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Sábado, 26 de Março de 2005
Bordeaux-Paris-Istanbul-Amsterdam-Manila with Air France/KLM

I was not able to have my coat (dry)cleaned because of a simple ... miscommunication. So I had to settle for a dirty one. Thought of not using it...but talked to the receptionist and told me she had been to my destination and at this time of the year (it was March), the weather was cold and snowy. No choice now. I had to bring with me my dirty jacket and protect myself from the cold weather in...

 

ISTANBUL!

 

 

Flight Details

AF7621
Air France

Date: 26 March 2005
Dep: Bordeaux Merignac (BOD)
Gate: 25
Boarding Time: 0615
Dep Time: 0645
Load: 95%
Seat: 04F
Class: Monoclass
Aircraft: Airbus 320
Weather during take off: Cloudy
Arr: Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
Weather during landing: Sunny but cold

 

I had to wake up early in the morning. I have been waiting for this one actually. Though I really hate doing this early but this one, I did not mind. After all, I was a few hours (by flying of course!) away from the city that has been fascinating me all my life!

 

Back in Manila, I planned to go to Copenhagen, Denmark to see my Spanish friend who's married to a Dane and sure to revisit one of my favourite cities as well. This would be possible after my training in France. But on the last minute my friend sent me e-mail informing me that he would not be able to join me in Copenhagen because he'd join the family trip out of the city. I had to change my itinerary fast. I chose Cyprus but ticket conditions would not allow me to. And then there were several other choices.  Finally, I chose Istanbul. This means I would apply for a visa in an almost limited time (same with Cyprus though the Cypriot Consulate is near my home so it would not be that complicated as far as time was concerned). Thank God, after three days I got my Turkish visa and on the same day I got the French one.

 

Anyway, fast track to Bordeaux, me and my colleagues took the same van to go to the airport: destination Paris. Most of them were going to Athens, Greece and two others would stay in Paris. And I was going to Istanbul. That means one group with several destinations.

 

Sad to leave Bordeaux. I have learned to love the city. I spent 2 weeks here and I found it a short stay (if you love the place, staying there for two weeks is not really be enough). 

 

The airport of Bordeaux is small but practical. Nothing to write home about though. Check in was a breeze and after waiting for almost an hour, our plane was ready for take off. It was a cloudy day and it was drizzling. But this condition did not prevent us from having a nice take off. Minutes before arriving in Paris, the weather was wonderful: sunny and cold!

 

 


Flight from Bordeaux with Air France Airbus 319. We were approaching Paris CDG Airport when I took this picture...

 

CHAOS IN PARIS AIRPORT

 

AF1590
Air France

Date: 26 March 2005
Dep: Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
Gate: not indicated
Boarding Time: 0925
Dep Time: 1000
Load: 85%
Seat: 02F
Class: Business
Aircraft: Airbus 320
Weather during take off: Sunny
Arr: Istanbul Ataturk International (IST)
Weather during landing: Sunny but cold

 

We have arrived in Paris without any problems. This was a connecting flight to Istanbul. Said bye to my colleagues and since I still had 3 hours to spare, I accompanied my team leader to go buy her ticket  to go to the centre of Paris. Everything seemed fine. Time to say bye bye to her when I noticed I did not have my...guess what...tickets! Not only that, it seemed I did not have my pouch with me! That would mean...no passport as well! And no frequent flyer cards! No visa! WTF!

 

Suddenly, things started to be a bit clear to me...

 

-no visa; no Turkey visit

-secure another passport at the Philippine Embassy in Paris

 

We searched all over the airport. At that time, I felt nothing. Don't get me wrong. I felt nothing simply because opf extreme fear. I honestly thought somebody stole my pouch. Or maybe after some hypnosis I voluntarily handed my stuff to someone!?! Oh my...

 

After 30 minutes of asking people (!?!) and searching from one trash can to another (?!?), my team leader thought of going back to the train ticket centre where we bought her Paris pass. When we were about a few meters to the counter, a lady shouted: "Mr. Gonzales?!?"

 

That was one of the happiest moments of my life! She told me I forgot the pouch on the counter so she had kept it. Her name is Margareth. I thanked her without end. If you read this, Margareth, I thank you so much!

