Madrid to Hong Kong
At the last moment in Madrid, I realised I had not booked transport to the airport. As I had to leave the accommodation around 4.15am and there was no likelihood of flagging a taxi or indeed phoning a taxi - I was in a bit of a flap.
Finally arranged a personal car via SunTransfers which was excellent. On time, great car and driver, good price, no fuss. They do have a policy of not allowing online bookings within 72 hours of the required time, however I somehow sneaked through after repeated attempts. I even enlisted Julie to try from Australia, but that was also stymied. (Thanks Jule xx)
At Madrid airport they kindly offered to check my bags through to Brisbane, and then were a bit taken aback when this resulted in two baggage tags per suitcase. MAD to Paris to HEL to HKG to BNE. The staff member said he had never seen such a thing before, but it was worth a try. As it turns out, one of my bags opted for an extended stay in Helsinki but made it home eventually.
I had an hour or so at CDG in Paris. I thought I was very clever locating and used the automatic assistance scanner which scans your forward boarding pass, and tells you how to get to your next gate. Much to my alarm, it advised me the walk to the next terminal was 51 minutes or I could take a train. I followed signs for train link all to no avail. I eventually asked an Information Concierge who instructed me to take a bus which would get me there in 5 mins. On the way to find a bus, I found signs for the terminal I was seeking and just kept walking. Took me about 15 mins so I have no idea what the machine and concierge thought I wanted. Along the way, a lady approached me and asked a question in Spanish. I replied with my well practiced "Sorry, Ingles". Well she was having none of that and insisted "Tu hablas Espanol!" It was not a question. I just turned tail and scurried off.
I eventually found my way to the free lounge afforded me with my boarding pass. It was pretty basic, but offered some bland croissants and a quiet place to sit and plug in. No wine on offer (Sacre bleu! In France!) but a G&T hit the spot.
At security my carry on was extricated for extra attention. Apparently the plastic ziplock bag I had used in all other transits did not meet the required dimensions in France. After intense examination of all contents, I was given a new (squarer) ziplock bag and the offending one was discarded. Was held up for about 20 minutes in all.
I finally! got my prized single seat on Finnair A350. I do love the camera feed from tail or undercarriage. The menu consisted of many herring options :) and I therefore felt the soup was for me - even though it contained smoked elk! It was actually very nice. Food on Finnair is certainly an adventure.
My pre-ordered Ittala Ultima Thule glasses were waiting delivered to me. I have loved the idea of these glasses ever since planning the trip, so had to buy some for home. They are designed to represent melting ice and snow in Finland and I think they are magnificent. Here's a pic of the range; I got the ones for bubbles.
Finally arranged a personal car via SunTransfers which was excellent. On time, great car and driver, good price, no fuss. They do have a policy of not allowing online bookings within 72 hours of the required time, however I somehow sneaked through after repeated attempts. I even enlisted Julie to try from Australia, but that was also stymied. (Thanks Jule xx)
At Madrid airport they kindly offered to check my bags through to Brisbane, and then were a bit taken aback when this resulted in two baggage tags per suitcase. MAD to Paris to HEL to HKG to BNE. The staff member said he had never seen such a thing before, but it was worth a try. As it turns out, one of my bags opted for an extended stay in Helsinki but made it home eventually.
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| A long way home |
I had an hour or so at CDG in Paris. I thought I was very clever locating and used the automatic assistance scanner which scans your forward boarding pass, and tells you how to get to your next gate. Much to my alarm, it advised me the walk to the next terminal was 51 minutes or I could take a train. I followed signs for train link all to no avail. I eventually asked an Information Concierge who instructed me to take a bus which would get me there in 5 mins. On the way to find a bus, I found signs for the terminal I was seeking and just kept walking. Took me about 15 mins so I have no idea what the machine and concierge thought I wanted. Along the way, a lady approached me and asked a question in Spanish. I replied with my well practiced "Sorry, Ingles". Well she was having none of that and insisted "Tu hablas Espanol!" It was not a question. I just turned tail and scurried off.
I eventually found my way to the free lounge afforded me with my boarding pass. It was pretty basic, but offered some bland croissants and a quiet place to sit and plug in. No wine on offer (Sacre bleu! In France!) but a G&T hit the spot.
At security my carry on was extricated for extra attention. Apparently the plastic ziplock bag I had used in all other transits did not meet the required dimensions in France. After intense examination of all contents, I was given a new (squarer) ziplock bag and the offending one was discarded. Was held up for about 20 minutes in all.
I finally! got my prized single seat on Finnair A350. I do love the camera feed from tail or undercarriage. The menu consisted of many herring options :) and I therefore felt the soup was for me - even though it contained smoked elk! It was actually very nice. Food on Finnair is certainly an adventure.
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| Great watching screen and window view at the same time |
My pre-ordered Ittala Ultima Thule glasses were waiting delivered to me. I have loved the idea of these glasses ever since planning the trip, so had to buy some for home. They are designed to represent melting ice and snow in Finland and I think they are magnificent. Here's a pic of the range; I got the ones for bubbles.
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