Aladdin's bird watching adventure in Europe

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

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

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.

Thursday 21 ^st of April 2022 and I booked a AOT car to come pick me up at 17:00. My first plan was to book by LineMan but flight departure at 21:15 and it might be hard to get a taxi in theafternoon rush traffic. So I booked an AOT car from the gym before we started with the yoga.

Back home and I did the laundry and I packed my bag. Went down with the garbage quarter to five and the car was there. Back up to get my luggage and off we went. I prefer to pay a little extra for AOT and I am pretty sure we leave on time. Looking for taxi for a few hours and I might miss the flight.

AOT has arrived

On the way to the airport

Bit of traffic on Sukhumvit but we were hauling arse as soon as we were on the toll way and we reached Suvarnabhumi International after 50 minutes. Gate #1 was closed so I had to use gate #2 and walk back a bit.

I was alone at the check-in and it went pretty quick. They have rebuilt the business class area and now there is another airline having their check-in there as well. And the exclusive security and immigration lane is now the FAST TRACK.

Arriving to Suvarnabhumi

Not much passengers

Not much passengers

Alone in the check-in

Alone in the check-in

Of course, fast track is no good. That means that our exclusive Thai Airline lane is now for all air lines and flight crew. I was alone to check-in but there was about thousands of air crew going through security. I was through and they found a knife in my bag, my “BIRD RESCUE” knife. Expensive so I went back to the check-in to check-in my knife.

They made a nice box for me and I had to take the box to the oversize luggage drop before going through the security for the second time.

Back to check-in my knife

I have to leave my knife at the OVERSIZE counter

Taking my knife to the luggage drop

My knife on the way to Copenhagen

I spent the time waiting in Thai Airways Lounge, a new lounge and I was not so impressed, no computer room where I can sit alone minding my own business. And as I have to thinkabout my blood sugar I cannot eat anything.

I have Brie cheese in my bag to enjoy during my flight as I suspect I will get a sugar rush from the airplane food. I just need to ask for a plate and cutlery and two of their biggest mugs with Earl Grey tea and I am set to enjoy my flight.

I expect to arrive to Copenhagen with good sugar levels in my blood. I will spend one night at the airport hotel in Copenhagen before flying to Romania on the 23rd of April.

And I will have to spend several hours extra on board as we are flying via Phuket, so first south and then north again flying to Copenhagen.

Boarding flight TG 952

I prepare my food for the flight

I was dead tired but I had to force myself to stay awake until after take-off from Phuket. One hour to Phuket and a one hour stop in Phuket to board more passengers. Some passengers are leaving in Phuket and holiday makers going back to Denmark will board.

One-hour Technical stop, well, we were a wee bit delayed and as soon as we were airborne again I turned my seat in to a bed and I felt asleep.

Landing in Phuket

First breakfast

I wake up after a few hours but I manage to fall asleep again. I ask for two cups of tea when I wake up around 2 o'clock in the morning, Danish time, 7 o'clock Thai time. I watch a movie and they bring tea for me, 2 cups at the time when I push the call button.

We were flying over some snow-covered mountains and we had about 90 minutes to go when they served breakfast. I still had one cheese that I enjoyed with more tea. Omelette for breakfast so I could enjoy the omelette without risking my blood sugar to go through the roof.

But I skipped bread and fruit.

We flew over Møn and not long after that it was touch down in sunny Copenhagen. Great! I have planned for some bird watching in the afternoon.

Second breakfast

Flying over snow covered mountains

Møn

Nice to get off the plane but trotting to the immigration was not so joyful. Long way to walk to the immigration, but today it was empty so I was through in a jiff. Luggage was another story, there was a long wait and I started to get worried about my luggage.

But my luggage finally came on the belt and I was surprised to see my small box as well as I had expected that I would have to go pick it up at the ODD SIZE counter.

Waiting for the luggage

My pack is coming

I pass the custom and I walk to the hotel. When I booked the room the position pin was in the terminal but when I came to this area there was not hotel. Turned out it was behind the Clarion Hotel. It was a gorgeous morning, but walking to the hotel on a windy winter morning would not be so nice.

Walking to Clarion and you stay inside all the way. I was not so happy and this was not what I had expected and if I had known I would book at Clarion Hotel. I checked in and I was happy to get the room even though it was only 8 o'clock in the morning, so I forgot all about the walking.

I put my stuff in the room and I went back to the airport to take the train to Sweden where I will buy snus for my trip to Romania.

