gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Posted (8 months 3 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 4711 times:
Va BeNe with Cityjet: RTM-LCY Fokker 50
(I hope you like the multilingual play on words! I’m quite pleased with it)
Hello again!
Some of you may have already noticed, but this report is out of place as I actually did this trip before my recent EDI-IOM-LCY flights. Still, here you are:
Following the rather nice Berlin Meet in June, I got talking to airbuseric about Cityjet (WX) ops out of RTM….a few drinks later, and it was decided, I’d come over to the Netherlands, and try out the Cityjet RTM-LCY service. I investigated flying KL/WX LCY-AMS, but the flights were a bit pricey fore my liking. Instead I decided to take the Eurostar. There are some pretty good fares for the train, and let you stop off enroute. As such, I decided to break my journey overnight in Antwerp (Belgium) where I caught up with MSS658 and sultanils.
As always, there are plenty of photos. Much like my last report, this one could probably be sold to the National Tourist board (but hasn’t).
Courtesy of GC Mapper:
And Googlemaps/paint!
First stop, St.Pancras International
Next stop, Bussels (with a stops in Ebbsfleet, Calais and Lille)
Welcome aboard! I booked a seat in the family compartment (thankfully there were no families in it), so I had plenty of space.
ITE (In train entertainment) in the form of a free magazine
BOB
From the journey…
The other side
Welcome to Brussels! Travel on Eurostar is just so effortless…if you’re going from London to Paris or Brussels, why even consider the plane?
Time for a very quick change to the regional train to Antwerp (continuing to Amsterdam)
And finally welcome to Antwerp! This would be my second trip, having done a return trip a few years ago, also on Cityjet.
A clean but boring room at the Ibis
Lots of jewellery shops here
As nice a city as Antwerp is, it was a bit dirty. Seems like there is a little bit of a litter problem here
You can’t go to Flanders without some chips!
And beer! Was great to catch up with Marc and Nils!
The next morning, I headed on to Amsterdam
Upon arrival, Airbuseric and I headed up to the very interesting (if not a bit overpriced) museum at Lelystad http://www.aviodrome.nl/). There was a great selection of aircraft to have a look at:
The best bit (in my opinion) was the B742 of KL, attached to the building via an airbridge attached to 4L. It was great to have a wonder around without having any passengers/staff to get in the way!
And a real Dutch aircraft
After Lelystad, we headed into Amsterdam for some sushi together with MEA-707.
Next day it was time for a trip to Gouda (of cheese fame). On Thursday mornings, there’s a market which was pretty interesting.
Some Dutch countryside
And the famous windmills of Kinderdijk.
From Kinderdijk it was over to The Hague for dunch on the beach
The next day, we trained down to Rotterdam. With a few hours to go before my flight, we headed down to the waterfront.
We caught a little boat across the harbour for a few drinks at the Hotel New York, the old HQ for the Holland Amerika Lijn.
After a great day in Rotterdam, I caught the bus to Rotterdam Airport
RTM is a nice regional airport, with just a handful of flights compared to her larger neighbour 30 miles to the North. Other than the CityJet flights to LCY, the airport is mostly no-frills holiday flights. This winter, BA will launch 3 daily LHR services, and LH will add flights to MUC.
The Arrivals board
When I got to the desk, there was no one around. A few minutes later, someone turned up and checked me in with a smile.
The airport is small and clean, with some rather upper-end looking furniture around the place, giving the airport a very boutique feel.
FIDS
By far my favourite feature is the outdoor bar/terrace area (half airside, half landside).
Time for a beer!
Plenty of English businesspeople enjoying a drink after work
The only other commercial activity is a Corendon flight from Turkey
Before long my Fokker landed, a little late due to some local weather issues.
OO-VLO “City of Manchester”
Boarding soon after a short weather delay
I walk back through the nice departures lounge and head to the gate
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 1, posted (8 months 3 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 4746 times:
July 2012
Rotterdam (RTM) – London City (LCY)
AF 5085, operated by Cityjet
Scheduled: 1900-1905 (1h05m)
Actual: 1936-1928 (0h52m)
Fokker 50 OO-VLO “City of Manchester”
Economy
VL.jpg" width="270" height="186" border="0"/>
Nice clean cabin, totally full as far as I can see.
