Two Trains now a Plane

Posted on December 15, 2018 by vanbraman

When I head home from Germany I usually have to take two trains to the airport. Then it is time for a long flight.

Regional Train, Jena Goschwitz, Train Travel

The first train is a regional train. Luckily, I didn’t have to be up as early as I had to for this one. I decided to take the evening flight so I didn’t have to wake up at 3:30.

This morning the train was packed and there were people standing in the aisles.

ICE, Erfurt, Germany, Train, High Speed Train

In Erfurt I boarded an ICE train which is much more comfortable and quite a bit faster. It was still full, but I at least had a nice seat and a place to put my bags.

ICE, Frankfurt, Germany, Train, High Speed Train

The train stops right at a station connected to the Frankfurt airport so it is then just a long walk to the check-in area.

Today I had a choice of several trains with a different number of connections. The route with only the one connection runs every two hours so I had the choice of two extra hours at the hotel or two extra hours at the airport. I chose the airport option just in case.

I can now relax while waiting for my flight.

Welcome Aboard - United 787 Entertainment system - Boeing 787

Thankfully I am flying on the 787 as it is my favorite type of plane. The air in the plane is not as dry so it makes for better breathing.

Business Class 787, United Airlines, UA1, SFO to SIN

I will have a nice seat on the plane thanks to the upgrades that I received due to the There and Back flight that I took last year.

Now to sit back and relax and have a nice lunch in the Senator Lounge.

Steven

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Final Evening of the Trip

Posted on December 14, 2018 by vanbraman

This evening was the final one of the trip. After finishing up my meetings at work, walking back to the hotel and answering a few more e-mails I headed for the city center.

TeeGschwendner, Jena, Germany, Tea, Loose Tea, shoppingMy first stop was at TeeGschwendner to pick up a bit more tea. This evening I picked up some China Eastern Beauty Oolong to add to some oolong teas that I picked up last weekend.

rastbratwurst, Jena, grill special, ThuringianI also realized that I had not had a Thüringer Rostbratwurst during the trip. I decided that I just had to stop and get one.

Thüringer Rostbratwurst, grill, sausage, bratwurst

You can only get a true Thüringer Rostbratwurst in Thüringia as it has PGI (Protected Geographic Indication) status.

has PGI (Protected Geographic Indication) status., Thuringian Bratwurst

The grill operator took this picture for me. I had actually met him earlier this week.  He joined us just as I was finishing my meal while Sharing a Table at the Roter Hirsch. This was the reason why I chose this grill to visit as I could have gone to several different vendors at the Christmas markets.

Kartoffel Haus, Jena, Germany, Pork Steak

The bratwurst was just an appetizer. I then went and had a nice quiet dinner at the Kartoffelhaus. This time I had a nice pork steak with roasted potatoes.

I then headed back to the hotel to start packing. I didn’t have to decide how to pack, just how to get everything in the suitcase and my carry-on bags 🙂

Now for some sleep before a long day of travel on Saturday.

Steven

 

Posted in Culture, Food, Germany, Tea, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment