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Austria (奥地利) is a landlocked country in Central Europe and a federation of nine federal states where one of which is its capital, Vienna (维也纳). Austria is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west.
Business trip at a glance
Country: Republic of Austria
Period: 11 May to 18 May 2019
Flight timings:
11 May: LH 0779, SIN-FRA, ETD 2340 ETA 0635 (12 May)
12 May: OS 0134, FRA-VIE, ETD 1040 ETA 1152
17 May: OS 0115, VIE-MUC, ETD 1740 ETA 1840
17 May: LH 0790, MUC-SIN, ETD 2215 ETA 1635 (18 May)
Accommodations:
Meliá Vienna (12 May to 15 May)
Arcotel Kaiserwasser, Vienna (15 May to 17 May)
Currency exchange rate: EUR 1.00 = SGD 1.53 (May '19 period)
Changi International Airport
Lufthansa Airlines is using Terminal 2 of Changi International Airport for its flight. No further description is needed for this airport. The IATA code for this airport is SIN.
Jewel Changi Airport
- Due to my flight that was scheduled to depart at night, I had this opportunity to explore Jewel Changi within a month from its soft-opening on 17 Apr 2019. As expected, the mall was packed with lots of visitors as it was a Saturday evening (left photo below). The main highlight is definitely the Rain Vortex which is the world's largest and tallest indoor waterfall (right photo below).
When night falls, the surrounding Shiseido Forest Valley (left photo below) and Rain Vortex (right photo below) were lighted up. It did look very much like Pandora at night in James Cameron's film: 'Avatar'.
There are light and music shows on the rain vortex every hourly in the evening. Following is a short portion of the light up and the light show (video below).
SilverKris Lounge
- During check-in at the airline counter, two tickets were issued to me for Lufthansa and Austrian flights (left photo below). Lufthansa Airlines (business class) uses SilverKris lounge and therefore had the chance to use this lounge to get some bites before my long-haul flight (right photo below).
Frankfurt Airport, also known as Flughafen Frankfurt in German, is Germany's main international airport in Frankfurt and a hub for Lufthansa Airlines (left photo below). The airport is located 12-km southwest of central Frankfurt and its IATA code is FRA.
The Frankfurt Airport was the transition airport between my flight from Singapore to Vienna. As there were some time left before my next flight, I then proceeded to the closest lounge near my Boarding Gate to grab some food (right photo below).
Vienna International AirportVienna Internation Airport, or Flughafen Wien in German, is the international airport serving the capital of Austria. It is located 18-km southeast of central Vienna and 57-km west of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. This airport also serves as the hub for Austrian Airlines. The IATA code for this airport is VIE.
Design of the Terminal 3 of this airport was somewhat interesting; instead of having a large hall to hold all the airline counters on ground floor like most airports, the check-in counters of different airlines were located on level 3 of the building (left photo below). During departure, I was again issued with two seperate tickets for my Austrian and Lufthansa flights (right photo below).
Had the opportunity to visit their Austrian Airlines lounge before my departure flight where I got myself some cream soup (left photo below) and pastries (right photo below).
As this was a business trip, transport between airport and hotel was by cab.Munich Airport
Munich Airport, or Flughafen München in German, is an international airport serving Munich and Upper Bavaria of Germany, and a hub for Lufthansa Airlines. It is located 28.5-km northeast of Munich and the IATA code for this airport is MUC.
The Munich Airport was the transition airport between my flight from Vienna back to Singapore. Probably the best European airport, there was supermarket available for passengers to grab some food before their flight in the Munich Airport Center (MAC) forum of Terminal 2 transit area (photos below).
This was where I spent my last Euros to purchase a Munich souvenir (left photo below) before donating the loose changes to the charity box in the airport. Had the opportunity to rest in the Lufthansa Airlines lounge and had some snacks (right photo below) while waiting to be notified on the availability of their shower facility.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG Besides having operating flights under its own brand, the Lufthansa Group also owns several other airlines, including Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, Euro Wings and Swiss International Air Lines. The IATA code for Lufthansa Airlines is "LH" while the code for Austrian Airlines is "OS".
Flight was arranged by the company therefore could not choose flight timing or airline. However, I was pleased and anticipated my flight journey as it was my first-time taking Lufthansa Airlines.
Singapore to Frankfurt flight
- Flight time between Singapore and Frankfurt was about 12-hours and 50-mins and was operated by Lufthansa Airlines. A total of two meals were served onboard.
Business Class seat in this A380 carrier was much compact where six seats occupied a row (left photo below) compared to those of Singapore Airlines (right photo below).
Besides sleeping mat, slippers and amenity kit (left photo below), Bose headphones were also provided to each passenger (right photo below).
A welcome drink was first provided (left photo below) and followed by some almond nuts and juices right after take-off. Smoked bacons, salads and bread were then served as starter (right photo below). For the main, I selected the spicy fish fillet with rice (bottom left photo). Pastries and a hot drink completed the first inflight meal (bottom right photo).
