To Europe via Manila

[rbjhan]

Ok so it turns out reporting on a trip while being on set trip is harder than I thought!

Ha I tried that last time and quickly gave up
You are doing much better than me!

 

[JoshuaL1997]

You guys are all very kind with your comments, absolutely reaffirms why I decided to post to begin with! So lets go with the third leg to europe!

Abu Dhabi (AUH) - Munich (MUC)
Etihad Airways EY125
Business Class seat 10A
B787-9 (A6-BLF)

Intro
No real intro needed here, this is a direct continuation of the last flight. Middle eastern airports all follow a similar pattern of having most arrivals and departures between midnight and 3am accordingly we arrived just prior to midnight from our last flight and were scheduled to depart at 2:35am to Munich on EY125.

Transfer and Lounge
As mentioned in the last segment we arrived at a gate which is not always a guarantee in the middle east but at Abu Dhabi's new Terminal A which has been open for about a year it seems most flights get to dock at a gate rather than having a remote stand which makes transiting easier but a shame for those plane nerds who like doing a bit of up and close plane spotting.

A quick walk down the well sign posted terminal arm and you were presented with the options to transfer or head for immigration to enter the UAE, I of course transfered. There is a dedicated lane for premium passengers and we were through in about 5 minutes and headed straight for the lounge which is a little challenging to find past all the glitz and glam of this new airport.



Terminal A is kind of like a starfish thats lost an arm, each arm is where gates are located and in the central portion are all the typical airport things like the entrance, security and immigration, shopping, eating and of course the lounges. But saying that its a little overwhelming at midnight so to describe how to find the Etihad lounge, I walked toward the Hermes store on the right after clearing security, went past it and at the end you will find the doors to the first class lounge, turn left past Gate C27 and you find the entrance to the business lounge. Best of luck with those instructions for those consulting the map the lounge is between Gates C27 and D43.



Inside the lounge is also not the most straight forward thing when it comes to directions. Set over three floors you have the first floor which is for dinning (I didnt spend any time there), the second is split in two, on the left side its seating and on the right its seating and the shower and nap rooms. In order to access the right side you have to head upstairs to the third level where there is more dining, a bar and more seating and head to the opposite side and take the elevators down a level. I think this seperation is due to Etihad having two in lounge gates for their A380 services.

To be honest I just wanted a shower at this point, once finding the elusive location an attendant pointed me to a vacant shower room which was nicely appointed with fresh towels and some amenities. No branded shower products seem to be in use here with the exception of a very small armani lipbalm, potentially another cost saving exercise. My shower was great and made me feel more alive and human, after this I honestly just grabbed a seat in the area just outside the showers as it was very quiet.



I had a bag of chips and a water and tried to charge my various tech things. One weird thing for this super new terminal is that they didn't have universal power plugs or USB type C plugs only USB-A and what i assume is the local UAE power plug, not very transit friendly. I sat here until I noticed the screen now listed my gate, odly enough I couldn't figure out what time boarding would start as they didn't make announcements nor was I told when I entered, so I just left about an hour before departure and slowly walked to my gate C31. I'll have more time in the lounge on my return flight so stay tuned for a more in depth review.

Boarding and cabin layout
At AUH you will find similar gate lounges/prisons like at Singapore Changi except we didn't need to go through security just have our passports and tickets checked. They didn't get checked after this until we were onboard. Most people seemed to already be in the prison so I found a spare seat towards the boarding end of the "gate lounge". The lounge/prison also featured two toilets which seemed to be popular.



After about 10-15 minutes boarding was called for Business passengers and the agent made a big song and dance about this not being the economy group and instructed several people to sit back down which was a little awkward considering we were all heading into the same plane.

This flight was on the backbone of the Etihad fleet, the B787-9 featuring 28 Business class seats between doors 1 and 2 in a 1-2-1 layout and a further 262 Economy seats in a 3-3-3 layout behind this. There is a newer layout with newer reverse herringbone seats which frequents Munich but not on this day which is a shame.



Seats alternate as you can see above with seats either facing forward or backwards. Backwards facing isle and centre seats are a little less private and exposed to the isle where forward facing seats are a bit better protected but you do get coffined in.



Our flight was full so i quickly took my seat at 10A a forward facing window seat and grabbed my Qantas PJ's (as Etihad doesn't supply them on short european flights) and headed to the toilet to get changed so I could head to sleep after take off.



