Nordic Skies and Skis

Status
Not open for further replies.
Oslo lounges

Departing Oslo the following day we headed to the Oslo Lounge.

It’s available to Oneworld sapphire and emerald members.

There’s a single entrance where you turn left for the standard lounge and right for the business lounge.

The difference between the two is minimal.

The standard lounge had a modest, but adequate, cold buffet.

CCC4B6DC-4BAA-4E9E-A122-2154D482CF7A.jpeg

There was also a heat lamp with pastries, but I wouldn’t call it hot food by Australian lounge standards.

This lounge also has the better view - of the apron.

FEE0FBBC-8421-4F2C-918E-50B8F192AFE4.jpeg

Over in the J lounge, the view is of the Emirates check-in counters.:rolleyes:

The furnishings are slightly better and it’s less busy.

There’s a slightly wider selection of drinks including two tap beers, self serve spirits and wine.


5A28C813-0B05-44B3-85F7-7D6C56363505.jpeg

9C0739BC-1E3A-499E-9D02-3528CCBB4E14.jpeg

A4DEA0A1-0497-4C55-95AB-A4807D7B3226.jpeg

The J lounge cold food selection is more generous and better presented than the standard lounge.

644C4F9C-1168-46EC-8094-281AAE30777A.jpeg

But once again there’s no hot food, unless you count porridge or the barely warm waffles under the heat lamp.

ED16EEEC-2926-43B4-B3C1-49C1BF0D5909.jpeg

J lounge passengers are free to move between both lounges.
 
Copenhagen Day 1

On our first day in Copenhagen we set off for a walk... ;) but unusually for us we had a specific destination.

We had decided to take the city sights ferry tour to see the main landmarks in the city.

With the temperature in the low single digits we opted to sit in one of the three outside front rows.

Forward facing of course.

D821E80D-CA7C-4794-B8D2-EF8BF7A588BD.jpeg

Miss H lasted about 20 minutes before retreating inside the barely heated cabin.

The first stop was Nyhavn Harbour where we snapped pictures of the coloured houses.

D735A03A-308F-467C-B706-F15413CC475C.jpeg

DC923AAB-620F-4599-92F3-5E2221DBC7E0.jpeg

Our guide allowed time for a short walk.

EBA181A1-29D5-4EF3-ABDF-19871BAB6626.jpeg

Still in Nyhavn Harbour we passed Copenhagen’s narrowest house.

I wondered if it was also Copenhagen’s most in need of paint.

790FA3E9-1652-4A21-98A2-5994FA71200D.jpeg

We continued on past the Opera House with its disproportionately large roof.

B73E5A3B-00EE-4B2E-A72D-9D4F12F09C92.jpeg

Military enthusiasts can visit the Danish frigate HDMS Peder Skram.

FE6CE601-D527-4521-AC75-2BA5BAFD6AAB.jpeg

It’s most famous for the 1982 incident in which a missile was fired into suburban Denmark.

The frigate was performing maneuvres in the gulf between Denmark and Sweden when the missile was accidentally fired.

It travelled 34 kilometres at low level, severing power lines before striking trees and exploding.

It caused a fire ball and shock wave that badly damaged 130 houses.

Amazingly, no one was injured.

Then came the most underwhelming part of the tour, but perhaps the funniest story.


The boat crossed to the other side of the harbour to show us The Little Mermaid statue.

Can you see it?

It’s that dot on top of the rock.

B29B27A1-8640-4356-B778-77FFB1C110D7.jpeg

It certainly is Little.

But our guide told us we’re should consider ourselves lucky to see it.

For Expo 2010 in Shanghai it was removed and taken to China to be part of the Denmark exhibit.

But so tourists didn’t miss out, they set up a webcam in a Shanghai and a big screen where the statue normally is in Copenhagen.

But the brains trust who came up with this idea didn’t allow for the time difference.

So when tourists turned up in Copenhagen during the day to see the statue... in Shanghai, security staff were locking up and turning out the lights.

So for the six months of the expo, visitors to Copenhagen saw only a blank screen. 😄
 
Copenhagen Day 1 continued

As our Copenhagen cruise continued we passed the Royal Palace.

C5637976-5006-4F9A-BFA6-66CAC0DF9766.jpeg

The cruise then headed down a narrow canal through Christianshaven.

