Travel Diary  
 

How to get to and from hundreds of the world's airports by car, bus, train and other forms of public transport.

Updates and requests for inclusion in these pages welcomed by e-mail to Information is from many sources including personal visits and may no longer be accurate.   Please note I am an airline pilot, not a travel agent and cannot provide any travel services, hotels or flights.  Legal Disclaimer     Last Update 24Mar05

03 Mar 2005: Newark, NJ:  Flew by 777 from Heathrow to Newark Intl in New Jersey, arriving around lunchtime. Quickly established that the 2 main methods of getting into Manhattan are by bus/coach or by the AirTrain: a slightly convoluted system, which consists of a train running from all 3 terminals to Penn Station, a few miles away in Newark. This then connects to the main US train system for onward travel to New York and the rest of the country. I opted for the bus and was rewarded with a long wait in sub zero temperatures. Next time I shall take the train! Once the bus arrived, it only took 35 mins to reach Manhattan.

04 Mar 05: New York City: Checked out what 9-11 style security has done to the Empire State Building. The airport style security was in place, and a very convoluted routing through the basement eventually took me to the elevator to the observatory. Once through the maze downstairs, this is still a truly remarkable way to spend an hour or so, especialy on such a clear day. The $13 entrance fee was well worth the view. After lunch, a visit to the Intrepid Air, Sea & Space museum, which is housed in the USS Intrepid - an aircraft carrier. For me the highlight was the recently acquired Concorde G-BOAD, which sits on a tethered barge next to the Intrepid. The cost of entry is $16.50 and this includes boarding Concorde. You are free to wander through many of the cabins and functional rooms of the ship, and on the flight deck are a number of restored military aircraft. All in all a very interesting afternoon.

05 Mar 05: JFK: Took the LIRR (Long Island RailRoad) from Penn Station in Manhattan to the suburb of Jamaica. Here, the newly opened JFK AirTrain runs to the terminals. Sadly, the LIRR was slow and dirty, and did not complement the ultra-modern trains which then whisk you to the terminals at Kennedy airport. At this stage I was reprimanded by a security officer for taking photos of the train. Clearly such actions are the very trademark of a hardened terrorist. I said I would just download the photos from their website instead. Then flew on the daylight 747 back to Heathrow, arriving late the same evening. Due to construction of Terminal 5 at Heathrow, the Tube (Underground) has been suspended from running to Terminal 4 for a period of 18 months, and the modern, clean buses that are laid on instead, make we hope that terminal 5's opening will be delayed.

08 Mar 05: Ljubljana: Travelled by national Express Coch from London Heathrow to London Stansted airport to catch an easyJet flight to Ljubljana. I had never been on easyJet before and was impressed with the operation. Stansted had grown enormously since my last visit and was a pleasure to pass through. Ljubljana, however, was the real surprise. Covered in snow and nestled in a beautiful valley between impressive mountain ranges. Took the easyJet coach into town and checked into the bland but clean Hotel Park.

09 Mar 05: London Stansted: Spent the morning climbing to the top of Ljubljana castle. Fantastic views! Took the public stopping bus back to the airport and flew back to Stansted. On arrival I went to the train station in the basement and took the Stansted Express train to central London.

10 Mar 05: Cork: Flew from Heathrow to Cork with Aer Lingus. Pleasant flight, followed by the local bus to the city. A new terminal is under construction here and promises to be impressive when it opens next year.

11 Mar 05: Cork: Took a taxi back to the airport and returned to Heathrow.

12 Mar 05: Moscow Domodedovo: Uneventful flight there, but massively delayed on the way back due to de-icing. It was -10 degrees and blowing a blizzard.

16 Mar 05: Lyon: Took the Satobus to and from St. Exupery Airport. Very impressive airport, particularly the TGV train station. Such a shame you can't catch a train to Lyon city from there.

22 Mar 05 Nairobi: Flew to Jomo Kenyatta Intl airport, and grabbed a taxi to the city. After about 10 pm, a taxi is the only way to the city since the buses have stopped running.

23 Mar 05 Nairobi: Spent the day at the Elephant Orphanage, the Giraffe Sanctuary and visiting Nairobi Wilson Airport. The first 2 activities are strongly recommended. After a quick visit to Wilson Airport, lunch at the fantastic Carnivore Restaurant. As the name suggests, this is no place for vegetarians. Various meats including Camel & Ostrich are paraded past the table, until you can stand no more. Evening flight back to London.

26-28 Mar 05 Prague: Spent the Easter Weekend in Prague. This city has a very efficient and cheap public transport system, which extends out to the airport. A superb city for walking around which has many superb sights. Dinner at the fantastic Pravda restaurant.

29 Mar 05 Aberdeen: A miserable wet and windy afternoon was spent at the airport researching travel options.

30-31 Mar 05 Amsterdam: Arrived late and checked into a hotel. Next morning took the fast, cheap and comfortable train into the city. Seems to be the best option here, although buses are plentiful too.

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