with the Business Class passengers for the upper deck. All in all, I find the Singapore Airlines Suites experience on the ground somewhat underwhelming, especially if you compare it to Air France (sorry, I can’t help it…). In fact, it feels a lot more like Business Class than First Class, but maybe that’s just me.

CABIN
Currently, SQ 232 is the flight out of Sydney that is operates in the new First Class configuration. The key feature of the suite is that there is a separate bed, in addition to the seat. At a glance, the suite looks very nice. There is a lot of storage space and the video screen is positively enormous. There are a few things which seem a bit strange though, such as the fake orchids in every Suite. I think either they should go for real orchids or otherwise not have a holder to put one in. Another thing that strikes me, is that during the meal service, when the seat is turned towards the table, you’re facing the aisle, which has the effect that during the whole meal service you and the person sitting in the Suite opposite, are looking at each other. I suppose you could keep the door to your suite closed while you eat, but that somehow just seems strange. You also can’t recline your seat when it’s in the forward facing position. And finally, it should also be noted that the Suite is not really that private, because the dividers don’t really reach that far up. I’m 184cm tall and could actually look over the top. The Singapore Airlines Suite very much reminds me of what Etihad has installed on its A 380s. But I prefer Singapore Airlines’ solution, because despite the things I mentioned above, this still is a very nice product. What’s more, with all the available space it feels more like an actual room than a seat. B&O earphones, the amenity kit and the menu are already at my seat when I arrive. There are also socks and slippers, which are stored in the large closet of each Suite. Once I’m seated, the crew come to welcome me on board and bring me, in short sequence, a glass of Perrier with lemon, a refreshing towel and the pyjamas. The lead flight attendant in the red kebaya introduces herself to me and explains how everything in the suite works.

CREW
The crew seem friendly enough. They’re chatty and engage easily with the passengers. There’s not a hint of the robotic behaviour the Singapore Airlines crews are sometimes criticised for. I think what it is, is that the whole service comes across like a highly optimised process. As a result, it doesn’t really feel so exclusive.

SERVICE
As I already mentioned, while we’re still on the ground the crew offer refreshments and I ask for a glass of sparkling water with lemon.Once we’re airborne, another crew member comes to take my order for lunch and asks me at what phase of the flight I’d like to eat. Given that it’s already gone lunch time, I tell her I’d prefer to eat straight away.A short while later, she returns with the Singapore Sling I ordered (I mean, what else…?) and a small bowl of warm nuts.

THE MEAL
The meal service on this flight is swift and timed at a pleasant pace. Clearly the crew want to make sure passengers have enough time to rest on this flight. About one hour after our departure from Sydney, the table is set for the meal. There is no amuse bouche to start, but there are so many courses that it’s probably better that way.
First course: seared salmon with pickled Kohlrabi with an edamame and wasabi purée.The salmon is good, but the rest of the dish is a bit bland. I think maybe the food is still too cold, because I can hardly make out any of the other tastes.
Soup: Sweetcorn and shellfish soup with herb oil. Now this is a very flavourful soup with a hint of saffron. It tastes like summer on the Mediterranean.
Salad: Honey roasted beet salad with feta cheese.The salad is also very good, with the feta complementing the beets nicely.
Main course: Pan roasted grouper with salsa verde.I chose this one despite the fact that it’s served with fennel. I just didn’t much feel like meat. The taste is very good, it’s a nice piece of fish and they’ve managed to keep it moist. But again, I can’t really make out the taste of the salsa verde.
Dessert: Chocolate marquise with caramelised pecans.The dessert is okay. It’s your standard creamy chocolaty airplane dessert.
Selection of cheese: Shadow of blue, Maffra cloth bound cheddar, Woombye triple brie, Savourine goats cheese.The cheese is served with fruit bread and crackers. It’s a good cheese selection and I particularly like the Shadow of blue.
To drink I stick with the Perrier and also have a glass of the 2004 Krug.

After the meal, I request for the bed to be made up for me and lie down to read.

AMENITIES
The amenity kit is by Lalique and looks rather nice. The only thing though, is that its content is utterly and completely useless. There is a small bar of soap, lip balm, body lotion… and a scented candle?The slippers and pyjama that are provided are also by Lalique. I am given an XL for both the slippers and the pjs, which are just a bit too big for me but still comfortable.

SECOND SERVICE
For the second service, there is a choice of either an Angus beef burger or a selection of dim sum. Seeing as I’m not much of a carnivore anyway, I decide to go with the dim sum. The dish is served with a small bowl of a suitably spicy red sauce and something which I think the flight attendant said was a sort of mashed celery cake. Whatever it was, I like it.

ARRIVAL
After a flight time of seven hours and twenty minutes the flight draws to an end. I must admit, even though I still think the A 380 is ugly as sin, it’s still an impressive piece of machinery. After we land, we slowly trundle along until eventually we arrive on our parking stand at Changi’s Terminal 3.

CONCLUSION
In the sum of all things, I enjoyed the flight. But I think a lot of that also has to do with the A 380. As for Singapore Airlines, I liked the new First Class cabin because it’s spacious and roomy, although perhaps not very private. The service was okay, I guess, but nothing more. And the food was rather bland.

Hi rkaradi

Thanks, glad you're enjoying the trip report. These days I just use the camera on my iphone. The other passengers tend to give you less of a nasty look than with a proper camera...

Part 11: Singapore to Paris CDG in Air France Business Class
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS.

INTRODUCTION
In Singapore I’m staying at the Changi Crowne Plaza Hotel, which has direct access to Terminal 3. I spend a blissfully lazy Saturday by the pool. I mean, what else could you possibly ask for? I have a room that opens directly onto the pool, it’s warm outside and all I have to do to watch the aeroplanes taking off is to look up from my Kindle whenever I hear one thundering by.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
To get from the hotel to Terminal 1, I exit the hotel on the second floor level and do two right turns, which brings me to the Skytrain station for the short trip across to Terminal 1.

CHECK-IN
The Air France check-in counters are on the very first row of counters when you enter Terminal 1 coming from the direction of the Skytrain. You really can’t miss them. Online check-in is available, but it is not possible to save the boarding pass to Passbook or to have it printed. Still, it makes no difference to me, seeing as I’ll be checking in a suitcase anyway. There is one counter for La Première, four for SkyPriority and two baggage drop-off counters for Economy Class passengers.There’s a bit of a hold up checking in. I’m not sure what’s going on, but the agents are taking their sweet time processing the passengers. Although admittedly, it probably doesn’t help that there’s one woman travelling on her own with, and I kid you not, five large Rimowa suitcases, four rucksacks, two laptop bags and one handbag. When the check-in agent breaks the news to her that, surprisingly, she’s exceeded her baggage allowance, she looks totally surprised…

LOUNGE
Air France uses the DNATA lounge in Terminal 1, which is fairly big but also very busy when I arrive. There’s hardly anywhere left to sit. The lounge has a good selection of hot and hold dishes and a wide selection of drinks. Other than that, it’s not a particularly memorable lounge.

