This weekend I finally made it to Frankfurt again and from there flew to Dublin with Lufthansa. In Dublin I visited a family of American friends who were currently spending their vacation in Ireland.
Arrival at the airport (June 17, 2011)
I spent a considerable amount of time calculating which mode of transport – car or train – would be cheaper. In the end, I opted for Deutsche Bahn, as I managed to snag a €20 voucher at the end of May to celebrate "20 Years of the InterCityExpress." So I took the IC 2154 to Frankfurt Central Station and from there the ICE 528 to Frankfurt/Main long-distance station. And since the discount was only valid for journeys of €49 or more, I traveled first class for the entire trip.
The InterCity (IC) trains still have the old six-person compartments. This makes them very quiet, and you're not crammed in between other passengers. I only had one other passenger on the Eisenach-Fulda leg; otherwise, I had the compartment all to myself. The seats are very comfortably padded, and the legroom is enormous. The only downside was the loud and sometimes smelly air conditioning. But at least it worked!
The Intercity train arrived at Frankfurt Central Station relatively punctually, or rather, in typical German rail fashion, on time. I was able to make good use of the 15 minutes before my ICE train to the airport by using the first-class lounge. This really highlights Frankfurt's importance as a major hub for Deutsche Bahn. There's a bar with table service, included in the ticket price. Within 10 minutes, I enjoyed a wheat beer and some sandwiches and even managed a quick trip to the restroom. Now that's what I call maximizing your time!
Arriving at Frankfurt Airport's long-distance train station on the ICE 528, I quickly printed out my boarding pass. Seat 10D it was. I actually prefer a window seat, but an aisle seat is fine for an evening flight. Afterwards, I popped into McCafé to get my free muffin as a Miles & More member. Then the usual in-and-out routine at security, and off to the waiting area at Gate B54. This time, for the first time in ages, I had a plane with a remote stand, so I took a bus across the tarmac. It's really about time I became a HON Circle member; then I could take the Porsche Panamera. It's quite a sight, though, driving a bus past a taxiing B747-400, in this case, a Thai Airways plane. Unfortunately, it was too dark for a decent photo.
Flight to Dublin (June 17, 2011)
Friday, June 17, 2011
Departure: 9:40 PM (Actual: 10:05 PM CEST) Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Arrival: 10:40 PM (Actual: 10:40 BST) Dublin, Ireland (DUB)
Duration: 1 hour 35 minutes
Distance: 675mi/1087km
Airline: Lufthansa LH 982
Aircraft type: Airbus 320-200
Booking class: Economy Class
Lufthansa deployed a nearly new A320-200 (D-AIZF, built in 2010) on the Dublin route. The aircraft is equipped with the new European Comfort cabin (NEK). The seats are quite narrow, offering good legroom with almost identical seat pitch to the old configuration.
Perfectly acceptable for a flight time of 1 hour and 35 minutes. Of course, there's no big meal available on such a short flight. But a chicken wrap and a beer are perfectly fine.
Are you still looking for a flight to Dublin?
Dublin International Airport is accessible year-round from many German cities. You can find cheap flights through online travel agencies such as Flugladen.de., ebookers.com, Expedia, lastminute.com or skyscanner.
Entry into Dublin was quick and problem-free, so I managed to catch the bus I had previously looked up (route 747) at 11:10 pm. The bus takes about 35 minutes to get to Kinlay Hostel and costs €10 for a round trip. A taxi costs around €30 each way. Actually, after my "hostel-only-America trip" in 2006, I never wanted to stay in one again. They're usually so run-down and dirty that I just can't feel comfortable. But in Dublin, we had no other choice, since hotel prices are too high for the poor quality.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
After my first night in a long time in a bunk bed, I woke up around 7:30 a.m. I can't say that the sleep was very restful. I had actually wanted to take a shower in the communal washroom, but unfortunately there was no water. So the shower had to be replaced by a quick wash at the tap, and the deodorant then took care of the rest.
We then set off to pick up my boyfriend's family from their bed and breakfast. We walked through St. Stephen's Green Park to the Fritzwilliam Townhouse. After a light breakfast, we bought tickets for the Dublin hop-on hop-off bus. There are three companies in Dublin that offer this service. I can recommend the official Dublin bus company, which uses the green double-decker buses. A two-day ticket costs €14 for adults and €12 for students.
Guinness Storehouse
Our first stop on the route was the Guinness Storehouse. Entry to this museum costs €15 for adults and €11 for students. A Dublin bus ticket grants a €1 discount on the adult price. In my opinion, it's well worth a visit. A self-guided tour, with free German audio guides available, explains the production of Guinness. The museum spans several floors, covering everything from ingredient preparation and the brewing process to the final bottling. On the second floor, you're given a small glass of Guinness and shown how best to drink it, similar to a wine tasting. You're supposed to swirl the glass and take only small sips, swishing them around in your mouth and inhaling through your nose. Only then does the full flavor of the beer unfold.
