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Let them eat cake! France and Austria
Before I start: I know Marie-Antoinette probably didn't utter it, but since my destinations are France and Austria, I thought it an apt title :)
There are times in life when your outlook on travel changes. For example, when you realise how much more pleasant it is to travel long-haul in a bed (the FT curse!). Or when life's pleasures are sometimes taken away, like during Covid. There's also the moment when an airline decides to show you the finger by killing its loyalty program. That's a moment when you rediscover the freedom of looking at other ways to travel which might not give you lounge access, but will get you to where you want to be, sometimes for less money than your old go-to wings. That freedom was always there, but someone had a co-dependent relationship with BA so someone didn't notice (and by someone, I mean me). My business travel was never stratospheric, but it has really gone since Covid. In the old days I could regularly reach a level that would get me into lounges, cut the queue if I needed to drop a bag, get fast track security where BA wasn't too tight to pay for it, etc. The FT basic package. It didn't take much: a few well engineered personal trips, reduced thresholds during covid, and more recently a paternity extension. Oh yeah, whilst we're talking about events which change your outlook on travel, there's having kids. It's great, honestly! The first year was a sleepless blur. The second year has also been a sleepless blur but the nappies smelled worse and mini-me started having opinions. And telling everyone about them. And now, she needs a seat. And they're just about as expensive as an adult's seat, especially since we're flying Ryanair a lot more. Anyway, now that most of my travel is family based, the shortest and most direct route is a must. To be honest, SWMBO appreciates lounges as much as anyone, but she's not one for creative routings. But add a restless gremlin in the mix, and it's a non-starter, even for me. So when the opportunity to have three (separate) days of travel by myself arose, I started getting the itch to find nice ways to travel. I'm going to Limoges (in France) and to Wels (in Austria). And they're not very well connected... |
Booking
Leg 1: Not many airlines fly to Limoges, but there is an international airport. Ryanair usually have 2 or 3 daily flights to the UK from LIG during the summer, to STN and sometimes to MAN. I'm joining the family with all the luggage, so by the time I'd added that to the FR booking it was pretty much the same price, and I'm not making a trip report here flying Ryanair. The mods would suspend me for the amount of swearing. The other solution was the train. The choices were basically Ryanair or Eurostar + a slow train (there was an AF option which I'd missed, but I'll get onto that later).
I'm building my way back up to Carte Blanche level on Eurostar (in fact that's the leg that will qualify me), so I was always going to lean towards that. I had a Eurostar upgrade voucher to use so I'll be in Eurostar Plus, and first class on the Paris-Limoges leg was only 5 euros extra compared to second, so that's leg 1 sorted. The second train is slow, I may moan about it later. Leg 2: Now this was the interesting bit, because going from one place with few transport links to another is tricky business. The choices were three-fold: either fly Ryanair to London Stansted onto an unprotected connection to Munich or Salzburg, an 18-hour train trek across France, Germany (or Switzerland) and onto Austria, or as I found on Google flights, fly a totally new airline (for me) and then 2 more flights on AF, making use of my FB Gold status match to make the journey slightly nicer. Guess which way I went? :D So I'm flying with Chalair (CE) to LYS, overnight there and carrying on to MUC via CDG on AF the next morning, with 5 hours to do a thorough review of AF lounges in CDG. The Moxy in LYS was reasonably priced so I'll add that to the review. I'll get picked up in MUC and finish the journey in a car. Leg 3: My return will be from MUC too, but this time the price of a single flight was roughly the same as the train in first (Deutsche Bahn and 2 Eurostars), and I had a leisurely day so I decided to use the train. Munich to Cologne, and then onto Brussels to London with Eurostar. The schedules have changed a few times on this one, but I should be alright. I booked it via Deutsche Bahn so hopefully they will rebook me if anything goes wrong. Next stop St Pancras station for an 8am train. |
I arrived at St Pancras about an hour before my train, and there were lots of people everywhere but the queues ended up moving pretty fast. I was through in about 10 minutes. The issues that eurostar have been complaining about on the size of the station are showing when 2 full trains have gone through security. It was hard to move through after passport control.