BOARDING
The flight will be departing from gate D34, and on the boarding pass it says that boarding will commence at 22h30 for the 23h10 departure. I figure 22h30 indicates the time to report at the gate for the security check. Luckily, there is a separate and much shorter queue for SkyPriority passengers. Just as I’m packing away my things, boarding for the flight starts, with an invitation for SkyPriority passengers to board first.

CABIN
On the Boeing B 777-300ER Air France has a reverse herringbone configuration, with the window seats facing towards the windows for more privacy. The seat is fully lie-flat and has more than enough storage space. USB and electricity plugs are also available. The seat is quite wide, so that when in the fully flat position, there’s still enough space to toss and turn in your sleep. There are two Business Class cabins, one forward of the L2 door and the other aft of it. I am sitting in the forward cabin on 4A, which is the second row in the forward cabin with four rows of seats. The cabin and seat are kept in Air France’s colours – white, red and blue – and look very attractive and fresh. When I arrive at my seat, a pillow, blanket and slippers have already been placed at my seat.

CREW
The crew on this flight are excellent. They’re quite senior and they do an outstanding job. Throughout the flight they’re checking that the snack bar is replenished and the toilets are regularly checked, kept stocked and clean.

SERVICE
Once boarding is completed, the crew pass through the cabin with the welcome drinks. There is a choice of champagne or fruit juice on the tray, but other drinks are also available on request. After that, scented hot towels are handed out.The flight time is announced at thirteen hours and twenty minutes.Once we’re airborne, the crew distribute the menus and pass through the cabin with a tray offering more champagne.

THE MEAL
Originally, the plan was that I’d eat in the lounge and just go straight off to sleep once we’re airborne. Which is why I nearly overdosed on the creamy mashed potatoes they had in the lounge. That and the fact that I’m just a sucker for a good plate of mash… In any case, I make the mistake of looking at the menu and decide that it does all sound rather interesting. And I’m not really tired yet anyway, so… bugger it. I’m in!

The tray arrives with the first course, the salad and the cheese already on it.
First course
Semi-cooked tuna in a black pepper crust, served on quinoa salad and poached shrimp on a citrus salad with cucumber and a yuzu vinaigrette.This is a tasty dish and the presentation works well. It’s also properly seasoned (which is something Singapore Airlines didn’t manage quite so well…).
Salad
The salad comes with a small bottle of balsamico mixed with olive oil. It’s mostly leaves but it’s still a fairly large salad. With that the crew offer a selection of breads.
Main course
Penne with a mushroom ragout, roast tomatoes and garlic oil. There is a choice of four different dishes for the main course. The pasta is good and has managed not to go all hard and rubbery as it sometimes tends to do on a plane. The ragout is flavourful and creamy.
Selection of cheese
Unfortunately, it doesn’t say anywhere what the cheeses are, but they’re very good!
Dessert
Chocolate praline éclair, violet mousse, yuzu meringue tart and strawberry sorbet. For dessert there is a choice of either ice cream (banana, vanilla or strawberry sorbet) or three small pastries. I initially go for the pastries, but then the flight attendant tells me that the strawberry sorbet out of Singapore is usually rather nice too. Just in case I’m interested. Oh very well then, bring it on. Je souffre en silence…

After the meal, the crew set up a fairly substantial buffet in the galley with a good selection of some delectable French sweets by Fauchon, sandwiches, noodle soups and fruit. And I go off to the land of nod for a solid seven hours. Incidentally, the blankets Air France provides in Business Class are lovely. They’re cosy and warm and fluffy.

AMENITIES
The amenity kit is some special edition to commemorate Air France’s 85th jubilee. It may not necessarily look like much, but at least it contains some useful items, including eye shades, ear plugs, a toothbrush and Signal toothpaste, a comb, and a pen.

SECOND SERVICE
The second service begins ninety minutes out of Paris. The lights come on and passengers are given a scented hot towel to revive.The tray arrives with the hot meal and all the other items already on it. There are three choices for the hot meal. My meal consists of:
Fruit salad
Yoghurt
A selection of bread, croissants and pain au chocolat
Crêpes in vanilla sauce with a passion fruit and mango salsa.

The breakfast is quite substantial and the hot meal is simply divine. This is total comfort food. The vanilla cream is rich and not overly sweet and the pancakes are light and thin.

ARRIVAL
Just under forty minutes out of Paris, we start our initial descent into Paris. The captain comes on to inform us that we’ll be doing an automatic landing in Pairs because visibility on the ground is very bad. We touch down, the mighty triple seven gives us one last impressive roar as the reversers open to slow us down, and then it’s done. We’ve landed and I’m back in Europe. By the time we arrive at our gate in Terminal 2E it’s already 06h10. I now have just slightly over an hour to make my connection back to Zürich from Terminal 2F.

Next trip: Zürich to Luxembourg in SWISS Business Class
 

Here's the link to the photos.

INTRODUCTION
It’s Monday morning. The holiday is over and I’m back to work. Today marks the first in a number of business trips that will see me travelling more or less nonstop until March. Still, never mind. If I close my eyes and listen carefully, I can still hear the waves breaking on Manly Beach…

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
I take the 06h07 train from Basel, which is an ICE – my favourite. At Zürich main station I change to the 07h05, which ejects me at Zürich airport just fifteen minutes later.

CHECK-IN
I’ve checked in using the SWISS app as usual. The boarding pass still won’t show up on my locked screen and I suspect that’s not about to change any time soon. The check-in area and security are surprisingly quiet. The flight to Luxembourg leaves at 09h05, so maybe I just managed to miss the morning rush.

LOUNGE
I’m in dire need of a coffee, which is why I head straight for the SWISS lounge to re-caffeinate. I try using the e-gate to enter the lounge, but the display is showing an error message. So I approach the desk and explain my predicament to the lounge dragon. She smiles and explains in a mocking tone that it’s not working because everything at SWISS is of such superior quality… I get that she was probably going for some comic relief with her apology, but I still find it somewhat alienating that she would take the piss at the company she represents to do so. Other than that, I don’t know what it is about this lounge, but for some reason I really don’t feel comfortable here. The place just feels a bit sterile. Other than that, there’s hardly any space left to sit, unless you feel like making a new acquaintance and sitting at a table with strangers. So I quickly down my coffee and head for the gate, which at least has the much better views.

BOARDING
Boarding starts with an initial call for the premium passengers to board through the manned exit on the left. Once that’s done, the remaining passengers are invited to board using one of the electronic gates.

CABIN
I’d really like to know just how much time and money SWISS invests in all the aircraft changes it does. Since I booked this flight, the aircraft type operating the flight has changed at least five times, but it now looks as though an Airbus A 220-300 will be deployed. The cabin is in pristine condition. The two benefits for the passenger when flying with the A 220 are the large windows on the one hand, and the fact that the seating configuration is 2 + 3. I’m seated on 1A, a window seat. The aisle seat on 1C is kept empty in Business Class.

CREW
I’m assuming there are three cabin crew on the flight today. The Business Class cabin is served by the maître de, a young man who is probably German, at least that’s my guess based on his accent. The crew seem friendly enough, although clearly the young man is probably more interested in flirting with one of the female flight attendants than in attending to the passengers.

SERVICE
When I arrive at my seat, a small bottle of still water as well as a pre-packed wet towel have already been placed at my seat. We push back on time. The flight time to Luxembourg is announced as 45 minutes.

