Ein AFF Mitglied reist für sechs Wochen (an AFF member travels for six weeks)

[anat0l]

Is that the red chicken curry at the BKK F lounge?

Indeed it is. And FWIW it does have flavour. I only took a mouthful to try, though, because too much food (inc. the next flight's worth) = you know what.

So annoyed we keep missing the Wagyu at the F lounges - is it still making an appearance on the specials from time to time?

That was the first time I'd seen Wagyu on the daily specials. It was also on there (in a different form) in the MEL T2 F Lounge menu when I later travelled in early December.

 

[anat0l]

Mon 02 Nov (Bangkok, London, Frankfurt am Main)

Monday, 2 November, 2009

FID in BKK airport – great for finding the details of your flight, and brushing up on your Thai proper nouns skills


Flight: Qantas Airways QF1 Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) – London Heathrow (LHR T3)
Depart: 0045h Sched; 0102h Actual
Aircraft: VH-OJG "Hobart" Boeing 747-400
Distance: 5,958 mi (9,588 km)
Class: First Class
Seat: 2A


Boarding was called in the lounge so started to go down to the gate only to find a crowd of people at the gate with no boarding action going on! It took another 8 minutes or so before the boarding gates were opened. Of course, families and special assistance pax boarded first (with some pax needing reminders as to who that entails), which was quickly followed up by the non-trivially sized group of pax who qualified for priority boarding. I managed to get through the gate fairly quickly and on board, once again being directed to the left by the CSM Huong.

Front view of a QF 744 F seat

The QF 744 F cabin

Our F loading was a bit more than what I had on BA10; a total of 8 pax flying in the nose to LHR. QF F feels a wee bit more "crowded" than BA F in that BA F does not have 2E/2F seats but QF does. Had F been full, one might feel that the front was a little bit crowded. But we didn’t have a full load so we managed quite well to spread out about the cabin.

Leg room in a QF 744 F seat

Once settled in, cabin manager Michael greeted all the pax as F cabin FAs Jun and Chris handled the pre-flight drinks and canapés. For myself, it was hard to pass up on a glass of bubbly, which in this case was the delectable Taittinger.

Canapes and pre-flight champagne

Amenity kits, menus and sleeper suits were distributed as well. I managed to find an empty male amenity case around my area, which I kept. I also asked for an extra male and female kit for the folks, which Michael was happy to oblige on a male kit but unfortunately they had run out of female kits. Oh well.

Sleeper suit (in button pouch) and amenity kit stacked up on top of a blanket

 

[anat0l]

Mon 02 Nov (Bangkok, London, Frankfurt am Main)

Our slightly delayed and seemingly slow boarding resulted in us pushing back from gate a bit late; I used the time before that to get changed into my sleeper suit, which everyone but a couple of people in F did before push back.

The standard flower bunch in the F bathroom

I like the tiling work in the F bathroom, especially since the QF A380 F bathroom has no design motifs at all

Even the sink and tap looks a bit better than usual

Payot accessories in the bathroom. I think the Korner bottle here was misplaced.

Once in the air and seat belt sign extinguished, supper orders were taken and tables were clothed and laid out.

A table laid fit for an F meal

"Yes, actually I am being served. Thank you, Captain Peacock."

 

[anat0l]

Mon 02 Nov (Bangkok, London, Frankfurt am Main)

Although I’d already had dinner, it was hard to pass up trying QF’s usually innovative cuisine. In any case, the meal selection was sufficiently light and simple so it was a bit hard to make a full wholesome meal out of what was available if you were really, really hungry (cf. the meal selections that were available on the previous SYD-BKK sector).

For my entree, I opted to have the broccoli soup, which was a clear soup with broccoli in it, not a soup made of pulverised broccoli! Normally this is served in a big bowl as a light meal, but I asked for an entree sized bowl. The soup wasn’t bad and it had good flavour about it, though I really do wonder whether I should have tried the Thai hot and sour seafood soup (it wasn’t that I can’t handle some hot foods....)

Entree-size bowl of broccoli soup

Next for the main was the halibut in tomato and tarragon sauce. Before I had this dish, I had no idea what a halibut tastes like, much less had a halibut before in my life. If the way it tasted when I had it was a testament to anything, it definitely was distinct to other fish I’ve had before.