At the end of the museum tour, you're invited to the "Gravity Bar" for a pint of Guinness. The view of the city is wonderful. Unfortunately, it gets very crowded on weekends, so it's difficult to find a seat.
Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol is just two stops from the Guinness Storehouse. This old prison is primarily known for the gruesome executions of insurgents during the Easter Rising of 1916. A half-hour tour takes you through the old cells and the execution yard. The conditions for the prisoners must have been truly horrific.
Jameson Distillery
From the Gaol, we took a bus through Phoenix Park to the old Jameson Distillery. Phoenix Park is the largest park in any major European city and one of the largest in the world. Entry to the Jameson Distillery is a bit cheaper at €13 (€11 for students). However, the tour at the Guinness Museum is a bit longer and, in my opinion, more interesting. But now I know the difference between Irish and Scotch whisky. This lies mainly in the roasting of the wheat grains. For Scotch, the grains are roasted with burning peat, while for Jameson, it's all done with natural gas, or, back then, with firewood. This gives Scotch its characteristic rough taste, while Jameson has a sweeter, honey-like flavor. At the end of the tour, there's a tasting. You can choose between neat Jameson, Jameson with ginger ale, or with cranberry juice, which is the one I chose. Very tasty and fruity.
Where is Waldo?
On our way back to the hotel, we passed Merrion Square. The World Street Performer Championships were taking place there this weekend. There was also a call for a large flash mob, “Where is Waldo?” Waldo, or Wally (his English name), is a children's book character with a red and white hat and t-shirt. The goal was to gather as many Wallys as possible and thus break the world record. Unfortunately, I can't say whether they succeeded, as it started to rain terribly shortly after the flash mob began.
For dinner, we went to an Indian-Nepalese restaurant. Although we were a bit skeptical, as the restaurant was empty despite it being Saturday night, the food was delicious. Afterwards, we visited three Irish pubs along Baggot Street Lower. In one of them, Riley's Pub, there was live music, and people—I think most of them were locals—were dancing. We had Kilkenny (my personal favorite), Carlsberg, and Jameson Coke to drink. It was a fun, "international" evening with my American friends.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
I started my Sunday with an ice-cold shower at the hostel. Afterwards, I went to breakfast, and then I had to say goodbye to a good friend because she had to go to the airport. I told her, "...see you soon!" meaning next year. But a reunion would come sooner than expected. More on that later!
Trinity College
We began our sightseeing day at Trinity College, one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Its main attraction is the library, built in 1732, where you can see the ninth-century Book of Kells. Like most things in Dublin, there's an entrance fee (€7). Even though the elaborately decorated Protestant manuscripts are supposed to be famous, I didn't think it was worth the money.
St. Stephen's Green Park
Afterwards, we walked through the pedestrian zone, Grafton Street, back to St. Stephen's Green Park. After a snack at the still-ongoing "World Championship of Street Performers," we took the bus to the Temple Bar district. This area is mainly made up of pubs that cater to tourists, and consequently, the prices for a pint are quite high. There are plenty of pubs outside this district where you'll also find Irish patrons, and the prices are somewhat more reasonable. So, we quickly ticked Temple Bar off our list and crossed the River Liffey to reach O'Connell Street.
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street is the main thoroughfare of the Irish capital. Near the O'Connell Bridge, which spans the River Liffey, stands a statue of the nationalist leader of the same name. The Spire, the world's tallest sculpture and a symbol of the city, is impossible to miss, consisting of 126 tons of steel. I found it amusing that the 120-meter-high "flagpole" was actually supposed to be unveiled for the Millennium celebrations, but despite a cost of 5 million euros, construction wasn't completed until 2002. After wandering somewhat aimlessly along the street, we decided to visit the National Museum. It's located on Kildare Street, and admission is free. However, we weren't particularly impressed by the old stones and sculptures depicting Irish history and decided to head back to the hostel.
Arriving at the hostel around 3:30 pm, I received the welcome news that my good friend was also on her way from the airport to downtown Dublin. My first thought, of course, was that she had missed her flight to Chicago. The real reason was that Aer Lingus had a technical problem with their plane and simply canceled the flight. The poor thing had to wait in line for over four hours to be rebooked. Aside from a hotel offer, there was no other compensation. I am personally very disappointed with the airline's customer service and can only advise against traveling with Aer Lingus. Luckily, my friend was able to be rebooked on an American Airlines flight on Monday morning, so she was spared the further hassle with Aer Lingus. However, I advised her to contact customer service back home in America, as I believe she is definitely entitled to financial compensation. After all, she's lost another vacation day, which are precious and rare in the US anyway. I'll keep you updated!