With decent legroom
Once everyone’s aboard, the doors are shut, safety demo performed, and we’re off to London
Over Rotterdam Port, the city’s lifeblood
Twelve minutes after take off, and the trolley arrives….a nice sandwich, G&T and sparkling water. Perfect!
Not long after, chocolates are handed out
Twenty minutes after the first service I’m pleasantly surprised to see the trolley rolled to the front…another full service. Kudos to the excellent crew! They were very polite, concluding every interaction with “of course”, “please”, “Sir”….the SQ of Europe! Sadly the gin was gone, along with all the tonic. Vodka Orange please! I love that they use glass rather than plastic miniatures.
Before long, we’re descending into the Docklands
After a short taxi, we disembark into a sunny July evening.
Sadly, today would be the first time I’d come up against the now legendary immigration queues that seems to have spawned across the UK this summer. Annoyingly, there were 2 non-EU lines, and 4 EU lines. Given the make up of passengers, it should have been at 1-5 (which still would have been inadequate). Thankfully the queue only took 15 minutes. There was plenty of security around, no doubt ready to step in should angry passengers get rowdy with the staff. The guy that looked at my passport didn’t say a single word. I thought about grumbling about the queue, but then decided that he’d probably been hearing the same thing all day. Time for LCY to get a few more passport booths! Such a shame the UKBA has decided to abandon IRIS.
Thankfully my bag was waiting for me the other side of immigration, and I was on my way to the DLR.
Well, I had a lovey time in Belgium and the Netherlands. There are so many places to see, I wished I’d had more time. Thanks also to airbuseric for being such a good chauffeur and tour guide!
Cityjet were once again admirable in their task of shuttling business people around Europe, and supplying them with F&B with a smile. The flight was a little delayed, and immigration in LCY was slow, but that’s not really their fault. I look forward to flying with them again soon.
My next report will be the first in along long services. I leave next week for Asia, with the route looking something like this. I’ve not booked my return flights yet (or a lot of “local” ones) so who knows what it will look like in the end….
airbuseric From Netherlands, joined Jan 2005, 4015 posts, RR: 52 Reply 3, posted (8 months 3 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 4636 times:
Hi Gab,
great to read your view on your visit to me and my country. Time was short to show you around more, but who knows... maybe another time when the couch is still free
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I booked a seat in the family compartment (thankfully there were no families in it)
Oh tricky places on those trains
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): if you’re going from London to Paris or Brussels, why even consider the plane?
Not looking like a standard Ibis room indeed. I've seen much better ones
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Upon arrival, Airbuseric and I headed up to the very interesting (if not a bit overpriced)
Indeed, maybe one of the reasons that this museum/theme park is having trouble to make profit. And was closed already before. The collection is boring in general I think.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): After Lelystad, we headed into Amsterdam for some sushi together with MEA-707.
Great food, a lovely evening.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): We caught a little boat across the harbour for a few drinks at the Hotel New York,
Always, in Rotterdam. I must be on the watertaxi
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Before long my Fokker landed, a little late due to some local weather issues.
Such a hot day it was. The local thunder was around
You catched the Stene Line 10pm departure ferry for Harwich. Also the car vessel, leaving aroud 930pm also for Harwich every night.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): the SQ of Europe! Sadly the gin was gone, along with all the tonic. Vodka Orange please! I love that they use glass rather than plastic miniatures.
Great airline. I love Cityjet!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Thanks also to airbuseric for being such a good chauffeur and tour guide!
You're mostly welcome!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): My next report will be the first in along long services. I leave next week for Asia,
OMG so much interesting flying ahead of you! Enjoy the trip mate!
Eric
"The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going"
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 4, posted (8 months 3 weeks 9 hours ago) and read 4595 times:
Thanks for the comments guys!
Quoting airtrainer (Reply 2): Nice trip report as always Flying on the F50 from ANR is something I've had in mind for a while, too bad they are cancelling their flight to MAN...
Thanks. I didn't realise that they were dropping the ANR-MAN route.
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 3): great to read your view on your visit to me and my country. Time was short to show you around more, but who knows... maybe another time when the couch is still free
Ooh, another visit sounds good....
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 3): Not looking like a standard Ibis room indeed. I've seen much better ones
I know. I'm not a fan of those off bathrooms where the shower is in the beroom.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): The best bit (in my opinion) was the B742 of KL, attached to the building via an airbridge attached to 4L. It was great to have a wonder around without having any passengers/staff to get in the way!
