Suhl, Germany: Train station (Hauptbanhof) in Leipzig, Germany

31AUG08 Leipzig, Germany

It was 12:31a when I arrived in this new city. The train station reminded me a lot of Paddington station in London, England. It was vast with about 23 train bays, with very tall ceilings and very wide arches. I had been wondering what the heck I’d do until 3:33a since I had thought I’d arrive a lot closer to the departure time of the train for the airport.

I scouted out the station and noticed a McDonald’s with a “24 h” sign on it; aha! I thought…I then went outside and had a look at the city. It was vast, tall buildings were abound and as late as it was there were people everywhere. Straight ahead it looked like the main bar area. As I had nowhere to put my bags (the baggage locker place was closed), I went back inside.

I walked around a bit again and then headed outside to another area of the gigantic and really beautiful terminal. I noticed a Burger King that was closed, which explained the heavy traffic at McDonald’s. I took some pictures and then headed back inside. Once back inside, I looked around a bit, noted the track of my train’s departure and headed into McDonald’s.

I ordered a chicken sandwich, fries and a drink and settled in.

At 3:15a, I left and headed for track 13. Yup, my train was sitting there so I boarded. At 3:32a, the doors were locked and we departed for the airport.

Suhl, Germany: Arriving in Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) from Amsterdam Schipol (AMS)

27AUG08 Frankfurt Main International Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)

We touched down at 2:12p and taxied into our gate. Like Schipol, Frankfurt has cool planes as well. This is Lufthansa’s home. Here are some planes I saw on my way to the gate where we arrived at 2:15p.

















I disembarked and made a beeline for the Exit. Once I was clear I followed the signs to the train station, got my ticket and boarded the 3:02p ICE train and headed out.

Suhl, Germany: Amsterdam Schipol (AMS) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)

LH4675 26AUG08 Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS) to Frankfurt Main, Frankfurt Germany (FRA) 12:55p 2:05p 735 D-ABJH

Flight Time: 0:45
Seat Map [PDF]

I was greeted by the flight when I boarded and I could also pick newspapers, German and Dutch. They have a small two row Business Class cabin in a 3-3 configuration of leather seats, then the Economy class cabin also in a 3-3 configured leather seats.

I settled in as soon as the traffic cleared as although this flight was very empty, there were people who could not find their seat. The lady in front of me yelled at them to move ahead or into their rows so that she could get by and it seemed to have worked.

The Captain came on the PA at 12:50p and announced first in German and then in English that we had an Air Traffic Control hold until 1:20p, which mean we cannot take off until that time. He also added that we would stay at the gate for another 15-20 minutes. He also welcomed us onboard.

The main door was closed at 12:58p and the manual safety demo German and English started a minute later. It was 1:09p when we pushed back and the engines were started. Flying in and out of Schipol is always fun as you get to see quite a bit of different airlines and today was no exception.

We made our way to runway 18L as a KLM MD-11 took off. Next was a KLM Boeing 737-800 with winglets and just before us a ANA Cargo Airlines Boeing

It was about 1:25p when we took to the skies behind the ANA Cargo Airlines Boeing 747-400F.
We were given a snack of a cheese sandwich and a yogurt bar at 1:34p.

Beverages followed at 1:40p and you could ask for seconds of everything when a flight attendant passed by again on her way back to the galley.

The Captain came on the PA at 1:50p and advised that we would be landing in twenty minutes; it is 23C and a nice afternoon in Frankfurt.

The flight attendants came by and cleared the thrash just after this announcement. We commenced our descent into FRA.

I noticed that we passed the airport on our right and was making a very long approach.


As we turned right on the base leg of the runway, I could see a Boeing 747-400 ahead of us. As it turns out, it was the ANA Cargo Freighter that has just left Amsterdam. It was a beautiful sight to see from the air.


I got some good views of the city of Frankfurt as the descent followed:


and then our landing.