THE MEALThe meal consists of the usual three items: a brioche with salmon, which is always good, a small ramekin of Bircher Müsli and another ramekin with fresh fruit. To drink I request a coffee, which is served in a cardboard cup and tastes just vile. The highlight of the meal, of course, is the small chocolate bar.

ARRIVAL
By the time we reach Luxembourg, the weather has improved significantly. It’s a lovely day up here. We land at 09h55. One of the nice things about flying SWISS to Luxembourg is that SWISS always insists on having a contact stand, which mean you can avoid the tedious bus shuttle from the aircraft to the terminal building. Generally speaking, I don’t mind taking a bus, because at least that allows you to take photos of your aircraft as you disembark. But here in Luxembourg, they don’t actually have proper airport busses and instead use what appear to be decommissioned public transport busses, which are usually too small for all the passengers disembarking from a plane. Once I’m landside again, I catch the bus 16 which takes me directly to my office in Kirchberg.

And home again: Luxembourg to Zürich with Helvetic Airways
 

Here's the link to the photos.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
It’s only just gone 13h on Friday afternoon and the flying Dutchman P. offers to drive me to the airport. I suspect he probably just took pity on me after I’d been nagging the whole week about how cold it was in Luxembourg...

CHECK-IN
At Luxembourg airport, Lufthansa and SWISS check-in on rows 15 to 17. There are also self-service machines available. I’ve checked in on the app.Before the security checkpoint in Luxembourg, Luxair ground staff check to make sure that passengers’ hand luggage is within the permissible dimensions and weight. And they’re actually quite strict about it.

LOUNGE
The lounge is still quiet. It gets a lot busier after 17h. So I grab myself a seat with a good view of the runway. And then I while away my time reading and watching the landing and departing aircraft. The lounge in Luxembourg is nice, but in order to accommodate all the passengers that use the facility, seating in the lounge is rather tight.There are no showers in the lounge and as far as catering is concerned, only cold snacks are available. Although they do have some tasty cakes on offer too…

BOARDING
The flight is delayed arriving from Zürich. No reason is given for the delay by the gate attendants or the cabin crew. In any case, as a result, boarding starts about fifteen minutes behind schedule.Once boarding is completed, the captain comes on to inform us that there will be a further delay of ten minutes because we’re going to have to de-ice on stand first. Eventually, we depart with a delay of thirty minutes.

CABIN
This aircraft has a cabin divider to separate the Business Class cabin from Economy. I’m not sure what the logic here is. I suspect that perhaps those aircraft assigned to SWISS are equipped with a cabin divider, whereas those operating for Helvetic Airways are not.There are two rows of Business Class and three of the four available seats are occupied.

CREW
There are three crew on this flight and the maître de serving the Business Class cabin is an absolute delight. She’s still quite young and seems a bit reserved or formal. But her manners are flawless. Every time she addresses one of the passengers, she uses their family name. And later during the short flight, when she comes to clear the tray tables, she makes a point of asking each passenger individually if they enjoyed the meal.

SERVICE
As usual, the small bottle of still water and the packaged refreshing towel are handed out once boarding is completed. Once de-icing is done, we push back from the gate. The flight time to Zürich is announced as 45 minutes. But somewhere along the line we receive a shortcut or something, because eventually we land in Luxembourg after a flight time of only 39 minutes.

THE MEAL
The meal is more of a snack really, and consists of the usual three ramekins. Today we have salmon tartar, a cheese mousse with beetroot and apple crumble. The salmon tartar and the crumble are quite good, but the cheese mousse thing is horrible and has a rather unappealing texture.

ARRIVAL
As we approach Switzerland, the weather starts to improve. At some point during our steep descent, the aircraft banks left to fly in an easterly track. As we come out of the bank, the Alps come in to view. They’re all covered in snow and look so majestic, towering above the clouds.We land at 16h09 and make our way to one of the open stands alongside runway 28. Fortunately, SWISS has remembered to send out the Business Class bus to pick us up (which isn’t always the case…). And with only three passengers we’re soon off towards the terminal.

Onwards and upwards: British Airways from Basel to London Heathrow
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS.

INTRODUCTION
Next round. It’s Sunday morning and I’m on my way to the airport again. This time though, my trip will be starting from Basel instead of Zürich. I’m on my way to give two courses back to back. I will be joined on both trips by the flying Dutchman, P.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
The journey by car from the main railway station to Basel airport takes about fifteen minutes to complete. Being early Sunday morning there’s hardly any traffic and I seem to be hitting all the green lights.

CHECK-IN
Because I’ll be gone for two weeks, I’m travelling with a suitcase this time. Which means my first stop once I get to the airport will be at the check-in counters. I did try checking in online, but apparently the interface between British Airways and Aer Lingus doesn’t work very well, because the BA website is unable to generate a boarding pass in the app to download into the passbook app, and the Aer Lingus app can’t do it either because they have no ticket data.This also means that I’m randomly assigned a seat on the Aer Lingus flight that I can’t change in the app. They actually want to put me on an aisle seat!But all’s well that ends well. The check-in agent tags my suitcase to my final destination and also changes my seat from an aisle to a window seat.British Airways checks-in in the Swiss sector of the airport.

AIRSIDE & LOUNGE
Many moons ago, the benefits of flying in and out of Basel were that a) the airport is much smaller than Zürich and therefore b) less busy and c) only fifteen minutes away from my home. But ever since the Schengen treaty was suspended at Basel airport, it’s really not so much fun. Security has been tightened, so that at any given time, the queue is rarely shorter than fifteen to twenty minutes. What’s more, the lounge is located before you go through immigration. And with all the additional flights that are now being handled as non-Schengen departures, the queues at immigration have increased too.Of course, it doesn’t help that humanity appears to have a natural compulsion to herd like sheep the moment they step into an airport and also seem to think that, surely, the 100ml rules can’t possibly apply to them too…The SkyView lounge is fairly busy when I arrive, although admittedly, you wouldn’t think so to look at the photo I’ve posted. It’s just that most passengers tend to go upstairs where all the food, the views and the open air viewing terrace are located. Although the latter seems to be functioning more as the smoking area in this cold weather.

BOARDING
British Airways seem to have this paranoia about starting the boarding process as quickly as possible in order to avoid any departure delays which could see you holding over London for what seems like an eternity later on. Which is why boarding for today’s flight start forty minutes before departure.British Airways has this nifty boarding process, whereby status holder and Business Class passengers queue according to the group indicated on their boarding pass. Only once the queues for groups 1, 2 and 3 have been cleared does boarding for the general riffraff begin.

CABIN
Fortunately, I’ve managed to secure an emergency exit row seat for the flight to London. And thank god for that, because since the European fleet has been refurbished, your only chance as an average sized adult to squeeze your legs into a standard row is either to sit sideways or spread your legs wider than is modestly acceptable in public…On a positive note, the headrest has sides that can be folded up to support your bonce if you need to nap.Luckily, the flight is not full today, so the middle seat between me and the guy on the aisle stays empty.

CREW
The crew are friendly enough. Their service is polite but very formal. I can’t really say anything much else about them.

