Aladdin's trip to Cyprus

OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.

Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.

So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

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คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

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E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.

Aladdin's adventure flying to Cyprus during the Corona Pandemic

Tuesday 3 ^rd of March and my alarm went off at 4 and I had tea and Tunna Fläskpannkakor before I left for the train station. When I stepped out from the hotel it was still dark and it was foggy on top of the darkness.

Even though it was cold it was beautiful with the lit up buildings in the morning fog.

Foggy morning in Helsingborg

Foggy morning in Helsingborg

I reach the platform

Öresundståget, the train departs at 06:54 and I arrived there a few minutes after 6 thirty. I was waiting for twenty minutes before Öresundståget from Copenhagen arrived. The train left on the scheduled time and of course I was happy to discover that the train was almost empty.

Scheduled arrival time 09:20 and I canhopefully be at Landvetter Airport Hotel in time to get the Covid test before 10 o'clock. Then I will have the result tomorrow morning and I have all the documents needed for travelling to Cyprus.

How to get to Cyprus during the Wuhan Virus epidemic:

As from March 1st, Cyprus is changing the way it categorizes countries, and will instead be following a colour-coded system harmonized with ECDC evaluation standards.

Therefore, only countries not included on ECDC lists, will be evaluated separately by the Cyprus government. Below are the entry requirements when somebody is traveling to Cyprus.

Sweden is of course on the red list

I also need a Cyprus Flight Pass that you apply for online within 24 hours before departure to show at the check-in on the airport.

It was foggy outside the train window and nothing but gloom and grey for long as I could see. Passed many Whopper Swans and one field north of Falkenberg had hundreds of them and I reported the sighting on my eBird app.

I sit in the cargo department

We arrived to Gothenburg on schedule and I was in a taxi 10 minutes later. I would make it to the airport hotel in time and I went to see the nurse. I had booked the time for 14:00 and I will have the test result tomorrow night. But they told me that I would get the result tomorrow morning if I made the test before 10 o'clock.

But they were not open and I had to wait until 12 o'clock before they opened. And I found out that it was never mind, I will not get the test result until tomorrow night no matter what time I take the test. Other countries, test result in 3 hours and 30-40 US Dollars.

In Sweden almost 200 US and 36 to 48 hours to get the result. So of course, I could not go to Denmark as they require a negative test within 24 hours before arrival.

Landvetter International Airport outside my hotel window

I look for birds outside the hotel, not one single bird to be seen and gloom and grey for long as I could see. So I spent the day in my room.

Weather forecast say mostly sun for tomorrow, well, this is what they have been saying every day since I came back from Abisko. And it have been nothing but overcast every day.

+++++++++++++++
Thursday 4 ^th of February 2021 and I discovered sunshine outside my window when I went for breakfast. It was a very good breakfast, od course not as good as Marina Plaza Hotel in Helsingborg, the best breakfast I have had at any hotel around the world.

But it was a very good breakfast and I also discovered that the breakfast start at 5 o'clock in the morning. Good to know I I get out of bed at 4 o'clock.

Back to my room trying to alleviate the boredom by looking at Netflix. There was really nothing I could do, not booking any tickets or any hotel room as I still had not received any Covid test result. So there is really nothing I can do before I get the result and I expect the result between 18:00 and midnight tonight.

Sun was shining so I went out for a walk to look for birds. Very nice to walk in the sunshine but it was very cold in the shadow. So it is a very typical March day, looks excellent but it is very cold.

Bird watching at Landvetter International Airport

Bird watching at Landvetter International Airport

Eurasian Magpie / Skata

My path at eBird hotspot: Landvetter International

eBird Report

Göteborg--Landvetter Airport, Västra Götalands län [SE-14], SE Mar 4, 2021 11:13 - 12:07
Protocol: Traveling
1.62 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: At Landvetter Airport Hotel waiting for my Covid test so I can go for 3 weeks of bird watching on Cyprus
2 species

Common Magpie 3
Hooded Crow 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82722648

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

And yes, it was cold to walk around and exactly zero birds. I discovered 2 crows and 3 magpies during my walk, otherwise nothing. There is a lot of trees in the area but then I have to get out from the area surrounded by high fences. I was also amazed to see how much parking space there was around the area. Huge areas for long as you can see.