Halibut in tomato and tarragon sauce

A side of greens with the characteristic QF palm sugar vinaigrette was offered.

Baby leaves in palm sugar vinaigrette

One dilemma faced when having the fish: what is the most appropriate wine to drink with it? A fish (except for dark meat fish, and even then) normally implies a white wine, but in this case being served with tomato and tarragon would be more suggestive to, say, a light red. Eventually I settled on my choice drinking blend, which was the Sauvignon Blanc, this one coming from S. C. Pannell of Adelaide Hills.

A very lovely and tasty vanilla, prune and armagnac tart with creme Anglaise was selected for dessert, however I seem to have done a QF009 and misplaced (or forgotten – can’t remember now ) the photo of the dessert. Oh well.

I skipped the cheese plate and instead settled for a latte to finish off proceedings. At this point the main cabin lights were turned off and I watched an interesting documentary before asking for my bed to be made.

For some reason I could only sleep about five hours (nothing to do with the coffee or the seat) before I woke up...

...we were somewhere over here when I woke up

 

[anat0l]

Mon 02 Nov (Bangkok, London, Frankfurt am Main)

Once I woke up, I wandered into the F galley to find that a small tables in the door area were set up with a selection of petit fours and fruit, as well as a jug of water. Michael was in the galley so I had a great talk with him about flying, QFF, crew hours and work (I managed to sneak a peek at the detailed "crew guide" in how to prepare the F meals and how to recommend the wines); I had a green tea and some petit fours in the process.

Fruit and small cakes...

...and a cruel indulgence of handmade chocolates that were made available as snacks / petit fours

We talked on for about an hour (never getting in the way of the crew checking up on the rest of the F cabin) before I decided to have a bit of a walk about the aircraft.

Stairs leading up to the J upper deck

One of the J self-serve bars – this one is on the main deck...

...and then there is this one on the upper deck

Inside a J bathroom, which doesn’t have the fancy tiling and Korner accessories instead of Payot

 

[anat0l]

Mon 02 Nov (Bangkok, London, Frankfurt am Main)

Once back from the walk, I settled with a few chocolates and then back to sleep for a short time, because it was soon time for breakfast, which was served slowly and progressively to waking passengers, albeit all in the dark (hence the quality of the few photos to follow)! F breakfast service is done on pax-to-crew order, not with a breakfast card like in hotels and J cabin.

First order of breakfast: a latte of course!

Lovely latte to start breakfast

Next up was a fruit energiser smoothie for nutrients and to get the senses tingling.

Fruit energiser

Feeling the lack of nutrient intake in the last day or so, I also asked for a bowl of fruit and some Bircher muesli to kick off.

Fruit salad and Bircher muesli

Warm bakery items were on offer.

A croissant and a pain au chocolat from the bakery

Finally, the main event (so to speak) – warm breakfast. This one you can build up to whatever you want. Here I had scrambled eggs, sausages, mushrooms, potato cakes and onion relish.

Warm breakfast

Not long after most of the pax in F had woken up and were being served breakfast, the cabin lights were turned back on in an interlude of shades of light crimson, pink and soft yellow. Michael came along and offered me a bottle of white wine from the flight, however, I informed him that I had a connection at LHR and moreover was unlikely to be able to drink the bottle within the next few days . He then offered me a bottle each of the Payot toner and revitalising creme which are used in the F bathrooms. Although they were 125mL, I just had to grab at the generous offer (and deal with the LAG problems later....)

The seat belt signs were turned on fairly early; about 35 minutes before landing. At this point we were within London airspace but were told to keep in a holding pattern for about 10 minutes before being allowed to land at LHR as the sun barely started to peek above the horizon. Oddly enough, although we departed about 15 minutes late, we arrived at LHR supposedly on time!

 

[anat0l]

Mon 02 Nov (Bangkok, London, Frankfurt am Main)

Although my connection at LHR was 4 hours, I decided (probably wisely) to eschew going landside in T3 to try the AA lounge and instead head directly for Flight Connections to transfer to T5 for my next flight. I had quickly discovered why many people disliked LHR and why it is fairly inefficient. The walk from our parked gate to Flight Connections (let alone those that needed to proceed to incoming immigration) was horredously long! At times, it just felt like another winding corridor, another set of stairs, another long hall to race down (either on foot or on the walkalators). Given that the QF/BA Kangaroo flights all touch down within about an hour of each other, it was not unexpected that one was negotiating the incoming passenger path with torrents of people rushing and doing the same. I’ll let you picture what that looks like (well, mainly because I don’t have photos of showing the torrents of human traffic ).

