Bavaria, Lake Como, Madrid, Nthn Spain & Barcelona

[RB]

I have posted a review of our Munich apartment here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....artment-4-english-garden-schwabing-69836.html

Around Munich

After bag pickup a quick walk to the poorly signed Lufthansa bus stop saw us time it well for the 3 per hour service. Bags go under the bus & you pay the driver. The bus is very comfortable, there is free wifi and drivers will call ahead to have taxis waiting at the stops. We had a 25 min ride & then a 5 minute walk to our apartment at Schwabing Nord-less time spent on transfers for a short 1 night stay.
Our late arrival meant little option for food but a 10 min walk saw us having a basic meal and a couple of drinks at the Ibis. (also a Marriott nearby). If you arrive at better times there is plenty of choice and there is also a beer garden in the nearby park.
Next morning we went for a walk in the nearby park (part of the English Gardens, 910 acres and bigger than New York Central Park) where there are around 80km of walking trails to choose from. It was then back to the bus stop near a huge cemetery (Nordfriedhof). On the way to the airport we passed Allianz Stadium-I read that it can take 1-2hrs to clear 11,000 cars from the parking lots after an event-I am not sure how Aussies would react to that.
From the bus drop off at T2 we walked downstairs for Thai check in.

Sporting complex on edge of English Gardens

Entrance to the gardens


Historic Cemetry

 

[RB]

TG 925 F MUN-BKK 747 All Series (9 seat) The F check in was quick, there was a priority line for security & the customs area was set up according a section of gates so there was no big lines here either. We also got boarding passes for our BKK-SYD flight. We were in the Senator lounge ( I had previously read a few criticisms of this) & thought it was very good. There was a choice of hot food, a bar or self serve for hot and cold drinks, showers, a few day beds , open internet and a wide variety of sitting areas available. We sampled the self pour beer, a Bouvet champers & really enjoyed the seasonal RFC food trolley where pulled pork or chicken kebab pockets were available.

There was a totally separate gate for priority boarding. All 9 were seats taken. We were in 1A & 1K with 4 windows for viewing. Certainly an improvement on the 10 seat series. More comfortable bed, bigger screen, separate seat controls in an ipad like screen, very quiet seat movements, only a small storage spot behind the seat controls but much more privacy. We had a good crew & the toilets were constantly being cleaned. I found a good choice of music available. I enjoyed the views of green fields leaving Munich & it was a smooth flight bar the last 90 minutes or so-pretty rough just as we got a cup of tea with breakfast. Food service for both meals was excellent-we pre-ordered the lobster. Loved the garlic bread again.

9 seat seat


Senator lounge
Note the separate set control device

Separate seat control in close up

 

[RB]

Some more shots of flight

 

[RB]

More shots from flight

 

[RB]

A few more shots

 

[ellen10]

Great photos and trip report.
Lots of information for a future trip to Spain.
Thank you.

 

[RB]

BKK-SYD 747-400 (10 seat)
Our MUN-BKK flight had arrived 30 minutes early & we were quickly on a buggy with 1 other passenger, a guide & a driver. We were quickly through security & into the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] lounge & were given a mini room to ourselves.. We got the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] bookings for 1 hr spa-the spa opens at 6am. Good service-not sure my body is suited to the mini disposable undies supplied. Had a very relaxing rain shower & back to our lounge room.
Departure was a guided walk to the Syd flight. Despite what the seat map had been showing there were only 3 of us in F. We ended up again in 1A & 1K. The other passenger in 2K was also on points. Pushed back on time again & had a bit of bump for the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] hour or so. Our second breakfast was served straight away. Another excellent crew, great personalities & eager to please. JW blue & Dom 2004 freely available. We thoroughly enjoyed the lobster again. We landed 15 min early, made a quick duty free purchase for our “taxi”driver, or bags were in the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] half dozen & we were sent straight to lane 8-quick exit. Ebola form we had filled was not collected-waste of time & money.
WILL BE BACK FOR A SUMMARY

Sorry photos are out of order
Sunset over Aust


I was pretty happy with the timing of this photo
Takeoff from BKK
Looking back at BKK
10 seat F seat-maybe not the most luxurious but still a great way to travel & we really enjoy the TG service

 

[RB]

Photos for the food lovers

 

[RB]

Last of food photos

 

[love_the_life]

It looks like it was a pretty good flight then - food looked good, though I am not a fan of sweets. It's been a terrific TR - thanks for posting and also over on the hotels thread with the reviews of the apartments you had. It's given me some good ideas but alas so many places, so little time (well actually, so little money!).

 

[Steady]

Very enjoyable TR RB - thanks for the effort you put in

 

[ellen10]

Thanks for the trip report and photos.
A big effort!
Looks like yo had a wonderful trip.

 

[RB]

In Summary

*Europe 2015 - 6 weeks, 3 countries, 3 cities, 7 villages.

*This year’s venture saw us make our way from Bavaria through Lake Como to Madrid and northern (green) Spain before finishing in tasty San Sebastian and Gaudi Barcelona.

*Garmich Partenkirchen and Oberstdorf in Bavaria proved to be great walking destinations with easy access to Munich after our flight from Australia. Train links via Zurich to Lake Como allowed us to stop with friends before flying Easyjet to Madrid from Malpensa.

*Escaping the Australian winter didn’t at first pan out when confronted with 5 degree maximums in the German Alps, but the fabulous network of buses, trains and cable cars allowed us to see more than we thought possible in the conditions. Meanwhile Madrid was having a heat wave.

*The main target for our walking and day hikes in Spain was the spectacular Picos de Europa. Unlike Germany and Italy, it’s a bit problematic without a car and no Spanish. We made it work with a lot of preplanning of transport, some short distance bus hopping, and a little help from the locals.

*Pre planning also allowed for a good choice of accommodation (mainly apartments) using 3 different booking web sites, cheap train fares bought in advance, and the security of knowing we were going to get where we wanted to be. The downside was that we had to make the best of the weather and couldn’t move on to sunnier climes.
* I doubt we would stay anywhere in Brisbane other than Meriton Herschel St-it was a very comfortable stay (no impact on us but parking is expensive)
* It is difficult to make a judgement on Madrid V Barcelona, we enjoyed both cities. We were a little bemused by the huge difference in police presence, massive numbers in Marid but very few seen in Barcelona
* For us using LifeMiles on TG was great value-we still have a bit of a stockpile purchased when the Aussie $ was strong & LM availability for our 2016 plans seems good
* We still enjoy the freedom apartments offer us- no worries re cleaners, we try to select places that have balconies/terraces and plenty of space and we prefer to self cater our breakfast at a time to suit. Various sites now offer reliable info and reviews. We have never built up hotel loyalty & most of our stays are away from cities so in most cases the major chains don't have a presence where we are going
* At this stage we enjoy using public transport to move from place to place. It can present challenges but the net has certainly made life easier-we used to drag around bulky Thomas Cook timetables many years ago
* We again enjoyed interacting with the Germans & Spanish. Where we visited, in both countries the vast majority of tourists were people enjoying their own country.
* The cabin service on our White Airways flight was totally non-existant. Totally different things but in contrast on 3 of our 4 TG flights the cabin service was great.


Thank you to people who have written encouraging comments, I hope you have enjoyed the read. We are now looking forward to a trip to the Birdsville Cup that also takes in Longreach and the Gulf

 

[samanthadavies]

The country looks lovely and the walks sound interesting and challenging. Is the weather pattern normal with so much rain and thunderstorms? You have had a lot of them.

Northern Spain is usually quite grey and rainy, specially during winter - spring