Arrival drinks were offered, I picked lemon mint which is now my favourite drink ever! Hot towels were handed out along with slippers and amenity kits.

Service
The flight attendant serving my isle introduced her self while we were on the ground she advised me I could eat when ever I wanted, I chose to eat later in the flight after I've slept but she was happy to take my order now to ensure my preference was set aside for later.

At this point there was no menu at my seat so we did this awkward 3 second thing of just staring at one another, her anticipating I'd tell her what I wanted, me anticipating she would tell what was on offer. Once I mentioned I didn't have a menu she apologised and found me one, gave me a minute to look through it and came back to take my order before returning the menu to where ever it came from. In the haste of things I didn't grab a photo of the menu, did I mention it was 2am at this point...

Anyway, they served another round of drinks after take off with warm nuts but I had drifted half a sleep so didn't notice a crew member leaving this on the little surface next to my seat for me to enjoy later.

Once I woke up I headed to the loo where a crew member noticed I was awake and 5 minutes later came by my seat to ask if they could prepare my breakfast tray for me which I gladly accepted. At this point I also checked out the entertainment and watched a few episodes of Season 2 of Julia, a comedy based on Julia Childs first TV cooking show which was very entertaining.



So my tray included an espresso which I had ordered (theres an insane amount of coffee options), water, fruit, a croissant with butter and jam on the side as well as my main meal which I had ordered, the Scrambled Eggs Shakshouka with fetta and caramelised onions which honestly really hit the spot. It had a little spice and good amount of salt from the fetta and just lots of flavour which I devoured. 10/10 airplane breakfast.

I followed this up by a cup of peppermint tea about an hour prior to landing which was served promptly with a little Godiva chocolate.



Bed and Amenities

Ok there is a theme developing of me not taking photos of the seat in bed mode and that theme is continuing here but I have borrowed a photo from the Prince of Travel for reference.



As you can see the bed lies flat with most of the lower half of your body sliding under the tv section. I don't have an issue with this but it can feel a bit coffin like as both sides of the seat are restricted by walls meaning its very difficult for you to sleep on your side. I don't really see why Etihad had the seat designed with that ledge by the window as this steals about two inches of space and really traps you in the seat. For this reason I didn't sleep very well so I think this is a better day time relaxing type seat than for these european redeye flights.



In terms of amenities, we had the same pillow, blanket and mattress protector as on our flight from Manila. I was offered slippers but declined and we received the cube amenity kit which I think is less useful and attractive than the pouch version you get on flights to AUH. Our version was in a gold-ish finish which may be a limited edition version as it doesnt look like any of the photos Etihad released when announcing these new kits at the beginning of 2024, its contents however are the same as the last flight.

Arrival and overall thoughts

Arriving in rainy Munich before 6am meant we were the first international arrival flight of the day, I know that because there were no Immigration officers at their post when we got there. A short 10 minute wait while someone from the airport franticly went to find them followed by a lengthy 40 minute wait for our luggage meant it was 7am by the time I left the terminal in search for the train station. This is a daily flight so I'm not sure if this was some sort of fluke or a regular issue at Munich.

Over all this flight again was very positive on the soft product side and Terminal A in AUH is a big step forward for Etihad making it very competitive for transferring customers. Hard product however I have to say this isn't my favourite seat to sleep in, for those who, like Dracula sleep on their back while counting sheep, it may not be an issue. I have a daytime flight on the return so my thoughts may differ on that occasion.

Now onto Christmas Markets in cold rainy Europe....

 

[OZDUCK]

Ha I tried that last time and quickly gave up
You are doing much better than me!

Same for me. Tried it several times but it just didn't work.

Thanks for the information about the terminal Joshual. We will be arriving there at roughly the same time in 5 months on the way to Frankfurt

 

[JoshuaL1997]

Two and a half days in Munich

Boutique Hotel Germania
Standard Single Room

After arriving in Munich at 7am I headed to the train station inside the airport which can be easily found following the signs with a a white S inside a green circle. Munich airport is in Zone 5 of the Munich metro area for ticketing purposes so I purchased a 5 zone day pass for 15 euros which gave me access across the city on munich's public transport system for a full 24 hour period.

I was headed to Munichs Main Train Station or Hauptbahnhof (HB) so both the S1 and S8 where open to me which take between 35-45 minutes to reach the city centre where my hotel was located.