This was once reclaimed land, but is now the glitzy part of town where you need a salary well above average to afford property.

But the really big money is in marina berths.

C8E5582F-06D5-482C-AAEC-78DCB72595B7.jpeg

There were several bridges and our guide had warned that after the second bridge we would have just a split second if we wanted a photo of the Vor Frelsers Kirke or the Church of our Saviour.

This is because soon after the bridge there is a large tree that quickly blocks your view.

I managed three photos of the church...

948ACF28-FDE8-43CA-AFF7-E13AE772AB99.jpeg

Apparently I was lucky.

Most people miss the church and end up with a photo of the tree just to the right.

Our guide says this is the more common photo:

FAB73A85-C34E-4B76-A62A-6658642BB62C.jpeg

This tree is photographed so frequently it has its own Facebook page. :)

After another day of not very child friendly activities we headed to the Children’s Museum.

Or so we thought.

After a three kilometre walk that included a tense 15 minutes with no toilet in sight, Google Maps said we had arrived.🤨

Readers of my previous trip reports will know that Google Maps hates me.

So I was very suspicious to find myself in a narrow suburban street, three blocks from the nearest main road.

There was nothing that looked like a museum.🙄

I checked the tourist brochure for Bornemuseet or Children’s Museum and discovered that the narrow two storey brick building in front of us, was indeed our destination.

F3E8F119-A6ED-45D7-9357-CF89DA792F21.jpeg

We went inside and discovered it was a case of “lost in translation”.

Rather than being a Museum as we know them in Australia, it was more of an arts and crafts workshop.

Miss H had been very patient so I handed over the credit card.

Over two hours, she made soap to give to the grandparents, painted two porcelain pineapple money boxes and finally iced and decorated a cupcake.

Mrs H and I enjoyed the rest and caught up on emails.

If Bornemuseet had a bar and sport on the TV I would happily have stayed much longer.;)
 
Copenhagen day 2

While having breakfast in our Copenhagen hotel, I told the family I was looking forward to another “short walk”.

With that, Miss H set off to collect flyers from the hotel foyer to make a plan.

Striding back into the restaurant waving a flyer above her head, she declared “We should go to the amber museum!”

This sounded to me like a terrific idea, until I saw the flyer and realised it had nothing to do with beer. :(

But Miss H taught me something that day - that amber is actually fossilised tree resin.

Found mostly in the Baltic regions it’s used in jewellery and other decorative objects.

The most prized examples are those with fossilised creatures inside them.

EE906493-CC01-4180-8F3A-4D0AB5D2FE7C.jpeg
*my iPhone wasn’t good enough so credit to the amber museum for this pic.

The Amber museum turned out to be a private collection owned by a wealthy Danish family.

It’s housed in a small building in the centre of town.

It only has two small rooms, but the collection is impressive.

66B4EF22-02D4-4DC4-8B5B-82FE324529E6.jpeg

0B6E97CD-DD3B-4D01-A437-850AC878A4E3.jpeg

The museum is also home to the World’s largest known piece of amber.

1F81E542-74BD-4057-AC97-586F72490350.jpeg

Like most museums, the retail store on the ground floor is the only way in and out. :rolleyes:

While our visit to the amber museum cost me nothing, the same can’t be said for the hour we spent in the retail store.
 
Copenhagen day 2 cont.

Around Copenhagen there are a couple of places where you can go up some of the taller buildings for a wider view of the city.

We first went up The Round Tower.


It was both round, and a tower. 🤨


From the top you can see why Denmark claims to be flattest country in the world.

We took in views of the power station which has some interesting features to overcome the country being flat.

On the vertical side is a rock climbing wall.

While the sloping roof side includes a down hill ski run.

8FF11444-D6D7-407E-8BFC-C22203712BE8.jpeg

We could also see assorted palace spires, churches and clock towers around the city, along with the occasional contrail.

B53A0C2F-5177-4024-984C-63260E9B680B.jpeg

Next we headed to Christiansbog Palace.

Despite the grand name, it just the Danish parliament building and its viewing deck is free... and in a good spot to see key parts of the city.

84B21A99-58E7-4499-812A-BB8A74618190.jpeg

E929D61E-E849-417E-A48D-8D68D6854450.jpeg

7E9E13FC-6835-4B4B-86C7-D5B0E9C1B899.jpeg

C2B1F299-B938-4DC2-9463-FC962D80D115.jpeg

At the rear of the palace you can walk through the De Kongelige Stalde, or Royal Stables.

