I am skipping ahead a little here, as I still need to write the posts on Amsterdam before moving on to Britain, but want to post a link to this article over at the BBC news site.
I had noticed safe refuge areas when I was travelling to Swansea (actually it was probably going to Birmingham airport) earlier this month, and did wonder what had sparked their need. By the looks of it, during times of peak traffic, the hard shoulder will be used as an extra (normally 4th) lane for those motorists who needs to take the exit at the next junction. From a purely selfish point of view, this seems like a good idea. Less traffic, people getting to work/home quicker. However, I have had several incidents in the past where I would not have been able to make it to such safe refuges with my car. Whether a complete tyre blow out, or engines cutting out, there are a few reasons why your car may not be able to make it to the next fenced off area. Although the article does explain that cameras will be monitored to ensure that any blockages by broken down vehicles will trigger the hard shoulder to be revert to its original intended use, I can’t help wonder how many accidents may occur before this change is implemented.
To my non-UK readers, if you get a moment, do let me know if your country has similar schemes already in place, and what you think of them.

This is the second and last post regarding my journey through Kaliningrad ‘International’ Airport. I made notes up until this point during the holiday, for some reason things get a little hazy during my time in Amsterdam….

The big screen I mentioned in a previous post was now visible to us. Wow, it was high quality, had flight numbers, destinations, and even the weather at each destination! Unfortunately it lacked any sort of column for flight times or estimates of delays involved. (Can you tell where this story is heading yet, dear reader?). I was not too worried, as there were only six or seven departure exits from the area, and you could even find a seat in the smoking section that gave a view of all but one of these When it got to 10 minutes past the approximate boarding time for my next flight, I was a little concerned, but had seen no one leave for any flights at all. There were a few announcements, in Russian, but these seemed to be more procedural statements (don’t leave luggage unattended etc.) than flight info, so I asked the Germans if they had flown through here before (only to discover two spoke English), and if so did they know what happened when flights were delayed? A friendly shrug informed me they were currently as clueless as me.
I then decided to tour the perimeter of the area, determined to find someone who spoke English, or at least would be prepared to listen to my attempts at enquiries in Russian. (Don’t laugh too hard, several times officials (not just in Kaliningrad) who realised my Russian skills were not sufficient to conclude any conversation quickly had walked off, with no clue as to my next suitable avenue of enquiry.) I quickly found a friendly lady who pointed me in the direction of a young girl who worked there and spoke better English than my Russian. I was informed that there was nothing to worry about, that a flight from Moscow had been delayed by two hours, and that three passengers hoping to get to Amsterdam were on that same flight. And no, neither announcements nor TV screens had yet revealed this info. (Again, I mainly wanted to know so that my next time in the airport would not involve so much mystery). There were a couple of things I had not fully understood, and when Ira called me up, to check I was about to get on the plane, and hadn’t fallen asleep somewhere silly, I was about to ask her to double check them with someone at the airport, if I handed my mobile over. However, Irina had been told by the airport a few moments earlier that my flight to Amsterdam WAS on time, and that all passengers were boarding this very second. Obviously this left Irina concerned that I had mightily goofed, and was about to miss a flight involving the Netherlands once again. Eventually the lady who I had previously spoken to proved to be correct, and the person who had spoken to Ira was full of crap. I had already called Alex and Chris, to confirm that they had left Cheltenham and were on their way to Birmingham airport (more on that later). Unfortunately I found I was not able to make calls to Kazakhstan at all, though calls to Britain had obviously worked. Two hours after our planned departure, our plane left Kaliningrad, and I was most glad of the 1.5 hours of sleep I grabbed on the flight.
Schiphol, Amsterdam itself and UK trip info to follow in other posts soon.

When visiting Britain, the choices on offer can be mind blowing. I will attempt to relay a little information about three cities, and hope that potential tourists find this post useful.
So, first we will look at Manchester. If you enjoy shopping, you should definitely head over to the Manchester Arndale, as it is the country’s largest shopping centre that is situated within a city. If, however, you prefer to appreciate architecture, rather than snap up bargains,then Spinningfields is worth visiting for it’s architecture, the project is led by a certain Sir Norman Foster (who also had a hand in designing several of Astana’s landmarks! The city is twinned with Amsterdam and St Petersburg which seems like an interesting combination, and the canals and tram ways within Manchester are certainly worthy of note.

When it comes to culture, the saying “What Manchester does today, the rest of the world does tomorrow” seems to hold true, as Northern Soul (and therefore Motown), House music, and of course the era and collection of groups simply known as Madchester, all point to the city as being a great inspiration. Speaking of which, the Pennine hills to the North of Manchester are ideal if you wish to sample a life more rural and breathtaking. With all the opportunities offered, it makes sense to have a good base to operate from, so feel free to click the following link to discover about Hotels in Manchester.