I eventually – some way or another – found the diverting ramp down to Flight Connections (if LHR does something well enough, it’s signage), which lead to the lower level where the buses were waiting. It was pretty cold outside – not sub-zero, but cold enough to demand a jacket – but luckily the transfer bus was heated. The bus was already pretty full when I got on, so not much longer we were on our way to T5. A ten minute drive later, we pulled up to T5, took the escalators up to the departures level and another one up to the lines to security.

Thanks to my next leg being in J (or Club as its known on British Airways), I was able to use the Fast Track lines. Everything would have been fine except when I got to the other end, my fear had been realised.

Funny enough, all the LAG stuff in my amenity kits were alright to go through, even without putting them in a plastic LAG bag. The Payot bottles, however, was not OK. Time for Plan B: go back landside, buy a cheap bag and then check it in with the Payot bottles. As I explained this to the security fellows, they said they could mind my stuff whilst I rushed downstairs to get a bag, then I could check in the bag airside at the BA service counter. That was a good deal, so rushing down to a sports store, I picked up a decent backpack before rushing up, repacking and being escorted downstairs (again) to the BA service counter, where my bag was checked to FRA (and at no extra cost due to my allowance on Club).

I was planning to tour all of the lounges in T5, but again laziness got the better of me so I only went to one of the lounges, the South lounges of T5A. This is the "main" hub of lounge, with all of a Galleries Club, Galleries First and the Concorde Room calling a home here.

With no access rights to the Concorde Room, I had to satisfy myself with the Galleries First (although to be fair, even the dragons that control entry to the lounges were not very clued up on who was allowed in the Concorde Room if they were not a BA customer or BAEC member).

At the GF Refectory (area where food is available), a hot breakfast was offered on the buffet. Who was I not to partake in sampling the offerings:

Warm breakfast from the T5A GF refectory – eggs, sausages, black pudding, HP sauce, cheese, tomato and mushrooms, sided with a bread roll

Checked some emails, had a coffee (courtesy of the coffee machine), then off to the Elemis spa outside the lounge entrance for a shower.

Elemis products are offered in the shower rooms

Showers have this odd design – you can choose the water to be delivered via a hand-held shower head, an overhead shower head or through various jets which target only the torso. Or a combination of all of these – the choice (and complexity) is yours.

Much refreshed from a warm shower, I proceeded back into the lounge and grabbed a glass of Bolly from the champagne bar before sitting down at a nice spot at the edge of the lounge overlooking the tarmac.

Inside the T5A Galleries First lounge

"Good morning, sunshine. T5 says hello!"

 

[anat0l]

Mon 02 Nov (Bangkok, London, Frankfurt am Main)

No matter if its staring at a plane, or something else outside the window pane – there’s always time to have a glass of Bolly

The lounge offers a "balcony" area outside the lounge proper, set with relaxing chairs and some plants. You can hear the T5 hurly-burly from the balcony, but being high up and a bit further away from the centre of activity, the noise is not as bad.

A view from the balcony onto the rest of the T5 apron and A gates

More balcony shots

There aren’t any boarding calls made in the lounge, so one really has to keep an eye on the FIDs to make sure you leave for boarding at the right time (hint: don’t get too cosy with the Bolly). Considering the volume of flights that leaves T5, sometimes reading the FIDs can be a challenge! I decided to head down a bit before boarding time so I could be ready to board as soon as it was called. After all, even though I was in Club, it was necessary to board early to make sure I could get some overhead locker space.

"You know, if you would stop horsing around with that damn lampshade on your head, something might just turn on and you’ll get a good idea!"

 

[anat0l]

Mon 02 Nov (Bangkok, London, Frankfurt am Main)

Inside LHR T5A


Flight: British Airways BA904 London Heathrow (LHR T5) – Frankfurt am Main (FRA T2)
Depart: 1040h Sched; 1050h Actual
Aircraft: G-EUOG Airbus A319-100
Distance: 407 mi (655 km)
Class: Club Europe (Business)
Seat: 1A

"Frankfurt am Main" translates to "Frankfurt on the Main", i.e. the city of Frankfurt is situated on an ancient ford on the river Main. This full formal name of the city, which is located in the German state of Hesse, is used to distinguish it from the significantly smaller town also called Frankfurt, which is located in the German state of Brandenberg and situated on the river Oder.

Inside a BA A319 cabin

I was the third passenger on board, so no playing the overhead locker jigsaw game for me! BA CE seats are either like QF 734 J / DJ PE (with a very narrowed middle seat, but in this case there is no table to go down) for the A/B side or regular seating with middle seat block for the D/F side.

Legroom in 1A (bulkhead Club Europe)

A painting on the bulkhead at the front of the cabin. BA seem to like this whole accessorising thing by adding a painting here or there.

The plane was full by the time boarding had fairly quickly completed, but the residual was spent by purser Kim and CE FA Kara trying to slot and rearrange bags and rollerboards in the overhead lockers. ISTR there were no pre-flight drinks offered to CE pax. There is no IFE – the safety demo is done manually by the FAs.

Some PA announcements were made in German by means of a prerecorded message. Rather lame, but oh well.

A shot of London below after take-off

Once we took off from LHR, we were in London airspace for quite a while and during that time we were still well below our cruising altitude. It was only when we were out of London airspace that the captain charged the engines and we lifted above the cloud level into cruise, whereupon the seat belt signs were promptly turned off.

 

[anat0l]

Mon 02 Nov (Bangkok, London, Frankfurt am Main)

"Extended breakfast" was served on this flight (being just outside the 10am end time for breakfast service), which was really just a cold deli platter (the fancy-schmancy term being a "charcuterie selection").

BA CE "extended breakfast"

Some cultural differences – when the bread rolls were being offered, firstly they came in a nice basket lined with white cloth (QF used to do this ). Secondly, the basket is presented to you and you actually pick up your choice yourself with your hands (cf. QF where you request your choice and it is delivered to you with tongs).

(bread basket is presented in front of anat0l with a big smile)
anat0l: "Ummm...I’ll have the...oh wait, do I just pick it up?"
Kim: (somewhat laughingly) "Yes."
(cue slight embarrassment on anat0l’s part)

BA champagne on the short flights is Pommery, served in a small, personal bottle. Kim had a bit of trouble opening my bottle (as did I) due to something in the cork/rubber cap coming loose, so she had to go fetch a fresh bottle.

Pommery champagne and a cup of coffee

LHR-FRA is not a long flight – a little shorter than a BNE-SYD. Once we touched down in FRA, we had a fairly long taxi to T2 before pulling up at the gate.

There was no one at incoming immigration when I passed through, but baggage claim was taking its time. Certainly, and probably due to my F tag not carrying any weight after the transfer in LHR, my bags only came out after about half the bags had been delivered. Customs was a non-affair (it didn’t happen!), so within a few minutes I was back on landside for the first time in about 36 hours.


Now to get to FRA city. The train station is at T1, which is connected to T2 by a free shuttle bus. OK, board the bus, get squished up, endure the ride. I race down to the train station before my first challenge – how to buy a train ticket, since the fare machines are in German. A random person saw me and offered his weekly ticket because he was leaving FRA and couldn’t use it up. Just as well too, because I also realised that I had Euro notes but no Euro shrapnel. Saved!

Rushed down another flight of stairs to the trains heading to FRA Hauptbahnhof (Central Station, abbrev. Hbf). Somehow I unwittingly sat in the first class seating when I probably didn’t have such a ticket, but oh well.


Hotel: Hotel Tourist
Room Type: Single Room


There are many hotels which aren’t far from Hbf. Hotel Tourist is probably one of the more further ones, but still not too far a walk. The man at reception fixed up my reservation and I was up to my room in no time. The room was booked as a single, but there were two beds inside, so looks like I was just given wherever there was space.

My room – simple but sufficient

There were two things I needed after setting my stuff down in my room, so I went back down to reception to enquire. One was the free wireless password (easy). The next one (hard) was that the air conditioning didn’t work / switch on. The man at the reception thought I was a bit mad in wanting air conditioning when it was cool winter outside! I told him that I wanted it because there was no fresh air circulating within the room. He then said that the windows can be opened – fair enough; now why didn’t I think of that?

After so much travel and not getting enough sleep on it all, I made a few calls, read and wrote a few emails but then I was so tired that I simply took it easy in my room and turned in quite early for the night.

 

[straitman]

Excellent anat0l. Keep up the good work :!:

 

[Paddy55]

Really, really good - thank you

 

[anat0l]

QF1 BKK-LHR First Supper/Breakfast/Wine (02 Nov 09)

Qantas Airways QF1 Bangkok Suvarnabhumi – London Heathrow
Monday 2 November 2009
First Class

Chef – Neil Perry

Neil Perry is one of Australia’s most exciting chefs, having built an international reputation at his renowned Rockpool restaurant in Sydney. With Qantas, Neil lends his expertise to bringing restaurant style cuisine to your inflight experience.

Australia enjoys a rich diversity of people and cultures. When combined with the global destinations served by Qantas, this diversity offers an exceptional opportunity – a uniquely Australian cuisine with a truly international flavour.

Our suppliers deliver the best possible produce, meeting exacting requirements for freshness and quality. Herbs, vegetables and fruit are delivered within hours of harvest. Growers plant to our specifications and breads, cakes, cheeses and ice-creams are hand made or selected especially for Qantas.

From paddock to plate, our menu is focussed on one thing, providing a truly inspirational gourmet experience on board, with all the flavours and diversity embodied in Qantas, Spirit of Australia.

For recipe details refer to [noparse]www.rockpool.com[/noparse].


Supper

Our extensive Rockpool designed menu allows you flexibility to choose from our full menu after take-off or at any time throughout your flight. Your Flight Attendant will be pleased to assist you with your selection.

Canapes

Lavosh Biscuits with Cauliflower Puree and Green Gordal Olives

Entrees

Thai Style Hot and Sour Seafood Soup with Coriander

Roast Chicken and Rocket Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Light Meals

Big bowl of Broccoli Soup with Orzo Pasta and Parmesan

Prosciutto and Asiago Pastries

Our signature Steak Sandwich with Tomato and Chilli Relish

Main Courses

Pan Fried Halibut with Tomato and Tarragon Sauce, New Potatoes and Asparagus

Stir Fried Chilli Pork with Cashews, Lime and Mint, Jasmine Rice and Snake Beans

Side Salad

Salad of Baby Leaves with your choice of dressing:

• Aged Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Fresh Lemon Juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Palm Sugar Vinaigrette

Cheese

Hand selected blue, soft and hard cheese served with accompaniments

Dessert

Vanilla, Prune and Armagnac Tart with Creme Anglaise

Spiced Apple Cake with Whipped Cream

Nice Cream Chocolate Coated Vanilla Ice Cream

Whole or Sliced Fresh Seasonal Fruit

Petits Fours

A selection of Cacao handmade chocolates

Manna from Heaven Chocolate Chip Biscuit

Brasserie Bread Orange Cake


Breakfast

Create your favourite Breakfast from our extensive Rockpool designed menu. Your Flight Attendant will be pleased to assist you with your selection.

Tangerine Juice

Apple Juice

Tomato Juice

Sunraysia Pear Liquid Fruit

Sunraysia Mango Liquid Fruit

Berry Energiser Drink


Fresh Fruit Salad

Bircher Muesli

Toasted Muesli

Cereal Selection

Yoghurt and Honey


Toast

Croissant

Pain au Chocolat

Strawberry Jam, Orange Marmalade, Honey, Vegemite


Scrambled Eggs

Smoked Salmon

Sausages

Braised Beans

Potato Cakes

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Sauteed Mushrooms

Sweet Onion Relish


Ham and Gruyere Omelette with Tomato and Basil Raguot


Bevarages

Hot Beverages

Choose from our range of the finest hot beverages, served with Petits Fours.

Giancarlo Coffee

Cafe Latte

Cappuccino

Grinders Decaffeinated

Espresso

Flat White

Long Black

Mocha

Liqueur Coffee

T2 Tea

Experience the range of beautiful fragrant loose leaf teabags from around the world, supplied by T2.

English Breakfast – A blend of the finest Sri Lankan full bodied teas produce a rich and well rounded flavour.

Peppermint – A well rounded peppermint flavour captures the sweet essence of all things 'minty' with a sweet, cool lingering aroma.

Chamomile – Relax and unwind with this fragrant infusion of sweet golden chamomile flowers.