That's cool! I like the fact that they had a proper jetway.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): My next report will be the first in along long services. I leave next week for Asia, with the route looking something like this. I’ve not booked my return flights yet (or a lot of “local” ones) so who knows what it will look like in the end….
Now that's something to look forward too! Will be great to read about it! Interesting to see LPA and DKR on there.
PlaneHunter From Germany, joined Mar 2006, 6191 posts, RR: 79 Reply 7, posted (8 months 3 weeks ago) and read 4217 times:
Hi Gabriel,
nice report about your little trip to Brussels. Cityjet still offers a good product, I'm looking forward to my first flights in October (LUX-LCY-DUB). The question is how long AF will support the Cityjet operations.
The F50s are still operated under the AOC of VLM, btw. Just read that a few days ago.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter):
My next report will be the first in along long services. I leave next week for Asia, with the route looking something like this. I’ve not booked my return flights yet (or a lot of “local” ones) so who knows what it will look like in the end….
That sounds very promising. Good to see numerous Chinese domestic flights on the map - and it seems you will also try LH's 748. J Class?
LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Reply 8, posted (8 months 3 weeks ago) and read 4161 times:
Hi there Mr. Chew, nice report!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): As such, I decided to break my journey overnight in Antwerp (Belgium) where I caught up with MSS658 and sultanils.
Sounds like a de ja vu from your last time in Belgium? Oh well at least Nils made it.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Welcome aboard! I booked a seat in the family compartment (thankfully there were no families in it), so I had plenty of space.
Hmm, train to me looks more like a slightly enhanced commuter train. Seats look comfy although a bit dated. Any info whether they will refurbish the trains?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Welcome to Brussels! Travel on Eurostar is just so effortless…if you’re going from London to Paris or Brussels, why even consider the plane?
Sure seems effortless. How long did the ride take?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): After Lelystad, we headed into Amsterdam for some sushi together with MEA-707.
Ah, at first glance I thought it was Rijsttafel. That would've made me quite jealous
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): The airport is small and clean, with some rather upper-end looking furniture around the place, giving the airport a very boutique feel.
Airport looks very similar to Kastrup I think.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I walk back through the nice departures lounge and head to the gate
Why look at that, the place does actually look like a 'proper' airport lounge. Those quaint looking wing-back chairs and floor light look almost as if they were taken straight from the BA Galleries!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Twelve minutes after take off, and the trolley arrives….a nice sandwich, G&T and sparkling water. Perfect!
Nice to see them keeping that proper high quality service of VLM despite becoming CityJet. Did they still use proper china cups, or did they change them to paper cups?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Sadly the gin was gone, along with all the tonic. Vodka Orange please!
Why not something more interesting like Bailey's & Coffee or Rum & Cola
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): My next report will be the first in along long services. I leave next week for Asia, with the route looking something like this.
Holy Jesus that's more flights than I thought! I'm very much looking forward to it!
"Wheels Up!"
//Jonas
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
lukeyboy95 From Papua New Guinea, joined Apr 2008, 951 posts, RR: 35 Reply 9, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 4121 times:
Gabriel...
You only proliferate the mystery! What do you do? How do you have so much time/ money to travel? Have you turned TRing into a career?
Wonderful and quaint report. Enjoyed it alot and good you could rendezvous with a few members en route.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): As nice a city as Antwerp is, it was a bit dirty. Seems like there is a little bit of a litter problem here
Oh come on! Man up... a few ciggy butts!?
RTM looks like a fantastic airport which clearly understands the clientèle and that they don't want a barrage of shops but instead nice classy areas to sit and have a drink. Where the prices quite high?
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 4): Twelve minutes after take off, and the trolley arrives….a nice sandwich, G&T and sparkling water. Perfect!
Now this is wonderful. I've a real soft spot for Cityjet. BA Cityflyer will have trouble keeping up here. Did you ask for doubles?
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 3):
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter):
Over Rotterdam Port, the city’s lifeblood
You catched the Stene Line 10pm departure ferry for Harwich. Also the car vessel, leaving aroud 930pm also for Harwich every night.
I thought I recognised that upsetting area where I couldn't get a hitch!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 8): Seats look comfy although a bit dated.
I would agree. They perhaps need to refurbish in the near term. I was happy to see a report on Eurostar which I think is greatly undervalued by the British public. The catering was definitely a little on the pricey side as I can hardly imagine your sandwich coming on a mahogany bread board.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 10, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 4103 times:
THanks for the comments!