I get off at Malmö Centralstation and I buy my groceries that I will bring to my hotel in Rumania, if I go for breakfast I don't know if I have will power enough to stay away from bread.

I get on the train back to Copenhagen and I realize that I have forgot to buy snus so I get off at Triangeln. This was a wee set back of my plan to go birding in Copenhagen.

No carbohydrate for lunch

I was getting hungry so I had sushi without rice and it tasted very good. I found a place to buy snus and I was back at my hotel at 12 o'clock. I had downloaded a taxi app and I booked a taxi to take me to eBird hotspot: Amagerfælled--Grønjordssøen.

Amagerfælled--Grønjordssøen is a nice area with gravel walk/ bike tracks. There are also walk paths to walk along the lake. I could hear the Common Chiffchaff singing all over the park. I had two of them coming very close, but no pictures.

eBird hotspot: Amagerfælled--Grønjordssøen

Small walk tracks around the lake

Small walk tracks around the lake

Reeds covering the view of the lake

Eurasian Magpie / Skata

Eurasian Magpie / Skata

Eurasian Magpie / Skata

Eurasian Magpie / Skata

Grønjordssøen

Grønjordssøen

Grønjordssøen

Greylag Goose / Grågås

Female Mallard

Male Mallard

Eurasian Coot / Sothöna

Common Gulls

Tufted Duck / Vigg

Tufted Duck / Vigg

European Herring Gull / Gråtrut

Listen to the Great Tit

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity

Sitting above me in a tree but I could never see the bird.

Thanks to JC Paniagua for ID the birds, see the forum: https://xeno-canto.org/forum/topic/49930

eBird Report

Amagerfælled--Grønjordssøen, Region Hovedstaden, DK 22 Apr 2022 13:31 - 15:08 P
rotocol: Traveling
1.48 kilometer(s)
18 species

Greylag Goose 16
Mute Swan 2
Mallard 14
Tufted Duck 3
Common Woodpigeon 3
Eurasian Coot 9
Black-headed Gull 5
Common Gull 3
Herring Gull 6
Common Magpie 3
Eurasian Jackdaw 5
Hooded Crow 1
Eurasian Blue Tit 1
Great Tit 1 Thanks to JC Paniagua at XENO-CANTO for help with ID the bird song, see https://xeno-canto.org/forum/topic/49930
Common Chiffchaff 2 2 seen. Heard all over the park
Eurasian blackcap 1
Eurasian Blackbird 1
White Wagtail (alba) 1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S107683014

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

Today's track at Amagerfælled--Grønjordssøen

I recorded a bird sitting in a tree but I could not see the bird, but I had help from xeno-canto.org to ID the bird. I took a taxi back to the hotel and I was unlucky and I felt asleep on the bed waking up at 9 in the evening. I hope I will be able to fall asleep again so I can get up early to catch my flight to Romania.

+++++++++++++++
Saturday 23 ^rd of April 2022 and I woke up at 3 o'clock and I pooped open a MAX that I enjoyed before falling asleep for an hour. Breakfast at 6 o'clock and then killing time until just after 8 when I checked out. LOT flight LO 464 departs at 10:20.

I was at the gate just after 9 o'clock and sat down to wait for boarding while enjoying a MAX, bought two bottles. One while waiting and one for the flight. I was not in a very good mood. Checking in and I showed all my vaccination documents and I was told that no cares about this anymore. They should have told me that a month ago!

So, my vaccination have been all for nothing, I really would have preferred not to have any of this Scooby Doo vaccine. And now the MSM is talking about side effects, well, at least one year too late. This has been known for a long time, but everyone with a different view have been silenced.

Waiting at the gate

Waiting at the gate

Waiting at the gate

Preparing for take-off

I speak with my friend in Bangkok and time pass quite quickly and it is soon time to board the flight. Flight time to Warsaw is about 1 hour and 15 minutes so there will not be time for much more than to drink my MAX.

We were served food and I had the duck, no bread and no fruit so much blood sugar will be OK at arrival. We had clear sky all the way until reaching Warsaw when it was over cast and we arrived to a gloomy and grey Warsaw. I really hope it is better in Romania.

Refreshments

Refreshments

Refreshments

Getting off at Warsaw Frederic Chopin International Airport and I was not surprised to discover that the departure gate for LOT flight LO 645 was at the other end of the terminal. Trotting and trotting, but the good thing is that the lounge was pretty close to the next gate.