Sencha – A classic green tea grown in Japan. These beautiful emerald green leaves produce a sweet, smooth grassy flavour.

Lemongrass and Ginger – Zesty and bright lemongrass contrasts the spicy flavour of ginger to create a refreshing and wild taste sensation.

Other teas are available upon request.

Hot Chocolate


(Cold) Beverages

Choose form a range of premium beverages throughout your flight

Aperitifs

Bloody Mary

Campari

Noilly Prat French Dry Vermouth

Spirits

Bacardi White Rum

Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin

Chival Regal 18yo Scotch Whisky

The Glenlivet 18yo Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Inner Circle (Green Dot) Dark Rum 57.2%

Wild Turkey Rare Breed 108⁰ Bourbon

Wyborowa Single Estate Polish Vodka

Beers

Hahn Premium Light

Crown Lager

Heineken

James Squire Golden Ale

Little Creatures Pale Ale

Liqueurs

Baileys Irish Cream

Cointreau

Fortifieds

Grant Burge 20yo Tawny

Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Tokay

Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Muscat

Cognac

Martell Cordon Bleu

Non Alcoholic

Apple Juice

Orange Juice

Five Star Sunraysia Mango

Five Star Sunraysia Pear

Spicy Tomato Juice

Tomato Juice

Sparkling Mineral Water

Still Mineral Water

Soda Water

Tonic Water

Bundaberg Ginger Beer

Cola

Diet Cola

Ginger Ale

Lemonade

Solo – Lemon Squash


Wine List

Qantas has been internationally recognised as having the Best First Class Cellar in the prestigious 2007 Cellars in the Sky Awards. Qantas also won awards for Best Business Class Sparkling and for Consistency of Wines across Business and First.

Please enjoy this selection of wonderful Australian wines chosen for you from our cellar.


Champagne

My only regret is that I did not drink more Champagne.

– Lord Maynard Keynes, on his deathbed​

In celebration of the dynamic region that is Champagne, Qantas is proud to feature a range of Champagne styles in our program from some of the region’s finest and most respected Champagne houses including Charles Heidsieck, Taittinger, Dom Perignon and Krug. From the fresher, more delicate Chardonnay dominant or the Chardonnay-exclusive ‘Blanc des Blancs’ styles, through to the weightier, more savoury Pinot Noir-dominant cuvees, our program showcases the diversity and quality for which this region is deservedly famed.


White Wine

Penfolds Reserve Bin 05A Chardonnay
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
The 2007 Penfolds Luxury and Icon release saw the 2005 Penfolds Reserve Bin 05A Chardonnay promoted into this premium range. "2005 Reserve Bin A – is a unique wine showcasing the combination of premium Adelaide Hills Chardonnay and natural winemaking techniques. This wine has a great deal of complexity without losing distinctive flavour and structure gleaned from Adelaide Hills’ vineyards and soils," Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker.

Mesh Eden Valley Riesling 2006
Eden Valley, South Australia
This wine is a collaborative effort from two of Australia’s most talented winemakers, Jeffrey Grosset and Robert Hill Smith, using fruit from a region famous for producing world class Rieslings. It has long rich flavours of citrus and minerals with great persistence and texture, finishing crisp, clean and dry.

S. C. Pannell Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Winemaker and current Qantas wine consultant Stephen Pannell made a great name for himself and Hardys’ iconic McLaren Vale reds. He is now doing his own thing and continued to impress the wine industry. This release shows the diversity of his talent. We see plenty of fresh herb and gooseberry character, but there is also some lifted tropical fruit and delicate hints of citrus.


Red Wine

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2006
Canberra District, New South Wales
A decade before the Cote Rotie tradition of blending Shiraz with Viognier become fasionable in Australia; Tim Kirk at Clonakilla was busy mastering the art. Every Australian winemaker playing with blending Viognier into their Shiraz needs to buy this to see how it should be done.

Yering Station Reserve Pinot Noir 2005
Yarra Valley, Victoria
In October 2004 Yering Station, via Tom Carson, was awarded the highly coveted International Wine and Spirit Compeition ‘Winemaker of the Year’ award. The reserve Pinot is a seriously structured wine. Rich, deep, profound Pinot, displaying black-fruits, spice, velvety mouth-feel, fine-grain tannins and balance.

