Not what I was expecting

I had another restless sleep last night. I can feel my body fighting something. I think the combination of getting frozen on the canal cruise and my difficulty in getting the right temperature at night has done it. But I'm battling on and I won't let that stop me. 

I was up early so I could get myself to the airport with plenty of time. I thought of catching the train back to the airport but decided a taxi was much simpler. At the airport, check in and bag drop were all self-service and efficient. Though I was nervous that I'd scanned my bag correctly until it confirmed my flight number. 

I had a bit of time to wait so I wandered the massive array of shops and bought a nice t-shirt I saw. 

The flight boarded on time and was almost full. I few Norwiegen Airlines and interestingly everything said was in English first and so was their magazine. The flight went smoothly and I managed to get a shot of the islands below Stockholm and some of the terrain on our approach to the airport. 

I took the express train into the city. It was easy to organise and really comfortable. At that time of the day (around midday) it was almost empty. Once in the city I decided to brave the metro to get to the apartment. It took a fair bit of working out to get the right ticket and the right line but I made it without hitch. 

By now I was definitely sensing a different vibe in Stockholm to Copenhagen. I don't know if it's the areas I travelled today or just me having man-flu sensitivity, but the energy wasn't what I was expecting.  I didn't feel as welcome as I had in Copenhagen. We'll see if that is the same in the next few days. Maybe I just need to let go of any preconcieved ideas I have of the place. 

The apartment hotel was easy to find and check-in. It's a bit more basic than the last two places I've stayed though. Perfectly nice, but a bit more budget. 

The weather was good when I got here so I decided to head out straight away. The old town (Gamla Stan) was on my list to see so I thought that would be an easy choice. I could take the metro there directly. 

It's very much an old town with winding streets and picturesque alleys. But it was full of people. I guess it's a key tourist destination. Taking photos was awkward. Either people were headed towards me all the time or the combination of light and shadow made it difficult to get the light balance right. I took many shots but most were duds. Here are the ones I am most happy with.

I was surprised at how rapidly one of the rivers was flowing. 

A couple of signs caught my eye.  

I was feeling a bit rough so I decided to head back to the apartment via the supermarket. The closest one to the apartment is huge and it was bewildering trying to find my way around. But you do some guesswork and figure it out. 

I want to head out early in the morning. My plan is to head back to Gamla Stan and take more shots when there are fewer people and more even lighting conditions. I'm hoping I don't feel any worse tomorrow.

Leaving London (for now)

Today I leave London for my little Scandinavian adventure. The sky in London is beautiful and blue this morning. Would have been great for photos. Oh well.  I'll be back. I got myself organised fairly quickly. My plan was to get a taxi to St Pancras station then the train to Luton Airport for my flight.

Once again, the taxi driver was very amiable and talkative. Such a nice experience. My primary reason for catching he train was for the scenery. If I took a taxi all the way I figured I'd probably only see motorway. Once at the station it took a bit of figuring out but I got to the platform and boarded my train. At first the view was just the usual inner city landscape, but then it opened up to wide fields and small towns. 

At Luton Airport Parkway we needed to change to a shuttle bus to get to the airport. Trying to get my back onto the luggage rack in the bus was a challenge but I got there with a little help. At the bag drop counter I discovered my bag was just on 20kg which is my limit for these short flights. The books I've bought already have really added to the weight.  

I was at the airport early so had just about an hour to wait. I'd rather be at the airport early than have to worry about missing a flight. But it did remind me that flying in the middle of the day wastes so much of the day. If I had flown later I would have been able to do something in London in the morning.  While waiting for my flight I reflected on how I was about to immerse myself in non-English speaking lands again. I haven't done that for an extended period since my trip in 2013.

The flight up was a bit bumpy. The plane was an A319 and its noises were unfamiliar to me. I have to confess it was a bit unnerving. But eventually it settled down and I got a good view of some rain in the distance then some English countryside.

Somewhere around the North Sea or Denmark we crossed these islands. 

Before crossing the island where Copenhagen is. 

The airport is huge and I took ages just to walk to the exit and through passport check. As with leaving Australia and entering the UK I seemed to draw some extra attention that warranted a little "interrogation". Just specific questions about what I was planning to do and why I was there. Not everyone appeared to get these questions. I guess a middle aged man travelling all that way on his own on holiday might not be common?

Eventually I was reunited with my bag and any lingering concerns about flying with easyJet were dispelled. Despite some bad ratings I've had a great experience with them both times.

As with London, I decided to catch the train into central Copenhagen and then a taxi to the apartment hotel. Of course this time was trickier due to language but I made it without hitch. The trains seem much roomier than the English trains and very new. It only took about 15 minutes and before long I was in a taxi. I managed to communicate the address to the driver successfully only to discover his English was as good as mine.  Another very amiable and talkative driver too. I had been told that most people here speak English well and that certainly seems to be the case so far.

