Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho
Thanks sergevzn ... I was wondering what guys such as yourself might be making of it
If you want to correct some of my blues, you are most welcome to - else I'll just be telling the same stuff to my friends
In the afternoon, take a taxi to Paveletsky vokzal station, where the Aeroexpress train to Domodedovo airport leaves from. The train station is both large and a bit poky & crowded – much like such stations in Australia. I eventually figure out that you can only buy Aeroexpress tickets from the machines, and not from any of the ticket booths in the immediate vicinity. Trains leave every half hour and I’ve just missed one. Phooey. It’s hot and humid and the station is pretty warm.
Eventually the boarding call is made, people go to surge through the gate onto the platform, but it’s not opened for a further 5 minutes. Sweat soaked by this time. I’m again in the business carriage, but there is absolutely no signage as to which is the business cabin. Try asking a couple of people, but shrugs only. I take a gamble that it will be the far carriage – first into the airport, and after more sweat, I’m proved correct. Perfunctory ticket check, no assistance with bags, find assigned seat (economy tickets have no pre assigned seats). Water and Russian newspapers for the having; 2 x s assigned seating
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Journey to Domodedovo airport takes 45 mins and it’s not exactly express; a slow trundle for the final 15 minutes, where there is lots of construction going on along the track. The airport is large, crowded, but not too bad to navigate. I’m back on Lufthansa Euro-business, so check in quickly in the Star Gold aisle and through in minutes. At exit immigration and security I’m ushered into the ‘business’ queue, labelled APEC ONLY and through in minutes. Now to find the Lufthansa lounge. Interestingly there are separate Swiss, Austrian and Lufthansa lounges (they all have common ownership of course). Pretty easy to navigate through the airport.
First things first – check the booze situation. Beers and softies in the self serve fridge, plus modest eats – sandwiches, soup, salad and the like.
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The lounge is light and airy, a separate first seating area, but it has no separate amenities, so it’s a bit pointless. Great views onto the tarmac, and I posted about some of the uncommon (for me) airlines that were going back and forth
here.
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There is a counter, and there you ask for booze. Red wine, white wine is understood (choice of 1 Italian variety of each) , but after that they struggle. I asked for a gin and tonic, and the lady pointed to the self serve fridge and the cans of tonic water. Um, no. She eventually found a bottle of gin, which had a dribble left. Getting another one from the area behind took a while. Later, finding a wine glass also proved challenging. My overall assessment of this lounge - coughpy.
Boarding was a fair way away, so I left for the gate, where I discovered a delay (hate that), so retreated back to the lounge and another couple of G&Ts. Ok, boarded, and its Euro-business and the usual tight seat leg room and empty middle seat. Dinner was some cold cuts to start then this stodge. Knowing I was going to be in the Senator Lounge in FRA soon, I left most of it.
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Uneventful flight, but approaching FRA I got in one last museum – the Gutenburg museum of print at Mainz, on the Rhine (its to the left of the boat moored to the bottom of the pic
) and then we turned into FRA itself. BTW Mainz and the museum is a good excursion by train if you have a >1/2 day or so transit at FRA.
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