We are just about all packed and ready to set off to our new destination for this weekend. We are off to BERLIN! Stefanie's aunt now lives there, so we are off to visit her and also have a look around Berlin. We will probably go to some museums, maybe go up the tour, visit the wall and what ever else we can think of to do before Monday when we return back to Erfurt.
I will fill you all in when I then return again, and will include some pictures with it :)
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The ever reliable Deutsche Bahn
So many people think that the German railway is so efficient and much better priced than our English counterpart. However from my brief experience of it it does not seem to be that way.
To start with, there are always articles on the BBC website about how European railways are subsidised so much that it makes them a lot cheaper for the passengers to actually travel on them. However it seems here that a journey is about the same if not more expensive to a comparable one in the UK. Okay, so the Germans do have high-speed railway, but that is not on all routes, and especially not on the regional routes that I have been taking most recently. Yes our upcoming trip to Berlin on Thursday is on one of the high-speed trains. However our return is not and is just on a regular inter-city train. And to say that it was cheap would be far from the truth, it was the price we expected to pay, but it would be comparable to what we may have had to pay in the UK.
And then there was the service we have had over the last few days. On Monday we were meant to go from Plaue to Erfurt, change the train and then go to Jena West. The train journey from Plaue to Erfurt Hauptbahnhof went as it should have done and we changed platform to the one we now needed. However that is when things then started to go wrong. There was an announcement saying that the train had been cancelled and we needed to change platform to take a different train to Erfurt-Bischleben (which was in the direction we had just come from and further away from where we wanted to be) and that when we got there there would be a new train to take us to Jena West. So we got there and one platform was already full with other people trying to get to Weimar or Jena West. There were few announcements and on one announcement they said they had no idea when the train would be arriving or what platform it would be arriving on. Therefore we just decided to give up on trying to get to Jena and to just take the bus back to Erfurt.
We later found out on the radio that night that the problem was all down to a ferris wheel that was being transported and had falled off the wagon or something similar to that and had caused damage to a 200m stretch of the track.
We heard this at about 6pm that evening and so though that it would all be sorted by the time we then needed to take the train the next morning at 10:48. Luckily for us that train was actually running, albeit with a 10 minute delay. However we did pass the part of track that was being repaired and it seemed like they still had a lot of work to be doing. But we knew that we would be in Jena for a few hours and that surely again it would be fixed for our return.
On the way back we got on the train we were meant to, it left on time and all the announcements made seemed to suggest that we would be stopping at Hauptbahnhof. However when the train then left Weimar startion there was an announcement to say we would not be stopping at Hauptbahnhof, but would instead just be going straight through it and stopping at Bischleben, where we would have to take another train back.
To our annoyance there was nothing we could do but carry on, except we did have the idea to pull the emergency stop whilst the train was going through Hauptbahnhof as that would make the train stop there, but we did manage to refrain from doing this. At Bischleben there was much confusion as nobody knew what platform to go to and when the next train would be along. Especially as the train we had just been on, part of it had detached but we didn't know if it would be going to Hauptbahnhof or not as that it usually where it detaches.
Finally the one supervisor who was on the platform shouted over that this train was indeed going back to Hauptbahnhof and that we could all get on it. So we all rushed under the tracks to the platform we had just been on so we could board the train, luckily we were actually able to get a seat. We finally ended up back in Erfurt only about 30 minutes later than we should have been, but the point still stands.
So before fully criticising the UK railway system next time it is always worth remember that train travel in other European countries is not always as great as the do like to make out.
To start with, there are always articles on the BBC website about how European railways are subsidised so much that it makes them a lot cheaper for the passengers to actually travel on them. However it seems here that a journey is about the same if not more expensive to a comparable one in the UK. Okay, so the Germans do have high-speed railway, but that is not on all routes, and especially not on the regional routes that I have been taking most recently. Yes our upcoming trip to Berlin on Thursday is on one of the high-speed trains. However our return is not and is just on a regular inter-city train. And to say that it was cheap would be far from the truth, it was the price we expected to pay, but it would be comparable to what we may have had to pay in the UK.