THE MEAL
Service in Economy Class is buy on board. British Airways has teamed up with British retailer Marks & Spencer to provide inflight catering in the back of the bus.I have a Twining mint tea and the box set of vegetarian sandwiches. There are four sandwich quarters in the box. The sandwiches are: boiled egg with tomato, cucumber and cream cheese, cheddar cheese and tomato and boiled egg with lettuce.

ARRIVAL
The flight time to London is one hour and ten minutes. Surprisingly, there’s no hold up at all, despite the fact that we’re running early. By the time we reach the gate, we’re just over thirty minutes early. And now, I have to transfer to Terminal 3.

London Heathrow to Shannon with Aer Lingus
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS

TRANSFER IN HEATHROW
My flight from Basel arrives in Terminal 5, which is served only by British Airways and Iberia. My flight with Aer Lingus will be departing from Terminal 2, the Queen’s Terminal. I follow the signs for flight connections to other terminals, which eventually takes me one floor down to ground level. From here, there is a regular airside shuttle service to Terminal 2. The journey time by bus is roughly ten minutes. It’s kind of nice, a bit like taking a tour of the airport. On the way, we pass British Airways’ impressive line-up of long-haul aircraft parked at the B satellite of Terminal 5.Once the bus arrives at Terminal 2, I head one floor up for security and another floor up to immigration, even though I’m only changing planes in Heathrow. On a side note, there is a separate channel for passengers continuing their journey to Ireland and the UK, although I’m not even sure there are any domestic flights out of Terminal 2. And then once that’s done, I’m airside.

AIRSIDE & LOUNGE
The Aer Lingus lounge is located one floor up from the public airside area. The entrance is opposite the escalators. The lounge is fairly large and the interior is welcoming, if somewhat worn in places. There’s a decidedly Irish touch to the place, with bright green carpets that have been designed to look like grass.And the toilets are certainly better than those in the British Airways lounge back in Terminal 5! Other than that though, drink and food choices are limited. In fact, there is only a pot of creamy chicken soup by way of proper food. Other than that, it’s really just biscuits and packets of crisps.The location of the lounge gives you a good view of the outside and the threshold of runway 09L. Unfortunately though, there is this metal construction in front of the windows which kind of obstructs the view. But it’s still good enough.

BOARDING
Boarding for the flight starts at 14h40 for a 15h20 departure. In fact, by the time I reach the gate at 14h45, the flight is already in the final stages of boarding. The flight has a good load, but is not fully booked, and there are still a few empty seats. Luckily, the middle seat on my row also stays empty.

CABIN
Aer Lingus operates its short-haul fleet in an Economy Class only configuration. Although I recently heard that they were considering reintroducing a sort of Business Class on some routes.The seats are in dark blue leather and are nicely padded and comfortable. The seat pitch is also very good. The headrest is adjustable.

CREW
The crew consists of five middle aged ladies. They’re not overly friendly, but their service is professional and polite towards the passengers. The flight time is given as one hour.

THE MEAL
Food is buy on board on Aer Lingus. Once we’re airborne, I order a cup of tea for EUR 3. The one thing that strikes me about Aer Lingus, is that the atmosphere in the cabin is always quite pleasant and relaxed. And today’s flight is no different. I wonder if perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Aer Lingus’ passengers are just used to the concept of buy on board. As a result, you don’t get that undercurrent of resentment from both the crews and the passengers about having to fork out for a drink and a snack.

ARRIVAL
We land in Shannon on time and the weather is horrible. The apron is fairly quiet, save for two Ryanair flights that are in the final stages of boarding, with passengers hurrying along to get out of the pouring rain. I guess that’s one way to speed up the boarding process… At least Aer Lingus has the decency to use an airbridge.The terminal building at Shannon airport really is exceptionally ugly. It’s old and any work that has been done in recent years has been done primarily to expand the facility, but obviously not to embellish. But never mind, it’s a passenger terminal, not a five star hotel.The flying Dutchman has rented a car, which we’ll need to get from Limerick, where the hotel is, to the venue of the course. The journey by car from the airport into Limerick takes under thirty minutes.

Time to move on: Shannon to London Heathrow on Aer Lingus
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS!

INTRODUCTION
It’s Thursday afternoon. The course with the IAA in Shannon went well. My job is done, and so it’s time to move on. The next course will be starting in two days. Shannon airport is located about fifteen minutes away by car from IAA’s HQ. We arrive at the car park for the car rental returns and it’s pouring with rain. Although that isn’t really worth mentioning because it seems to be the normal state of affairs in Ireland. Which makes it all the more impressive how everyone here manages to stay so friendly and easy going. There is a shuttle from the Hertz office to the terminal, but given that it’s only a two minute walk, that hardly seems worth it – even with the rain.

CHECK-IN
The terminal building is a strange place. The check-in area is in a part of the terminal which looks as though it’s much newer than the rest of the building. There are four rows of check-in counters, but half of them look as though they haven’t been used in years. I’m also not really sure what to make of the seventies style wood panelling everywhere. In any case, I’m already checked in, but I still need to drop off my enormous suitcase. My first stop is at one of the Aerlingus self-service machines, but apparently they will only issue a boarding pass but not the baggage tag. So eventually I just head over to the check-in counter. Aerlingus has six counters in Shannon, but only one is manned when I reach check in.

LOUNGE & AIRSIDE
The departure gates are located one floor up from the check-in area. Luckily, the security check point is deserted when I arrive, which, as far as the Irish are concerned, is another great opportunity to have a little natter before sending me on my way. This must be just about the friendliest security check I’ve ever undergone!

Aerlingus does not have its own lounge in Shannon, but Executive Club Silver passengers flying on Aerlingus are entitled to use the Boru lounge that is operated by Shannon airport. The lounge is small but nicely laid out. The toilets are clean and there’s even a shower. As far as food goes, it’s just hot and cold drinks and snacks to eat – things like scones and cake.

BOARDING
There are two separate queues for boarding. One for Priority passengers, and one for everyone else. Boarding for the flight starts thirty minutes before departure.

CABIN
This aircraft is in the same layout as that of my inbound flight. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, I think it’s the same plane. Today I’m seated on the emergency exit on 12A, which is the first of the two emergency exit rows on the A 320. Row 12 is the best place to sit, I think. On the one hand, because in addition to the extra legroom, the fact that it’s an exit row means the passengers in the row before cannot recline their seats. While at the same time, because the next row is also an emergency exit, the extra pitch means you won’t have the person sitting behind you grinding their kneecaps into your lower back. Unless of course, the person behind you is the tall, blond M. with his awfully long legs.

CREW
The crew are friendly, like everybody else I met on this trip to Ireland. The purser in an elderly gentleman who, quite frankly, looks as though he started his flying career back in the days of the elegant Vickers Viscount. Perhaps that also explains his excellent manners and customer care. I think he’s brilliant!

THE MEAL
Once we’re airborne, I buy a Coke Zero which sets me back EUR2.50. Which is reasonable for a 0.33l can.

ARRIVAL
Initially, the flight time is announced as one hour, which would have meant us arriving in Heathrow at 18h30. But then we’re kept circling for a while before we make the approach. So that eventually, by the time we come to a stop on our designated stand, it’s already 19h05.The Aerlingus gates in Terminal 2 are very conveniently located a very short walk away from the luggage belts. If you’re arriving from Ireland you will not have to go through immigration in the UK. At least not until the end of March.

