Well almost a day trip.
Flew out on Wednesday afternoon, on a mission of mercy to replace some failed equipment. But last minute trips are so much more difficult to arrange, I should know that by now. The only flights which made any sort of sense were a mid afternoon out on Lufthansa, then an evening return next day on Swiss. Via Zurich, but what the heck, only an hour longer. So, book the flight first, then think about a hotel. After all, how hard can that be?
Well, very. There was some sort of convention going on in Frankfurt and not a room to be had. I lie, there were a few at 400 Euros a night which is probably a bit steep for makers of brake pads and wheel nuts. And a bit steep for my boss. So I handed the problem over to someone else with the request "find me a room". After a lot of searching we finally settled on a small B&B in a little village called Bickenbach, which is where our German dealer has their office. About an hour after making the reservation, the agency e-mailed asking for my arrival time. Would I call the hotel and confirm. So I did and spoke to the nice lady on reception. I couldn't figure out why she thought it was such a bad idea to stay at her hotel for my meeting in Frankfurt next morning. Until, after much confusion, I understood that there are at least two Bickenbachs, and this one was three hours drive from Frankfurt. Luckily there was no cancellation fee but it did take an awfully long time on kayak to finally find a room right at the end of the S-Bahn line, 1 hour from the centre.
So, a late arrival Wednesday, early start Thursday and I finally made it home around 11 p.m. But I have sort of got the hang of the S-Bahn now!
At Zurich airport I couldn't help noticing the couple waiting by Gate D38 with two carry on bags each, sacks full of Duty Free, iPads, BlackBerries, expensive coats.......... I thought then, "whoever's on the same row will have a struggle to find space in the overhead locker". And yes, I did. I sat with them in 24 - my bag was in row 12. Just to rub it in, he suggested I might find space for my bag further forwards - thanks mate!
But there was one small consolation on the flight home - the Hawker Siddeley 146. Now that might not mean a lot to you but it was the last civil airliner built on the UK before we gave in and left it to Airbus. We don't make planes any more, just wings and engines. But it was a good note to bow out on, a compact little commuter jet that flies like a jet fighter. I've flown in them many times before but they're becoming rare in Europe now, too old, too thirsty. Most of the remaining ones will end their days in South America, Africa or Indonesia so who knows, maybe I'll get another flight one day.
Flew out on Wednesday afternoon, on a mission of mercy to replace some failed equipment. But last minute trips are so much more difficult to arrange, I should know that by now. The only flights which made any sort of sense were a mid afternoon out on Lufthansa, then an evening return next day on Swiss. Via Zurich, but what the heck, only an hour longer. So, book the flight first, then think about a hotel. After all, how hard can that be?
Well, very. There was some sort of convention going on in Frankfurt and not a room to be had. I lie, there were a few at 400 Euros a night which is probably a bit steep for makers of brake pads and wheel nuts. And a bit steep for my boss. So I handed the problem over to someone else with the request "find me a room". After a lot of searching we finally settled on a small B&B in a little village called Bickenbach, which is where our German dealer has their office. About an hour after making the reservation, the agency e-mailed asking for my arrival time. Would I call the hotel and confirm. So I did and spoke to the nice lady on reception. I couldn't figure out why she thought it was such a bad idea to stay at her hotel for my meeting in Frankfurt next morning. Until, after much confusion, I understood that there are at least two Bickenbachs, and this one was three hours drive from Frankfurt. Luckily there was no cancellation fee but it did take an awfully long time on kayak to finally find a room right at the end of the S-Bahn line, 1 hour from the centre.
So, a late arrival Wednesday, early start Thursday and I finally made it home around 11 p.m. But I have sort of got the hang of the S-Bahn now!
At Zurich airport I couldn't help noticing the couple waiting by Gate D38 with two carry on bags each, sacks full of Duty Free, iPads, BlackBerries, expensive coats.......... I thought then, "whoever's on the same row will have a struggle to find space in the overhead locker". And yes, I did. I sat with them in 24 - my bag was in row 12. Just to rub it in, he suggested I might find space for my bag further forwards - thanks mate!
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