For Starters...
Ever since terminal three at Changi opened its doors, i've not been able to help but think that it looks pretty much deserted most of the time. Granted that my flight was scheduled for 2:20am so the terminal was bound to look less populated than it might otherwise be, but nevertheless it seems to me that especially with the opening of the terminal more or less coinciding with the general downturn in global air travel (particularly with regards to middle to long-distance flights which are the ones that tend to depart from T3 in the first place), white elephant talk unavoidably may come up from time to time. That being said, that's not to take away from the fact that T3 is one impressive terminal, within one impressive airport, something that became all the more apparent after arriving at the next two airports for the first time...
Qatar Airways is actually a rather good airline, and is by all means worthy of the Skytrax five star ranking that has also gone to the likes of SQ and Cathay Pacific. While i may question the excess, i thought that it was quite a neat touch for them to provide placemats for every meal they serve. And it's nice to hear the cabin crew, to the best of my perceptions, speaking in authentic and non-contrived English accents, unlike many of their counterparts in SQ and Tiger Airways (the worst yet).
Where Qatar Airways does lose out, however, is in their airhub. Doha International Airport, is, for all intents and purposes, a rather dreadful place. When stepping into their duty free shopping area, i felt a strange sense of déjà vu, and it soon hit me that this was because i had stepped into a similar environment less than twenty-four hours earlier, which was when i headed to Mustafa Centre to buy some souvenirs. Yes, the same sense of claustrophobia came over me, as i scowled at the messy floors, the too-close-together display counters and the hoards of people. The only difference from Mustafa? Perhaps that the prices of stuff was at least a good two times more expensive.. The washrooms too were by far the worst i've ever encountered in any airport (though admittedly upon first glance at some other airports i automatically decide to not even attempt to use their facilities and instead hold it for the plane/hotel) - or as Jeff Albertson, a.k.a. the Comic Book Guy would succinctly put it, "Worst. Airport toilets. Ever!". If i were to put any positive spin on the airport, is that they, like T3 at Changi, do try to bring in some natural settings into the terminal itself. Unfortunately, while at Changi they do so by installing lush greenery throughout the area, in Doha they do so by making the environment conducive for a family of fat sparrows to make their home among the supporting pillars of the building.
But 'nuff said about the airports. After an all-too-long three hour transit at Doha, i boarded the connecting flight to Vienna. Won't dwell too much on the airport there, suffice to say that it's rather unremarkable (i.e. i've really nothing to remark on about it). I'd been to Vienna once upon a time long, long ago, but that was for a guided school trip (well sorta anyways) so it was quite different to be back there this time, on my own. In any case, there was little i remembered from the previous time i was there, and in fact the most vivid memory i had was that the local guide attached to us was a friendly middle-aged lady named Maria who just so happened to be the spitting image of Mrs. Doubtfire. So in other words, there was a lot of reacquainting with the city that i had to do. Had a very good couchsurfing host there, Simon, who helped to orientate me around the city, even though he had school on at the same time. And anyways, since i figured that Vienna might end up being the city with the best tourist infrastructure of all the places i'd be visiting, i'd might as well make the most of it. So with that in mind, i basically made my way around the city, visiting whatever places i'd been to the previous time that i could remember, which basically just amounted to one place - Schönbrunn Palace (there was that one "Aha!" moment when i stood at the grounds of the palace taking a picture uphill and remembering doing the same a good nine-and-a-half years earlier)
Another highlight would be the Christmas markets all around the city (and as i was soon to find out, around all the places i was at during this trip). Maybe it's the weather, or the food available, i dunno, but i did find them so much more enjoyable than i do pasar malams back here (even if what's available is much more expensive). They also ended up becoming prime ground for me to practice my (very) limited local language skills.
Qatar Airways is actually a rather good airline, and is by all means worthy of the Skytrax five star ranking that has also gone to the likes of SQ and Cathay Pacific. While i may question the excess, i thought that it was quite a neat touch for them to provide placemats for every meal they serve. And it's nice to hear the cabin crew, to the best of my perceptions, speaking in authentic and non-contrived English accents, unlike many of their counterparts in SQ and Tiger Airways (the worst yet).
Where Qatar Airways does lose out, however, is in their airhub. Doha International Airport, is, for all intents and purposes, a rather dreadful place. When stepping into their duty free shopping area, i felt a strange sense of déjà vu, and it soon hit me that this was because i had stepped into a similar environment less than twenty-four hours earlier, which was when i headed to Mustafa Centre to buy some souvenirs. Yes, the same sense of claustrophobia came over me, as i scowled at the messy floors, the too-close-together display counters and the hoards of people. The only difference from Mustafa? Perhaps that the prices of stuff was at least a good two times more expensive.. The washrooms too were by far the worst i've ever encountered in any airport (though admittedly upon first glance at some other airports i automatically decide to not even attempt to use their facilities and instead hold it for the plane/hotel) - or as Jeff Albertson, a.k.a. the Comic Book Guy would succinctly put it, "Worst. Airport toilets. Ever!". If i were to put any positive spin on the airport, is that they, like T3 at Changi, do try to bring in some natural settings into the terminal itself. Unfortunately, while at Changi they do so by installing lush greenery throughout the area, in Doha they do so by making the environment conducive for a family of fat sparrows to make their home among the supporting pillars of the building.
But 'nuff said about the airports. After an all-too-long three hour transit at Doha, i boarded the connecting flight to Vienna. Won't dwell too much on the airport there, suffice to say that it's rather unremarkable (i.e. i've really nothing to remark on about it). I'd been to Vienna once upon a time long, long ago, but that was for a guided school trip (well sorta anyways) so it was quite different to be back there this time, on my own. In any case, there was little i remembered from the previous time i was there, and in fact the most vivid memory i had was that the local guide attached to us was a friendly middle-aged lady named Maria who just so happened to be the spitting image of Mrs. Doubtfire. So in other words, there was a lot of reacquainting with the city that i had to do. Had a very good couchsurfing host there, Simon, who helped to orientate me around the city, even though he had school on at the same time. And anyways, since i figured that Vienna might end up being the city with the best tourist infrastructure of all the places i'd be visiting, i'd might as well make the most of it. So with that in mind, i basically made my way around the city, visiting whatever places i'd been to the previous time that i could remember, which basically just amounted to one place - Schönbrunn Palace (there was that one "Aha!" moment when i stood at the grounds of the palace taking a picture uphill and remembering doing the same a good nine-and-a-half years earlier)
Another highlight would be the Christmas markets all around the city (and as i was soon to find out, around all the places i was at during this trip). Maybe it's the weather, or the food available, i dunno, but i did find them so much more enjoyable than i do pasar malams back here (even if what's available is much more expensive). They also ended up becoming prime ground for me to practice my (very) limited local language skills.
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