Often (unofficially) cited as the second city of Britain, Birmingham is a huge area of land, it is so large that you can walk from Wolverhampton or Solihull into Birmingham without seeing a single break in the streets and amenities. The city itself is host to a multitude of nationalities, meaning that you can easily experience a little from many cultures of the world, in a comparatively short amount of time.

The quality of the Hotels in Birmingham is really quite high, as many people use the city as a hub to get from one region to another.

Finally, we move onto London. The Hotels in London are famous throughout the world, with many five star establishments priding themselves on their exclusiveness and pricing. However, if you prefer to spend your budget on visiting local attractions, such as the London Eye, the Millenium Dome (possibly now branded as O2?) or the SoHo district, fear not, as there are still some cracking deals to be had.

When I come back from my trip to Britain, I will be leaving via Brum’s very own international airport. If there are no good public transport links to get me there at the right time, I will look into which Hotels in Birmingham are close to the airport and do not charge a lot.

Originally I intended to visit Britain via Heathrow, and the trip to Evesham and Cheltenham was not a problem, as the coach times matched with my arrival very well. However, the original flight I was looking at would have involved checking which Hotels in London and the surrounding area best matched my needs. Had I wished, I could have spent an extra day in London’s vicinity, and finally checked out the BA London Eye (I hadn’t realised British Airways sponsored it!). I would still like to see the city landscape from it’s unique perspective some time… Anyway, whether I would have been looking for a budget hotel to simply lay my head over night, or a more luxurious premium quality residence, the site linked to have comprehensive listings of available accommodation and their specifications.

CheaperThanHotels also offer other pages specifically setup for other major attractions and cities, such as their section on Hotels in Manchester.

Unfortunately, ChrisD is not able to make it over to Kazakhstan this year. On the plus side, I am meeting him in Amsterdam for a few days of relaxation, and then travelling onto Britain to see family and friends. (My brother’s birthday is something I was hoping to get back to the UK for, and now it is sorted .) Unfortunately Irina does not have enough holiday left to come as well, but we will all be back in Britain around Christmas time.

Anyway, my travel details are as follows :-

Leaving Astana 21st September 08:50
Arrive Kaliningrad 21st September 11:00
Leave Kaliningrad 21st September 12:50
Arrive Amsterdam 21st September 13:55

Spend 3 nights in Amsterdam, at an apartment with a view of the canal, that belongs to the Hotel Amstelzicht.
Then on to Britain…

Leave Amsterdam 24th September 18:20
Arrive Birmingham 24th September 18:40


3 and a bit weeks in Britain to say hello to family and friends. Hopefully fit in Evesham and Cheltenham, then Swansea (well Clydach actually), then down to Falmouth for my bro’s birthday.
Then…

Leave Birmingham 16th October 06:25
Arrive Schipol 16th October 08:50
Leave Schipol 16th October 16:15
Arrive Kaliningrad 16th October 19:15
Leave Kaliningrad 16th October 21:35
Arrive Astana 17th October 05:15

(All times are local)

I am going to miss Ira like crazy, but I am looking forward to the break immensely, and it will be really good to see Nick, Mum, John, Dad, Jan and some Cheltenham friends as well.

Pink Badger

Why that random phrase? One of the main reasons I am posting this flight information is so that if family want to know the details, or I am not at home, I or they can just search for a unique (I’m pretty sure I did not include it anywhere else ) phrase on this blog, and know they have the right post immediately.
You never know, perhaps pink badger is also a popular search engine search term, and I will increase this site’s traffic…. Not too likely though.

Las Vegas is one of my favourite ‘cult’ films. I have the morning after a house party in Birmingham, England to thank for the introduction to the movie. Although I don’t actually recall much beyond the first 40 minutes of the film (it was a good party), it had a lasting effect on me, as I’ve often wondered what it would be like to move to America, and where we’d go if we did move there.

If I could manage to avoid the temptation to gamble away our meagre bank balance, it could be very interesting. What with the casinos all wanting you to use their premises, and not a competitors, you’ll often find alcoholic drinks are free, and the musical shows they put on to draw more punters in must surely be a big draw for many tourists?

If you’ve ever been on holiday there, have you thought about buying a second home there, or jumping in feet first and actually moving there? I’d be interested to hear from you, if so. Once you’ve sorted any visa requirements, you’ll next need to consider where your new residence is going to come from. What better place to start than a Las Vegas real estate broker?
Though I would recommend that Richard Teausaw uses a slightly higher resolution picture on their front page, I’m sure he isn’t that fuzzy in real life ;> To jump straight to the page showing Las Vegas properties, click on the appropriate Homes By City link, or click on this - Las Vegas Properties Currently Available

Happy Hunting !!!