Quoting debonair (Reply 5): Great service, at least one carrier that seems not to cost cutting...
Quoting debonair (Reply 5): But how long it will stay around- there are strong rumors that AF will sell off this loss making airline at the end of this year...
I hadn't realised they were loosing so much money. Hope they survive
Quoting deltamartin (Reply 6): That's cool! I like the fact that they had a proper jetway.
Yes, that was cool
Quoting deltamartin (Reply 6): Now that's something to look forward too! Will be great to read about it! Interesting to see LPA and DKR on there.
Indeed, I thought that was an interesting route
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 7): The F50s are still operated under the AOC of VLM, btw. Just read that a few days ago.
Thanks for the info. VLM lives on!
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 7): That sounds very promising. Good to see numerous Chinese domestic flights on the map - and it seems you will also try LH's 748. J Class?
Yes, lots of domestics. Hopefully the 748 will be in F
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 8): Hi there Mr. Chew, nice report!
Thanks Jonas
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 8): Hmm, train to me looks more like a slightly enhanced commuter train. Seats look comfy although a bit dated. Any info whether they will refurbish the trains?
No idea baout refurbishment. They are a bit long in the tooth
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 8): Sure seems effortless. How long did the ride take?
2 hours. In Brussels, you just walk off the platform into the station.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 8): Hmm, I'm starting to believe that all Ibis hotels look like that. Quite boring, and charmless. No other 'nicer' hotels around in the same price range?
Nothing in that area
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 8): Nice to see them keeping that proper high quality service of VLM despite becoming CityJet. Did they still use proper china cups, or did they change them to paper cups?
Sadly just paper/plastic
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 8): Why not something more interesting like Bailey's & Coffee or Rum & Cola
I don't think they do rum, and I like screwdrivers!
MEA-707 From Netherlands, joined Nov 1999, 4117 posts, RR: 37 Reply 11, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 4034 times:
Hi Gabriel, nice to read about the whole trip and that Eric showed you around a bit.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Upon arrival, Airbuseric and I headed up to the very interesting (if not a bit overpriced) museum at Lelystad
You English are spoiled with free museums. But indeed I think single museum visits are overpriced. Every other year I buy a Museum year card for about 35 euro and you can visit all museums all year long. Tourist usually are not aware that they can earn back the card with even 3 museum visits only.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Twelve minutes after take off, and the trolley arrives….a nice sandwich, G&T and sparkling water. Perfect!
still nice, although they were even better when still named VLM, with full trays with salads and desserts.
Quokkas From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 12, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 3960 times:
Hi Gabriel,
As soon as I saw F50 I had to click. Another interesting trip report with plenty of photos of the places visited.
If you (and DeltaMartin) like the F50, we still have some operating here in Western Australia. Check out Skywest which operates a fleet of F50, F100 and one A320.
Hey, people still wear klompen? Or is that just for the tourists? Now I do like a good piece of cheese.
The set up at the museum in Lelystad looks good. I note that they have more than one aircraft that carried the name "De Vliegende Hollander". I once rode on a funicular railway train that has the same name in South Africa.
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 1): every interaction with “of course”, “please”, “Sir”….the SQ of Europe!
Good manners count for a lot. And good to see that they use real glass, the only decent way to serve any cold drink. Shame about running out of your trade mark G&T.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 13, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 3926 times:
Quoting lukeyboy95 (Reply 9): You only proliferate the mystery! What do you do? How do you have so much time/ money to travel? Have you turned TRing into a career?
Hmm, well I'll keep the mystery goign a little longer, although you're welcome to guess.
Quoting lukeyboy95 (Reply 9): Wonderful and quaint report. Enjoyed it alot and good you could rendezvous with a few members en route.
Thanks!
Quoting lukeyboy95 (Reply 9): Oh come on! Man up... a few ciggy butts!?
It was a lot more that the butts, but I didn't want to fil the entire report with photos of Belgian rubbish!
Quoting lukeyboy95 (Reply 9): RTM looks like a fantastic airport which clearly understands the clientèle and that they don't want a barrage of shops but instead nice classy areas to sit and have a drink. Where the prices quite high?
They were reasonable enough. I think about EUR4/5 for a beer
TBH, I can't remember. I only got one, but whether that was because I only asked for 1, or was shot down, I couldn't say
Quoting lukeyboy95 (Reply 9): Cheers Gabs and go easy on your Asia trip!