And then there was the service we have had over the last few days. On Monday we were meant to go from Plaue to Erfurt, change the train and then go to Jena West. The train journey from Plaue to Erfurt Hauptbahnhof went as it should have done and we changed platform to the one we now needed. However that is when things then started to go wrong. There was an announcement saying that the train had been cancelled and we needed to change platform to take a different train to Erfurt-Bischleben (which was in the direction we had just come from and further away from where we wanted to be) and that when we got there there would be a new train to take us to Jena West. So we got there and one platform was already full with other people trying to get to Weimar or Jena West. There were few announcements and on one announcement they said they had no idea when the train would be arriving or what platform it would be arriving on. Therefore we just decided to give up on trying to get to Jena and to just take the bus back to Erfurt.
We later found out on the radio that night that the problem was all down to a ferris wheel that was being transported and had falled off the wagon or something similar to that and had caused damage to a 200m stretch of the track.
We heard this at about 6pm that evening and so though that it would all be sorted by the time we then needed to take the train the next morning at 10:48. Luckily for us that train was actually running, albeit with a 10 minute delay. However we did pass the part of track that was being repaired and it seemed like they still had a lot of work to be doing. But we knew that we would be in Jena for a few hours and that surely again it would be fixed for our return.
On the way back we got on the train we were meant to, it left on time and all the announcements made seemed to suggest that we would be stopping at Hauptbahnhof. However when the train then left Weimar startion there was an announcement to say we would not be stopping at Hauptbahnhof, but would instead just be going straight through it and stopping at Bischleben, where we would have to take another train back.
To our annoyance there was nothing we could do but carry on, except we did have the idea to pull the emergency stop whilst the train was going through Hauptbahnhof as that would make the train stop there, but we did manage to refrain from doing this. At Bischleben there was much confusion as nobody knew what platform to go to and when the next train would be along. Especially as the train we had just been on, part of it had detached but we didn't know if it would be going to Hauptbahnhof or not as that it usually where it detaches.
Finally the one supervisor who was on the platform shouted over that this train was indeed going back to Hauptbahnhof and that we could all get on it. So we all rushed under the tracks to the platform we had just been on so we could board the train, luckily we were actually able to get a seat. We finally ended up back in Erfurt only about 30 minutes later than we should have been, but the point still stands.
So before fully criticising the UK railway system next time it is always worth remember that train travel in other European countries is not always as great as the do like to make out.
Return to the Willage
So this past weekend we returned to Plaue, so that we could leave the city again. However we were not sure what we would really be doing as the weather forecast kept changing every day so we could not exactly plan to do anything at a specific time.
But we came here on Wednesday evening after Stefanie had finished university anyway. A friend of Stefanie's aunt called Yvette was staying there also till Friday and Stefanie knew her anyway so in the evening we had a chat with her along with drinking some nice sparkling wine along with my new favourite snack which are salted sticks. Thursday was spent relaxing in the garden as it was very sunny and hot and I will attach some pictures at the end to show you the view that we had. Yvette and I also went to the supermarket to get a few items and outside there was a Bratwurst stand, so of course we had one with senf and it was very, very tasty.
On Friday Stefanie had to go to university again so we went back to Jena on the train to her group meeting for a presentation she had to do. It was then back to Erfurt where we met a friend and had dinner outside. I had some very nice schnitzel which came with spaghetti and tomato sauce. Of course I had a beer to drink and because it was a Bavarian beer it included a slice of lemon in the top, so we returned to Plaue again.
On Saturday we went to her grandparents summer house in another village called Martinroda which is about a 10 minute drive from Plaue. The summer house is very nice as the garden has loads of trees and plants in it. For lunch we had some beef and traditional English dumplings. They taste very much like English dumplings, however they have little bread pieces inside and are very sticky, but still very nice. Whilst here so far there have only been two things that I haven't really liked, and that is cold asparagus salad and I am not so keen on the bread that they have here as it is very heavy.