Houghton ‘Gladstones’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Margaret River, Western Australia
Gladstones Cabernet Sauvignon honours Dr John Gladstones, the internationally acclaimed scientist who identified the potential of Margaret River as a viticultural region by 1965. Dusty, crushed-leaf, cedary, developing fragrant bouquet; a statuesque red with profound cassis flavours and serious structure. As good as Margaret River Cabernet gets.


Dessert Wine

Bellarmine Riesling Auslese 2007
Pemberton, Western Australia
This very sweet dessert style riesling is laden with flavours from lime to mango. Delicate and well balanced with a clean finish, it will excite your senses.

 

[mm472]

Great Report !! thanks so much

 

[thewinchester]

Christ, I go off the grid for two weeks and I miss a developing TR like this. It's nearly 11am and already it has me drooling and longing for an international F segment like this - great work.

 

[serfty]

... So annoyed we keep missing the Wagyu at the F lounges - is it still making an appearance on the specials from time to time?

MEL First Lounge still had it in early Feb.

 

[anat0l]

To those of you that might have recently read this TR in progress, you may have noticed the lack of pictures due to broken links. This was due to me battling with FT Galleries with some b0rked files and directories.

This has been fixed now so all pictures should be back to normal. Thank you for your understanding and on behalf of FT Galleries I would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

 

[Grooba]

Keep going with it anat0l, love the TR so far!

 

[Flashback]

Re: Acknowledgements

There's a famous line, "zen" or advice - whatever you may call it - about writing a PhD thesis that goes something like, "If you wish to write your thesis, start with your acknowledgements." :mrgreen: In that light humour, I'd like to make a few well-deserved thanks before I start this TR proper:

• First and foremost of all, Flashware. Flashware and I travelled together for most of the time in Europe. I owe a lot to Flashware for organising all of the transport and accommodation in the months leading up to the trip, as well as taking care of the prepayments etc. I can only hope that my on-the-fly sightseeing tips and navigation skills (or lack of some or all of the above) were at least tolerable, as well as me guess-translating signs and menus. Flashware gets things done - it may not be the most elegant way, but he gets it done. This came in handy during the trip, and for that I am also very thankful.

First chance I've had to go through AFF in some time now, so have only just stumbled across this! Looking forward to the TR.

Happy to report that D2's sightseeing tips and navigation skills were top notch!

One other interesting thing to note also, that I only just mentioned to a mate of mine the other day is that we didn't seem (from my perspective! :mrgreen to get on each other's nerves at all; which is odd as normally 1-2 days with someone is enough for me to be like that!

Was great fun and wouldn't hesitate to do it again

 

[anat0l]

Tue 03 Nov (Frankfurt am Main)

Tuesday, 3 November, 2009

Still quite tired from all the travel - despite arriving in style - I did manage to haul my lazy bum out of bed and downstairs for the included breakfast, served buffet style.

Whilst I expected a simple continental style breakfast, I was pleasantly surprised:

Breakfast at Hotel Tourist - nicely hearty

As I said, the Hotel Tourist is very close to Hbf:

Hauptbahnhof Frankfurt am Main

Of course, like any good transport hub, Hbf is a central place to catch long distance trains, the S-Bahn and U-Bahn around the city, and buses. I decided one of the easiest ways to see FRA would be to ride on one of the tour buses. The one I tried is a 1 hr tour which costs EUR 15 which you can hop on and off (it's a bit cheaper if you buy in advance and print your own ticket).

Here is a live and learn moment. Firstly, FRA isn't so big that as long as you don't mind pacing it, you can walk around a fair amount of the city. Secondly, taking photos out of bus windows is awkward. So after enduring a round of the tour, I got off at one of the terminus points of the bus, which is the city centre in Romer.

Cue the magnificent old architecture:

Romer

One has to understand that FRA is really only on the map because it is a world financial hub, a popular German transport transit point and....well, that's it. It doesn't command a huge population. The dialogue of the tour I paid for said FRA was an upcoming cosmopolitan city. I can't see that happening very quickly

In any case, I started walking around by myself and soaking up the architecture - each corner had me in awe.

Wooden soldiers in a shop window - we must have all seen these before somewhere

One thing that Europeans do well is try to experiment with different architectural styles and designs. Here is the side of a major shopping building in Zeil, FRA's shopping area:

Side of a shopping mall in Zeil