We take the double decker bus #23 from Hilton Metropole to the Royal Courts in the morning 9am. It’s 2.8 miles, needs 33 minutes, passing throught various neigborhoods, and ends at Waldorf Hotel, which is a part of Hilton chain. This hotel was created by William Waldorf Astor (1848-1919) who was born in New York City. He was the only child of John Jacob Astor III (1822-90).
… the neighborhoods, according to my iPhone location info:
Virgin Atlantic was created in 1984 by Richard Branson (1950-), headquartered in Crawley, West Sussex, England. The maiden flight from London’s Gatwick to Newark was on June 22, 1984.
Today’s flight VS47 is from London‘s Heathrow lhr T3 15:45 to New York’s JFK‘s T4, 18:50.
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9; 1, 1, 1
Seat A5, w/ the sun on my side.
Duration: 06:50
Toiletries: REN Clean Skincare
Service: 5/5 Foods & drinks: 4/5
Comfort of the seat: 4/5
The business section is full, but from the announcement, the economy isn’t: it asks the passengers to sit where they’re assigned for the balance at take off; then they can make themselves comfortable wherever.
It’s a day flight. We’ll have a full menu shortly after taking off, and a high tea before landing.
Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy im. Jana Pawła II Kraków-Balice to lhr via FRA.
This may be a challenging time, given everything happening in the world—but my first encounter with KRK turned out to be its own test of patience.
Uber dropped us off at the arrivals area—which sits on the same level as departures. The glass structure looks new and modern, and the drive from the Old Town is actually scenic and green. So the airport can be pleasant, at least from the outside.
Upon arrival, we were met with a complete closure due to a “threat” (or something equally unclear). A massive crowd was held back for over thirty minutes. I don’t know how long it had been going on before I got there, but I personally waited for thirty-one minutes.
The walk to Gate 7 was packed and chaotic. The boarding process was worse: passengers crowded the gate regardless of the boarding sequence, turning the area into an immovable human wall. Trying to get through felt like attempting to part the Red Sea without divine assistance.
Our flight to FRA was delayed from 11:15 to 12:10. Reportedly, the closure had no thing to do with it. Again, I haven’t had a flight delay in ages. And of course I only had a one-hour layover in Frankfurt for my next flight. Perfect timing.
As for Lufthansa — this part may not be KRK’s fault… but still.
Lufthansa’s online check-in refused to work for me, and there were no kiosks. So I had to wait in a long line just to get a paper boarding pass—something so outdated I genuinely cannot remember the last time I needed one.
And, as always, the Lufthansa counter agents zeroed in on my carry-on—the only luggage I travel with. No other airline has ever bothered me about it, but Lufthansa? Every. Single. Time. JFK, Beijing, Frankfurt, Hong Kong… without fail. Their corporate culture really runs deep.
This time in Kraków, after the lockdown was lifted and everyone was already stressed, the line for check-in was long. Still no kiosks. Only three agents working.
My carry-on went on the scale: 1.8 kg over. The agent looked at me and said, flatly, “Overweight.”
I asked, “Should I remove a jacket? Pay? What do you want me to do?”
She shrugged—as if the whole situation bored her.
I bent down to unzip the suitcase, ready to pull something out, when she suddenly said, “That’s fine. You can go.”
What the heck? Was she just enjoying the momentary power trip? A little pre-boarding entertainment?
If this were an isolated incident, I wouldn’t even mention it. But with Lufthansa, it is never isolated. It’s every time.
Heathrow Airport (LHR), was named London Airport until 1966. It’s the primary and largest international airport serving London. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others being Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City and Southend).
My last time in London was 2017, but this time in London, one word keeps coming to mind: vibrant. The streets in London are busy, lively, and jammed with people. Prosperity is an understatement.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to visit Mithraeum (Bloomberg Space): it closed for a school function. But we got to have coffee at the Walbrook Starbucks.
… some scenes
TUC Trade Union Congress @ Congress House, 23-28 Great Russell St, London WC1B 3LS
The lounge itself is ok: spacious, clean with various seatings. The drinks are far better than the foods. It has four showers, and an ample business section.
Getting into it, however, is a battle.
Before this incident, I didn’t pay attention to their two kinds of lounge: Senator and Business, and my credit cards and ticket give me accesses to both.
I wasn’t planning to use their lounge because
the layover was short; but the first leg of trip on LH from krk was delayed
I’ve other easy choices
But flying Lufthansa, it’s their mustard yellow lounges I see right off the plane.
The first one, is a Senator. A woman by the door said, “oh, you can’t go” after I showed her my access code on their LH App.
“Really? Why?”
“You just can’t.” she said.
“So, the code doesn’t work?”
“You just can’t.” she said.
“May I see your supervisor?” I snapped a photo before she left to find her supervisor.
“Did you just take a photo of me?” She asked.
“No. I just took a photo, you may be a part of it.”
She went inside and reappeared with a tall white man shortly.
“Are you the supervisor?” I said.
“Did you take a photo of her?” He said.
“Yes because she happens to be there.”
“Delete it.” He said.
“It’s a public space.” I said.
“It’s not allowed in Germany.” He said.
I think it isn’t true but why argue with a self-important buffoon? I deleted that photo. He looked satisfied and said tersely, “you can’t use the code.” And walked away.
Did he get high for bullying a little old Asian woman?
Ok, you won’t key in the code. Neither of them asked me what kind of access credential do I’ve. If you don’t want to deal with your co-brand North American credit card then do NOT offer to the public as a benefit. I certainly didn’t sign up because of the free LH lounge access.
I found his manner repellent and demand funny: I’d think everyone would know by 2025 that the deleted photo can be recovered from the ‘Recently Delete’ folder with two clicks. Is he dumb or just like their army of counter agents, taking pleasure at harrase their customers (it never fails for them to pick on my carry-on, the only luggage I use: this time at KRK, it was 1.8 kg overweight. If you still think the German precision, consider the reality that their trains are off and airport escalators are broken for years… )?
I don’t know… Germany is or used to be the engine of Europe … but their premier airline can’t scan a code. The same goes to the Old Opera house in Frankfurt for the concerts, they couldn’t scan the ticket they emailed me: I had to print it out. For Pete’s sake, save a tree or two, will you???
On my way to Centurion, I passed by another LH lounge (I think there are 14 of them in FRA) that’s by my gate. I fished out the email and bingo, it worked, which gave me the oppertunity to write above. I won’t be flying Lufthansa any time soon: their pettiness over the weight of my carry-on is sickening.
After dinner, we take the carriage ride / Krakow Coach Tour from Oldtown to our Tulip hotel, a mile away for 800 zł / $220, plus a healthy tip.
Horse-drawn carriage ride from the Old Town is a popular activity at the square, day and night. Typically, it takes about 30 minutes and costs $55-$165 (200-600 zł). The most common route goes from the Main Market Square to Wawel Hill, which is half a mile away (800 meters).