It was raining on and off on the Saturday, but we still went for a walk in the forest which was very nice. Then the rain went so we played some 'badminton' in the street before returning to Plaue. I have also got a new favourite board game, however I am not sure of the name and it is not the easiest thing to describe by text. So I will try and find out the name and then let you know next time.
Sunday was again spent relaxing in the garden, playing the board game and also Stefanie had some studying to do. So she did that whilst I watched the F1 on TV.
Then on Monday we had to go back to Jena for university. However the train journey was not as simple and easy as it should have been. But I will talk about that in another post.
Below are some pictures that we have taken over the last few days.
But we came here on Wednesday evening after Stefanie had finished university anyway. A friend of Stefanie's aunt called Yvette was staying there also till Friday and Stefanie knew her anyway so in the evening we had a chat with her along with drinking some nice sparkling wine along with my new favourite snack which are salted sticks. Thursday was spent relaxing in the garden as it was very sunny and hot and I will attach some pictures at the end to show you the view that we had. Yvette and I also went to the supermarket to get a few items and outside there was a Bratwurst stand, so of course we had one with senf and it was very, very tasty.
On Friday Stefanie had to go to university again so we went back to Jena on the train to her group meeting for a presentation she had to do. It was then back to Erfurt where we met a friend and had dinner outside. I had some very nice schnitzel which came with spaghetti and tomato sauce. Of course I had a beer to drink and because it was a Bavarian beer it included a slice of lemon in the top, so we returned to Plaue again.
On Saturday we went to her grandparents summer house in another village called Martinroda which is about a 10 minute drive from Plaue. The summer house is very nice as the garden has loads of trees and plants in it. For lunch we had some beef and traditional English dumplings. They taste very much like English dumplings, however they have little bread pieces inside and are very sticky, but still very nice. Whilst here so far there have only been two things that I haven't really liked, and that is cold asparagus salad and I am not so keen on the bread that they have here as it is very heavy.
It was raining on and off on the Saturday, but we still went for a walk in the forest which was very nice. Then the rain went so we played some 'badminton' in the street before returning to Plaue. I have also got a new favourite board game, however I am not sure of the name and it is not the easiest thing to describe by text. So I will try and find out the name and then let you know next time.
Sunday was again spent relaxing in the garden, playing the board game and also Stefanie had some studying to do. So she did that whilst I watched the F1 on TV.
Then on Monday we had to go back to Jena for university. However the train journey was not as simple and easy as it should have been. But I will talk about that in another post.
Below are some pictures that we have taken over the last few days.
The view from our bedroom window
View from the bathroom
Garden, with decking to the right
We decided to be very German for our walk
Walking through the forest
Jarvis
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A weekend in Plaue
Hello All,
So over the weekend (well from Saturday to Monday) we were in a little village called Plaue where Stefanie's aunt has a house and is 30 minutes outside of Erfurt. Stefanie had university during the day, so we left Erfurt at around 7pm to get there. That night we both cooked Spaghetti Bolognese, along with a German wine called Dornfelder. The food was very good, and surprisingly the wine is also actually very good, well considering it is German anyway. Than that night we watched the Eurovision Song Contest right from the beginning till the end. And we both predicted that Azerbaijan and Italy would end up quite high in the points.
In the morning it was very nice to be able to wake up and look out of the window onto the mountains. We both forget to take a camera with us this time though so unfortunately we have no pictures to show. However we are going back again this weekend so we will remember to take the camera with us so that we can show you. We also may go up to the top of one of the mountains, but we have not fully decided on that yet.
The rest of the weekend we just spent relaxing in the house and garden, and also went for a little walk just around the area where the house is to see what it was like. On the Sunday night, Stefanie cooked a very nice meal for me which is called 'Flying Jacobs'. It consists of a Crème fraiche and normal cream sauce, mushrooms and chicken, then add bananas on top and cook for 20 minutes. Then add some peanuts on top and cook for another few minutes, then serve it with rice. It does sound a little strange just from the ingredients, but it does actually taste really good.
We have now decided that we want to live there as it is so quiet and nobody can disturb you plus the views are amazing. However Mum and Nigel would not be able to visit as the house is not suitable for disabled people. That is unless Nigel just wants to stay on the ground floor in the garage! We also played Monopoly whilst we were there, and unfortunately I lost :( which I was not happy about at all.