 

Boarding

 

Paris CDG was a mess and there was a long queue at the passport control. I was going to Turkey and it's out of the Schengen zone. We took the bus to board our plane. We were flying on an Airbus 320. This is an opoortunity to do some planespotting but at that time, I was still thinking about my misadventure...

 

I was flying business and I expected a little bit more from the usual. But on the contrary, no pillow for the 4-hour flight.  When I asked for it , the steward told me there's no more pillows. Mediocre service for a biz class and FA's had a difficulty smiling. That's about it.

 



Aboard Air France Airbus 320 with a view of the Austrian Alps.

 

Arrival in Istanbul. I took this picture while we wait for the airbridge to be connected to the aircraft

 

Istanbul Ataturk International Airport:

Good points:
- not too far from the city centre
- modern and beautiful airport
- plane spotting is possible
- helpful staff
- security is tough


Negative points:
- long lines (re: immigration counter) for foreigners entering and exiting the country
- getting crowded so I think the country should build another international terminal for the growing number of tourists

 

I had earlier arranged with my hostel for a van to pick me up at the airport but it seemed nobody was there to meet me. I had to go to the information counter and requested the staff to make some announcement (Believe me, I did not want to do this but I had to!) that I (stating my complete name) was waiting for someone from the hostel (name of hostel) to pick me up. But the announcement was like this:

 

"Attention Mr. Gonzales, please go to the information section because somebody is waiting for you!".

 

Errrrrr! Of course that's not what I meant! Or maybe I was not clear about it. I went back to the booth and explained that Mr. Gonzales wa actually "me" and that it was "me" who was waiting for the airport pick up service. They did it again, this time, correctly. But still, no hotel representative to pick me up.

 

After half an hour, I decided to go to a phone service booth and bought some phone cards from the guy who was attending to me. I phoned the hostel and finally they sent someone to the airport  and I got to the hostel safe with some joy ride from the airport to the hostel and seeing a bit of the city as well.

 

When we passed by the Aya Sofya, I was so happy. I could not believed that structure was in front of me! It's amazing!

 

I took a shower in the hostel and then went out immediately. I saw some record stores and went in to some. I went to Taksim and walked and walked and walked. I bought two CD's. One is Ismail YK and the other one is Cem Adrian. I played those two CD's while exploring the place. It was fun. I sampled food and some nightlife in Taksim and then went back to Sultanhamet with two Spanish ladies I met. 

 

At night, the Sultanahmet Aquare with the lighted Aya Sofya and Blue Mosque is beautiful. After relaxing on one of the benches, I went to sleep at the hostel because it was already 12 midnight and I still have to wake up early the following morning for a quick ferry ride on the Bosphorous.


Interesting information about Istanbul:

- Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, Europe and Asia, and its name changed from Constantinople in 1453, about 550 years ago.

- Istanbul served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330–395), the Byzantine Empire(395–1204 and 1261–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922).

While going around the city, this was one of the songs I'd listen to:

 


Highlights of my trip:

-I've always had good impression of the people and places I have visited and every country has its way of being hospitable to travelers. And Istanbul is not an exemption. Nice, helpful, and hospitable people (at least those that I met during my 24-hour stay but really the Turkish are famous for their hospitality). I got lost how many times on the streets and people were just helpful.

-Beautiful scenery (Istanbul is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen)

-Boat ride from the European side of th city to the Asian side. It's cheap! So I've been to 2 continents in one trip; 2 continents visited in 2 hours!

-Bought some t-shirts and other souvenir items at the Grand Bazaar, the largest covered marketplace in th world

 

 

I took some photos with my disposable camera. Not quite happy with the results but here they are. At least, I've got some souvenirs of this beautiful city!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


KL161
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Date: 27 March 2005
Dep: Istanbul Ataturk International (IST)
Boarding Time: 1614
Dep Time: 1700
Load: 100%
Seat: 02A
Class: Business
Aircraft: Boeing 737
Weather during take off: Sunny but cold
Arr: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
Weather during landing: Broken clouds, scattered rain shower

 

During my second day, I woke up early to make the most of my visit. I went to Uskudar on the Asian side and took a ride in the ferry that plied the Bosphorus. But then again I had to hurry because at around 4PM the plane will leave. And because of too much security measures at the airport, I had to be there at least 3 hours before departure. That means I had only 4 hours to go around but I think I saw a lot.

