This
blog continues the previous Part 4,
As
mentioned I bought a cheap ticket from Taiwan to Hong Kong and from Hong Kong
to Brussels. Why did I choose this particular airline? Because this particular
airline has around 10 flights between the former British colony and the
'Beautiful Island' or Formosa. This comes in very handy in case
of Typhoons, which are quite common during the summer holidays, and all
other related weather problems.
Once we
had the 'pleasure' to experience the very chaotic and slow service (someone
called the personnel the 'Koalas of Asia' due to the 'speed' of
the workers) when we were trapped in the Manila Ninoy Aquino
Airport due to a Typhoon for three (!) days. Since then I would rather pay a
premium and pay attention to a proper flight connection than to choose
Philippine Airlines.
And
indeed, when I checked in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport the lady at the
check-in counter told me that there is some turbulence to be expected in Hong
Kong. Therefore they decided to put me on a flight one hour earlier (!) than
planned so that I would not miss my connection flight to Brussels. This
information might for some people be a hassle but for me it was a kind of
expected and a relief.
|
 |
Aircraft
Museum near Taoyuan International Airport with the Taiwanese, not the Mainland Chinese, Flag!
|
The flight went smooth without the feared turbulence' to Hong Kong but I had not only to wait one hour longer. The plane delayed due to 'late passengers' 1/2 hour! This actually happens in my experience often In Hong Kong. During both of my three flights to Australia with my family I faced the same problem:
- we were running (!) to our connection flights due to the long safety
checks and the nature of the large airport (long ways).
- a few minutes before the flight the gate changes and we had to run again.
Before the flight to Brussels the gate changed, as the years before, to a very remote location within the airport. Some passengers did not take notice and therefore let all other passengers wait. Finally we took off, around 40 minutes after schedule.
Before the flight to Brussels the gate changed, as the years before, to a very remote location within the airport. Some passengers did not take notice and therefore let all other passengers wait. Finally we took off, around 40 minutes after schedule.
 |
Inside
Hong Kong International Airport
|
Long before
I flew to from Taiwan to Europe the planes took a route over Southeast Asia across the Middle East and
then into Europe; this took around 14 hours. At that night we flew
over Mainland China and Russia (!) and arrived in Brussels after only
12 hours, a total saving of around 2 hours (!) over the previous route!
On the plane I had a nice place without any front passenger
right beside the window. I had two young passengers as neighbors but we had a
serious language barrier. They spoke Flemish and no English at all. I can not
speak Flemish, a kind of Dutch dialect spoken in Belgium. So I had a quiet
time. Thankfully most Belgians I met during my trip put some more effort to
break the language barrier and tried to communicate sometimes even with their
hands!
When buying the ticket I've ordered vegetarian food. I was
one of the first who got the 'special meal' with some red wine while the other
passengers had to wait. When I was finished their food arrived! It feels great
to be treated differently in economy class...
 |
My Vegetarian Food on my Flight to Brussels
|
It is actually a kind of strange feeling
when you fly in a dark plane when outside the sun is shining before a very blue
sky!
I started watching Henry
Fonda's '12 angry men (十二怒漢), later 'Bay Watch' (海灘救護隊) with 'the Rock' Dwayne Johnson and half of Robert De Niro's Taxi
Driver (計程車司機). Strangely there is not much music but many films to choose
from...
Arriving at Brussels Airport we
had a delay of around 30 minutes in the early morning. When I left the airplane
I already smelled the early fresh and dry air of Belgium. I closed my eyes and
inhaled the very different air!
I passed the customs without any problems.
There were a big line for non-EU citizens and one empty line for EU citizens
which I took with my German passport. The female police officer asked me where
I came from and he wished me a pleasant stay in Belgium! I don't understand why
people are still against the European Union! Of course there are problems but
is the EU not the step in the right direction?
My luggage arrived without
problems and I was ready to leave the airport! I could have taken the
train or bus to Brussels but I preferred to walk. I wanted to see and
experience the country I would stay for the next three weeks immediately! So I
decided to depend on my own two legs and could check if the luggage
(sports bag & camera bag) would work as planned. Thankfully it did!
Leaving the airport I came
immediately to notice and appreciate the road system in Belgium. Even for bikes
and pedestrians there are road numbers marked clearly with signs beside the
road. If you know the road numbers and the destination you would find your
destination without problems. How much time and effort has gone into the system
to give the citizens a better way to commute? I can only imagine and don't
understand why other governments do not want to serve their citizens in the
same way...
 |
Road Signs in Belgium near the Airport
|
My reservation for the hotel was for the
evening; I had around 8 hours time to find it! So I was not much in a hurry and
took the chance to have a good look! As I was walking I noticed a Chinese
following my steps. When I took some photos he caught up and we started to
communicate. He was working for DHL in China somewhere and was sent by the
company to work for DHL near the airport to gain international experience. The
Mainlander wanted to check out the environment and decided to walk like me. He
did not depend on his instinct or sense of direction but rather relied on his
smartphone and Google Maps. After some discussions and corrections that Taiwan
is not a part of China and Chinese in general do not want to talk clearly and
not cooperate but rather order others we not much later separated. He took a
left turn and I continued to walk straight to Schaerbeek or Schaarbeek (斯哈爾貝克), already a
suburb of Brussels.
(to be continued @ https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/07/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_27.html)
Disclaimer: I traveled Belgium by myself, I am not sponsored by anyone. Interested subscribers and/or followers in traveling an in this small but beautiful country are more than welcome! If not convenient to subscribe on Blogger.com, I've started my own homepage @ https://gerhardwanninger.wixsite.com/travel
Disclaimer: I traveled Belgium by myself, I am not sponsored by anyone. Interested subscribers and/or followers in traveling an in this small but beautiful country are more than welcome! If not convenient to subscribe on Blogger.com, I've started my own homepage @ https://gerhardwanninger.wixsite.com/travel
No comments:
Post a Comment