The Swiss Air logo is lovely.
It may be the most impressive aspect of the airline. I flew out of a frenzied JFK, on a packed and remarkably small airbus plane that became airborne more than an hour after the scheduled takeoff. It took an hour to serve dinner, which was not bad- the flight attendants were tall, blonde, friendly, and flirtatious. The entertainment was limited; watched part of The International, which was accompanied by Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on the surprisingly small 5-8 movie selection. The bathrooms were especially clean and well-kept. There was almost no room to walk around in the back of the plane, and I had a sleepness night.
They do give you Swiss chocolate as you exit the plane, the Zurich airport is a masterpiece of planning, transparency, and minimalist style (almost entirely glass, which seems to be the new style). The flight from Zurich to Warsaw was unremarkable.. it was easy to distinguish the poles from the western Europeans upon boarding the plane.
Chopin International Airport does not make an impression, with one exception: there seems to be no passport control or customs. After picking up my bag, I walked through two sets of doors out to the waiting horde of blonde/white haired, fair-skinned people of similar height and facial features, standing silently.
I took a taxi to the city center, a smooth and grey ride for 41 zloty, roughly $11. I attempted conversation, noting the make of the car (mercedes, good car), which was met with silence. Remarkably, when I handed the man a 50 zloty note and asked for 5 back, he handed me a 10 back, noting he didn't have a 5. We looked at each confusedly, before I suggested he use some of the change sitting in his cigarette tray. He considered this, and then did so.
It was the easiest and least complicated arrival in a foreign country i've ever experienced.
2 comments:
No passport control? One day when I escape from prison, I will fly to Warsaw.
There's no passport control when travelling between many of the countries in Europe (the Schengen Area). This makes travelling between them much much easier than it used to be, particularly overland. If you arrive from a country outside the zone, however, there are still normal passport and immigration controls.
Post a Comment