During my travels there was much construction in and around Munich HB making navigating the neighbouring streets and crossings with two suitcases a bit of a challenge, add rain to that and your in for a treat. As you can see from below picture the hotel is just a block away but in reality its a fair walk thanks to crossing being closed etc.



When I arrived my room wasn't ready yet as it was just after 8:30am but my luggage was put into storage and I headed out to start exploring the city. When I returned at 1pm my room was available and I checked in, grabbed my keys and had a lie down to deal with the jetlag.

The room and what I paid

I booked a single room for 237 Euro for two nights or about $400 AUD, breakfast was an additional 18 euros per person per day.



The room on the top floor was compact but surprisingly spacious. Both my suitcases fit in the room with wiggle room to spare. The bed was the size of a double bed but felt longer with bedding for a single person, I note the doona was literally a meter wide not actually wide enough to cover the bed. There was also a nespresso machine and a glass bottle of sparkling water which gets refilled each day as well as a safe and an tablet were you could find hotel info and local attractions/restaurants.



The Bathroom, also compact had a full sized shower, toilet and large basin with soap and shower gel and shampoo in the shower. All very clean and fresh and in my humble opinion good value for money for a single traveler.

In my two days in Munich I explored Marien Platz which is home to the neo gothic town hall and a large christmas market, I also went to the Residenz Museum which is near the Marien Platz and is the former home of Bavarian Kings and Queens which now also hosts royal jewellery and a mostly restored part of the original building, entry was affordable at 15 euro for the combination ticket which included a multilingual audio guide, this took me about two hours to complete and was quit interesting but crowded in some places with school groups.



Separately the following day I purchased a 10 euro single zone transport ticket for the day and headed a little further out of the city on the tram to Schloss Nymphenburg, the former summer residence of Bavarian royals which is 10 kilometers away from their other home, the Residenz museum.



The property is on a very large park which is accessible for free and in summer would be a great place for a picnic. The palace entry ticket costs 12 euro plus a further 4 for the audio guide, this ticket got you access to the palace and the Marsthalle museum next to the palace where royal coaches, sleds and porcelain among other things are displayed. Accessible aspects of the palace are smaller than the residenz museum, if you only have time for one I'd do the residenz museum.



The palace is also the birthplace of King Ludwig II who was a very fascinating character, he had the iconic Neuschwanstein Castle built and racked up a huge amount of debt due to this. His's death remains mysterious after he was proclaimed as insane in part due to his debts. The museum also suggested there were rumours of his homosexuality as he never married, who doesn't love a scandal prone royal, especially one with such a fetching moustache.
You can watch a cool video about him and his death here:

For those that like history and markets theres plenty to do in Munich at this time of year, my favourite christmas markets were the markets in Marien Platz and the Medieval markets located at Wittlesbacher Platz where you can also find some of the best muled wine cups in the city and the below pizza with cheese and ham to keep you warm.




As you can see Munich has a lot to offer outside of October Fest and I highly recommend you spend a few days here or even see if you can tag on a day trip to somewhere like Neuschwanstein which I didn't have time for this time.

 

[SYD]

We stayed at the Mercure next door a few days later (stayed there previously about 10yrs ago).

The rate over 4 nights varied from €99 to €213 pn (€641 for 4x nights). But the room was big, with free mini bar and most importantly - they had a room available for our early checkin!

We caught the U Bahn in from the airport also but didn’t know about the local 24 hr add-on! I realised later….

 

[JoshuaL1997]

Detour to Salzburg on my way to Zurich

ÖBB Railjet train (RJX69) train from Munich to Salzburg
arteHotel Salzburg
Exploring Salzburg
ÖBB Railjet train (RJX364) Train from Salzburg to Zurich

As mentioned in one of my previous instalments as part of some seasonal schedule changes for my Etihad flights I got an extra day in europe, I could have just added an extra day in Munich but seeing as Salzburg is just around the corner and the annual Krampus run was scheduled for the week I was in the region I thought I'd make a little detour on my way to Switzerland.

The train journey between Munich and Salzburg is 1.5 hours and is operated predominantly by the Austrian Railway company ÖBB however the services can also be booked through the German railway (Deutsche Bahn or DB for short) which is what I did as it was cheaper for some reason.

