Boarding started pretty much on time, with a call for zones 1 and 2 together (and a melee, the French don't queue). There was little point to rush because it was a case of "boarding not boarding" with an extra 5 minute wait on the jet bridge.

This morning's bird is an A321 (I got my wires crossed, the A220 is for the next flight), F-GMZE. I've pretty much unlimited legroom in the emergency exit row. My neighbour needs it too, he looks like a professional basket ball player.


Room to spread

The flight looks pretty much full, I'd forgotten how many more people fir in the A321 than the smaller variants.

There are only 2 rows of business at the front, as a more regular on BA flights that looks very small.

We'll be late off the blocks but hopefully not by much.

I may have dozed off a little,so not mich to report. The snack was a Madeleine and I had a coffee (bad mistake...). We taxied around CDG for about 10 minutes before reaching T2F.


Entering the runway

Take-off roll

Nothing much to say...

View just before landing

Pictures of planes!

More pictures of planes!


There are apparently people flying LYS-CDG-GVA. I bet they're on FT 🤣. It's 5 hours before my next flight so I'll have a look around the terminal. The 2E lounges are on the other side of passport controls and transfer security so I think I'll stay in 2F. No lounge hopping. It's heaving right now, there are people everywhere!

The lounge is in between the 2 concourses of terminal F, it's quite nice with lots of natural light. I'll be parsimonious on pictures because there are a lot of people around. The spread for breakfast is extensive, the coffee machines busy but working.

There was a slot at the Clarins spa for a facial treatment so I've that to look forward to later to pass the time. I've a bit of work to do, I'll be back with updates later.

I got stuck in work, which means I almost missed my treatment, and then had a very fast lunch before going to the gate.

The treatment was very nice, the beautician made it relaxing. It's a very nice feature for long layovers. The only criticism I could make is that the salon isn't isolated from the lounge so there were noises of crying babies and plates being cleared away.

I had some various bits of cold cuts and sandwiches from the buffet. There were hot options as well but I didn't really have time.

My first impression of the A220 is of space. The seats are comfortable and leg room feels nicer than most economy seats I've been in before. The windows also feel bigger, there's a lot of natural light in the cabin.


Legroom

Pictures of planes!

The other thing I noticed is the size of the engines, they look massive.


Are you happy to see me, or is that a big engine?

Boarding started on time, with Zones 1 and 2 called successively. We got straight on which is an improvement. The concourses of T2F aren't very wide so it's hard to get past other gates when a flight is boarding.

Again, the business cabin seems small with only 3 rows.

Boarding was done 5 minutes early but we now have to wait due to "military activity between France and Germany". Only 10 minutes according to the guys upfront. That's a new excuse!

The bird is F-HZUD.

I'm starting to feel the early alarm, I might doze off again... Next update in MUC.

Well the military activity has extended so we'll be on the tarmac a while longer. Another half-hour according to the driver.

And since the ground crew gave me a cue, here is a bit of Franco-Austrian trivia for you want to shine with useless knowledge in high society.


Just what the doctor ordered

The croissant originated in Eastern Europe, but not quite as we know it. It was rolled pastry, and didn't really have a defined shape. It was known as "kipferl".

It only got its shape after a fateful morning of 1683 in Vienna, when bakers (early risers) noticed vibrations in the water, indicating that the Ottomans who had laid siege to the city were digging under its walls.

Later that year, once the Habsburgs had won the war, Viennese bakers decided to pick the shape of the crescent which adorned the Ottoman banners to celebrate the victory.

The croissant first made an appearance in France when Marie-Antoinette married Louis XVI and became queen of France. Unfortunately, "l'Autrichienne" wasn't very popular so it didn't really take off, unlike her head which probably jumped after she was guillotined during the revolution.

It was in the late 19th century that the croissant made a reappearance in France, when Austrian p�tisseries and bakeries opened in Paris. French bakers liked the pastry and decided to apply the French school to it: yeast to raise the dough, and butter, always more butter!

The French never lost the origin of the croissant though, since croissants, pains au chocolat and other breakfast pastries are collectively known in France as Viennoiseries.

And with that, we get back to our normal programming, where we've been allowed to push back at 1:25, 25 minutes behind schedule but 15 minutes better than the last delay announcement.

I might be the designated driver in Munich, so my next update may be much later.

​​​​​​

As expected, I slept from after the service until I was rudely awaken by a rather heavy landing. I could have slept a couple more hours but I guessed we would have run out of fuel...


Bit blurry but you can see the fast plane!

The A220 is really comfortable. I don't know if it was the novelty of it, my lack of sleep or just my general god mood but it was nice.


Runway 27L at CDG had major works going on, on the whole length.




Pictures of roadworks! Lorries, loaders, take your pick!

Now I have a question for the collective mind, and maybe it's just a coincidence, but I didn't see a single male flight attendant on my 3 flights, and not a single female pilot. Is there a problem with recruitment at AF? Don't get me wrong, the service was exceptional, and everyone was very professional, but I noticed it on the third flight and realised it had been the case for all of them...


Unsolicited runway picture in the middle of a serious question.

I think that this brings leg 2 to a close, and I'm happy I did it that way. I hadn't flown in a while and it felt good to be back in the air. AF really impressed me, I thought the whole experience was enjoyable, probably because I had status. I'm sure those 5 hours at CDG would have been very different otherwise.


Pictures of planes!

More planes!