My first stop after I exit through customs is at Marks & Spencer’s to get some food. And then from there I head down into the bowels of the Queen’s Terminal to catch the complimentary rail shuttle to Terminal 4. All in all, from exiting the aircraft to entering my hotel room it takes me slightly more than ninety minutes. Mainly, because the shuttle to Terminal 4 only runs very thirty minutes, at 03 and 33 past the hour.

A visit to the new customer: Etihad Airway Business Class from London to Abu Dhabi
 

HERE's THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS.

INTRODUCTION
I spend the night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Terminal 4. The hotel only opened in October 2018 and still retains that smell of new building and new furniture. The rooms are comfortable and spacious and the staff are obviously still eager to please. The only issue I have, is that I mistakenly booked a room in the quiet zone of the building, which by default means a room away from the airport. So no airport views.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
This must be one of the shortest airport transfers ever! I exit the hotel at 11h15 and make my way up the escalator onto the foot bridge to Terminal 4, which is about two minutes away if you’re walking at a leisurely pace. The foot bridge ejects me on the departures level of the terminal.

CHECK-IN
Etihad Airways checks-in in sector C, which is at the opposite end of the terminal from where I entered the building coming from the hotel. There is one counter for First Class passengers, three for Business Class passengers and five for Economy Class. The check-in agent tags my suitcase and, seeing my passport, chats idly about how nice she thought Malta was when she visited... But then for one horrible moment I think I’m royally screwed as she informs me I’ll need to apply for a visa for Abu Dhabi before I enter the country. But then she realises that she’s made a mistake and used the country code for the Maldives instead of Malta. So we’re good after all.

AIRSIDE & LOUNGE
There’s a fast track for security, which is pretty much empty when I arrive. One thing they do really well at Heathrow, is the security check – it’s well organised, quick and efficient. Before I visit the lounge, I decide to take a stroll around the departure concourse. The whole length of the terminal is littered with luxury boutiques from all the well-known brands, with the occasional restaurant thrown in for good measure. The glitzy shops are all empty though, while the Prêt à Manger is the only place that’s busy. Other than that, architecturally Terminal 4 is not likely to win any prizes any time soon. And I’d also like to know what sort of cruel soul designs a terminal in such a way that most windows will not give you an unobstructed view of the airplanes…? Along the way, I pass a sign pointing passengers in the direction of the all-purpose prayer rooms. I find the sign rather odd though, because it uses the plural ‘ablutions’ but with a singular verb. The House lounge is located opposite gate 10, from where my flight to Abu Dhabi will be boarding later on. The entrance to The House is to the right of the SkyTeam lounge.The receptionist welcomes me in and then shows me around. The lounge has a separate dining room. The tables are all nicely set, with a small vase of flowers on each table. There is a choice between an à la carte menu and a selection of hot dishes from the buffet. Figuring it’ll probably be a while before I get to eat on the plane, I order the Tortelloni with truffle oil, creamy pumpkin and hazelnut pesto, which tastes excellent. The staff in the lounge are polite, friendly and very attentive. Once I’ve finished the meal, I find myself a quiet corner to sit and relax a bit with my Kindle. I only realise once I sit down that I’m actually sitting next to actor Bill Nighy!

BOARDING
Boarding starts at 13h20 for our 14h05 departure. First and Business Class passengers are instructed to take the exit to the airbidge on the far right, which leads to the upper deck.

CABIN
Upon entering the cabin, there are two cabin crew welcoming passengers aboard. The flight attendant acknowledges my status as one of their frequent flyers with a very formal ‘welcome back, sir’ and points me in the general direction of my seat. The cabin lights are dimmed and the mood lighting is set to a warm glow. Etihad Airways has an interesting configuration in the Business Class cabin of their A 380, in that the seats are arranged in pairs facing each other. The advantage of course, is that every passenger has direct aisle access.The window seats, so A and K, face in the direction of travel, whereas the C and H seats are on the aisle and face in the opposite direction. Obviously, this also means that the window seats have more privacy because they are not directly on the aisle. The seat itself is easy to get in and out of and in the sleep position it’s wide enough to be able to turn easily. The seat also has a lot of storage space, partly also due to the large bins on the side, under the windows. The inflight entertainment system is touch screen enabled and can be operated either directly or using the hand held remote.The cabin is nice enough. And once again, I’m impressed by how quiet the A 380 cabin is. My only issue, and this is something beyond Etihad’s control, is that there is a woman sitting right behind me whose perfume is so heavy and overpowering it’s actually starting to give me a headache.A pillow, a blanket, a bottle of water, the menu and the vanity kit have already been placed at my seat when I arrive.

CREW
The crew are a mix of Eastern Europeans and nationals of the Indian subcontinent. Their service seems quite formal. As a result, they’re quite unobtrusive and not all that noticeable in the cabin, and I’m not sure if this is intentional or not. I find it quite pleasant.

SERVICE
The service on the ground consists of a welcome drink of my choice and a scented hot towel. Unlike many other airlines, just the one hot towel is offered during this flight. To drink I go with a glass of fresh orange juice. Just before we push back, the crew come through the cabin taking orders for lunch. I notice that they approach passengers for their choice in order of their frequent flyer status.

THE MEAL
After take-off, the crew pass through the cabin with drinks. I have a glass of sparkling water and a ramekin of nuts that have a distinct hint of cardamom.
First course: Arabic mezze. The first course is served on a tray which also has on it the bread, salt and pepper as well as butter and olive oil with balsamico. The mezze are hummus, stuffed vine leaves, pickled vegetables, tabbouleh and a pastry filled with spinach, the name of which I don’t know.
Main course: the fish.The main course I chose is a nice piece of grilled salmon, served with spinach, asparagus and mashed potatoes.
Dessert: the hot chocolate lava cake. The lava cake is served with a small pot of warm custard.The meal is good. The mezze is tasty, although perhaps not quite as good as that served on QR. The size of the portion is also much smaller. The grilled salmon is nice and juicy on the inside and the asparagus have managed to not go all soggy. For me though, the hot chocolate lava cake is definitely the highlight of the meal. Once the crew have cleared away my table, they bring me a mug of Moroccan mint tea, which is served with two small biscuits.

AMENITIES
The amenity kit is by Acqua di Parma. It contains a small tube of hand cream, a sample flacon of perfume as well as ear plugs, socks, eye shades and a toothbrush with Colgate toothpaste. No slippers are provided on this flight.

ARRIVAL
After a flight time of just under six hours, the engines are gently eased back and we start our descent into Abu Dhabi. Luckily, the airport isn’t too busy, which means there are none of the holding delays that seem to be getting more and more frequent in Dubai. Eventually we land after a total flight time of six hours and ten minutes. Abu Dhabi is currently in the process of building a new terminal. The facility should have opened a few years ago but got repeatedly held up. Apparently, it’s now expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2019. And it’s about time too, because the current facility was clearly not laid out to handle the amount of traffic and the size of aircraft currently operating into Abu Dhabi. But the process is swift. Etihad Business Class passengers are given an access card to the fast track immigration and within thirty minutes of landing, I’ve retrieved my suitcase and sitting in a taxi on my way to the hotel.