Thanks Luke!
Quoting MEA-707 (Reply 11): Hi Gabriel, nice to read about the whole trip and that Eric showed you around a bit.
Thanks
Quoting MEA-707 (Reply 11): You English are spoiled with free museums. But indeed I think single museum visits are overpriced. Every other year I buy a Museum year card for about 35 euro and you can visit all museums all year long. Tourist usually are not aware that they can earn back the card with even 3 museum visits only.
I know, I love free museums.I think non-EU (or maybe EU too) should pay to get into British ones.
Quoting MEA-707 (Reply 11): And not to forget the nice companionship.
Of course!
Quoting Quokkas (Reply 12): Another interesting trip report with plenty of photos of the places visited.
Thanks!
Quoting Quokkas (Reply 12): Hey, people still wear klompen? Or is that just for the tourists? Now I do like a good piece of cheese.
No, just for the tourists! The cheese was good!
Quoting Quokkas (Reply 12): Good manners count for a lot. And good to see that they use real glass, the only decent way to serve any cold drink. Shame about running out of your trade mark G&T.
Yes, shame about the lack of G&Ts....hardly suprising on a Friday evening flight back to London!
rogerbcn From Andorra, joined Sep 2006, 1135 posts, RR: 19 Reply 14, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 19 hours ago) and read 3894 times:
Hola Gabriel!
Great TR on your trip to Belgium and the Netherlands.
Antwerpen was my favorite city in my trip to Belgium, I thought it was the most lively and interesting of the ones I visited on my Emperor Charles I (Spanish denomination) / Charles V (German den.) route: Gant, Brugge, Brussels and Antwerpen.
The trip on the Eurostar reminds me of the first time I used it, I have by now crossed the Channel by plane, ferry, hovercraft (many years ago) and train... next time: swimming I thought it was a great trip, really handy, convenient, comfortable and easy to go from London to Brussels / Paris, or anywhere in between where it stops.
Great pictures of the Aviodrome at Lelystad, really going into an old KL B742 is a great thing without any one getting on your way to take pictures and being able to imagine you are flying somewhere without getting your feet off the ground.
Rotterdam looks a very modern city and really nice, take it down for next trips to the Netherlands.
RTM seems a nice small quiet airport despite the bunch of flights to holiday destinations during the summer, HV has a flight to Barcelona, even in winter, so a convenient way to go to the Netherlands if you want to skip Schiphol. Surprised to see the flights to EIN, is that a repositioning of aircraft? I assume so, as it seems to be not the most convenient when visiting the Netherlands with such a beautiful countryside.
Finally, Cityjet seems to offer a more than adequate service on this short hop, I guess the competition of Eurostar is hard to beat. On distances up to four hours the train becomes the preferred option by passengers. High-speed rail has already beaten BCN-MAD shuttle by traffic percentage 60% to 40%, 2h30min. on the non-stop service.
Opposite to BA, on your last trip report IOM-LCY, they did not close the bar early, so your second gin-tonic, well vodka-orange was granted by the crew. Congratulations!
It is always nice to fly and meet a.netters, especially if they take you on a tour over the country. Really great hosts!
Your next adventure seems to be quite on the other side, as far as length and countries are concerned. Really looking forward to that.
Salut!
Roger
"At reise er at leve" H.C. Andersen (Travelling is Living)
roberts87 From Netherlands, joined Dec 2011, 660 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 18 hours ago) and read 3827 times:
Nice report as usual! Seems like you did some of the more touristy things in Holland, glad you enjoyed it!
And as said, it was a nice teaser for my own upcoming RTM-LCY flight.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Time for a very quick change to the regional train to Antwerp (continuing to Amsterdam)
Was that the OBB (Austrian) trainset? Nice that you got a ride on that one. There's only one of them I believe, the other trains are ran by Dutch trainsets, and I find the OBB ones to be much more comfortable.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): And finally welcome to Antwerp! This would be my second trip, having done a return trip a few years ago, also on Cityjet.
Something more for me to read
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): After Lelystad, we headed into Amsterdam for some sushi together with MEA-707.
Looks good! Remember the name of the place
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Once everyone’s aboard, the doors are shut, safety demo performed, and we’re off to London
FlyingFinn76 From Finland, joined Jun 2009, 1705 posts, RR: 41 Reply 16, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 18 hours ago) and read 3795 times:
Hi Gabs,
Good to read (and see the beautiful pictures) from your little Bene-jaunt (see, I can do it too!). Nice with the multiple a.net meets all along the way and of course kudos to Eric for showing some genuine Dutch hospitality!