Whilst there we decided to not go on our upcoming trip to Dresden as we have now decided to do some other things either in Plaue or Erfurt for the weekend we were going to Dresden, and so will instead go there on another occasion that I am over here. On Sunday I was also offered a proper job at a festival in August however I think I will have to unfortunately turn it down.
Overall we had a very nice weekend in Plaue and are looking forward to returning there again tomorrow night for a long weekend.
So I best get on with actually packing now, or maybe I will just leave that till the morning!
[Updated] I've just been told that I definitely have to sort out my clothes now for the weekend as they need to be packed!
Jarvis
So over the weekend (well from Saturday to Monday) we were in a little village called Plaue where Stefanie's aunt has a house and is 30 minutes outside of Erfurt. Stefanie had university during the day, so we left Erfurt at around 7pm to get there. That night we both cooked Spaghetti Bolognese, along with a German wine called Dornfelder. The food was very good, and surprisingly the wine is also actually very good, well considering it is German anyway. Than that night we watched the Eurovision Song Contest right from the beginning till the end. And we both predicted that Azerbaijan and Italy would end up quite high in the points.
In the morning it was very nice to be able to wake up and look out of the window onto the mountains. We both forget to take a camera with us this time though so unfortunately we have no pictures to show. However we are going back again this weekend so we will remember to take the camera with us so that we can show you. We also may go up to the top of one of the mountains, but we have not fully decided on that yet.
The rest of the weekend we just spent relaxing in the house and garden, and also went for a little walk just around the area where the house is to see what it was like. On the Sunday night, Stefanie cooked a very nice meal for me which is called 'Flying Jacobs'. It consists of a Crème fraiche and normal cream sauce, mushrooms and chicken, then add bananas on top and cook for 20 minutes. Then add some peanuts on top and cook for another few minutes, then serve it with rice. It does sound a little strange just from the ingredients, but it does actually taste really good.
We have now decided that we want to live there as it is so quiet and nobody can disturb you plus the views are amazing. However Mum and Nigel would not be able to visit as the house is not suitable for disabled people. That is unless Nigel just wants to stay on the ground floor in the garage! We also played Monopoly whilst we were there, and unfortunately I lost :( which I was not happy about at all.
Whilst there we decided to not go on our upcoming trip to Dresden as we have now decided to do some other things either in Plaue or Erfurt for the weekend we were going to Dresden, and so will instead go there on another occasion that I am over here. On Sunday I was also offered a proper job at a festival in August however I think I will have to unfortunately turn it down.
Overall we had a very nice weekend in Plaue and are looking forward to returning there again tomorrow night for a long weekend.
So I best get on with actually packing now, or maybe I will just leave that till the morning!
[Updated] I've just been told that I definitely have to sort out my clothes now for the weekend as they need to be packed!
Jarvis
Saturday, May 14, 2011
New and improved
Hi,
So it has been quite a while since I last posted on this blog, but it has now all changed since then. As you may notice, the actual name of the blog has changed along with the focus for me writing.
The blog will now just be about what I am up to in general as opposed to necessarily one specific topic. However it will mainly be geared towards travel as that is what I am most interested in and am nearly always planning a trip somewhere.
So just a little bit about me to now set the scene for where I am. I have left Bloomsburg after studying there for the one semester. I then returned to Sheffield to continue with my studies for the last part of my second year at university. This is also now completed and I am contemplating exactly what to do next. I was looking to go on an internship, however it has been very difficult trying to find one that I would be happy with. So this is currently on hold at the moment. My current plan is to maybe get a job in the travel industry for a year minimum to see whether it truly is the direction I want to take my career in after graduating. I have some ideas in mind, however they will need to be properly planned once I am nearing the end of my current vacation.