I stopped to buy more snus on the way back to my room where I had tea and oatmeal. I decided to go healthy when I finished the last pancakes from Kalle på Spången. And I had only been eating oatmeal since then, well, except for salmon for breakfast.

Before

After

I leave my room again to go look for birds in the afternoon. Very cold and windy even though the sun was shining. No birds to be seen and I was soon back in my room again.

My path at eBird hotspot: Landvetter International

eBird Report

Göteborg--Landvetter Airport, Västra Götalands län [SE-14], SE Mar 4, 2021 15:24 - 15:46
Protocol: Traveling
1.04 kilometer(s)
1 species

Common Raven 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82731220

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Back in the room to wait for my Covid test result. Watching netflix and my result came around 7 o'clock in the evening. Negative and I started to book my tickets: Gothenburg - Cyprus - Malta -Gothenburg and I got an alarm. I could not book this route online so I called Lufthansa ticketing.

I was connected to a call center and an angry girl sounding like she was from Eastern Europe answered. I have booked many tickets in my day but this girl was just snubbing and snapping. No it was not possible to book my dates. So I would be late back to Sweden and I was asking some questions and she just hang up. Worst service ever and this will be my last booking with Lufthansa.

I went back to the online booking and I managed to get the tickets I wanted. I booked an apartment in Pophos on Cyprus and now I discovered a mistake.

My computer is still on Bangkok time, 5th of March so I booked ticket and hotel for 6 April, but it is still 4 March here in Sweden. So I need to spend one more day here at the airport hotel, nothing I was very happy about.

+++++++++++++++
Friday 5 ^th of March 2021 and the sun was shining and I left my room in the afternoon to go look for birds and I will go to have a look if there is any exchange office at the departure terminal.

I spotted 2 magpies on the way to the terminal, otherwise nothing until I was back at the hotel. I spotted a brown bird taking off from the ground behind the hotel. I had forgotten my glasses in my room so I could not see.

On the other side of the hotel there is a group of trees and I heard some birds but I never saw any birds. But I got a nice walk out of the walk looking for birds. A good 2 kmconstitutional.

My path at eBird hotspot: Landvetter International

eBird Report

Göteborg--Landvetter Airport, Västra Götalands län [SE-14], SE Mar 5, 2021 14:30 - 15:50
Protocol: Traveling
2.04 kilometer(s)
1 species

Common Magpie 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82794112

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

I got Euro from the ATM at the terminal, but they only had 20 Euro bills. 1600 Euro in 20 € bills, what a joke. I sent an e-mail to my Guide on Cyprus and I told him that I will pay in 20 € bills.

+++++++++++++++
Saturday 6 ^th of March 2021 and I had not managed to fall asleep during the night. So I was dead tired when my alarm went off at 4 o'clock. I shower and I packed my stuff and I was in the reception quarter to five. I had planned for some breakfast before taking the shuttle to the airport, and to do this in shorts and a short sleeved shirt only.

I was not happy when I found out that the shuttle was not operating during the weekends.
- What the

I was really angry, they confirmed yesterday that I could take the shuttle to the terminal and I had packed all my winter clothes in my bags. So I had to rip open my suitcase in the reception toget dressed again.

It is just 3 minutes to walk, but as it is cold I need to have a lot of clothing that I don't want to wear on the airplane.

So no breakfast and I had to drink tea and eat a sandwich after checking in to my flight. I was surprised by all the people at the airport.

Breakfast at the airport

Lufthansa flight LH 821

Approaching Frankfurt

I need sleep

The flight was almost full and I was really satisfied with my decision to pay extra to sit up front. It is about 1 hour 25 minutes to Frankfurt where I will change flight. It was OK and the food looked good, but I had just had my breakfast so I said “Thank you! No food please”

I was flying my worst flight ever with Singapore Airlines from Auckland to Singapore, todays flight was almost as bad thanks to the restless leg syndrome. It was terrible and I was very very happy when we got off the plane in Frankfurt.