Looks like you got lucky with the weather too!
The Eurostar is somewhere on my todo list, let's see when I manage to do it. I'd probably go to Lille as I've always wanted to go there and it isn't too convenient to reach by air these days.
I flew VLM once before it was absorbed by CityJet, LCY-AMS and was likewise impressed with the great service and especially the classy interiors and the excellent seats on the Fokker. Good to see that the service is still up there with the best of them. Then again the CityJet service is still very classy too so maybe they were the perfect match for each other!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): (I hope you like the multilingual play on words! I’m quite pleased with it)
Sorry, don't like it. You should consult Nils, the master of puns the next time!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): There are some pretty good fares for the train, and let you stop off enroute.
I got inspiration to check the fares based on this - yes, those 39 GBP ones do look quite attractive, shame about the 6AM departure though.
That name always crack me up - why is the pancreas such an important organ that it has been made a saint?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Welcome aboard! I booked a seat in the family compartment (thankfully there were no families in it), so I had plenty of space.
I tend to book the compartments on VR Intercity trains too, there's usually quite a good chance that you'll be there on your own unless it is really full.
Those seats look nice, they remind me of the first class seats of the older TGV trains.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Welcome to Brussels! Travel on Eurostar is just so effortless…if you’re going from London to Paris or Brussels, why even consider the plane?
Errr, frequent flyer miles? Free booze in the lounges? Filling in the flugstatistik.de map? Catching a widebody?
Hey, this is an *exact* carbon copy of the room in the Krakow Ibis Budget I stayed in a month ago! Quite scary actually since every single item is in the same place and looks exactly the same. I quite like chain hotels but this is a bit too sterile. They should have some invidiuality.
I paid 33 EUR for my room with breakfast, how much was this?
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): As nice a city as Antwerp is, it was a bit dirty. Seems like there is a little bit of a litter problem here
Those are fries! Chips are the think salty stuff sold in bags which you people tend to flavor with vinegar!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): The best bit (in my opinion) was the B742 of KL, attached to the building via an airbridge attached to 4L. It was great to have a wonder around without having any passengers/staff to get in the way!
Nice, a great idea with the jetbridge! Nice shot of Eric too .
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Next day it was time for a trip to Gouda (of cheese fame). On Thursday mornings, there’s a market which was pretty interesting.
Hah, how many Dutch stereotypes can you find in those pictures.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): The airport is small and clean, with some rather upper-end looking furniture around the place, giving the airport a very boutique feel.
The wooden floor and furniture make it look like Arlanda.
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Twenty minutes after the first service I’m pleasantly surprised to see the trolley rolled to the front…another full service.
Did they offer a second sandwich? They seem to do this very often at CityJet.
jwhite9185 From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 721 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 3729 times:
Nice read Gab,
The Eurostar looks no different to when I went on it 10 years ago... except the free mag and the fact it no longer departs from Waterloo.
The aviation museum looks interesting... seems to have half of KLM's retired fleet there. Impressive that they have the whole 747 there though and not just a nose section like many other places.
And wow your next trip looks impressive - I knew you were heading out to Asia, but didn't realise it was such a trip - although I guess it wouldn't be like you to go all that way and not stop off in a whole load of places along the way!! Look forward to reading about that one...
lukeyboy95 From Papua New Guinea, joined Apr 2008, 951 posts, RR: 35 Reply 18, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 3625 times:
I took the second read of this report to appreciate what a sleek and interesting looking aircraft the little pug-nosed Fokker 50 is. I am getting lured into this 'must get on a ...(fill with desired aircraft)... ' culture of Anet and that has gone quite highly on my list.
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 13): Hmm, well I'll keep the mystery goign a little longer, although you're welcome to guess.
You're the one the airlines are paying for favourable reviews!
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 13): It was a lot more that the butts, but I didn't want to fil the entire report with photos of Belgian rubbish!
Well... stranger things have happened. People fill reports with the blurry leading edge of aeroplane wings...
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 13): TBH, I can't remember. I only got one, but whether that was because I only asked for 1, or was shot down, I couldn't say
I am wondering. Perhaps buoyed by the earlier Leffe you might have made the request. I mean you do have to keep the stash topped up. But if they came round anyway with seconds then that is all good.
