THIRTY-seven hours after leaving home and travel involving a private car, two aircraft, two trains and a taxi, plus several hours of waiting between flights and trains, late afternoon the following day Sandra and I arrived at our rented apartment on Krausenstrasse in Berlin.
Leaving home for Melbourne Airport at 12.45pm on Saturday, September 3, we eventually boarded our Qantas flight to Singapore where we would change to a Qantas flight to Frankfurt, Germany.
The first part of our journey, to Singapore, took eight hours, where there was to be a two hour wait to join the next aircraft, but of course the chronic uncertainty of air travel surfaced; the flight to Germany was delayed by over three hours. Long waits at airports are tiring, even at the international crossroad Singapore Airport with a virtual kaleidoscope of people from all parts of the world in transit to observe.
When eventually airborne on the second leg the Captain made his introductory announcements, including an apology for the delay that he said was due to a “maintenance issue” in Sydney and that the aircraft was “ok now”. Food for thought for the nervous air traveller.
Twelve hours later, after passing over the Bay of Bengal, India, Pakistan, one or more of the “stan” countries liberated after the fall of the former Soviet Union, Southern Russia and Poland we landed at Frankfurt.
Sandra then had our rail pass activated at the airport-integrated railways station and we boarded the first of two high speed trains (and more about the trains later) that would take us to Berlin.
Eventually we arrived at Berlin Hauptbahnhof (think that means central or main) Station. Rather than take at least two different trains on the extensive underground network, we capitulated to the heat (still summer in Germany) and took a taxi for a short drive to our home for the next four days. Our temporary home is in the former East Berlin and only a short drive in a black-windowed Mercedes to Check Point Charlie to cross into the West in the dead of night.
Finally, the photos above are from the Melbourne-Singapore leg of our journey and the interior of the A380 involved. I was very impressed with the circular stairway at the rear of the aircraft between the two decks.
Finally, the photos above are from the Melbourne-Singapore leg of our journey and the interior of the A380 involved. I was very impressed with the circular stairway at the rear of the aircraft between the two decks.
The interior of the aircraft is cavernous and very modern with its high-tech computer controlled galleys. Qantas flight attendants Lisa and Ian were very helpful in showing me through the aircraft during the journey.