 

I took a taxi to the airport. I had a fast driver...so fast we almost crashed!

 

The flight to Amsterdam with KLM was nice. The staff were more accommodating and friendly.

 

When I arrived in Amsterdam, I met up with my colleague who just flew in from Athens. We would fly together to Manila.

KL0803
KLM Royal Dutch airlines

Date: 27 March 2005
Dep: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
Boarding Time: Not indicated
Dep Time: 2030
Load: 95%
Seat: 02A
Class: Business
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
Weather during take off: Cold
Arr: Manila Ninoy Aquino International (MNL)
Weather during landing: Hot and humid

 

Nice experience that I'll never forget. Thanks France and Turkey.

 

I felt bad that my first trip to Istanbul was only for 24 hours (though the Turkish Embassy gave me a visa for 15-day stay in Turkey) because it was only a sidetrip so I had to rush back to Manila to work. Istanbul deserves at least a week. But will visit it again...



publicado por Sadiri Gonzales às 17:18
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Quinta-feira, 11 de Setembro de 2003
KLM B737 to Gothenburg, Sweden

Flight Details

KL1704
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Date: 11 September 2003
Dep: Madrid Barajas (MAD)
Gate: C36
Boarding Time: 1425
Dep Time: 1450
Load: 100%
Seat: 20D
Class: Economy
Aircraft: Boeing 737
Arr: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)

Dep: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
Gate: C10
Boarding Time: 1910
Dep Time: 1930
Load: 100%
Seat: 25C
Class: Economy
Aircraft: Boeing 737
Arr: Gothenburg Landvetter (GOT)

-------------------------------------------

KL1158
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Date: 16 September 2003
Dep: Gothenburg Landvetter (GOT)
Gate: A16
Boarding Time: 1605
Dep Time: 1630
Load: 100%
Seat: 16A
Class: Economy
Aircraft: Boeing 737
Arr: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)

KL1707
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Dep: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
Gate: D71
BoardingTime: 1900
Dep Time: 1930
Load: 100%
Seat: 23F
Class: Economy
Aircraft: Boeing 737
Arr: Madrid Barajas (MAD)



Beoing 737 in Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport in Sweden (click on the picture for the photographer's name)



“Hey, Manong... I arrived in Sweden! Cold now but still no pillows and blanket; have to get them from the lady in charged of the dormitory!”

I asked: “Nice! How was the flight?

She said: “Scandinavian Airlines canceled my flight to Copenhagen so I flew with Thai Airways to Stockholm but got upgraded to Business class!!!!!!!!!!”

Me: “Oh cool! Lucky you! You want to come over to Spain and see Madrid for a while before your classes start?

She said: “How many hours would that be?

Me: "No direct flights so you have to fly to either Frankfurt or Copenhagen and take a connecting flight to Madrid...... would mean 7 hours of travel time........"

She said: "No, thanks! I'm tired, lol!"

Me: “Afffffff! Okies, I’ll come over then!”


That’s how my phone conversation went with my younger sister few hours after she arrived in Sweden after a long flight from Asia. She was there to pursue her Master in Social Work through a scholarship awarded by the Swedish government. Anyway, I can’t imagine she declined my invitation to visit Spain but I was excited to visit Sweden again because this time around I'll be with my sister whom I did not see for about a year. And a week after I would be going back to the Philippines again, so I went anyways. But I did not tell her the dates though because I wanted to surprise her (it turned out that I was the one who was surprised when I got there, lol).

 

I rushed to buy my ticket at my favorite travel agency and after some hours of waiting (there was a problem with the ticketing software), I was heading to the airport. I called my sister that I was canceling my trip because I was reviewing for my exams and that I’d be OK to travel the week after. Of course, that was a lie, lol.

 

I don’t exactly remember how the flight from Madrid to Amsterdam to Gothenburg went but all I remember was the mixed feelings of excitement and worries; happy to see my sister again and worried that I’d be arriving in Gothenburg without knowing where to go (common occurrence in my case, lol).