Are you getting sick of flying yet?

Not sure I'll ever get tired of the flying. But the travelling, being away from home - definitely.

About your experience with "the thongs" at the Qantas Lounge in BNE.
As you are probably aware, being a linguist, flip-flops in French translate into "Tongues" = same pronunciation as the mucosal / muscular appendage in our mouths.

Hi John Chiefofstaff,
Thanks. Not sure I'm ready to find out more about the etymology of that one...

Mission accomplished: Abu Dhabi to Heathrow - Business Class on the A 380
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS.

INTRODUCTION
The course with Etihad was good fun and went by really quickly. The people attending the course were easy going and really impressed me by their professionalism. Of course, it also helps that the Etihad training facilities near the airport are modern, with well-equipped classrooms. On Thursday afternoon we finish around lunch, and I even get to take the tour of the Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi, which is quite dazzling. The white marble is so bright that I can hardly stand to look at the building, it’s literally blinding. But on Monday the next course will be starting in Luxembourg, so it’s high time for me to leg it back Europe. Which is a shame really, because the weather here in Abu Dhabi has been a delight this last week, with pleasantly mild temperatures hovering around 25 degrees Celsius.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
Being the weekend, there’s hardly any traffic on the roads. Which means we manage to make the journey to the airport in just over fifteen minutes. The trip from the Hilton Capitol to the airport will cost you roughly UAD50.

CHECK-IN
Terminal 3 is dedicated to Etihad Airways and there are separate entrances for First and Business Class passengers. The Business Class area of the terminal is calm. It looks rather elegant. There are seven counters open when I arrive. Right next to check-in, there is a dedicated Fast Track for immigration and right behind that the security check. Most of Etihad’s flying out of Abu Dhabi occurs during the night time, which is probably why the airport is surprisingly quiet, given the size of the facility.

LOUNGE & AIRSIDE
The Etihad Business Class lounge is located opposite gate 35, and it’s enormous. There is a wide selection of hot and cold dishes to choose from at the buffet, ranging from Indian to Japanese, Western and Arab dishes. There are also, as far as I can tell, three bars. Although only one of them is currently open. I have a bit of lunch, seeing as the flight will not be departing until 13h45 and I’m not likely to eat anything before about 15h00. By the time I demolish my plate (I seem to be developing a serious liking for mash in my old age) I decide to check out the Six Senses Spa, also located in the lounge. I still have slightly more than an hour to go before boarding begins, so I figure I might as well treat myself to a full body massage of one hour.

BOARDING
My flight is departing from gate 33. At the entrance to the gate, my passport is first checked, followed by a secondary security check during which all electronic devices you’re carrying on you will be briefly switched on and checked. And then I’m free to board.

CABIN
I’m seated on 12A, which is the same seat I had on the outbound flight from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi. This cabin configuration is starting to grow on me, I must say. I really like the abundance of storage space, which allows you to keep everything you might need during the flight within easy reach. What’s more, no matter how many passengers there are in the cabin, it never seems full or crowded.

CREW
I’m told that Etihad have a crew complement of 22 in the cabin for their Airbus A 380. Today’s crew is yet another interesting mix of ethnicities and races. They’re not exactly warm or personable at first, but they’re professional and courteous in the way they go about their duty.

SERVICE
A blanket, a pillow, the menu and the vanity kit have already been placed at my seat when I arrive. No sooner have I settled in, the crew bring me a rose scented hot towel and a glass of lemon and mint juice, which are both very refreshing.Just before we push back, the crew pass through the cabin taking orders for drinks after departure.

THE MEAL
Once the fasten seatbelt sign has been turned off, the service begins, and I’m brought a ramekin of warm nuts and another glass of the lemon and mint juice. The service is à l carte, and passengers have the option when they’d like to eat.
First course
Mezze – muhammara, hummus, a filled grape leaf, tabbouleh and a pastry filled with a feta like cheese and served with a slice of lemon.This dish tastes much better than the one I hand on my way down to Abu Dhabi, I’m guessing that’s because this dish was locally made in the UAE. Especially the muhammara is very good and the lemon gives it a refreshing twist. The first course is served on a tray, together with the breads, butter, olive oil and salt and pepper shakers.
Main course
Rigatoni with a sugo of sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic pesto, parmigiano and fresh basil.When the flight attendant arrives with my main course, I comment on the fact that I think it’s a shame the airlines tend not to serve spicy food and that the only thing missing for my main course is a bit of spice. The flight attendant puts my plate down and then rather abruptly dashes off. He returns just a short while later with a bottle of Tobasco for me, which I think is pretty cool and a very nice gesture. The dish is exceptionally good. The sugo has a lovely tangy flavour that is perfectly balanced with the pesto and you can actually still taste the fresh basil.
Dessert
Almond and pistachio pudding with butterscotch sauce.Instead of one of those horrific gelatinous blobs of tasteless gunk that most airlines seem to serve these days (…and rather unconvincingly disguise as ‘mousse’), Etihad makes the effort to offer a real dessert. And sweet baby J., it’s divine! It’s still warm and the texture is just so dense and rich. Gorgeous!

AMENITIES
The amenity kit is the same one as I had on the outbound flight, only this one is in yellow and not black.

ARRIVAL
About eighty minutes out of Heathrow, the cabin lights slowly start to go on again and the crew come through the cabin asking passengers if there’s anything they’d like from the menu before they start preparing the cabin for landing. I’m still quite full from lunch, so I just order some ice cream and leave it at that. Originally, we’re scheduled to arrive at 17h15. But traffic in Heathrow is busy and so we end up doing two laps in a holding pattern north-east of the capital before we are eventually released for the approach. By the time we land, it’s already 17h45. Terminal 4 is much busier than when I left and there are people everywhere. But still I manage, and before long I’m through security and on my way to the SkyTeam lounge.

Nearly home: KLM Cityhopper from Heathrow to Amsterdam in Business Class
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS.

INTRODUCTION
Heathrow is having one of those days. The gusting winds mean there is more separation between the approaching aircraft, and as a result, everything seems to be running late – in some cases even as much as one hour or more.

LOUNGE
In Terminal 4 KLM shares the Business Class lounge with some of its other SkyTeam partners, including China Southern, Korean Air and Aeroflot. I rather like the SkyTeam lounge in Heathrow. It’s got a modern and fresh feel to it, and the choice of hot and cold food is rather good. This evening though, the lounge is full of unhappy Frenchmen. The Air France flight to Paris is running nearly ninety minutes late and passengers with connecting flights in Paris have already been informed that they’re likely not going to make their onward flights. Which of course is a merde.

BOARDING
My flight is running slightly late as well. Boarding is scheduled for 19h55, which passes without the ground crew announcing that there’s going to be a delay. Eventually, at 20h30 boarding for the flight begins. Tonight’s flight is being operated by an Embraer 175 of KLM Cityhopper. The flight is more or less sold out, which is why the ground crew are offering passengers to check in their baggage free of charge. I’m guessing this is the reason why eventually it takes us until 21h10 to finally complete the boarding process.