Which leads me nicely on to telling you what the next few weeks have in store for this blog. I am currently living in Germany, a city called Erfurt to be precise. I am here spending some time with my girlfriend as this is where she is from. We met whilst we were both studying in Bloomsburg. So whilst I am here we intend to explore the area surrounding Erfurt and to also spend some long weekends in Berlin where we are going in a couple of weeks time, along with going to Dresden a few weeks after.
So expect many blogs about what I have been up to whilst I am here and what I am planning to be doing next.
Right now I am actually just packing to go to Plaue for the weekend. Where we will watch the Eurovision Song Contest tonight and also going for some walks in the mountains nearby possibly. Therefore my next post is likely to either be Monday evening once we have returned or Tuesday.
So till then, enjoy you weekend.
And remember, planning your holiday is half the fun.
So it has been quite a while since I last posted on this blog, but it has now all changed since then. As you may notice, the actual name of the blog has changed along with the focus for me writing.
The blog will now just be about what I am up to in general as opposed to necessarily one specific topic. However it will mainly be geared towards travel as that is what I am most interested in and am nearly always planning a trip somewhere.
So just a little bit about me to now set the scene for where I am. I have left Bloomsburg after studying there for the one semester. I then returned to Sheffield to continue with my studies for the last part of my second year at university. This is also now completed and I am contemplating exactly what to do next. I was looking to go on an internship, however it has been very difficult trying to find one that I would be happy with. So this is currently on hold at the moment. My current plan is to maybe get a job in the travel industry for a year minimum to see whether it truly is the direction I want to take my career in after graduating. I have some ideas in mind, however they will need to be properly planned once I am nearing the end of my current vacation.
Which leads me nicely on to telling you what the next few weeks have in store for this blog. I am currently living in Germany, a city called Erfurt to be precise. I am here spending some time with my girlfriend as this is where she is from. We met whilst we were both studying in Bloomsburg. So whilst I am here we intend to explore the area surrounding Erfurt and to also spend some long weekends in Berlin where we are going in a couple of weeks time, along with going to Dresden a few weeks after.
So expect many blogs about what I have been up to whilst I am here and what I am planning to be doing next.
Right now I am actually just packing to go to Plaue for the weekend. Where we will watch the Eurovision Song Contest tonight and also going for some walks in the mountains nearby possibly. Therefore my next post is likely to either be Monday evening once we have returned or Tuesday.
So till then, enjoy you weekend.
And remember, planning your holiday is half the fun.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
New York to Bloomsburg
Hi,
So on the Friday (27th August), I woke up early at about 7am so that I had enough time to back my things up, have a shower, have breakfast and then be on my way to Newark Airport. This meant taking the subway a few stops down the line to Penn Station. The Subway is fairly easy to use in New York. It is just a standard fee of $2.25 for a one way trip. Which makes it a lot simpler to use than the London Underground. When I got to Penn Station I just followed the sign for the New Jersey Transit. I looked up the night before how I needed to get to Newark Airport, so I knew already that this was the way that I had to go. I got to the right area of the station, and then bought my NJ Transit ticket and made sure that it included the AirTrain for Newark aiport.
It was quite a mission getting all of my luggage onto the train, as it was pretty narrow, but luckily I made it. The train then pulled out of the station and made its way through the New York suburbs. There was not much to see on the way over to the airport, but it was still quite nice to see some different parts of the city. The train journey didn't take too long, probably about 25/30 minutes at most. I then made my way to the AirTrain, which is basically just a shuttle between the diferent terminals of the airport. They were doing maintenance, so it took about 10 minutes for a train to come along. But i didn't matter as I had about 35/40 minutes till I was meant to be at the metting point anyway, and it was only 2 stops away.
Once I got to Terminal C, which is where we were to meet, I made my way to the Starbucks. I now probably had about 30 minutes to wait, so I got a drink and a lovely chocolate brownie to eat :). I met a couple of people who were also going to Bloomsburg and so started talking to them. It got to midday and we were starting to wonder where the bus was. However it turned up about 10 minutes later and it was all fine. Apart from the fact that we had to wait for another person to arrive. The problem was that her plane didn't land till midday. But it was fine, and gave us all time to chat and get to know each other.
