Another year, another journey.
I should get used to the idea that I only blog when travelling or annoyed, and as I am mostly annoyed when writing for my dissertation, most of the angst ends up on my supervisor’s desk. Meggie seems to appreciate it, but that’s rather a narrow audience! But, lucky and anonymous audience, which has mostly been me since Mum died, you will get five weeks of posts as we adventure the delights of Lisbon and Porto and wend our way on foot to Santiago di Compostela.
This post is just a reflection on some the strange behaviours we noed on the trip over, and a reminder to ourselves to avoid our itinerary nezt time we travel to Europe! As far as the flights go, it was difficult to fault Singapore Air, but timing is everything. We flew out early from Canberra, the transfer in Sydney was seamless (we must remember the free transfer bus), the flight to Singapore comfortable (in premium economy, no less), and the transit hotel fine. A hint: don’t bother with the free menu as there are nice cafes in Terminal 3. We were hoping to have a swim in the pool before our 11 am flight to Frankfurt, but we were to cleve by half: the pool and bar were closed until noon!
The problems started with the second flight. After a full night’s sleep, we weren’t tired, and as it was a daytime flight, the cabin wasn’t dimmed. The result was international insomnia, and, combined with a delayed connection to Lisbon, we ended up so tired after 23 sleepless hours that we were ready to stab our own eyes out. The Holiday Inn was reliably comfortable, but sleep wasn’t easy at midnight; so our trip began with an elevated level of jetlag. Note to selves: always make the long leg of the trip a night flight.
Having made it here, we can reflect over an excellent breakfast. The Germans, for all their outward orderliness, are the world’s worst queuers—no wonder the 6th Army surrendered at Stalingrad. Frankfurt airport is a neglected shithole. Why do people wander aimlessly at low speeds around airport terminals? How are the people who prop like zombies to read their phones at choke points never run over by the enormous number of electric buggies that zoom around Changi? Was Salazar able to rule Portugal for so long because everything in this country moves at a slower pace? If you know the answer to these and other existential questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me for a further discussion.
Thought for the day: travel is like yoghurt. You encounter many different cultures.