Lunch time and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they had cold cuts in the lounge. I had a couple of cups of tea and cold cuts for lunch and I am ready for the next flight adventure I realized that I forgot to buy tea in Sweden so I will have to look for a Supermarket after having checked in to Radisson Blu Hotel in Bucharest.

My bag was almost empty leaving Thailand and now it is full of cheese and ham that I will eat during my stay in Romania, I don't want to blow the blood sugar levels out of proportions. And I am looking forward to check my sugar level at the hotel tonight.

MAX in the lounge, good to know

Cold cuts, good for the blood sugar

Tea and cold cuts for lunch

And cash, I forgot my money in the safe back home, 2500 US Dollars to pay for the birding so I need to find an ATM machine as well. I don’t think this will be any problem, but to forget to buy the tea is a little inconvenience. I always bring Earl Grey tea, have you noticed how all the teas at hotel and restaurants have those fancy flavours that you cannot drink?

Leaving the lounge and I got down to what turned out to be the line to the immigration. I was puzzled as we are traveling within the European Union. Between Denmark and Poland they did not look at anything, not even my vaccine documents.

Plenty people lining up and when I came to the counter I handed over my driving license. He told me that this was not an ID card. We had an argument, obviously this guy did not know what he was talking about. And why do I have to show my ID going to Romania, within the EU.

Line to the immigration

Plenty people

Through the immigration and yet another long trot to reach gate N1, of course, this is a gate for buses so it will be a bus to the air plane. The first bus came and the line was long enough to fill up the bus so I sat back waiting for the second bus.

The guy in charge was screaming passenger names and calling people to ask them to put their carry on in a frame to check the size. Several of them had to go check in their carry on and I could not help myself, I thought he was screaming like a Gestapo officer.

But then I realized that it was very good way to call people. Everyone heard the messages loud and clear. The first bus disappeared and the second bus came and we were only 5 passengers on the bus. And my friend came on board and started to scream out names of passengers that he needed to have a chat with.

He wanted to have a look at their boarding pass. Everything was OK and we were soon off to the airplane.

Lining up to board the bus

Empty bus

Empty bus

Boarding the plane

Boarding the plane

I am the last one to board

Plenty leg room

I am the last one to board flight LO 645 to Bucharest and we are soon taking off and we look forward to an 1 hour 40 minutes flight.

I say no thanks to the food but I asked if they had MAX on board. She told me that they had MAX and I asked for a bottle, without any glass, I drink from the bottle. I enjoyed the flight and the refreshment and time passed quickly.

Refreshment

Descending to Bucharest

Descending to Bucharest

When I was in the lounge it showed rain and 16°C and when I boarded the flight it showed 18°C and sunshine for Bucharest. We had clouds all the way to Romania and we approach Bucharest it is dark clouds around us.

But when we land at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport it is sunshine and it looks very nice. We are ready to get off the plane when they suddenly tell us that we have to get out through the door in the back. The guy next to me is disappointed.

He tells the Stewardess that this was the first time in his life he would be the first to get off, now he will be the last.

We get on the bus and they drove us to the other side of the terminal, and yes, you guessed it. We had to walk back to the other side again where the plane had parked. And immigration again, this was strange, what happened with the free travel with in EU?

Exit through the back

Bus to the terminal

No sign of the car I had booked from Radisson Blu. They don't use EURO in Romania. No information desk in the arrival. Well, there was one desk but it was closed. ATM machines was marked with both RON and EURO but in reality only RON (Romanian currency, Romanian Leu)

I ordered a taxi from an automat marked with VISA and MASTER CARD. I booked a taxi butthere was never any taxi showing up and I gave up waiting. International arrival and no information in English, at least not what I could see.

I went to the taxi queue and I asked if anyone accepted card but it was cash only. So I had to goinside the get some cash in the local currency. I managed to buy a bottle of water using my Master Card in a vending machine.

Back out to the taxi and we were soon off towards Radisson Blu Hotel. Did not take long to reach the hotel and after check in I put my luggage in the room and I was off to buy tea and milk. And yes, I checked the tea bags in my room, peach and camomile and some other flavours I did not care for very much.

My room

My room

Bath room

I found milk but not tea, normal tea that is. There was flavoured tea so I returned to the hotel with milk only. I called room cleaning and I was lucky, they had Breakfast tea so I got a few bags of this. Tea with cheese and ham and I was in bed with the alarm set to go off just after 4 o'clock in the morning.

Click HERE to find out if I find any birds in Bucharest.

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