Suhl, Germany: Arriving in Amsterdam Schipol (AMS) from Houston Intercontinental. Houston, TX (IAH)

27AUG08 Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands

We landed on the far runway, 8L I think, at 11:40a.

It was 11:52a when we blocked into our gate at G3 next to a United Airlines (UA) Boeing 767-300. In a few minutes I was off the plane and when I checked the time it was 12:00 noon. I walked over to T9 and the flight information displays listed the flight to Frankfurt at B9! Holy cow, I thought, this would be a long walk.

The KLM flight was at 1:55p. there was also a flight to Nuremburg, Germany (NUE), but with that one I would have to take a train into the city and that added more time to the journey. I would have to have everything in sync to catch the same train that would depart Frankfurt.

I quickened my steps and got to the Immigration area for the B and C concourses at 12:07p. I cleared there and security by 12:18p arriving at the gate at 12:24p.

The agent checked me in and asked if I preferred window or aisle; I said window and was given a window seat about mid cabin on the Boeing 737-500. I took the opportunity to take a picture of my plane today as well a Lufthansa CRJ-100 that was on the tarmac as it had a cool paint scheme.

A TAP A319 also arrived as well as a Singapore Airlines (SQ) Boeing 777-200 taking off.


Boarding commenced at 12:44p as the load was really light.

Suhl, Germany: Houston Intercontinental. Houston TX (IAH) to Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS)

CO46 26AUG08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS) 7:10p 11:40a +1 Day 764 N66057

Flight time: 9:00
Seat Map

I boarded and greeted the flight attendant on entry. She actually recognized me from a previous flight. I made my way down to my window seat and settled in. The flight was pretty light so others moved around quite a bit.

We eventually left the gate at about 7:20p or so and made our way in the rainy weather to the runway. In no time, we were cleared for take off and were airborne.

It was cool as on take off, you could see the air making its way over the wing.

This aircraft has individual video monitors in each seat. All movies start at the same time. Here is what the flight had to offer:

1. Continental Presents House
2. Leatherheads/Behind the Scenes
3. Continental Family Channel 1: How to Eat Fried Worms/Animaniacs, Powerpuff Girls
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
5. What Happens in Vegas/30 Rock
6. Continental Presents CSI
7. Comedy Programming: Creature Comforts, The Facts of life, Everybody Hates Chris; Welcome to the Captain, The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Cosby Show
8. The Entertainment Channel
9. Airshow

In terms of Music selections:

1. Opera
2. Now & then
3. Ambient Groove
4. Latin Fiesta
5. Continental Lounge
6. The Classics
7. The Hit Factory
8. Jazz Beat
9. Continental Talk
10. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
11. Country Roads
12. Live Broadway
13. Club Continental
14. B&B Groove
15. World Music
16. B Tween
17. Hindi Music
18. Chinese Pop
19. Shalom

For games, we had:

1. Chess
2. Poker
3. Solitaire
4. Invasion
5. Elephant Memory
6. Bzzz
7. Blackjack
8. Crave Crunch
9. Caveman
10. Hangman

We were given an before dinner snack of pretzels and drink:

Dinner arrived at 8:48p with a choice of chicken or roast beef; I chose the chicken. It came with vegetables and pasta, a salad and a brownie.


A drink cart followed shortly after, then the thrash was cleared and another drink service followed. I did notify the flight attendant that my entertainment system was broken in both seats and she made a note of it.

I continued to watch the movie, being careful not to touch the headset connection as it seemed so fragile.

I fell asleep soon after dinner, but awoke not too long after as the cabin was really cold. I looked at the map and we were just about under Greenland, but still close to Halifax, NS Canada. I was able to fall asleep again, thank heavens.

With an hour and a half to go as we passed high over the middle of Ireland, we were served a breakfast of a croissant, jam and a bowl of fruits (cantaloupe and grapes).

This was followed up with a beverage service. The thrash was cleared and then another beverage service followed.

After the meal, I took the opportunity to use the lavatories and also to brush my teeth once more.