- Flight between Frankfurt and Vienna was about 1-hour and 25-mins and was operated by Austrian Airlines. Despite its short journey, inflight meal was served but I did not take any photos due to my tired mind after a long-haul.
However, the view from the plane above was stunning (photos below).
Vienna to Munich flight
- Flight between Frankfurt and Vienna was about 1-hour and was operated by Austrian Airlines. The aircraft was a smaller Embraer ERJ-190 (left photo below) where four seats were arranged in a row (right photo below).
Inflight meal was served for passengers in Business Class where a cup of hot beverage (left photo below) followed by some beef patties and chocolates (right photo below) were served.
- Flight time between Munich and Singapore was about 12-hours and 15-mins and was operated by Lufthansa Airlines in A350 aircraft. A total of two meals were served onboard.
Similar to the arrival flight to Frankfurt, drinks and almond nuts were provided just after take-off (left photo below). This was followed by some smoked bacons and bread (right photo below). As for the main, I selected beef steak with asparagus (bottom left photo). Fruit platter and assorted cheese were then served as dessert (bottom right photo).
Scrambled eggs with mushrooms and assorted cheese were served as final inflight meal before landing (left photo below). From the readiness of passengers, everyone seemed to anticipate to alight after a long-haul flight (right photo below).
Transportation
Vienna Public Transport
Vienna has an extensive train and bus network, including S-Bahn train, U-Bahn train, local railways, trams and buses. During my visit in Vienna, I only use U-Bahn train to commute between the city center and hotel.
Even though there are 24-hours or even 7-day passes, I still chose to buy single trip ticket at EUR 2.40 for my travel (left photo below). However, do note that each ticket is required to be validated at the entrances of the train stations. Otherwise a heavy fine will be imposed when caught without a validated ticket.
Train cabin of U-Bahn train is interestingly colorful and makes the cabin atmosphere very lively and enjoyable (right photo below).
Accommodation
As the accommodation was paid using Company's corporate credit card, I did not keep the records on the actual price paid per night.
Meliá Vienna
Located on Danube Plateau, the DC Tower (Donau City Tower) was still in construction during my visit in 2010 (left photo below). Officially opened in Feb 2014, it is currently the tallest skyscraper in Austria at an impressive height of 220-meters comprising of 58 levels (right photo below).
Meliá Vienna is a 5-star hotel that occupied the lower floors of the DC Tower with 253 rooms including the skyterrace restaurant. The reason for booking this hotel was my company's office was also located within the same DC Tower.
The Meliá Guestroom has a floor area of 28 square meters with floor-to-ceiling windows that provides a great view of the Donau river (left photo below) and a comfy king-sized bed (right photo below).
The marble-tiled bathroom comes with a bathtub (left photo below), a rain shower and a wash basin with large mirrors (right photo below). Complimentary toiletries were also provided.
Breakfast can be taken either on the ground level or on 57th floor of the building. The restaurant offers a wide variety of food and beverages (photos below).
Since the tower is the tallest building, stunning views of the surroundings could be seen while having a fulfilling breakfast (left photo below). With an eagle-eye, Vienna's historical center could be spotted from the restaurant using St. Stephen's Cathedral as a reference point (right photo below).
Following were the breakfast selections on my second day of stay (photos below).
And similar choices were made on my third day (left photo below) and forth (last) day of stay (right photo below).
Arcotel Kaiserwasser, Vienna
Due to packed work schedule, I only got to book my Vienna accommodations two weeks before the departure date. As a result, the last two days were full in Meliá Vienna and I had to reserve Arcotel Kaiserwasser as my next accommodation.
Arcotel Kaiserwasser is a 4-star hotel located just opposite "Kaisermühlen / VIC" station and few minutes' walk to Meliá Vienna. The Comfort Room has an area between 21 to 24 square meters, and has a cozy bed (left photo below) and a bright bathroom to relax after a long day of work (right photo below). Personally, I prefer bathroom to be in white or light colors rather black or dark colors as it will give me a sense of relaxation and unwind during shower.
The hotel lobby was renovated in 'Grande marble look' with natural light shining down (left photo below). The restaurant faces the garden with large panels of floor-to-ceiling windows (right photo below).
Breakfast selections were typical and almost the same throughout on my second day (left photo below) and third (last) day of stay (right photo below).
Interesting Observations:Traveled back to the same place after nine years can be interesting as I got to spot the difference.
- St. Peter's Catholic Church was undergoing renovation in 2010 (left photo below) while it had completed its repair in 2019 during my visit (right photo below).
- Grabenstrasse is the main shopping street in downtown Vienna. Though buildings remained the same, most brands occupying these shops had drastically changed since 2010 (left photo below) when compared to those in 2019 (right photo below).
Some useful links:
- Official Vienna Guide:
http://www.wien.info/en - Vienna City Guide:
http://www.aboutvienna.org/ - Vienna City Walks:
http://www.city-walks.info/index-en.html - Wikitravel – Vienna:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Vienna