I quickly went to the lounge, courtesy of Amex, for a Sport of breakfast. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3cc71f6836.jpg Lounge breakfast. The spread during the week usually has ham and cheese too but it was only pastries and jam this morning https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...94d8d8ba26.jpg The cocktail bar, closed at 7am on a Saturday. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8b2474cb8b.jpg View of King's Cross from the lounge. Boarding started about 25 minutes before departure. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a6fa2b7022.jpg What a station! The carriage was already pretty full so I didn't snap the seat but there are plenty of pictures of on the Internet. Breakfast service started within 20 minutes and I was done before the tunnel. I got chatting to my neighbour who's off for a stag do in Paris, starting with the Lions game. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...66c0e270cb.jpg Cheese and tomato escargot, yoghurt and berry jam. I spent the rest of the journey working, although the WiFi was as bad as usual so I had to work offline. We arrived on time, which is nice. Down to the tube and onwards! |
My next stop was the gare d'Austerlitz, which has been a massive building site for as long as I remember. Some of it looks like it might end one day but I'm sure by the time they finish, they'll have to start all over again. It's one of 2 mainline stations which doesn't have TGV services, and the other (St Lazare) is in a much nicer area so it got last pick when all the stations got a makeover.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6b014c172e.jpg The only bit without scaffolding Eurostar used to sell through tickets which had 2 advantages: you'd earn points on the whole trip, and connections would be protected in case of irrops. They've now restricted that to TGV destinations only, which Limoges definitely isn't. I ended picking 2 tickets with 3 hours in-between because of prices, which left me with a lot of time to kill. I tried one the local brasseries on the boulevard de l'hôpital next door. The plat du jour was pork fillet in dough. The potatoes were covered in garlic butter which seeped everywhere but it worked. I don't have a neighbour on the train, thank fudge. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bce6c9cb03.jpg Plat du jour, at least the bread was good https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...82a0c73186.jpg Le comptoir d'Austerlitz There's something special about the Paris terrasse which you can't quite replicate anywhere else. People will have a drink and look at the word go by. They will make loads of comments about the people passing by, just because that's how they are. There isn't really a word in the French language to say judgemental, it's just a way of life :D Still an hour to kill before the train. There isn't much to do here so time to have another coffee and watch the world go by. |
I strolled back towards Austerlitz through some of the building works.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...71bc08b3db.jpg One sign says it'll be ready in 2027, the other in 2029. I'm sure it'll be nice once it's done, the CGI pictures look great. The train goes all the way to Toulouse. In 7 hours, so it averages under 100km/h. People who want to go quicker will be using the TGV via Bordeaux (a 250km détour) for a 4 hour trip, and a hefty premium. There's a geographical concept in France called "la diagonale du vide" which roughly goes from the Ardennes to an imaginary line between Bordeaux and Toulouse via the massif central. It's called that because the population density is quite low. This train is an omnibus which stops at all the places people joke about when they mean the middle of nowhere. We're in a refurbished old train (at least the loos don't drop straight onto the tracks anymore), going not very fast, and as I write this we've slowed down because apparently people are trespassing on the tracks. Still, it beats Ryanair! https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8298588e5c.jpg My throne for the next 4 hours. The Wi-Fi works reasonably well, but FlyerTalk (or rather Cloudflare) blocks people who use it. I hope it's not out of spite for train users :D I need to get some work done, so I'll leave it at that for now, I may come back to moan about a delay later. |
Amusingly, I have a trip planned in the not too distant future which involves the exact opposite of some of the legs you'll be travelling, so I'm looking forward to how this unfolds for you...
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I got to my destination, only 15 minutes late in Limoges after all. I'd say it's a long day, but I'd forgotten how efficient I could be working on a train when travelling alone. I feel like I've done more than a day's work and enjoyed travel, and my daughter gave me the biggest hug after 2 days away. So I'm a happy chap. I'd do it that way in a heartbeat (despite my moaning about the slow train 😬)
The next leg is in a week, so stay tuned! |
Fab report, but…. Where’s the cake??
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Originally Posted by JapesUK
(Post 37214235)
Fab report, but…. Where’s the cake??
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After a week at my in-laws, it's time for leg 2! Limoges isn't a big airport, so I knew we didn't nerd to arrive too early. The check-in counters opened only 1 hour before the flight, so that's just as well.
