Sunday 24th September
Our last day in Budapest, we have a late checkout at midday, the cool weather is continuing although the rain has made way for scattered clouds. The northern hemisphere autumn is here to stay, people warmly wrapped hurry by our window at breakfast. The day maybe Sunday, but tourism never stops, new groups arrive into the hotel from who knows where to take in the sights of Budapest. Out of a nearby window a tour guide, her lolly pop stick waving in the air stops to herd her group closer, like a mother hen gathering her chicks. Every street, every building has a story, be it myth, legend or fact, enough we are sure to for every tour guide to put a twist to every story. We leave with mixed feelings, this city has along way to go to recover from the recent past. For us time to move on to our next destination, Singapore. Since our flight doesn’t leave until 7.00pm we have plenty of time to complete our packing, checkout and relax in the beautiful lounge bar. The hotel building known as Gresham Palace was built in the 1905 in the art nouveau style, lots of marble, high glass domed ceilings, intricate wrought ironwork and Leadlight windows. Named after Thomas Gresham, a London based financier who started an insurance company in the seventeenth century, the building served as the company’s European headquarters for sometime. Like most of the buildings in Budapest the war brought heavy damage, particularly since the building is very close to the Chain bridge blown up by the nazis in 1945. Now restored to former glory the building is owned by the sultanate of Oman and leased to the Four Seasons hotel group.
The bar offers us all we need to see us through the next few hours, light lunches and good coffee. At about 2.30pm the waiting staff start setting up for high tea, the white tablecloths come out and the finest china is set out, a few takers arrive to partake. One couple near us are served hot pots of tea and then a circular three tiered cake stand filled with an assortment of treats, they are forewarned not to eat them until the waiter completes a thorough description of the tray. I could only catch a few words, like chocolate, cream, fudge, jam and cake to be convinced that this was a tray for the serious dessert lover. The crowd is a mixture of young well heeled locals, svelte Nordic looking women dressed in finery, suited up Russian looking dudes with closed cropped hair and t shirts, rather than collar and tie, then older American tourist’s off the riverboats.
A shop just off the lounge sells nothing but furs, fur coats and jackets of every colour combination. They look expensive and maybe they are real, but there doesn’t seem to be any takers today.
3.30pm comes around quickly, we booked the hotel car to take us to the airport, we wanted to ensure no hiccups and ensure our luggage would fit in ahead of time. Once out of Budapest city the traffic is light, the airport just a thirty minute ride out into the countryside. We arrive before our flight checkin counter is open, even though Finnair invited us by email to electronically checkin this seems to make no difference, as there is no open bag drop. The airport is a small one, the airlines taking turns at the checkin gates. An hour wait with one coffee shop and limited seating, still we find a spot to while away the time. Finally the gate opens we checkin, pass through security, where I beep and are given the once over by security, meanwhile passengers with all manor of carry on luggage including umbrellas make their way through. Another hour in the lounge and finally we are on our way, on time for our first leg to Helsinki.
We arrive on time in Helsinki, flight is a smooth one, first time here we are surprised how big the airport appears to be, also very clean and tidy. We are here late arriving at 10.20pm understandably the airport is quiet. Only criticism is that we arrive at gate 16 and leave from gate 55, a “Transfer Service” is on offer according to the signs, we wonder what that might be. Following the signs we find the transfer desk, a lone woman sits behind it pondering, I am not sure what, eventually she notices me, I ask how we should proceed to the gate, she points at the corner “around there sir follow the signs” and keep walking I add, “yes” she says with a rye smile and so that is the transfer service. Still there are plenty of duty free shops to browse if one has the time, on this occasion though we do not. There are no moving walkways but they do provide a small hand luggage cart, handy for us. Also a small stroller I am sure I could fit in if only I could convince Amanda to push me!. Eventually and in plenty of time we pass through a customs check and our passports receive the Helsinki seal of “approval”. Then a few more gates pass us by and we reach our departure gate, very little seating is available, but the gate appears to have two lounges one of which is empty and barred to passengers, weird. After standing for about fifteen minutes we are called through to the barred lounge, boarding passes and passports checked we are allowed through, this time we briefly sit and we can board. Airports! all different, only a few able to make efficient use of their space and time.
Our flight tonight is aboard an A350/900 Airbus, beautifully fitted out I feel somewhat like I am in 2001 a Space Odyssey, the interior of the plane all white curved plastic panels, with hidden lighting and eight foot centre ceiling height. Sleekly equipped cubicles await to fold us in their arms, reminiscent of a 1970’s vision of the future. We watch the onboard visual display as the front nose camera shows the lights of the runway flash by effortlessly and we are airborne. Next stop Singapore.