Oh and the weakest part of this report was your hand-drawn google map! All those G&T's and SQ champer rounds must be giving you the shakes!! haha
Cheers Gabs. Might give you a shout on thoughts about a future itinerary.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 20, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 3530 times:
Quoting rogerbcn (Reply 14): Great TR on your trip to Belgium and the Netherlands.
Gracias Roger!
Quoting rogerbcn (Reply 14):
The trip on the Eurostar reminds me of the first time I used it, I have by now crossed the Channel by plane, ferry, hovercraft (many years ago) and train... next time: swimming
Ha, would love to swim the Channel one day!
Quoting rogerbcn (Reply 14): Rotterdam looks a very modern city and really nice, take it down for next trips to the Netherlands.
Yes, it;s a great city. Don't miss the Hague too
Quoting rogerbcn (Reply 14): Surprised to see the flights to EIN, is that a repositioning of aircraft?
I guess it must be
Quoting rogerbcn (Reply 14): Finally, Cityjet seems to offer a more than adequate service on this short hop, I guess the competition of Eurostar is hard to beat. On distances up to four hours the train becomes the preferred option by passengers. High-speed rail has already beaten BCN-MAD shuttle by traffic percentage 60% to 40%, 2h30min. on the non-stop service.
The train really is much more sensible over short distances
Quoting rogerbcn (Reply 14): It is always nice to fly and meet a.netters, especially if they take you on a tour over the country. Really great hosts!
Quoting roberts87 (Reply 15): Seems like you did some of the more touristy things in Holland, glad you enjoyed it!
Yes, great country
Quoting roberts87 (Reply 15): Was that the OBB (Austrian) trainset? Nice that you got a ride on that one. There's only one of them I believe, the other trains are ran by Dutch trainsets, and I find the OBB ones to be much more comfortable.
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 16): The Eurostar is somewhere on my todo list, let's see when I manage to do it. I'd probably go to Lille as I've always wanted to go there and it isn't too convenient to reach by air these days.
I'm surprised you haven't done it yet
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 16): I got inspiration to check the fares based on this - yes, those 39 GBP ones do look quite attractive, shame about the 6AM departure though.
Book further in advance and you get better timed depaertures
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 16): That name always crack me up - why is the pancreas such an important organ that it has been made a saint?
Ha, it annoys me so much when tourists talk about "St.Pancreas!".
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 16): Errr, frequent flyer miles? Free booze in the lounges? Filling in the flugstatistik.de map? Catching a widebody?
The queues? The ATC delays? The over zealous security? The angry/stressed staff? The "fuel/security" surcharge? The 100ml rule?
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 16): I paid 33 EUR for my room with breakfast, how much was this?
£44 w/o breakfast
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 16): Hah, how many Dutch stereotypes can you find in those pictures.
Not enough!
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 16): Did they offer a second sandwich? They seem to do this very often at CityJet.
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 17): The aviation museum looks interesting... seems to have half of KLM's retired fleet there. Impressive that they have the whole 747 there though and not just a nose section like many other places.
Yes, was great to have the whole thing
Quoting lukeyboy95 (Reply 18): You're the one the airlines are paying for favourable reviews!
I wish
Quoting lukeyboy95 (Reply 18): Oh and the weakest part of this report was your hand-drawn google map! All those G&T's and SQ champer rounds must be giving you the shakes!! haha
Oi! Do you have any idea how hard it is to draw a straight line on paint with a laptop mouse!?
Quoting reifel (Reply 19): Thanks for sharing, you are embarking in quite an asian adventure aparently Can't wait to read the reports...
Knightsofmalta From Malta, joined Nov 2005, 1415 posts, RR: 17 Reply 21, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 3477 times:
Hi Gabriel
Interesting report. And as a linguist I salute you for coming up with such a funky multilingual title!
Anyway, I'm rather fond of these intermodal transport trip reports so it was interesting to see the Eurostar featuring in your report. One thing I'm never quite sure about though, is whether the Eurostar is the same type of train as the TGV, it kind of looks similar but the cockpit windows are a bit different I think.
But turning to the Aviation part, I'm must say I'm quite impressed and more than just a bit surprised by the level of service provided by Cityjet. It's rather confusing though how the aircraft are Air France branded on the outside but then the service on board is so much more superior to anything Air France has on offer on a flight of similar duration. It's all the more confusing seeing as the flight appears to operate under an Air France flight number and not a Cityjet one.
