Back home again for about 12 days, flying QATAR Airways to Doha (DOH) and Amsterdam (AMS), stopping over in Amsterdam and then flying on to Marseilles (MRS) with AIR FRANCE.
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| QR A388 |
D1- 09-10/03/2016. Waiting at the THAI lounge at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The first leg of the trip goes from Bangkok (BKK) to DOHA (DOH) aboard an Airbus A380-800 of QATAR Airways (QR).
The upper deck rear cabin was full today. At check-in, I was upgraded to the front row (25K), giving more space for legs. The service was not as good as usual, perhaps due to the fact there were too many passengers. The flight did not leave on scheduled time but arrived right on time after a 6:45 flight from BKK. On this trip, they serve a snack after take-off and breakfast before landing. However, due to a series of turbulences, there was no coffee served at breakfast. In the middle of the night, there was a verbal row between two passengers, which compelled the crew to interfere and lodge a report! Anyway, I was able to get some sleep on this leg of the journey.
The upper deck rear cabin was full today. At check-in, I was upgraded to the front row (25K), giving more space for legs. The service was not as good as usual, perhaps due to the fact there were too many passengers. The flight did not leave on scheduled time but arrived right on time after a 6:45 flight from BKK. On this trip, they serve a snack after take-off and breakfast before landing. However, due to a series of turbulences, there was no coffee served at breakfast. In the middle of the night, there was a verbal row between two passengers, which compelled the crew to interfere and lodge a report! Anyway, I was able to get some sleep on this leg of the journey.
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| Bangkok to Doha air route |
Hamad International Airport, DOHA- I have been through this airport so many times already that I now almost feel at home there. As I had a couple of hours here before the next flight, I went to the Qatar Airways Privilege lounge. There were not many passengers there this morning. Good enough to relax, get some coffee, shave and update my Emails and my Blog.
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| QR 'Dreamliner' |
The aircraft left on time and arrived a little ahead of schedule. Fine weather along the air route. Breakfast was served after take-off and a snack was provided before landing. On my seat row, there was no passenger next to me, so this provided a more comfortable flight. Qatar Airways provide WiFi in the air and this time I used it for a while. The route passed over the snow-capped mountains of northwest Iran, then above the lake of Van in Turkey and more snow-capped ranges until it reached the Black Sea towards Romania. This flight lasted 6:20. Surprisingly, the weather was bright and sunny over the Netherlands.
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| QR route from Doha (DOH) to Amsterdam (AMS) |
AMSTERDAM
It is easy to go from Schiphol Airport to the Central Station in downtown Amsterdam. It only takes about 10 to 15 minutes. I chose a small hotel near the station. It was an easy walk. Consequently, by 2:00 PM, I was ready to go and take a walking tour of Amsterdam.For tourists, Amsterdam is a must-see a city for its canal boat trips and all its fine museums (the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum, the Rembrandt museum or Anne Frank's house). But I had already been to these places before. This time, I wanted to rediscover 'the Venice of the North' for its own charming atmosphere at a simple self-walking pace with my cameras. I had planned my visit in advance so that I had an idea of where I wanted to head to and see.I enjoyed it quaint, narrow streets, its bicycle traffic, it quietness, the beauty of the shaded canals lined with fine gabled houses. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. I needed some inspiration for one of my next article and indeed, I got it.
Today, the series of pictures I've added will simply express my feelings as I trudged aimlessly along streets and canals.
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| House façades |
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| Downtown canal |
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| Colorful house row |
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| Houseboat |
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| Drawbridge |
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| On the bank of a canal |
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| Central rail station |
After breakfast, I go for a walk in the area west of the hotel. It is cool but another fine day is welcoming the morning rising the sun. This section of Amsterdam is really lovely with great reflections over the many canals. I walked as far as Anne Frank's House & Museum, where a long queue of visitors is already in place. There is an interesting museum nearby, called the Amsterdam Tulip Museum. Here is the story was written on this museum:
Amsterdam Tulip Museum
From the sultans of the Ottoman Empire and Dutch merchants of the Golden Age to gardeners today, the tulip has captivated people around the world for centuries. This fascinating flower has inspired artists and brought great wealth – and at times, economic ruin – to those who have fallen under its spell. Explore the tulip's unique history and discover its remarkable journey from the wilds of the Himalayan highlands to a garden like yours.
--> Amsterdam Tulip Museum |
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| Marseilles-Provence hub |
Schiphol International Airport is a fine, modern airport. The best feature is the security. It is done very orderly in a civilized manner as if it was a check-in counter. The domestic section has many cafés and some interesting shops.
The AF flight from Amsterdam (AMS) to Marseilles (MRS) is operated by Air France with an A319. The aircraft leaves and arrives right on time. The flight lasts 1:30. Before getting to MRS, we fly along the snow-capped range of the Alps.
Once at Marseille-Provence Airport, there is another passport control due to the current Schengen restrictions.
My sister is waiting for me and we leave straight away to drive to Arles under a bright sun.
D3 to D5 - 12 to 14/03. ARLES.
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| St.Guilhem square |
D6 - 15/03. Languedoc: Clermont l'Hérault, St. Guilhem-le-Désert, Le Grau-du-Roi.
A bright and mild sunny day spent in the Languedoc province north of Montpellier with my sister and brother-in-law. We left Arles at 8:00 AM via the Camargue and reached Clermont l'Hérault by 10:00 AM. As it was a fine day, we drove to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert via the Pont du Diable (the Devil's Bridge), the gorges de l'Hérault and the entrance to Grotte de Clamousse (Cave of Clamousse). We had our lunch al fresco on the main village square under a 150-years old plane-tree.
On the way back to Arles, we stopped at Grau-du-Roi for a while.
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| Goat cheese salad for lunch |
D10 - 19/03. Lunch at Les Baux-de-Provence.
D11 - 20/03. Last day in Arles. Afternoon departure by train to Marseille-Provence Airport and overnight at IBIS-Airport hotel.
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| Evening view from the 5h F of IBIS-Airport hotel. |
D12 - Due to the air controller's strike, I was at the airport by 5:00AM to check whether I could catch the first flight to Amsterdam. This was probably the right move as I was able to board this first flight instead of the second, which was already delayed.
Flight 1: Marseilles [MRS] - Amsterdam [AMS]. The flight operated by Air France with an A319 lasted 1:30.
Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam: Qatar Airways business lounge.
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| Schiphol lounge |
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| Seat 2A |
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| Business class cabin |
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| Entrée |
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| Thai green curry |
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| Ice-cream with an expresso |
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| QR A388 |
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| A388 business class cabin on the upper deck. |
- End of this 12-days' trip -
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