CABIN
There are two rows of Business Class seats on this flight, although on KLM Cityhopper it’s difficult to tell the difference, seeing as both seats on the row of two are sold, even in Business Class. Luckily, I’m on 1A, and by the time boarding is completed, the aisle seat next to me is still empty.

CREW
There are two young ladies working the flight today. They’re your usual KLM friendly cabin crew. What they lack in finesse, they certainly make up for with their genuine and unpretentious approach to dealing with passengers.

SERVICE
There is no service on the ground. The flight time to Amsterdam is forty-five minutes.

THE MEAL
No sooner has the main landing gear left the ground, the aircraft starts shaking and swinging around as though it were a feather. Even so, before the fasten seatbelt sign is even turned off, the crew start their preparations for the service. A while ago, KLM updated the boxes and the meals that are serve in Business Class on the Cityhopper flights. I’m mean, it’s still a box. But even so, I still think it’s an improvement in that the new box seems bigger and more spacious. Inside the box there is a falafel and hummus salad, two pieces of bread and butter and a dessert. The salad is good and very light. I soak up the hummus with one of the breads provided with the meal and that is still warm. I don’t try the dessert.

ARRIVAL
Very soon we start our descent into Amsterdam. The weather here is no better and we dip and roll violently on the approach. Eventually, after a flight time of only forty minutes, we touch down on the Polderbaan. From here it’s another ten minutes taxiing to the Cityhopper apron. By the time we come to a stop on our designated remote stand, it’s just gone 23h00 and we’re running thirty minutes late.

Going home for some fresh clothes, with KLM Cityhopper: Amsterdam to Basel
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS

INTRODUCTION
I spend a very relaxing day in Amsterdam. I go to De Bakerswinkel for breakfast in the centre of Amsterdam and then indulge in a spot of retail therapy to revive the spirits. It’s still very windy here in Amsterdam, which has the positive side effect that aircraft are flying right over central Amsterdam at very low altitude on their approach into Schiphol.

GETTING TO THE AIRPORT
Seeing as I only arrived in Amsterdam very late the day before, my hotel in Amsterdam is the CitizenM at Schiphol airport. I think it probably takes more time to walk from the entrance of the terminal to the KLM check-in counters than it does to walk from the hotel to the terminal building. In any case, it’s not far.

CHECK-IN
KLM has a separate check-in area for SkyPriority passengers, which is located to the right as you come off the escalators, coming up from the Schiphol plaza. I’ve already checked in on the app, so it’s really just a question of checking in the suitcase I’ve been carting around since I left for Shannon and then Abu Dhabi two weeks ago.

LOUNGE & AIRSIDE
The airport is very quiet this evening and there’s a nice hushed atmosphere in the lounge. With so few passengers around, it’s easy to find a quiet space in the huge lounge. Since my last visit, there have been a few changes to the lounge. First of all, the KLM branded cutlery and plates have been replaced by something neutral and not branded. It’s a shame really, because there was always something very decidedly Dutch about the old tableware. The food selection is also different, although in this case I think it’s actually an improvement over what they had before, because there’s now more choice.

BOARDING
The screens inside the lounge are showing a delay for my flight of 35 minutes, so 21h10 instead of 20h35. My flight will be boarding from gate B24, which is roughly a 10-minute schlep from the Crowne Lounge. Eventually, boarding start at 20h55 and it’s all a bit messy. Luckily though, the Embraer 175 is a very small plane, so that despite the mess we’re all happily or not so happily settled in our seats by 21h05. The captain then steps out of the cockpit and puts on his jacket before he makes a public address. When that happens with KLM, you know it’s bad news. So the captain informs us that the delay was caused by the gusting winds here in Amsterdam, which has meant increased separation and thus less capacity per hour per runway. But he assures us that we’ll be on our way shortly. At 21h25 the first officer comes on the PA and informs us that there’s a problem with the manifest, which doesn’t add up. Apparently, there are passengers in seats they shouldn’t be occupying and that needs to be cleared up first. Eventually, at 21h38 we push back from our stand and the engines start up. We’re now running slightly more than an hour behind schedule.

CABIN
Good heavens, these seats are tight. Either I’ve grown some more (highly unlikely) since I last flew KLM or they’ve decreased the seat pitch. My knees are pushing into the seatback of the seat in front of me. What’s more, I’m sitting in front of a young man with seriously long legs who in turn is pushing his knees into the back of my seat. As such, it’s a bit unfortunate to be kept waiting on the ground for thirty minutes before the flight begins. Finally though, I find a position in which I can minimise the amount of damage to my kneecaps and coccyx.

CREW
The crew looks slightly harassed and a bit tired. Even so, I think they do an excellent job in dealing with the disgruntled passengers, all of which are clearly just tired and weary from their travels at this stage. The crew announce the flight time as 55 minutes.

THE MEAL
The meal service on this flight consists of a wrap filled with cheese, egg and lettuce that is served in a small box with a little tub of still water. In addition to that, the crew pass through the cabin with a drinks trolley, offering hot and cold beverages. By this stage, I’m too tired to eat, let alone to remember to take a photo. But in my twilight state of semi-consciousness, I remember to dump the wrap in my backpack to take a picture of it once I get home.

ARRIVAL
Eventually we land at 22h40, 55 minutes behind schedule. The airport is already very busy, what with the Basel based easyJet fleet returning home for the evening. This does not bode well for immigration, me thinks. Much to my surprise though, we’re marshalled to a stand in the French domestic sector of the apron, which means that once inside the terminal, we will in fact not have to go through immigration at all, just like the good old days.Ten minutes later my suitcase arrives. I exit on the Swiss side of terminal and make my way to the bus stop. The bus is crowded, but I still manage to snag a seat. I now have a whole day at home before I head off again on Monday…

Off we go again: back to Luxembourg in SWISS Business Class
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS

INTRODUCTION
It’s Monday morning and I’m on my way back to the airport in Zürich. Today I’m travelling to Luxembourg again to give another course. With me is my boss, an aerodynamicist by trade, and he looks just a wee bit upset. You see, the reason we get on with each other is that we’re both fascinated – so as not to call it obsessed – with airplanes. So there’s always something to talk about. He’d been hoping for a chance to sample the A 220-300. But there’s been an aircraft change apparently…

CHECK-IN
But first things first. I arrive at the airport at around 07h20. My first stop is the SWISS Business Class check-in counters to dump my suitcase. From there I head across to the other side of Check-in area 3 to the counters of the Swiss federal railways. I’m inquiring about purchasing a ticket from Luxembourg to Brussels, where I’ll be heading to later on this week for yet another course. Only, the very friendly lady at the counter informs me that she can only sell me a ticket from Luxembourg to the border and then another ticket from the border to Brussels. But the system won’t tell her what the border town is at which I’ll need to swap tickets. So no sale.

Allow me to rant: in Europe distances between the major cities are often not that great. As such, in some cases the train would be a viable alternative to the airplane. But if even buying a ticket is so complicated and cumbersome, it’s hardly surprising that trains have still not succeeded in competing against the airlines – even on short routes.