FlyingFinn76 From Finland, joined Jun 2009, 1705 posts, RR: 41 Reply 22, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 3471 times:
Hi William,
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 21): One thing I'm never quite sure about though, is whether the Eurostar is the same type of train as the TGV, it kind of looks similar but the cockpit windows are a bit different I think.
The777Man From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 6083 posts, RR: 56 Reply 23, posted (8 months 2 weeks 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 3379 times:
Hi Gabriel!
Thanks for a great report with great pictures ! I LOVE THE THE TITLE! Best of the year!
It seems you had a really nice time in the Netherlands and Antwerpen!
Flight on the way back is very impressive service wise with two service runs on that fairly short flight.
Very much looking forward to your upcoming reports; looks very promising!
The777Man
Need a Boeing 777 Firing Order....Further to fly....GA, T5, CI and LX 777s
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 21): And as a linguist I salute you for coming up with such a funky multilingual title!
Thank you William!
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 21): Anyway, I'm rather fond of these intermodal transport trip reports so it was interesting to see the Eurostar featuring in your report. One thing I'm never quite sure about though, is whether the Eurostar is the same type of train as the TGV, it kind of looks similar but the cockpit windows are a bit different I think.
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 22):
It is basically a somewhat different version of the TGV (which itself comes in many generational versions).
Thank you Mr.Finn!
Quoting Knightsofmalta (Reply 21): But turning to the Aviation part, I'm must say I'm quite impressed and more than just a bit surprised by the level of service provided by Cityjet. It's rather confusing though how the aircraft are Air France branded on the outside but then the service on board is so much more superior to anything Air France has on offer on a flight of similar duration. It's all the more confusing seeing as the flight appears to operate under an Air France flight number and not a Cityjet one.
Other than the AF number, it seems to have nothing to do with AF in flight, which is good I guess
Quoting The777Man (Reply 23):
Thanks for a great report with great pictures !
No problem
Quoting The777Man (Reply 23): I LOVE THE THE TITLE! Best of the year!
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Quoting The777Man (Reply 23): It seems you had a really nice time in the Netherlands and Antwerpen!
Yes, had a great time
Quoting The777Man (Reply 23): Flight on the way back is very impressive service wise with two service runs on that fairly short flight.
Yes, great service on WX
Quoting The777Man (Reply 23): Very much looking forward to your upcoming reports; looks very promising!
Yes, the routings are still being finalised, but should be exciting!
sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 1188 posts, RR: 29 Reply 26, posted (8 months 2 weeks 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2977 times:
Hello Gab,
How can this report not be nice as it includes a visit to the bustling countries of Belgium and The Netherlands? It’s as well encouraging to see that there are still airlines like Cityjet around, who not only have quite attractive fares but who also master the art of providing decent service, even on short flights. Two thumbs up!
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): Twenty minutes after the first service I’m pleasantly surprised to see the trolley rolled to the front…another full service. Kudos to the excellent crew!
A perfect example of the outstanding service that this airline provides. And that on such a short flight [thumbsup}
Quoting gabrielchew (Thread starter): I leave next week for Asia, with the route looking something like this.
FLIEGER67 From Turkey, joined Sep 2003, 4391 posts, RR: 57 Reply 28, posted (8 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 2836 times:
Hey, Gab,
nice to follow you´re impressions about Belgium and the Netherlands.
Sure interesting to visit, especially with good companion along the whole way.
Good to see also CityJet doing well here on this route.
There is also a F50 story on the company to write in the backlog.
MSS658 From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2212 posts, RR: 14 Reply 29, posted (8 months 2 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 2755 times:
Hi Gab
Great trip report, Thanks for sharing.
It was great meeting you again in Antwerp. We had a great time.
Great pics of our Northern neigbours as well. Lelystad does look interesting
Cityjet/VLM looks quite good as well, compared to its competitors on the route.
adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 782 posts, RR: 2 Reply 30, posted (8 months 2 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 2616 times:
Hi there Gabriel,
Another fantastic report, great to see those "touristy" pictures of my home land, enjoyed them very much.
Eurostar is another great way to cross the pond, have taken them twice and enjoyed the ride
The aviodrome is a place I haven''t visited in a while. Seeing those pictures sure makes me want to visit again soon!
And then CityJet, they look great. Definetely want tot try them some time soon!
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