The person we were waiting for then arrived and we were off. The driver told us that it would be about 2/3 hours till we actually got to Bloomsburg. So we just talked some more and the time passed pretty quickly actually. It was nice getting to know some people before I actually arrived.
The driver we had was really nice also. When we arrived in Bloomsburg he took us to get our student I.D cards. Then took us all to Wal-Mart so that we could get some stuff that we needed.
So on the Friday (27th August), I woke up early at about 7am so that I had enough time to back my things up, have a shower, have breakfast and then be on my way to Newark Airport. This meant taking the subway a few stops down the line to Penn Station. The Subway is fairly easy to use in New York. It is just a standard fee of $2.25 for a one way trip. Which makes it a lot simpler to use than the London Underground. When I got to Penn Station I just followed the sign for the New Jersey Transit. I looked up the night before how I needed to get to Newark Airport, so I knew already that this was the way that I had to go. I got to the right area of the station, and then bought my NJ Transit ticket and made sure that it included the AirTrain for Newark aiport.
It was quite a mission getting all of my luggage onto the train, as it was pretty narrow, but luckily I made it. The train then pulled out of the station and made its way through the New York suburbs. There was not much to see on the way over to the airport, but it was still quite nice to see some different parts of the city. The train journey didn't take too long, probably about 25/30 minutes at most. I then made my way to the AirTrain, which is basically just a shuttle between the diferent terminals of the airport. They were doing maintenance, so it took about 10 minutes for a train to come along. But i didn't matter as I had about 35/40 minutes till I was meant to be at the metting point anyway, and it was only 2 stops away.
Once I got to Terminal C, which is where we were to meet, I made my way to the Starbucks. I now probably had about 30 minutes to wait, so I got a drink and a lovely chocolate brownie to eat :). I met a couple of people who were also going to Bloomsburg and so started talking to them. It got to midday and we were starting to wonder where the bus was. However it turned up about 10 minutes later and it was all fine. Apart from the fact that we had to wait for another person to arrive. The problem was that her plane didn't land till midday. But it was fine, and gave us all time to chat and get to know each other.
The person we were waiting for then arrived and we were off. The driver told us that it would be about 2/3 hours till we actually got to Bloomsburg. So we just talked some more and the time passed pretty quickly actually. It was nice getting to know some people before I actually arrived.
The driver we had was really nice also. When we arrived in Bloomsburg he took us to get our student I.D cards. Then took us all to Wal-Mart so that we could get some stuff that we needed.
I couldn't resist buying this case of 24 cans of Coke for $6, it was too much of a bargain.
I will try and get around to posting again tomorrow. It's Labor Day here tomorrow, which means no classes, so hopefully I will get the time.
Jarvis x
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Paris to New York
Hi,
Sorry for not posting for a while, have just been quite busy and not properly had time to actually sit down and type out a new post.
Once I got to the gate for my flight to New York it was probably about 10 minutes till we started boarding. which was pretty good actually, as I didn't want to sit around in the airport doing nothing. Especially as I didn't have any € on me, so couldn't buy anything. When in the queue for the gate, they check all your documents and give you the paperwork necessary. Annoyingly, because I am here on a student visa, they want to see every single bit of my paperwork, which meant I had to dig it out of my bag, this resulting in me holding up the queue, but hey it wasn't really my fault.
My seat was relatively near the back of the plane, so i took me a little while to walk down there. But luckily no body was in my row at the time, so the overhead compartment was empty, which meant I had plenty of space to fit my stuff in. However when I sat down it was annoying, the seat was really uncomfortable and my screen was in black and white for some reason. So me being me, I instantly complained to the flight attendant. He said that unfortunately the plane was completely full, so I wasn't able to change seats. However he did give me about 5 cushions to sit on, and assured me that the screen would return to normal once we took off, sure enough it did.
In typical Air France style we departed late. But the take off was fine and we were soon in the air. They soon started serving drinks, which was very nice actually. As this was my last chance to have a legal drink I decided to go for the champagne, wine and beer!! which amazingly they didn't mind giving me them all at the same time. Food was meant to be served straight after this. But we started to encounter some pretty bad turbulence. I loved every moment of this, because I am very weird and like the turbulence :). Once this was over they did re-commence the food service.