A video of the arrival expectations for Amsterdam played and then an announcement was made that the entertainment was concluded and that we could keep our headsets for a future flight.

The passengers in BusinessFirst though had to return them. It was also noted that we would start our descent soon and it was a good time to get up and stretch our legs if we needed to. In closing, there is no documentation necessary for Amsterdam, just have your passports ready and if you are connecting, go to T9 for information. Also, there will be a Continental personnel in the airport if you needed further assistance.

At about 75 miles out at 11:27a, the Captain came on the PA and said that we were well into our descent into Amsterdam and we should be on the ground at about 11:42a and then at the gate at 11:50a, parking at G3. The seatbelt sign is on, the winds are out of the SE at 10mph, good visibility with scattered clouds and a temperature of 63F, a little drizzle earlier, but not now.
Enjoy your time in Amsterdam and thank you.

It was now time to prepare for landing.

Suhl, Germany

I'm off to the middle of Germany to a place called Suhl for some R&R. I'm flying to Amsterdam then to Frankfurt or Nuremburg then to Suhl by train.

It was bumper to bumper traffic leaving downtown Houston and I arrived at the Car Rental facility with 4 minutes to spare. Only to be charged for an extra hour by the lady who was goofing off when I got there and made a cell phone call and then came over to me. She goes it goes by the computer and you were late. I told her I was not and i will not pay the charge. So she said I had to go talk to a different person or wait for her to take care of another customer. I thought that was silly since she had not finished taken care of me, how rude.

Anyways, I went to another person who took care of me and reversed the charge.

I then went upstairs and took the bus to Terminal E, only to find out my flight was in Terminal C. I then took the train over there and settled in the Presidents Club for a bit. My phone is not working properly so I am not receiving TripAlerts, hence the reason why I did not know my gate beforehand.

I will go to the gate in about two minutes.

Toulouse, France August 2008: Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Roissy France (CDG) to Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

AF38 24AUG08 Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Roissy France (CDG) to Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) 3:55p 7:30p 332 F-GZCL

Flight Time: 10:00
Seat Map

It was 3:24p as I handed my boarding card to the smartly dressed male flight attendant who indicated I should go to the second aisle and make a right. I made my way through the Business class cabin with its 2-2-2 configuration, then to the Tempo class with its 2-4-2 configuration tapering to a 2-3-2 for the last few rows.

As I was about to sit, a flight attendant asked me if I wanted to switch with a guy who was traveling with his girlfriend, but they were separated. Sure I said and moved to his seat which was a window. As it turns out, it was actually the seat next to my traveling companion who arrived just as I was settling into my new seat.

The lead flight attendant announced at 3:45p that we should not buckle up as the aircraft was still being refueled. As i looked outside, I confirmed this wondering how come the truck was under the left wing. Actually I did notice it as I was boarding and walking down the jetway.

The Captain on the PA and welcomed us onboard and advised that our flying time was 10:00 today and that the temperature on arrival would be 25C. He did this first in French and then in English. The English version is always an abridged version.

At 3:50p, boarding was complete and a headcount was done before passengers started to switch seats in order to get more comfortable. Even my travel companion switched to another seat. The doors closed at 3:56p and at 4:04p we were pushing back and the animated/non-animated safety demo was playing on the monitors.

We had a relatively short taxi to the runway and was airborne at 4:12p. Soon after takeoff, we were given a packet with a blindfold, a pair of headsets and ear plugs for the flight. A really cute menu followed.

At about 4:37p, the Captain came on the PA and advised that the navigation computer had developed a fault and we were returning to Paris. What! I thought...

I felt the airplane make a right turn, but did not notice any fuel being dumped form the wings and we started a slow descent into Paris-Charles de Gaulle where we landed on runway 26R/08L at 5:14p. We taxied up to an end gate at Terminal E once more. I did notice that this gate is actually capable of handling an A380. This was evident by the extra jet bridge that is at the gate.

