On Sunday I began my long planned short break in Frankurt. Although my flight from Manchester was on Monday morning, I decided to go down the night before, to avoid a very long day. I booked a train from Workington to Manchester Airport. As I booked just 2 days ago I thought £21.20 standard class was a good deal.
I left from Workington on the 14.34 to Carlisle.
Rather surprisingly I was the only passenger to board and the train was almost empty. The journey itself was uneventful until I got to Carlisle. Parked just outside the station was the A4 Pacific Union of South Africa.
Not the best photo as it was taken through a window on a moving train.
I then was supposed to get the 15.34 from Carlisle to Manchester Aiport. This was delayed by thirty minutes due to signalling problems near Carstairs. Despite it having 8 coaches, it was packed. It was just as well that I had a booked seat! Most people got off at either Preston or Manchester PIcadilly.
The next day (today) was my flight. I had booked business class! This meant a quick check in and access to a priority lounge. I availed myself on free coffee.
As far as I could make out the flight was fully booked. It was a pleasant journey although cloud obscured most of the view. I had a reasonable snack onboard. On the flight I managed to book a rail ticket to the stop close to my hotel. On landing I was expecting a wait for my luggage. Imagine my surprise when I suitcase was the first on the carousel and no other luggage in sight!
I then caught the train to Frankfurt. I had a bit of a difficulty finding the right platforms, but got there in the end. Once off the train I headed for my hotel. I went to the wrong way at first. However with a combination of Google maps and the hotel website I found my way to the hotel. I got the hotel just in time, it had started to rain!.
Fr Paul Harrison' Blog. 