Unsolicited runway picture (LBG in this case)

I'll be back next week with more travels on metal tubes, but wingless this time, the type which are guided on 2 pieces of iron.



Speaking of iron, here's the iron lady of France behind the Stade du same country.

And the view from the wing.

In the meantime I have a week of horses and equestrian vaulting to look forward to. And Austrian gastronomy.


Definitely not the highlight of the trip, but it's gone anyway.


When in Austria...

I may get some Austrian p�tisseries though because we're close to Linz, maybe I'll squeeze in a midweek post.

Safe travels!

I'm back for a last day of travel before getting home. It was looking quite good but Eurostar have just emailed saying that there are issues on the French tracks so my Cologne to Brussels leg is a bit up in the air. The issue is in France so I have a couple of back-up options but it includes the Deutsche Bahn playing ball which isn't a given these days. More updates on that later...

Austrian cuisine. That sausage was a bit too healthy so we pimped it.


It was a busy week in Austria, I was very tired when I got to Munich. I also needed to blow off a bit of steam. I met up with a friend in the Hirschgarten for a bit of local delicacies last night. I can only recommend the place. There are a lot of table service seats inside, and a 6000-seat Bier Garten outside with self-service sheds all around. Nothing quite hits the spot like a cold Augustiner when you want a nice bavarian beer.


Maybe if we add more salt they'll be thirsty again!

We caught up for a while and had dinner. I couldn't resist the JapesUK special. It is one of my favourite dishes in Bavaria, likely because of the fond memories it brings back.


Leberk�se mit Spiegelei und Kartoffelsalat

Not much else to report on the night, except the blank look of the hotel reception clerk when I told them I was going to struggle to find my room.


Honestly, it's not my worst joke by a country mile...

Now I�m sitting here thinking of leberkase!

Love the room joke! As bad as mine when given 007 and asked how the room was and I told her it left me feeling a bit shaken�. She was not stirred by my humour

So I'm back on trains today. The initial plan is an ICE from Munich to Cologne, a 30-minute layover and then 2 Eurostar service Cologne to Brussels and onto London. The shortish change in Cologne got slightly nervous initially but there is an ICE an hour later which still comfortably connect to the last Brussels-London service of the day so I'll see how things pan out.

Munich station is a huge building site at the moment, the whole of the front of the building has been torn down (it was raining quite a bit so I didn't stop for pictures, but who wants to see cranes anyway). I followed the signs to the side entrances, helping a couple of American tourists on the way who were a bit lost.


A fast train, German style

There was a never ending flow of announcements over the PA system, giving platform changes and delays. It isn't usually a good sign, but my train left 2 minutes late so not too bad for now.

The German railway system was once a well-oiled machine where short connections were a no-brainer because things worked (my personal best was 7 minutes in Mannheim), but years of under investment has left some lines in a state of disrepair which needs tending to. I can see some improvements already even if they are far from their usual reliable selves.

Still, they have an extensive network and numerous high speed trains running to all corners of the country. The seats in first are pretty comfortable (which is just as well because I'll be in one for the next 5 hours), and the ride is smooth, even at 200+kph. 1st class also includes at-seat service from the onboard restaurant. An attendant walks through the carriages to take orders.

This train goes from Munich to Hamburg over about 9 hours. The screens in the carriages have up-to-date information about the position of the train and updated arrival times. It's interesting to see the delay go up and down by single minutes as the driver tries to make up the time.

I'll have a quick kip first but I might report later on the menu.

Sleep wouldn't come but the WiFi is alright so I got some work done. It worsened after Stuttgart so I'm just watching the moving map.

Not so hot but good enough to post this.

Moving maps move aside!

Nothing much appealed on the menu but the choices decent. Chili con/sin carne, sandwiches, curry Wurst, chips, chicken tikka masala, and a German selection of beers (ie substantial). Sadly no draught beer which I remember having in the past. Anyway, I had ammo in my bag so I didn't feel the need to try anything.

The attendants do really go past every 30 minutes to see if anyone wants to order (which you can also do on the online portal). It's efficient. And I've just been handed a little buscuit from a basket.


It's the little things. Either that or I'm incredibly easy.


Our delay has moved from 1 to 10 minutes and back to 5 at the moment so if Eurostar can hold their side of the bargain I might be OK. The earlier track closures in France seem to have eased so I'm conservatively hopeful.

What an idiot. As I posted this I got a text saying my Eurostar will start in Aachen (the next station) so I'm onto plan B. I'll test the DB customer service in Cologne.

Well it took 2 managers but in the end I got sorted. The line of thinking was that a Eurostar cancellation was not their fault, but I kept reminding them that it's their ticket so they're responsible for rebooking.

I now have the magic stamped paper which allows me on another ICE train to Brussels which should allow me to catch the last Eurostar service. That'll be a problem for later.

I've made friends with other people on the same boat. It's funny how travel trouble gets people to chat.

K�ln Hbf is a lovely building, and the surroundings are nice, right at the foot of the cathedral. I decided against a beer, which would have been funny after last night. Bavaria won't budge on sizes, a small beer is 0.5L, a normal one is 1L. K�lsch on the other hand is usually served in 0.2L


Just as you enter the station, before crossing the Rhine

The railway bridge

The Rhine

The cathedral

The station


2 carriages now have too many people standing so they need to be spread across the rest of the train before we can get moving.

I last visited K�ln Hbf way back in Dec 1994...and it looks almost exactly as I remember it. Actually even the trains look almost the same.
Of course the church looks the same too.