Travel blog of a digital nomad
Boxing day in Melbourne means the Boxing Day test. Over 63,000 people were in attendance on the first day.
[MCG Boxing Day Attendance]
That’s a big crowd for any sporting event in the world, but it can look small at the MCG (the G) as the ground can hold 100,000.
[Australia vs South Africa at MCG]
Heathrow Terminal 5 is fully operational but it hasn’t made Heathrow a better airport. Heathrow was recently voted in yet another aiport poll as the worst in the world. I don’t hate it that much. I find the location is handy and it’s actually one of the most economical airports to get to (£1.50 via the underground train).
The problem with Heathrow is that it’s on a parcel of land that is too small for the airport that Heathrow deserves to be.
My flight from Munich to Heathrow was with British Airways so I got to see the T5 terminal for the first time. My impression of T5 was that it’s a great looking terminal compared to the rest of Heathrow, but surprisingly small. When the flight arrived the landing slots were full so the aircraft was parked on the tarmac nearby and we had to be bussed to the terminal.
[Bus to Heathrow T5]
From T5 I had to connect to a Qantas flight at T4. The terminals are connected by a bus service and the trip is 18 minutes between terminals.
[Qantas at Heathrow T4 and T5 in the background]
The London Airport Dilemma
Even with 5 airports serving the city, Heathrow is the third busiest passenger airport in the world, (and the busiest in Europe). It should have an airport like Hong Kong or Dubai. Instead it has an airport that that began life as an RAF airfield in 1943 and has been expanded over the decades as demand required to the point that it has outgrown its location. There are two runways which aren’t enough and the planned third Heathrow runway hasn’t got past planning.
There are plans for a new London airport, the Thames Estuary Airport, which London mayor Boris Johnson is in favour of considering.
Building a new airport from scratch would be the sensible thing to do, but closing Heathrow and moving the principal airport to the other side of the city is a situation no one wants to make a decision on.
Whenever I travel to Germany I always leave with a feeling of awe and envy at German transport and infrastructure.
I got the train to Munich Airport from Munich Hauptbahnhof at a ridiculously early hour. Trains run regularly 24 hours a day. This photo is the train schedule at 3 in the morning.
[Flughafen Train Timetable - Munich]
The Christmas market tradition began in Germany and Austria but markets can be found all over Europe.
The markets feature stalls that sell nativity scene pieces, Christmas tree decorations as well as hand craft items. Spending time in these markets I felt a stronger sense of the true meaning of Christmas than I feel in Australia.
[Christmas Market - Marseille France]
[Budapest Christmas Market]
[Mulled Wine - Budapest Christmas Market]
[Munich Christkindlmarkt]
[Marienplatz Christmas Market - Munich]
[Christmas Market Decorations - Munich]
[Christmas Market Gingerbreads - Munich]
[Manger Market - Munich]
[Angel Marienplatz - Munich]
An angel at the base of the Marian column at Marienplatz, Munich. The Glockenspiel of the new city hall is in the background.
Cities like Melbourne have talked about Copenhagenizing the streets to make bicycling safer.
I think Munich has a good bike path system and it’s relatively simple as well. Most of the bike paths are on the extra wide footpaths, and a change of paving style alerts you when you’re on a bike path.
[Bike Track Odeonsplatz Munich]
MÁV, the train operators of Hungary, have special ticket prices from Budapest to locations around Europe. I got a ticket from Budapest to Munich for €29.
[Budapest to Munich]
The tickets aren’t apparent to find online. I only knew about the ticket offer from billboards in Budapest and there is no indication of the special price tickets online. I had to get a local buy the ticket on my behalf before I arrived.
Tickets available from Budapest include:
€29: Venice, Munich
€39: Baden-Baden, Berlin, Hannover, Hamburg, Zurich, Strasbourg
€42: Frankfurt, Mainz, Bonn
The best way to book this ticket is to use the German Railways booking site bahn.com.
The train from Budapest to Munich is operated by ÖBB of Austria. I was happy to find powerpoints and fold out tables available for laptop users.
[ÖBB Power Point]
I love the old style flap display departure boards at airports and train stations. They make a great sound and if the flaps are of the whole word variety you can catch a glimpse of other destinations on offer.
So I was a bit dismayed to see a new departure board being installed at Budapest Keleti Train Station.
[Keleti departure board - old and new]
I know, the LED departure boards are far more practical, so enjoy the old departure boards while you can.
The trade off of being in Europe in the chill of winter is you get to experience the festive season.
[St Stephens Basilica Christmas Tree - Budapest]
Walking along the Danube River in Budapest I had to double take when I saw a cruiseship flying the Australian flag.
[Scenic Sapphire - Australian and Hungarian Flags]
The cruiseship is the Scenic Sapphire, which was built especially for Scenic Tours, an Australian company that runs river cruises from Budapest to Amsterdam. They look like comfortable rooms as each cabin has a balcony.
[Scenic Sapphire Cabin Balconies]
The ship is registered in Basel, Switzerland.
[Scenic Sapphire of Basel]