I couldn't check-in in the AF app, however the Chalair website let me check in for all 3 flights online. The boarding passes are a bit simple, so I still went to get a paper one from the desk. For the geeks among us, I've bagged sequence 001 for all three flights :D https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...232422b7d2.jpg Limoges, Gate B. Gate A is a row of benches smaller. Only 4 passengers on this flight. Security took all of 5 minutes, mostly chatting to the 4 staff there. Not a great ratio... The bird tonight is F-HBCM, an ATR72 (it shows as ATR-42 on the AF app). https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dd740908c4.jpg Tents, the tarmac outside and our aircraft. 20 minutes before departure we got to sit in the tent, and we're now waiting. I'm not sure what to expect in terms of service on the flight. It's blocked for 1h05 so we won't be in the air for very long. I don't think that WiFi is available, next update from the Moxy LYS! Edit: make that 3 passengers, either a no-show or I misheard the lady at check-in. |
Boarding was very fast, obviously. My cabin luggage didn't fit in the overheads, so it was stored under the seat across the aisle.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...743e898ce4.jpg One for the carry-on madness thread on the BA board :p https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...91811c8967.jpg Boarding was from the rear, to an empty plane https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ffb764466f.jpg 2x2 seating, comfortable enough for 50 minutes We left on time, and landed early. It started with a long taxi down the runway, and a quick takeoff. The windows of the aircraft were rather dirty so I don't have many good pictures. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b78b4fb61c.jpg LIG after take off https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...aa18e7e1aa.jpg The view for pretty much the whole flight Onboard service was a soft or hot drink, and sweet or savoury snacks. The flight was quite bumpy, the seat belt signs were only off for about 5 minutes, so I had to hold on to my drink. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b32c0e4240.jpg Holding on to my drink! https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6a64f8464f.jpg A new airline for me. We landed early, and we're accompanied by airport staff across the tarmac to gate A1. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a93e2fbf0b.jpg A close-up picture of the plane https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5aab278458.jpg Our neighbour at the gate All in all, a nice little flight. I don't know how long it will last if the loads are always this light. I suspect it's subsidised for public service (the Limoges-Lyon train was cancelled a few years back) but it won't make sense for long with 3 people on board. One of the passengers said there were only 2 on her outbound. Since I didn't have a boarding pass for my next flights in the AF app I stopped off at the kiosks after exiting to get a paper one. I'll be on an A220 tomorrow morning to CDG which will be my first time. And then off to the Moxy. |
I landed at T1, the Moxy is at terminal 2, a short walk away. There's a covered walkway the whole way, and parts outside if you prefer.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...43687b4cc4.jpg My destination https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...842fae44a9.jpg The TGV station across the bridge Lyon is the birthplace of cinema (at least that's what we're taught in French school), where the Lumière brothers shot the first moving pictures. The Moxy has a very cinema oriented decor. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b3b0fd576f.jpg The entrance lobby https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3ceb462907.jpg The landing on the 5th floor where the rooms are located The room is nice enough, the bathroom has a walk-in shower which I much prefer above bathtubs. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5b0ad4847f.jpg Shower https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b76b244683.jpg Room https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d923731f41.jpg Runway view! I went to the bar for a drink, I'll report back after dinner. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...57745e39a0.jpg Cocktail menu https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1c0de2bc97.jpg Much needed rehydration |
The menu was quite limited, a few salads, bacon-less burgers (non merci), lasagna, fish and chips, and a bizarre obsession around fried ravioles. (Sorry I missed the menu pic).
The lyonnaise salad looked alright (bacon, lettuce, other greeneries and fried ravioles) but I ended up going for a Caesar salad. I don't know if it's laziness, an American overlord keeping the menu simple or the fact that it's an airport hotel, but Lyon is the epicentre of French Gastronomie. It's a shame they don't play more on that vibe. I almost regret not going to monop'daily for sandwiches on the way in. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9b23899356.jpg Breaded chicken Caesar salad. A nice warm up for schnitzels The British family next to me waited for 45 minutes for drinks whilst staff were struggling with the volume of people, and quite honestly a bit of attitude from the staff. They were not impressed. After dinner I had a quick walk around the facilities, there's a foosball table (busy!) and a table where you could either just sit, work or play table tennis. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...533e075359.jpg Makes for interesting conference calls! James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn feature extensively in the pictures around the place, as does Alfred Hitchcock. It's perfectly acceptable but the restaurant is a let down. Time for some shut eye now, 5am alarm tomorrow. |
Originally Posted by alex67500
(Post 37228160)
…..It's perfectly acceptable but the restaurant is a let down…..
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I've been awake since 4am when I think the first hotel guests left. I never sleep well with a plane to catch anyway. I worked a bit and then left at 5:30.
Security was quite busy, fast track with AF gold definitely helped a lot. LYS has the new security scanners, but liquids are still limited to 100mL per item in a 1L bag. Electronics stay in your bag. My backpack was pulled for a secondary which lasted all of 10 seconds with the agent tapping on a screen. The duty free maze isn't too long, but I still find the strong smell of perfume quite aggressive, even more so in the morning! AF doesn't have a dedicated lounge in LYS, the airport runs the Confluence (Schengen) and Mont Blanc (non-Schengen) lounges. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...01bfb8e6e7.jpg Follow the signs! The place is quite full at 5:40, there's a big load of flights leaving quite early. I didn't manage many snaps to avoid getting in the way. The breakfast spread was quite good with mini pastries, macaroons, cold cuts, jams and bread. The warm options were limited to bacon and scrambled eggs. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e590d85df1.jpg The coffee is alright, and I'm going to need a couple more today. I'll report after boarding or from CDG. |
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