Now I wasn't really expecting much from this, as I had read some pretty bad things in the past about the service and food on Air France flights. But actually it was probably one of the best plane meals that I have ever had. There was plenty of it, including; past, chicken curry, soup, desert and then some nice camembert.
I then watched a couple of films, had a little nap and then we were starting to descend into New York. Now I didn't have a window seat which was rather annoying, but luckily I could still kind of see out of the window. On our appraoch I was on the left hand side of the plane, so was able to see the New York skyline including the Empire State Building.
Passing through immigration and customs was actually pretty easy. I was expecting it to take quite a while, but it didn't, so that was nice. I collected my bags, and then proceeded to make my way to the AirTrain and Subway.
It took me ages to get to where I needed to on the subway. I think next time I will definitely take the LIRR then the Subway, as it is meant to be a lot quicker, even though it is slightly more expensive. I found m hostel pretty easily after originally taking the wrong exit from the subway, but then a guy at a different hotel helped me find where I needed to go. I checked in, dropped my stuff off, grabbed something to eat, checked my emails watched some tv, then went to bed, as I knew I had to be up early in the morning to get to Newark airport.
Next time I'll let you all know about getting from New York to Bloomsburg.
Jarvis x
Sorry for not posting for a while, have just been quite busy and not properly had time to actually sit down and type out a new post.
Once I got to the gate for my flight to New York it was probably about 10 minutes till we started boarding. which was pretty good actually, as I didn't want to sit around in the airport doing nothing. Especially as I didn't have any € on me, so couldn't buy anything. When in the queue for the gate, they check all your documents and give you the paperwork necessary. Annoyingly, because I am here on a student visa, they want to see every single bit of my paperwork, which meant I had to dig it out of my bag, this resulting in me holding up the queue, but hey it wasn't really my fault.
My seat was relatively near the back of the plane, so i took me a little while to walk down there. But luckily no body was in my row at the time, so the overhead compartment was empty, which meant I had plenty of space to fit my stuff in. However when I sat down it was annoying, the seat was really uncomfortable and my screen was in black and white for some reason. So me being me, I instantly complained to the flight attendant. He said that unfortunately the plane was completely full, so I wasn't able to change seats. However he did give me about 5 cushions to sit on, and assured me that the screen would return to normal once we took off, sure enough it did.
In typical Air France style we departed late. But the take off was fine and we were soon in the air. They soon started serving drinks, which was very nice actually. As this was my last chance to have a legal drink I decided to go for the champagne, wine and beer!! which amazingly they didn't mind giving me them all at the same time. Food was meant to be served straight after this. But we started to encounter some pretty bad turbulence. I loved every moment of this, because I am very weird and like the turbulence :). Once this was over they did re-commence the food service.
Now I wasn't really expecting much from this, as I had read some pretty bad things in the past about the service and food on Air France flights. But actually it was probably one of the best plane meals that I have ever had. There was plenty of it, including; past, chicken curry, soup, desert and then some nice camembert.
I then watched a couple of films, had a little nap and then we were starting to descend into New York. Now I didn't have a window seat which was rather annoying, but luckily I could still kind of see out of the window. On our appraoch I was on the left hand side of the plane, so was able to see the New York skyline including the Empire State Building.
Passing through immigration and customs was actually pretty easy. I was expecting it to take quite a while, but it didn't, so that was nice. I collected my bags, and then proceeded to make my way to the AirTrain and Subway.
It took me ages to get to where I needed to on the subway. I think next time I will definitely take the LIRR then the Subway, as it is meant to be a lot quicker, even though it is slightly more expensive. I found m hostel pretty easily after originally taking the wrong exit from the subway, but then a guy at a different hotel helped me find where I needed to go. I checked in, dropped my stuff off, grabbed something to eat, checked my emails watched some tv, then went to bed, as I knew I had to be up early in the morning to get to Newark airport.
Next time I'll let you all know about getting from New York to Bloomsburg.
Jarvis x
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