Today I have travelled from London to Hong Kong or the first leg of getting towards home. However, there was still a couple of hours this morning to take a walk. I headed into Kensington Gardens, which are connected to Hyde Park. I did not want to venture too far as the sky was overcast and wet clothes when heading to the airport is not ideal.
Kensington Gardens
There were a few interesting spots as I walked through Kensington Gardens. I spotted Royal Albert Hall, a lake with ducks and some statues.
Another feature that caught my eye was drawn to is the Albert Memorial. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert who died of typhoid in 1861.
Getting To The Airport
Getting to the airport turned out to be a much more involved than I imagined. The London subway system is overcrowded if nothing else. I left the hotel about 10 am expecting to be at the airport around quarter to eleven. Unfortunately, unlike the trip into town from the airport, it took close to an hour and a half. The biggest problem was queuing for a ticket, which took half an hour alone.
The Joy Of Flying
Even allowing for the delay in getting to the airport I had allowed plenty of time to get something to eat. I had expected little chance to eat lunch if I did not do so before leaving London. There was a 40-minute flight to Frankfurt, followed by a one hour stop over.
In the end, the flight to Frankfurt was delayed by 45 minutes, resulting in a missed connection to Hong Kong. It was not a big deal in the end, as Lufthansa rebooked me through to Hong Kong with a quick stop in Zurich. The only problem was a 2 hour stop over in Frankfurt, plus a flight to Zurich, before the flight to Hong Kong.
The flight from Frankfurt to Zurich turned out to be an interesting one. Originally it was delayed due to a storm in Zurich. However, we took off and soon we were landing in Zurich in a storm. The turbulence landing was probably the worst I have experienced. With the plane being shaken around like a box of Tic Tacs.
The dash from landing at Zurich to board the flight Hong Kong was quick. If you have ever tried finding a gate in an airport, you are not familiar with you will understand. I had to get from one terminal to another, via airport subway. Coming across a passport control point, not sure if it was the right way. But in the end arriving to be the second last to board the plane.
To Hong Kong
Finally, onboard the flight from Zurich to Hong Kong and I could relax. I got to watch a movie or two, but not too impressed with the Swiss Air onboard entertainment system. It very much lacked in choice compared to some of the other airlines I have travelled on this trip. I did take a chance to sleep a little bit of sleep but not a lot.
So I have now arrived into Hong Kong, only maybe three hours later than I expected. It truly does seem to be a city that doesn’t sleep. Even at 11 pm, there are people everywhere and plenty of traffic.
I have three days in Hong Kong and will be looking to make the most of my time. Unfortunately, there have not been a lot of pictures today. However, I suppose it would have been mostly airports and planes, and that is not very interesting.