What and how I paid (Munich to Salzburg)
I paid 17 euro for my second class ticket through the Deutsche Bahn website when I booked my tickets about 2 months out, for comparison ÖBB at the time were charging 54 euro for the same journey in second class and they still are. I don't know why there is such a difference in price but a three times up-charge for the same product feels like a rip off to me.

Now importantly this ticket only buys you the right to be on the train, if you want to be guaranteed a seat you have to separately book a seat for a further 3 euro (this you can only do through the ÖBB website for this service). I highly recommend booking a seat as my train which departed at 11:30am was completely full.


The ÖBB website also lets you be very specific with which seat you want aka forward facing window in the first car etc and the ticket will list the seat name and car number so you know where to board the train. Just make sure to tick the "Seat reservation only" box if you already purchased a seperate ticket.



The Austrian trains depart from platforms 1-7 at Munich Main Train Station which is on the ground floor. Our train arrived 30 minutes prior to departure and I'm glad I got on early so all my luggage was sorted in the dedicated areas which while not massive are far better than other trains I travelled on this trip.

The train is very uneventful and much like a normal commuter train, seats had EU power points and a tray table in the seat in front of them, the train was on time and the views were nice as we headed for Austria. The below picture from the ÖBB website gives you a good idea as to what seats look like.



Once arriving in Salzburg the train remains there for 5 or so minute before heading to Vienna and finally Budapest.

arte Hotel Salzburg
Medium level double room

As I was lugging my luggage around and only staying a night before catching a train again I was really keen to stay very close by the train station in Salzburg. Luckily there are a couple options and the best value for money and most attractive offer was the arte Hotel in Salzburg which is a 3 minute flat walk down the main road that follows the train station.



The hotel is very modern and a tall tower with which you can have nice views (if you pay for them), I was on the middle hight of the tower on the side with a less hot view but i didn't mind as the sun sets so early in winter that I didn't really have an opportunity to appreciate it if it were there.




Upon checking in I was advised that the hotel sold the Salzburg card which is essentially a tourist card which gives you free access to public transport in the city and a large number of attractions and museums including the funicular heading up to the castle in Salzburg. The card can be bought in 24, 48 and 72 hour periods and a 24 hour card cost me 24 euro's which you had to pay in cash.

Activities in Salzburg
Salzburg is home to many sites to see with loads of people checking out sound of music related sites, other highlights include Fortress Hohensalzburg which sits above the city and can be hiked to or accessed by a quick funicular ride as well as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts birthplace and museum. I of course was here for the Christmas Markets and the famous Krampus run which is a traditional Austrian procession that tells the story of a folklore tale about Krampus, an anthropomorphic creature (half-goat, half-demon) who punishes children who have misbehaved throughout the year.
Krampuses from all over come to Salzburg to show off their masks/costumes several times through out the christmas season which is a fun/slightly scary spectacle.



If you happen to be in Salzburg for a Krampus run I absolutely encourage you to hang out until you hear the sound of bells approach and witness the Krampus, however the old town is also a lovely place to be on all other nights in the season with the Christkindl market in the old town having a great mix of food, handy craft and region specific things to enjoy.



The following morning I was up early to catch my next train to Switzerland.

Salzburg to Zurich
ÖBB RJX368
First Class

This train runs once a day from Vienna via Salzburg to Zurich with many other stops in between. The train departs Salzburg just before 8am and is scheduled to reach Zurich just after 1pm.

This second train trip I did book through the ÖBB website and paid 36 euros plus 3 more euros for seat reservation for a first class ticket. This trip was about 5 hours long so I was keen to get a bit more legroom and a slightly wider seat for the journey.

The difference between second and first class is that second class is in a 2-2 payout and first is in a 1-2 layout with more legroom and seats that recline. There is also a more premium business first product which is more like a compartment type set up which makes sense to me if theres a few of you traveling and you want a more private space.


For first class passengers ÖBB operates lounges at a number of large train stations including in Salzburg. So I headed there in the hopes to grab a coffee and wait for my train in a warm spot. To my surprise I was all alone in the lounge which I'm going to put down to the train not originating in Salzburg and the fact that ÖBB did not advertise this as a privilege to me when buying the ticket, I just randomly found out about this when reading another trip report.



The Lounge which is unassuming and located in the underground walk through between the escalators of track 2&3 and 4&5. The lounge is large enough and features a small buffet with snacks and drinks and importantly a coffee machine. There were also restrooms and a large boardroom which I guess one can book ahead of time potentially.