Wuhan Virus epidemic or not, Frankfurt International was full of people just like normal and there was a lot of people waiting for the flight to Larnaca at gate Z24

Surprisingly many people waiting for the flight to Cyprus

Surprisingly many people waiting for the flight to Cyprus

I had to wait for 2 hours before boarding flight Lufthansa flight LH 1292 to Larnaca. Time passed very quickly and it was soon time to board. I was happy to leave Frankfurt, one of the worst airports in the world.

I changed my seat in the gate and I got my own row of seats, otherwise BIZ looked to be almost full. Departure was delayed and just before departure they had to send back one passenger that had tried to sit in the BIZ section to monkey class section.

I have heard about it before, and I have seen it on Seinfeld. But I have never seen it before.

Boarding the flight

Boarding the flight

Boarding the flight

Soon time to take off

We took off and we were soon flying over the alps. It was impressive how big they are, mountains for long as I could see on both sides of the plane.

Excellent service and excellent food and same on previous flight and I was wondering what happened to Lufthansa. I have not used Lufthansa for many years now and I had for sure never experienced any good service on board a Lufthansa flight before. This was a very pleasant surprise.

I heard Swedish while waiting for boarding and they turned up in the BIZ section. Young guys and I was green of envy. I hardly remember the time when I could party 10 o'clock in the morning. Iordered tea and they ordered beer and drinks. I don't know if it was their first time flying, at least they did not understand how to check in sitting together.

They were spread over the BIZ section and they had to talk to each other through the cabin. Passengers werecomplaining and I was laughing recognising myself from 30 years ago.

One of the guys felt asleep before taking off and the other guys were stopped in the bar half way through the flight and they were soon a sleep.

It was good to see that there is a new generation taking over. And they were 20 + and it was OK to be a little bit of an embarrassment. Imagine me, older than old, if I had done the same they would have called the police in a jiff.

Flying south over the alps

Flying south over the alps

Coming in over Cyprus

It was a nice flight and time passed quickly and we reached Cyprus about 3 hours after departure from Frankfurt. We landed around 20 minutes after schedule time and I spotted some birds from the window. I could not help myself so I reported the birds to eBird.

eBird Report

Arrival Larnaca International Airport, Larnaka, CY Mar 6, 2021 15:35
Protocol: Incidental
Checklist Comments: From airplane window when landing
2 species

Cattle Egret 3
Hooded Crow 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82847194

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home

We were not using the walk pier as we went down to a bus. They took us to the Covid test area. Long line waiting but it went pretty quick. Show my CyprusFlightPass and I paid 30 €. I went outside, shoed my receipt and they pointed me to chair #6.

It was pretty quick to do the test, they did both mouth and nose and it was the best Covid I had ever done. A quick touch and the same in the throat. Back on the bus and then we were bussed to the immigration and custom. I went outside to look for some refreshments and I met my driver that was waiting for me with a sign.

Line to take Covid test

Convenient store

My driver waiting for me

On the way to my room

Took about 90 minutes to drive to my apartment and I paid 120 € to the driver and I climbed the stairs to the apartment. I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped in to the apartment. The only problem is that there is no desk or table for my computer in the apartment.

Supermarket, a 2 minutes’ walk and I went to buy milk and oatmeal. I ended up with fish fingers and I was in a hurry to get back to try them. And they were very good, too good, so I was worried that I would go back to buy more. Not good for the diet and I was really worried.

I had been happy arriving to Cyprus, everything closed until 15 or 16 March so no restaurant. Only supermarket and milk and oatmeal.

The result from my Covid test came with SMS and I went to bed with the alarm set to go off at 4 o'clock and my Guide will come to pick me up at 06:30.

Click HERE to find out if we see any birds tomorrow.

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