Tag Archives: airport

Europe, Switzerland

Zurich: The Layover

Strawberry Ice Cream
Strawberry Ice Cream snack

If you ever have the option to fly SwissAir, I highly recommend taking the opportunity.  SwissAir has to be one of the most hospitable airlines we have ever used.  AND, the airplane food wasn’t like cardboard covered with vomit.  Even more impressive — meals were served with REAL cutlery and glassware.  Christmas miracle!

Squatzi MadridBoth of us were rather excited to have a layover in Switzerland, rather than Frankfurt again as we have on previous trips.

On our way home from Madrid we ended up in Zurich for the better part of 6 hours.

The ubiquity of Burger King was a running joke for us while we were in Spain.  So, the irony of eating at Burger King while in Switzerland is not lost on me.  Yes, Burger King, at ZRH was the most economical option at 15CHF or approx. $19CDN for a small combo.   A $40 lunch at Burger King for 2 people would not fly here. (Although it would probably help reduce a lot of health issues! The Swiss could be onto something.)

We scouted out some vending machines too!  A 200ml bottle of coke was 5CHF, so roughly $6.40CAD for 200ml.  Our vending machine size is typically 600ml.  So, you’re looking at almost $20 for a bottle of coke, folks!

Even accounting for airport pricing which is usually quite high to begin with…ZRH HAS GOT TO BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE AIRPORT IN THE WORLD!

Happy (cost-effective!) Travels,
~j

(NB: I know, I’m flying somewhere, going on vacation, get some perspective and realize how lucky that is in itself!  I do realize that, and appreciate how extraordinarily lucky I am to be able to explore beyond my hometown.  I get it, but for a budget traveler, Zurich was nuts!)

Europe, Germany

Frankfurt: The Layover

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On our flight from Vancouver to Jordan, we had a 6-hour layover in Frankfurt Germany.  With enough time to explore the city for a few hours, we left the airport and took the train to Frankfurt am Main Römer Platz.

Römer Platz is a  Fußgängerzone, a pedestrian only area with the charm of a stereotypical German town.  The façades of the buildings help add to the atmosphere.

Façade of the Römer, Frankfurt
Römer Platz, Frankfurt
Old Nicholas Church, Frankfurt

We wandered to the Eiserner Steg, a bridge covered in locks.  Couples in love place a lock on the bridge and toss the key into the Main River.  There were hundreds of notes scribbled onto the bridge, and even one marriage proposal.  I hope she said yes!

Locks of Love, Eiserner Steg Frankfurt
Locks of Love, Eiserner Steg Frankfurt
I hope she said yes!
The Main River, Frankfurt

There wasn’t much time for churches, but the exteriors were quite lovely.

Dreikönigskirche or Epiphany Church, Frankfurt
St Bartholomew’s Church, Frankfurt

How do you stay entertained during an airport layover?
~j

Asia, China

Shanghai: The Layover

Shanghai MaglevOn our flight to Hanoi, we had a few hours at Pudong Airport.  Waiting for our flight to Hanoi, while traveling from Vancouver to Vietnam, we had a few hours in Pudong International Airport.  For something to do, we took the Maglev to check it out.  “What’s the Maglev?” you ask.

Shanghai Maglev 429kmh
At 429km/h it’s a little hard to hold the camera steady!

It’s a high-speed train propelled by magnetic levitation.  That’s science folks!  And, this train doesn’t just leisurely roll along, it moves at a speed of more than 430km/h.  That’s no typo…FOUR HUNDRED THIRTY! (FYI: Max speeds during testing were over 500km/h.)

It’s the World’s Fastest Train!

Maglev Ticket

We made the 30km trip from Pudong International Airport into Shanghai in approximately 7 minutes.  Not too shabby for a commute that long.  Google maps estimated it would be about an hour by car.

For the layover in China on our way home from Bangkok to Vancouver, we opted to do some sight-seeing.

Yuyuan Gardens, Shanghai
The Westin Bund Centre, Shanghai
Yuyuan Gardens, Shanghai
Old City, Shanghai
Yuyuan Gardens, Shanghai

In the short few hours, the two of us visited Yuyuan Gardens, took photos of The Bund (from afar), and made it back to the airport in time for our flight home.

BKK Airport
Where’s Waldo of sorts. We’re waiting inline to check-in at BKK for the flight to Shanghai.

What do you do to break up the lengthy airport layovers?
~j

Asia, Vietnam

We’ve arrived?

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Before we left for Asia, I was nervous traveling to a country where I couldn’t easily ask for directions or piece together some semblance of a sentence. I don’t speak Spanish well, but I knew I could muddle through some basics for when we were in Peru. But, I only know one word of Vietnamese (thank-you), and I most certainly can’t read it. When we’re traveling, I don’t generally mind getting lost, or changing plans, but our first experience at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi was a little over the top.

We landed after over 28 hours travel time. Having only carry-on, we by-passed baggage claim (FANTASTIC!), and moved on quickly to get our travel Visas at the airport. The girl behind the counter was singing Backstreet Boys and Air Supply songs the whole time she processed our passports.

It was the wee hours of the morning, and the arrivals exit was swarming with taxi drivers. Mobs of shouting taxi drivers make me freak out. It is irrational for the most part, but with no sleep, anxiety kicks in. I prefer to choose my own taxi driver rather than have someone approach me. In the irrationality, it seems safer to me to pick someone rather than be mobbed. Anyway, I couldn’t deal with it, so we sat down for a few minutes, and the lights in the airport went out, and then the exit doors locked. Yep.

Luckily we found a taxi driver that helped us find an unlocked door. We had a pre-printed address card for the hotel, but he took us to a random shop with a similar name, and tried to drop us off…in the dark…in the rain…with our stuff…in the middle of no where. We argued, and he realized we were at the wrong address. So, off we went again. He did find the hotel, and when we arrived there–it was pad locked shut.

I didn’t think it was possible to get weirder, but it did. The taxi driver phoned the hotel for us, and someone got up, from where they were sleeping on a mattress in the lobby, put some clothes on, and opened the door to check us in. Finally.
Asia, Vietnam

Noibai

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Once again at the Noibai Airport in Hanoi. This time we haven’t been traveling for forever, and to make it even better it isn’t 2am, so the lights are on and the exit doors aren’t locked. Funtimes!

We’re waiting to board (business class-better be good!). I am pretty sure that some old guy was just drawing a picture of me; either that or he has some sort of pencil wielding, creepy staring disorder. How do I always attract the weirdos?!?

Next update should be from Hue. Stay tuned.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network