You can see the flight status information at http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightStatus/flightStatusByFlight.do;jsessionid=F160CB5D23AE72FD5A208A57E71AA2CC.ned:8009?airline=(AF)+Air+France&flightNumber=38&departureDate=2008-08-24&x=5&y=8

Toulouse, France August 2008: Departing Toulouse-Blagnac for Paris-Charles de Gaulle

24AUG08 Toulouse Blagnac, Toulouse France (TLS)

We arrived at the airport in no time, checked the flight Information displays for our check-in counter and headed there. It was easy to check-in and as the flight was open, we were given seats right away.

We walked around the terminal a bit and then cleared security. Immediately, we went to the gate, presented our boarding passes and went down the jetway.

Toulouse, France August 2008: Arriving inToulouse-Blagnac from Paris-Charles de Gaulle

23AUG08 Toulouse Blagnac, Toulouse France (TLS)

We touched down safely and made our way off the taxiway. It was a beautiful sight to be at the home of Airbus Industries. There were planes everywhere and I was able to see five A380s. Three in Airbus colors including the one I had seen at the Farnborough Airshow only a month ago. The other two were in Emirates and Qantas colors. It looked like everywhere I looked there was an airplane for Kingfisher Airlines. I could see at least five A330 and one A340.

Avianca also had an A330 there as well as a Royal Jordanian A330. I did not see any A320s, but my guess is that they were at another part of the field. There were large buildings all over the place as well; I was just on cloud Nine.

We made it to the gate finally, pulling up to another A319 on our right. We disembarked and headed to the baggage claim area, passed it and then to the Information counter. We collected some brochures about the city, transport to the city and also about the Airbus facility. I tried to get on WiFi, but they were all paid services. We also checked on the hotels and in order to get the special rate, we had to book online. We tried several times to sign up for 20 minutes for 3 EUR but was unsuccessful each and every time. Eventually, we gave up and decided that we would do this later at the hotel somehow.

We then called the shuttle bus for the hotel and waited 15 minutes for it to arrive. While we waited we saw the bus to the city which cost 4 EUR.

Toulouse, France August 2008: Arriving in Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Roissy France (CDG)

CO10 22AUG08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris France (CDG) 6:40p 11:05a+1 Day 777 N??016

Flight Time: 8:46
Seat Map

We walked down the jetway and the flight attendant greeted us and directed me to cross the galley and make my way to my Economy Class aisle seat. This aircraft is configured with 50 BusinessFirst seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 235 seats in Economy class in a 3-3-3 configuration.

I made my way to my seat which was the bulkhead so I had to find a place for my bag. This took a little while, but I found a bin that was empty although closed. As I sat and waited, I noticed two mechanics at separate times walking through the cabin checking on the slide at the left door and wondered why that was being done at this point. Passengers also continued to board the aircraft. I got settled in and waited as the 6:40p departure time came and went. At 6:42p, the Captain came on the PA, welcomed us on board and delivered some not so good news. He announced that the mechanics had to service the aircraft and was ensuring that there was enough oil for the engines.

Bummer, the last thing we need today is a delay of any kind and guess what we have. He continued saying that it should not take too long adding that the local temperature in Paris when we arrive will be 16C/51F with partly cloudy skies.

It was 7:02p when he came on once again and announced that it was necessary to start the right engine to ensure that there was enough oil in, good grief I thought as I watched our arrival time grow later on the overhead screens. If we don’t get out of here in the next ten minutes, we can kiss our 12:35p connecting flight goodbye. Two minutes later, the engine started and in three minutes it was switched off. The Captain then came on the PA and said all was well, we just had to do some paperwork and then we can go.

The doors closed at 7:21p and we pushed back three minutes later. But 7:47p, we were airborne and were showing an arrival time of 11:43a. We’re pretty much screwed now. We have to take the flight to Toulouse instead if we can’t pull this off.

After takeoff, the lead flight attendant came on the PA and announced that we would have a dinner service followed by a mid flight service and then a breakfast just before landing.
I did notice that this was an aircraft with the Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD) so I started to play around with it. It also had power at my seat which was a plus.