AIRSIDE
By the time I’m through security, it’s gone eight in the morning. My flight will start boarding in less than thirty minutes. So I get myself a cinnamon roll and a cappuccino from the Marché café at the beginning of the A concourse and then head for gate A 86, from where the flight to Luxembourg will be leaving and where I’ll be meeting my boss.

Meanwhile, outside it’s a dark and dreary morning with low visibility. And it’s started snowing as well. Which looks really pretty to be honest, but doesn’t bode well for an on time departure.

BOARDING
Since I booked this trip, there have been three aircraft changes. Originally, the flight should have been operated by an Airbus A 220-300. Then it was changed to an Airbus A 220-100. Then when I checked in on the app on Sunday evening it had changed to an Airbus A 320 and then by the time boarding eventually started, it had reverted back to an Airbus A 220-300 – much to the delight of my boss. One of the things I’ve noticed about the morning Luxembourg flight is that it is quite prone to aircraft changes. I suspect the main reason being that the flight is so short that the schedule to Luxembourg is not really integrated into SWISS’ hub schedule but rather the flight times are dictated by the availability of an aircraft.

Boarding finishes at around 09h05. The doors close and the captain welcomes us aboard. He also informs us that due to the weather situation, we’re going to have to de-ice first and there’s a queue of at least ten minutes for de-icing. So we’re not scheduled to depart before 09h45, forty minutes behind schedule.

CABIN
This time I’m sitting on 3A, the window seat on the row of two, which is perfect because it means I can store my luggage under the seat in front and have more than enough space to spread out. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed just how spacious and airy the cabin of the A 220 is, despite the fact that the aircraft isn’t all that big.

SERVICE
The Swiss solution to any problem is chocolate. And so, no sooner has the captain announced our departure delay, the crew pass through the cabin offering those small bars of chocolate that are a cornerstone of the SWISS on board experience. And it really works. The chocolate won’t make the weather any better and it won’t reduce the delay either, but it releases endorphins in the brains so that at least you give a bit less of a rat’s bum about the delay because you’re busy happily clogging up your arteries with sumptuous goodness.

THE MEAL
The menu is still the same as it was three weeks ago, only this time I think they overdid it slightly with the smoked salmon in the brioche. The two ramekins are Bircher Müsli and a fruit salad. The coffee is still served in cardboard cups but is not so vile.

ARRIVAL
Eventually we land in Luxembourg after a flight time of forty minutes, twenty minutes behind schedule. The weather here is slightly better, but also colder than in Zürich.We collect our suitcase and then head upstairs to catch the bus line 16 to the office.

What an awesome trip!! Thank you for sharing ^

Hi Madone59,
Thanks! Yeah, it's been quite long. I only just realised today that since 4 January 2019 I've actually only been home for a total of four days... I yearn for a simple home cooked meal! Nearly there though, nearly there...

Cheers,
William

Luxembourg to Brussels by Belgian State Railways & Pullman Brussels Cenre Midi
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS
On Friday afternoon I hitch a ride with the flying Dutchman from Luxembourg to Liège, which is about a ninety minute drive from Luxembourg in good traffic.

In Liège I head across the square to the main entrance of the railway station that was designed by Calatrava and clearly carries his signature style.

Travelling by train in Belgium takes a lot of patience – especially if you’re from a place like Switzerland, where the federal railways have a bit of a paranoia about punctuality. My first stop is at the ticket machine to try to purchase a ticket to Brussels. Only, the ticket machine won’t accept credit cards, I keep getting an error message. Cash seems to be working, but only if you’re paying only in coins… At some point I give up and join the queue with what looks like seemingly half of Belgium.

Eventually, with my ticket in hand I board what should have been the 15h01 train to Bruxelles Midi. Only, we’re running fourteen minutes late. Fourteen seems to be something of a magic number for the Belgian railways, because most trains appear to run late, and most of the time the delay is fourteen minutes.In any case, the journey from Liège to Bruxelles Midi should take exactly one hour. Only, by the time we finally arrive we’re somehow managed to pick up a further delay and are running twenty minutes late. Still, if I’d taken the train all the way from Luxembourg, I would have first had to get from the Kirchberg plateau to the city centre, which is where the railways station is. And then from there, the journey from Luxembourg to Brussels with the direct train is 3h15. Plus a very likely delay…

In Brussels I’m staying at the Pullman hotel at Bruxelles Midi, which sits atop the station and has an entrance onto the main passenger concourse. The hotel looks as though it has only recently been refurbished and even still retains that nice smell of new furniture. The room I’m in is very big and comes with an electric kettle and a Nespresso machine. The drinks in the fridge are complimentary, although I think that’s because of my Platinum status. The cosmetics in the bathroom are by Bigelow Apothecaries.

Breakfast is served on the first floor in Victor’s restaurant. The buffet is quite extensive and offers a very wide range of hot and cold dishes. On the downside though, when I come down at 09h30 for breakfast, the place looks like a bomb has just gone off. The staff seem to be doing a lot of running around, but without really getting anything done. Most tables are still full with the old dishes of the previous guests, and those tables that have been cleared away have not been set for the next guests. And the buffet is a barren wasteland…

All in all though, even with the breakfast, I liked the Pullman Bruxelles Centre Midi. The design and finish of the room and of the public areas is modern and comfortable. The breakfast experience could be improved though…

Been enjoying your TR's!! Thank you.

Also, I agree about the Pullman at Brussels Midi - very clean, functional hotel but I am surprised that they have still not sorted out the Breakfast scrum. On one occasion, got there just after 6:30, set up my fresh OJ (those orange machines are so great, but I am sure they waste so much as well), with my tea, and when I went to get something from the buffet, the server decided to clear my table :mad:
But otherwise, a great hotel and it suited my needs perfectly.

Hi Roadwarrier
Thanks a lot. It's been fun so far, but I'm glad it'll ease up with the travel soon. I hope...
For location and comfort the Pullman really is great. But for service there may be better places. I mean, they weren't exactly enthusiastic at reception either...

Cheers,
William

To the city of Bruges - to check out what all the fuss is about
 

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS
Bruges is one of those places that people will start raving about when you mention it, even if they’ve never been there themselves. I think it’s probably a similar effect to when people talk about Venice. And so, rather than spending the weekend in Brussels, I decide to take the train to Bruges on Saturday morning, just to see for myself what all the fuss is about.

Trains from Bruxelles Midi to Bruges run frequently and make the journey in about one hour. The Belgian State Railways offer a reduced weekend ticket that is valid on Saturdays and Sundays only. If you’re planning a trip to Bruges, you better plan for an early start, because the trains tend to be very full – as in ‘standing room only’ in second class.

But in any case, Bruges is admittedly a nice little place. But in all honesty, I think it’s either a bit overrated – or else I’ve just travelled too much. I think part of my problem with Bruges is that it doesn’t seem real. It’s so meticulously turned out for the tourists that it’s ended up looking a lot like a film set. I had a similar sensation I when I visited Dubrovnik, which is also very nice but feels like a museum.

The other issue is that the place is literally crawling with tourists, to the extent that it’s impossible to find a place to eat without having to queue for ages. All in all, I’m glad I’ve been to Bruges. But I’ve ticked it off the list now, and I don’t think I’ll be coming back.