Fish 'n chips at Leo Burdocks
So the five of us were able to have dinner together. I had found the best fish and chips restaurant on TripAdvisor. It's the takeaway restaurant "Leo Burdocks" on Werburgh Street. Even U2, Sandra Bullock, and other celebrities have eaten there. A portion costs around 9 euros and is enough for two people. The breading on the fish is delicious and crispy, just like the fish itself is very tasty. The fries, which are freshly cut, could be a bit crispier for my taste. The dish comes wrapped in paper, and you can enjoy it, for example, like we did, on the lawn of Christ Church Cathedral.
The Brazen Head
After dinner, we went to Dublin's oldest pub, "The Brazen Head" (opened in 1128), on Bridge Street. After a Kilkenny, we went to the pub across the street, as it was quite crowded and there was no live music. After another two or three pints and an amazing performance by the guitarist—I've never seen anyone play so fast—we went back to our accommodation early (11 p.m.).
Monday, June 20, 2011
After finally spending our last night at the hostel, affectionately nicknamed "The Jail" by us, we all met up for one last coffee. Then we took a taxi to the airport. This was convenient because my friends were picking up their rental car there. They'll be spending another week in Ireland before heading back to Michigan.
Dublin Airport has a very modern architectural design. However, the gate check-in process by the Irish airport staff was terribly disorganized. There were no proper announcements at ticket control, and they made a huge fuss about hand luggage. I didn't have any problems myself, as I know what I'm allowed to take, but there were many Asians and Poles on board who wanted to bring almost their entire household belongings in their hand luggage.
Flight to Frankfurt (June 20, 2011)
Monday, June 20, 2011
Departure: 12:00 (Actual: 12:05 BST) Dublin, Ireland (DUB)
Arrival: 2:55 PM (Actual: 3:09 PM CEST) Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Duration: 1 hour 44 minutes
Distance: 675mi/1087km
Airline: Lufthansa LH 979
Aircraft type: Airbus 320-200
Booking class: Economy Class
I successfully boarded LH 979, which was again an Airbus A320-200 (D-AIZD) operated by NEK. This time I reserved a window seat online (16A). However, I drew the short straw and ended up with two small children next to me. The baby had already started crying before takeoff. "I like children, I like children, I like…" I tried to tell myself, engrossed in my newspaper. About 20 minutes after takeoff, a small snack and drinks were served. A spiced roll with smoked pork loin and horseradish was offered, which tasted quite good. Coffee and orange juice were also included. Due to the tower relocation in Frankfurt, we had to circle several times near Koblenz. As a result, we arrived in Frankfurt 15 minutes late. It was a good thing I hadn't booked my train ticket until 5 p.m.
After a short wait at immigration, I went to the Turkish Airlines service desk because I wanted to make a change to two tickets for Hong Kong – Istanbul – Los Angeles for December. The employee was able to change the first ticket, belonging to my friend and Asia travel partner, without any problems. However, with my ticket, the second one, he noticed that there must have been a pricing error. The original fare was only €30, which seemed a bit low to him for a trip halfway around the world. He was a very ambitious employee I'd encountered. After a brief phone call with his supervisor, he could only offer me a change if I paid the difference to the current fare (approximately €2000). Since that was out of the question for me, he changed the dates of both tickets back to the original ones. I won't give up just yet, though, and will try again in Munich in September or call the hotline in Istanbul once more.
DB Lounge at Frankfurt Airport
After the disappointment, I got my free muffin again – this time blueberry – from McDonald's and from there went to the DB Lounge at the long-distance train station. It's nowhere near as nice as the one at Frankfurt Central Station. For example, there's no bar, just a coffee and drinks vending machine. But it was sufficient for the 50-minute wait.
The ICE 1655 was already 12 minutes late when it arrived at the station. This meant I would miss my connecting train in Erfurt. However, I had managed to get a seat in the first-class quiet compartment, right at the front, directly behind the driver's cab. This allowed me to look over the driver's shoulder, which I found very interesting. Unlike the InterCity train on the outbound journey, the first-class ICE has very comfortable leather seats in an open-plan compartment. The installation of several external antennas and amplifiers/repeaters, which ensured a stable mobile network (mostly EDGE) throughout the entire journey, was very advantageous for working. This allowed me to use the time to write this blog post, even though my thumbs are now aching from typing on my iPhone.