I'm staying in an apartment hotel which means I've got a bit more space and facilities to make my own breakfast and meals if I want. But there's also a restaurant and bar too. 

The weather in Copenhagen was grey, about 6 degrees and damp. By this time it was around 4:30 so after checking in I rushed to get some warmer clothes on and head out to explore.

Right next to the hotel is Kastallet which appears to have been an old fortification but is now mainly a public space with barracks in the centre. 

As in London, I came across trees in blossom. 

After exploring the grounds I walked towards some docks and came across this incredibly intricate sculpture.  

Nearby I noticed dragons at the top of the light poles. Later, at dinner, I would notice dragons in a different design on other light poles. Must have some significance. I will investigate.

By now it was nearly 6:30pm and I was starting to get hungry. So I headed back. On the way, I came across this family. 

There's a supermarket on the corner of the hotel's block so I popped in for breakfast supplies. With a little guesswork I (hopefully) managed to work out the fat and sugar content labels in order to make some healthy choices (and I successfully resisted the muesli with chocolate pieces)

Dinner in the hotel restaurant was in order before a relatively early night. 

Flight observations

Some things I noticed on my flight: 

• In business class the attendants always address you by your name. 
• There are individual linen towels in the business class bathroom. 
• When I went to the toilet at the front of the plane I discovered it was next to the stairs down to the lower deck. The stairs are quite wide and it reminds you just how massive these planes are. 
• I enjoyed the flight so much that I kept thinking that landing would be the end of the adventure. But then I would remind myself that landing is just the beginning! 

14 hours on the A380

Last night, after some dinner in the lounge, I went to the transit hotel to sleep. You can book rooms for 6 hour slots. When I arrived the receptionist advised that they are doing maintenance work hotel and that the power might go off between 2:00 and 5:00. And that, if it did, the emergency light would come on in my room - but not to panic! He gave me an extra hour for free for the inconvenience.

Well, at 2:00 the power did go off and the emergency light did come on. Not bright enough to keep me awake but bright enough to be annoying. I managed to avoid the light and get back to sleep before the power eventually came back on and the light went off (back to front, I know). The room was fine though, perfect for my needs with a nice bathroom. 

I checked out at 5:00 and made it to the lounge which was quiet but not empty. I got myself some breakfast.  

Hardly a soul around. 

On the way to the buffet I saw the headlines about Prince's untimely death. Couldn't believe it. What's going on this year?​

After some downloading my photos it was time to head to the gate to board my chariot. I've been on an A380 a few times already but always economy.​

Business class is upstairs. I spent a bit of time getting to know my home for the next 14 hours. So many little compartments. The seats are HUGE - more like a 2 seater.  

By the time we departed it was 9:00, so once we were up in the air it was time for breakfast number 2. 

The French toast was delicious.  

Nicely full, I settled in to some movies. First was Bridge of Spies followed by Star Wars VII - finally got around to seeing it. 

Most of the people in the cabin appeared to want to sleep all the way to London so I felt obliged to keep my shade down for a lot of the trip. But I still managed to get glimpses of the journey from time to time and a long stretch at meals.  The terrain began with islands and meandering rivers.

When I looked down after watching Star Wars in noticed a vast expanse of wilderness. It reminded me very much of the terrain in the movie except someone had changed the colour palette from sandy brown to dusty grey.  

Slowly I noticed the natural curves of erosion make way to the angular lines of civilisation.  Then, when we reached Afghanistan it changed again and I began to see snow capped mountains that got more populous as we reached Georgia. They looked as if they had been dusted with icing sugar.

I gazed for ages as we crossed into the Black Sea and tracked along the northern coast of Turkey. 

Somewhere in that time was lunch. I had the chicken. The dessert was particularly delicious.  

Rum Baba.  

There was thick cloud as we reached Europe, so nothing to see for the last couple of hours. Hoping to see some English countryside I watched eagerly when we crossed the English Channel but it was just thick white cloud until just before the airport.  After being in a holding pattern for a couple of loops we landed only a little after schedule. 

The weather in London was cold, grey and wet. But I didn't mind at all. It was just great to be back here.

It would have been rush hour and my original plan was to catch the tube to the hotel. I was anxious that would be difficult/stressful so I decided to catch the Heathrow Express to Paddington then a taxi to the hotel. A much better option. The taxi driver was SO talkative. 

The hotel room is lovely with a view of Kensington High Street.

In an effort to reset my body clock I resisted the temptation to fall straight into bed. Instead, I was brave (for me) and ventured down to the restaurant alone. The food and service were excellent. I had Asparagus Gnocchi and Seared Tuna followed by a small Lemon Soufflé.