General Archives ⋆ Page 13 of 42 ⋆ The Passenger

November 14, 2019November 22, 2019

Visa or no visa

Sheremetyevo International Airport, Москва́

Russia is one of the countries with the most complicated visa rules. When I wanted to fly from Germany to Armenia, the only sensible flight was with Aeroflot via Москва́ – including switching planes at the Sheremetyevo airport (SVO). If you plan such a trip two questions arise automatically: how much time is necessary to switch planes at SVO and – do I need a visa? The first question is easily answered by Aeroflot; their website tells you the minimum amount of minutes you need.

October 26, 2019February 19, 2020

Best Western Leoso

Leverkusen, Germany, is somehow a strange city: a giant chemical factory, some pure residential zones, a city centre with shopping opportunities – all lined up along river Rhein, a major street and the railway tracks. If you’re travelling by train you might want to have a hotel close to the station and then the Best Western Leoso is a good choice. It is located just 500 meters north of the station and is easily accessible on foot. Don’t expect a beauty – it is a huge hotel block and getting into it feels like travelling in time.

October 7, 2019April 19, 2022

Green Island

Ireland (or Éire) is a wonderful island in the North of central Europe. It has beautiful landscapes, real natural highlights (like the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher) and many, many sheep. The capital Dublin has a high density of interesting places, but in 2020 also Galway became a centre of attraction as the European Capital of Culture. But Ireland is also interesting in its history and the division into the mainly Catholic Republic of Ireland and the Protestant Northern Ireland as a part of the United Kingdom.

October 6, 2019October 16, 2019

Irish

Official languages of Ireland are Irish and English. If you travel on the island you don’t need to learn Irish, everybody will be able to talk to you in English (but it is always nice to know some words!). Every now and then you will probably hear somebody speaking Irish and most signs a bilingual. I didn’t experience any real problems because of that – only when I wanted to go by DART to Howth I was surprised that the destination of the train was Binn Éadair and I needed to get the clue that this is just another name for the same location.

October 6, 2019October 17, 2019

Iarnród Éireann

For two days I was travelling by bus through Ireland and Northern Ireland. And then on my way to Galway, Ireland, I decided that it was enough. Jammed into an uncomfortable bus I took my smartphone out of my pocket and booked a train ticket from Galway back to Dublin. Without registration on the website. With online payment. And with choosing a seat like in an aeroplane. One of the best decisions I made on this trip.

October 4, 2019April 19, 2022

Baile Átha Cliath

Dublin seen from Guinness Storehouse, Dublin

Dublin or Baile Átha Cliath in the Irish language is the capital city of Ireland. It is located on the river Liffey and not far away from the Irish sea. The name goes back to the Irish word Dubhlinn meaning ‘black pool’ referring to such a tidal pool near the Liffey. The city was first mentioned in the year 140 and in 842 the Vikings created an own settlement in the area. Its history is strongly connected to the history of the country and you can find traces of the Great Famine, the Easter Rising and the Irish independence war.

October 3, 2019October 17, 2019

Luas, busses and the DART

Getting around in Dublin, Ireland with public transport can be a bit confusing in the beginning but is quite simple once you know how to do it. The city feels like a beehive of different busses, but there are also tramways, the DART and normal trains. The first contact with public transport system will for sure be at the airport – where you can catch the busses 747 and 757 that bring you within 30 minutes on different routes to the city center.

October 3, 2019October 7, 2019

Superfluous flight

Most people might not get into the situation of not using a flight they booked. But what to do if this happens to you? Cancel it, get a refund – that might be the first thought. However pretty often flights are non-refundable. So why not just ignore the fact that you’re booked on a flight and just don’t do a check-in. That might be okay if it is the only flight you booked. If you’ve booked a flight back home afterwards or an onward journey within the same booking, not cancelling a superfluous flight segment can bring you in serious trouble.

September 29, 2019April 19, 2022

Wartburgstadt

Eisenach, Germany is the sixth largest city in the federal state of Thuringia. It is also called Wartburgstadt which is true in two senses: biggest highlight is the castle Wartburg high above the city; but it has also a long tradition in car manufacturing and the car once produced here was named Wartburg after the castle. It is a very green city with many parks and surrounded by vast forests.

September 28, 2019September 29, 2019

Martin Luther

When walking through Eisenach, Germany it is impossible to overlook its connection to Martin Luther. You can see a big statue of him on the Karlsplatz, you can visit a house where he was once living (Lutherhaus) and you can visit the Wartburg castle where he translated the Bible from Latin to German.