About 10 minutes prior to my trains scheduled departure time I headed up to the platform. For this journey I picked a single seat next to the luggage compartment for my trip facing backwards for the first 2/3 of the trip before the train drives in the opposite direction for the remainder of the trip.



As you can see the seat is a large ish leather recliner with plenty of legroom and also features a foot rest. This train has a restaurant car and in first class an attendant roams the cars to take drink and food orders and deliver orders to your seat however it has to be said these amenities come at an additional cost. I purchased provisions at the station in the form of a sandwich so didn't end up ordering anything on the train but the menu listed several hot meals which rotate regularly if you didnt buy anything before hand.

The journey was very smooth and I was glued to the window as we slowly traversed mountains and headed into the snow. We were delayed at the swiss border due to a technical fault which meant we arrived about an hour late in Zurich. Its also worthwhile mentioning that on this train the Wifi didn't seem to work for me but I had a few shows downloaded so I managed to entertain my self that way.

All in all I can't say anything negative about this experience and recommend you try out this slightly longer route to Switzerland if time allows. Salzburg is a very pretty city and its compact size makes it great to explore in a day or two before heading onto the next part of the adventure.

 

[JoshuaL1997]

We stayed at the Mercure next door a few days later (stayed there previously about 10yrs ago).

The rate over 4 nights varied from €99 to €213 pn (€641 for 4x nights). But the room was big, with free mini bar and most importantly - they had a room available for our early checkin!

We caught the U Bahn in from the airport also but didn’t know about the local 24 hr add-on! I realised later….

Yeah in hindsight i should have booked an extra night so I could just walk into the room and have a shower. These super early arrivals from the middle east make it challenging on day one.

 

[VPS]

Detour to Salzburg on my way to Zurich

ÖBB Railjet train (RJX69) train from Munich to Salzburg
arteHotel Salzburg
Exploring Salzburg
ÖBB Railjet train (RJX364) Train from Salzburg to Zurich

As mentioned in one of my previous instalments as part of some seasonal schedule changes for my Etihad flights I got an extra day in europe, I could have just added an extra day in Munich but seeing as Salzburg is just around the corner and the annual Krampus run was scheduled for the week I was in the region I thought I'd make a little detour on my way to Switzerland.

The train journey between Munich and Salzburg is 1.5 hours and is operated predominantly by the Austrian Railway company ÖBB however the services can also be booked through the German railway (Deutsche Bahn or DB for short) which is what I did as it was cheaper for some reason.

What and how I paid (Munich to Salzburg)
I paid 17 euro for my second class ticket through the Deutsche Bahn website when I booked my tickets about 2 months out, for comparison ÖBB at the time were charging 54 euro for the same journey in second class and they still are. I don't know why there is such a difference in price but a three times up-charge for the same product feels like a rip off to me.

Now importantly this ticket only buys you the right to be on the train, if you want to be guaranteed a seat you have to separately book a seat for a further 3 euro (this you can only do through the ÖBB website for this service). I highly recommend booking a seat as my train which departed at 11:30am was completely full.

View attachment 419370
The ÖBB website also lets you be very specific with which seat you want aka forward facing window in the first car etc and the ticket will list the seat name and car number so you know where to board the train. Just make sure to tick the "Seat reservation only" box if you already purchased a seperate ticket.

View attachment 419371

The Austrian trains depart from platforms 1-7 at Munich Main Train Station which is on the ground floor. Our train arrived 30 minutes prior to departure and I'm glad I got on early so all my luggage was sorted in the dedicated areas which while not massive are far better than other trains I travelled on this trip.

The train is very uneventful and much like a normal commuter train, seats had EU power points and a tray table in the seat in front of them, the train was on time and the views were nice as we headed for Austria. The below picture from the ÖBB website gives you a good idea as to what seats look like.

View attachment 419372

Once arriving in Salzburg the train remains there for 5 or so minute before heading to Vienna and finally Budapest.

arte Hotel Salzburg
Medium level double room

As I was lugging my luggage around and only staying a night before catching a train again I was really keen to stay very close by the train station in Salzburg. Luckily there are a couple options and the best value for money and most attractive offer was the arte Hotel in Salzburg which is a 3 minute flat walk down the main road that follows the train station.

View attachment 419353

The hotel is very modern and a tall tower with which you can have nice views (if you pay for them), I was on the middle hight of the tower on the side with a less hot view but i didn't mind as the sun sets so early in winter that I didn't really have an opportunity to appreciate it if it were there.