9C2F8892-5275-430E-8F9A-9BA53CEDD44D.jpeg

CFAC9B55-3F0C-4D06-B2DE-E8A0DEDBB9A5.jpeg

For dinner we headed to a small place nearby called Restaurant Karla.

The staff were friendly and the food was delicious.

After three weeks away, I was ready for some comfort food and opted for a burger.

46E34995-028B-4096-8346-AA2D5AFE0C86.jpeg

Mrs H went for the schnitzel.

72AE1E84-C170-4D8A-A87A-EAB54D61F575.jpeg
 
Heading home

After sleeping in, we spent the morning wandering in the areas close to the hotel.

From there we headed to the airport and took our AY flight from CPH to HEL.

It was an A320 and consistent with most other European carries this meant an all Y aircraft with a blocked middle seat.

From there it was off to the AY F Lounge which was being renovated.

It has since reopened, so I’ll spare you the details of tarpaulin dividers and the limited menu.

Then, just before out 2350 departure time it was off to the aircraft I had hoped to try three weeks earlier, the A350 with AY’s new J product.

C4ED4AFC-4192-49A2-8F62-CBE527806379.jpeg
I settled into my seat keen to get a solid sleep between HEL and SIN.

B18B5DA2-A0FC-4C43-A5C6-224B476C3B97.jpeg

But I quickly realised sleep would be difficult to achieve.

I realise J seat preferences are very subjective.

For instance, I never had an issue with QF’s infamous drooping J seats, but can understand why others did.

I can sleep on beds that are hard or soft, but as someone who tends to roll over during the night... I really dislike feeling constrained.

CE2F8050-0D43-43D5-9345-3124A0774D01.jpeg

So while the AY A330 earlier in the trip was older, noisier and had slightly narrower seats, the room for my feet made that my preferred J cabin by a big margin.

Our midnight departure gave us one final view of CHP before a sweeping right turn for SIN.

C8D99C0B-E161-44BA-8009-B85DC561FCA8.jpeg

But the AY A350 IFE did have one interesting feature.

I have no idea if it’s genuine data or a gimmick, but you can overlay the forward looking map with a head up display.

It seemed reasonably consistent, so I’m guessing the data is genuine, just not as precise as on the flight deck.

A8460180-98AE-4498-A640-898C6FB71746.jpeg

The 350 was quieter, and some of the seat features better designed.

But for me the AY 330 J wins hands down for any flight on which you hope to get some sleep.

The SIN layover and final sector home were as expected.

But it was this view, as always, that jolted me back into the reality that another 280k J Award was over.

96840C1C-72C1-4746-A979-DB4DF5C4F484.jpeg

Little was I to know at the time, it would be my final one thanks to one of QF’s now infamous enhancements.

~~~The End~~~
 
The Frequent Flyer Concierge team takes the hard work out of finding reward seat availability. Using their expert knowledge and specialised tools, they'll help you book a great trip that maximises the value for your points.

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

Thanks for putting this TR together and letting me see Oslo & Helsinki quite unlike how we saw them. I hope the knee and the hip both improve.
 
Thanks for a great Trip Report, Captain Halliday. Great stories and fabulous photographs.

You made an ominous sounding statement about a 'final' trip, thanks to 'QF's now infamous enhancements'. Any more to add?
 
Sponsored Post

Struggling to use your Frequent Flyer Points?

Frequent Flyer Concierge takes the hard work out of finding award availability and redeeming your frequent flyer or credit card points for flights.

Using their expert knowledge and specialised tools, the Frequent Flyer Concierge team at Frequent Flyer Concierge will help you book a great trip that maximises the value for your points.

Thanks for a great Trip Report, Captain Halliday. Great stories and fabulous photographs.

You made an ominous sounding statement about a 'final' trip, thanks to 'QF's now infamous enhancements'. Any more to add?
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.

The reference to "final" trip may have sounded more sinister than intended.

I was referring specifically to the 280k J award.

I'm sure when I come up with a suitable itinerary I'll go again... it just won't be for 280k!
 
I'm greatly relieved! Good luck collecting those points and status credits. I find they take longer to gather than to spend.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top