On tap for today were:

• Movies – new releases (35), action/thriller (80), classics (36), comedy (53), drama (75), family (49), world cinema (45)
• Short programs – comedy (22), drama (16), entertainment (21), family (30), global TV (25), HBO on Demand (22), lifestyle (18)
• Music – classical (12), country (20), jazz (18), pop (81), r&b/urban (32), rock (25), world (24)
• Games – arcade (6), board/puzzle (13), educational (1), gaming (2), kids (4)
• Flight map

Drinks and pretzels came at about 8:20p. in about twenty minutes they returned to clean up the thrash.

Chicken with pasta, beef or vegetarian were the choices.


After eating, I fell asleep with 7:14 to go and awoke with 2:20 to go. I could not sleep anymore so I started to update the blog and some stuff I'm writing.

Breakfast arrived at 1:20 and drinks at 1:09 then the arrival video was shown, no documentation is required for entering France we were told.

After the thrash was cleared there was a second round of drinks offered. I watched the end of Narnia:Prince Caspian and then started an episode of "Everybody Hates Chris." The system was turned off before I could finish though.

The Captain came on the PA and said that the temp was 61F/16C in Paris as we passed London and made our way across the English Channel with 0:32 to go. He thanked us and said he looked forward to seeing us in the near future and that we should be on the ground at 11:46a and should be at the gate just before noon. The local time is 11:16a in Paris. So much for Kiev, we will never make that 12:35p connecting flight now.

We then prepared for landing and commenced the descent.

Toulouse, France August 2008: Arriving in Houston-Intercontinental for Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

I was dropped off at Terminal E and then made my way to the ticket office to get the tickets. By the time the others joined me, it was all done and we were ready to go.

We went to the Presidents Club where I tried to get to the Internet, but apparently the wireless signal was down. This is very annoying, but what can one do. After a while, one of my travel companions got a signal, but still it did not work for me. Eventually, it was time to go, so we did. Just before we left the Club, I looked out the window and saw our plane at the gate.

At the gate, the others got their BusinessFirst class upgrade while I waited for an Economy class seat. Apparently, the flight was heavily booked so I waited for a bit. After a while, I got a seat, but was told to wait a bit just in case that changed.

Across the way, the flight to Amsterdam was departing at 7:10p, this was my backup flight. At about 6:15p, the agent told me to board as it should be fine, so I did. The others were waiting for me to board in case we all had to ditch Paris as the connecting city.

Toulouse, France August 2008: Departing downtown Houston, TX

We had no issues getting to the airport at all. It was really smooth sailing on the HOV lane and we at the airport in no time. As we were pressed for time, we had planned on my going to get the tickets while the others found a place to park.

Toulouse or Kiev

So not sure what it will be this weekend, but leaning towards Kiev, Ukraine (KBP). Will know more later. I have not been to both, but Kiev would be the more exciting destination I believe.

Global Entry

Well, I signed up yesterday, quite a tedious process too. Ensure that you have your passport, driver's license, residency history, employment history and countries visited in the last five years handy.

Now I wait to hear if I am approved and then I have to visit a center at one of the airports for an in person interview documents in hand.

https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/

London August 2008: Arriving in Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

We touched down nicely and very quietly. We used the runway by Lee Road and did realize that there were doing some construction at the end of it as there was a lot of marl there. not sure what is going on.

We had a short taxi to the E Terminal where I disembarked after a greeting by the gate agent and also notification on where our bags were located in Customs.

Arriving at this time 12:42p quite early actually, is good as the Immigration Hall is clear. It took no time to clear and head down to the Customs Hall.

I saw a sign for Global Entry; one of my colleagues had just told me about this on Saturday when we both arrived in London. It is a new system for quicker entry in the U.S. Much like what they had a few years back I can't even remember what it was called back then. You can get details for the program at https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov. I took the details and headed out. I'll sign up later.

This was a tiring, but great trip.