 

The plane landed at the Gothenburg Landvetter Airport at around 10pm and right after I collected my luggage, I proceeded to the gate where the airport bus was waiting. There is a Flygbussarna bus service from Landvetter into the city which runs every 15-20 minutes, and it costs about 75 SEK one way (140 SEK return), and it reaches the city in 20-30 minutes. It stops at several locations (first stop near Liseberg; final stop: the Nils Ericson terminal).

So I took the address book out of my bag and showed it (my sister's address) to the driver hoping he knew where it was. He told me he's not going to pass by that area but assured me to drop me off the place where to catch another bus going to my sister's dormitory. I thanked him for that and settled on my seat and simply enjoyed the ride going to the city centre.

When we arrived at the city centre, the driver dropped me off and gave me some instructions on how to get to my 'destination'. I also had to ask the people on the streets where it was and luckily many people helped me out, lol. I was the centre of attraction right there in the middle of the streets! I hate that situation but what can I do?

 

For the next 4 hours I would be practically wandering around the city in search of that dormitory asking God knows how many people along the way. Luckily, many locals were helpful. And at around 2am, I finally found the place! So I went to the front door and hummm, just to discover that there was nobody at the lobby. Apparently, the dorm has no reception area and only the students could go in. What the ........... ! What should I do? How can I get in? No choice, I went back to the streets to look for a public phone or something. I was dead tired...

 

I had to phone my sister so she could give me the code to open the door. No phone booths to be found. The road maintenance guys saw me again (earlier they helped me find the address). They asked me how could they be of help again, lol. I explained to them what happened and that there was no public phone in the area and this guy, Tommy, volunteered to offer his mobile phone to call my sister. Wow, I told myself what a nice gesture from a total stranger. After talking to my sister (who was also surprised...was my purpose to surprise her after all, lol), I offered to pay for that call but he declined and told me it was a pleasure doing a favor for someone whom really needs it, hehehehehe. I thanked him and went back to the dormitory to see my sister. Whoa! happy to see her again!

 

The next day, time to conquer Gothenburg!

Gothenburg is a mid-size city but so cosmopolitan. Even more so than its rival Stockholm. I like its size and I like the atmosphere inclusing the parks and the citylife as a whole. If given the chance I'd choose to live here. As an authentic probinsiyano, I think this is the right city for me. It is a relatively big city but it retains it small city feel. And more importantly, as they say, the city is known as a friendly place and I myself can attest to that. One impression I have on Scandinavian countries is that people tend to be helpful to tourists (or maybe I look as if I really need some help, lol). But whatever the reason is, it's highly appreciated and I would do the same if someone needs my help especially if he's not from here and he'd ask about directions and all those stuff.


The centre of Gothenburg. If you want to explore the city, this is the place to begin your adventure. From here, you can go to any part of the city. Most of the city is best explored on foot because the main attractions are near each other (anonymous photographer)



Gothenburg tram....blue...same as in Zurich.......I especially loved my tram rides from the dorm of my sister to the city centre. It's a cheap way to see the city. Gothenburg has a famous network of trams that covers most of the city. With over 150km the Gothenburg tram is the largest light rail network in Scandinavia. The main tram hub is Brunnsparken ('Well Park'), where you can catch trams to all parts of the city. It is near (one tram stop to be precise, or a 2-minute walk) to the train station (anonymous photographer)


Oppps, careful........"Puede na bang tumawid?"



Feeling free at the University of Gothenburg's campus



Me and my sister in front of the UG's library. I did some of my assigned school works here because there was a free internet access even to outsiders, hehehehe.


Two days after, another surprised came.

When I was checking my air ticket, I learned that the date of departure from Gothenburg was wrong! It says there I was to be in Sweden only for a day! I had to rush to the airport and had it changed! Affffff, must be the airline system error or more probably negligence on my part for not checking it before leaving the travel agency. Everybody was in a hurry and it totally slipped my mind. Anyway, going to the airport (and back) was a treat for me because I had the opportunity to enjoy the sceneries outside the city centre. It's a forested area (I like temperate forests!) so it was a visual feast for me. Maybe a camping activity would be great or simply be there and enjoy the tranquility of that beautiful place.

 

I enjoyed Gotherburg. If given the chance, I would live there...

 


 


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publicado por Sadiri Gonzales às 17:12
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