View attachment 419354
View attachment 419355

Upon checking in I was advised that the hotel sold the Salzburg card which is essentially a tourist card which gives you free access to public transport in the city and a large number of attractions and museums including the funicular heading up to the castle in Salzburg. The card can be bought in 24, 48 and 72 hour periods and a 24 hour card cost me 24 euro's which you had to pay in cash.

Activities in Salzburg
Salzburg is home to many sites to see with loads of people checking out sound of music related sites, other highlights include Fortress Hohensalzburg which sits above the city and can be hiked to or accessed by a quick funicular ride as well as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts birthplace and museum. I of course was here for the Christmas Markets and the famous Krampus run which is a traditional Austrian procession that tells the story of a folklore tale about Krampus, an anthropomorphic creature (half-goat, half-demon) who punishes children who have misbehaved throughout the year.
Krampuses from all over come to Salzburg to show off their masks/costumes several times through out the christmas season which is a fun/slightly scary spectacle.

View attachment 419359

If you happen to be in Salzburg for a Krampus run I absolutely encourage you to hang out until you hear the sound of bells approach and witness the Krampus, however the old town is also a lovely place to be on all other nights in the season with the Christkindl market in the old town having a great mix of food, handy craft and region specific things to enjoy.

View attachment 419366

The following morning I was up early to catch my next train to Switzerland.

Salzburg to Zurich
ÖBB RJX368
First Class

This train runs once a day from Vienna via Salzburg to Zurich with many other stops in between. The train departs Salzburg just before 8am and is scheduled to reach Zurich just after 1pm.

This second train trip I did book through the ÖBB website and paid 36 euros plus 3 more euros for seat reservation for a first class ticket. This trip was about 5 hours long so I was keen to get a bit more legroom and a slightly wider seat for the journey.

The difference between second and first class is that second class is in a 2-2 payout and first is in a 1-2 layout with more legroom and seats that recline. There is also a more premium business first product which is more like a compartment type set up which makes sense to me if theres a few of you traveling and you want a more private space.

View attachment 419374
For first class passengers ÖBB operates lounges at a number of large train stations including in Salzburg. So I headed there in the hopes to grab a coffee and wait for my train in a warm spot. To my surprise I was all alone in the lounge which I'm going to put down to the train not originating in Salzburg and the fact that ÖBB did not advertise this as a privilege to me when buying the ticket, I just randomly found out about this when reading another trip report.

View attachment 419376

The Lounge which is unassuming and located in the underground walk through between the escalators of track 2&3 and 4&5. The lounge is large enough and features a small buffet with snacks and drinks and importantly a coffee machine. There were also restrooms and a large boardroom which I guess one can book ahead of time potentially.

View attachment 419377

About 10 minutes prior to my trains scheduled departure time I headed up to the platform. For this journey I picked a single seat next to the luggage compartment for my trip facing backwards for the first 2/3 of the trip before the train drives in the opposite direction for the remainder of the trip.

View attachment 419375

As you can see the seat is a large ish leather recliner with plenty of legroom and also features a foot rest. This train has a restaurant car and in first class an attendant roams the cars to take drink and food orders and deliver orders to your seat however it has to be said these amenities come at an additional cost. I purchased provisions at the station in the form of a sandwich so didn't end up ordering anything on the train but the menu listed several hot meals which rotate regularly if you didnt buy anything before hand.

The journey was very smooth and I was glued to the window as we slowly traversed mountains and headed into the snow. We were delayed at the swiss border due to a technical fault which meant we arrived about an hour late in Zurich. Its also worthwhile mentioning that on this train the Wifi didn't seem to work for me but I had a few shows downloaded so I managed to entertain my self that way.

All in all I can't say anything negative about this experience and recommend you try out this slightly longer route to Switzerland if time allows. Salzburg is a very pretty city and its compact size makes it great to explore in a day or two before heading onto the next part of the adventure.

Well I should log that into travel mistakes - I had no idea there were lounges and I had a first class ticket for three weeks earlier this year

 

[JoshuaL1997]

Well I should log that into travel mistakes - I had no idea there were lounges and I had a first class ticket for three weeks earlier this year

I'd label that as travel missed opportunity not a mistake. I think the mistake is on ÖBB for not communicating to its passengers that these amenities exists.