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Wizz Air (London Luton to Gdansk)

Luton Airport doesn’t do connecting flights as they’re a point to point airport which meant I went landside after coming off my earlier flight that day and then couldn’t go airside again as it was too long before my flight. I thought about walking into the delights of Luton town centre but it was too hot and I wasn’t brave enough to risk dehydration for cultural enrichment. I instead spent some time at the Pret landside whilst wondering how early I could go through security and I think the answer is six hours. After going through I meandered to Avalon which is included in the Priority Pass card and they are always helpful in offering extras to take it up to the allowed £18 value.

I then popped to Big Smoke which I find consistently decent and they have a range of beers available. I was seated whilst the waiter went to find the Priority Pass machine and then another waiter told me that I wasn’t allowed to seat myself. As a consistent rule follower I was inwardly most put out that I looked like someone that would transgress the obvious rules of a restaurant, but my original waiter came back and shooed away the interloper.

My normal selection at Nolito is pineapple juice and calmari. For the second time over recent months, these calamari were inedible, dripping in grease and the texture was all wrong. It’s annoying from the perspective of when they get it right, they’re really rather good. I declined the offer of them making more as I thought it was time to pop to the lounge. I’ll try something different next time. The state of that laptop as well, it gets quite compressed when in my bag which makes the screen look dirty and seemingly stops four of the keys from working properly,

My Lounge said they were busy but No 1 Lounge had space, so I went there for the first time. It’s a much smaller lounge than I had expected, but it was near empty and the staff were friendly. This is the main meal of pulled chicken with potatoes, it was entirely agreeable. I’ve written before, but the value from these lounges at full-price is questionable unless you drink a lot of alcohol. They’ve over £30 to get in, so most people would be better off just sitting in a restaurant in the airport terminal. If you want a lot of drink, the lounge proposition is better. I had my usual one Birra Moretti as that’s always enough of that.

There weren’t any capacity issues in this lounge and it all feels modern, comfortable and clean. There were also plenty of power points which was handy.

It was then time, finally, to head to the boarding gate. All very efficient again from Wizz Air with the signage being clear.

The aircraft was HA-LXJ, an Airbus A321 they’ve owned since September 2016, so one of the oldest in their fleet and I don’t think I’ve been on it before.

I thought that the seating Gods had given me a middle seat and they sort of had, but there was no aisle seat as it was this crew seat which faces the other way. This was all rather fortunate, it meant that the seat was effectively an aisle seat which meant that I had the space I hoped for. The elderly gentleman in the aisle seat kept busy for the entire flight: up, down, into his bag, back again, rustling, unwrapping, standing, sitting, wandering, repacking. A one-man tribute to the art of perpetual motion. Each to their own, but I was glad that I was able to lean into the crew seat (as the crew weren’t in it other than for take-off and landing) to get some peace.

We landed slightly early and the flight was once again a delight, with the crew being efficient and helpful, with the pilots making announcements that were appropriate and interesting. Wizz Air have an ability to operate flights which are just efficient and not noteworthy, which is really just as an airline would want it.

Unfortunately, there was an issue with my passport again and I was the last person to leave border control. The staff tried to count the stamps in my passport, just hours after this happened in Kaunas, and thought I had spent too long in the EU. Three staff this time came to count the stamps and they were apologetic as they said they had to do it, but the senior staff member did a count and said the matter was fine. I’ve realised the problem here, nearly every airport stamps my passport out next to the corresponding entry stamp. However, the Romanian stamps are slightly less careful and there’s one page which makes it look like I’ve been in the EU for twelve weeks solidly. I’ll definitely be glad when this new IT system is introduced as the current situation is sub-optimal. Luckily I had booked the cheap airport hotel which was only a five minute walk, so only just after 01:00 I arrived there safely….

June 19, 2025
Thank you Facebook

It was me that was trying to log-in, so thanks as ever to Facebook for being so helpful….

June 18, 2025
Vilnius – Meat Lovers Pub

The sun was shining (too much, but I won’t go on about that) and so I decided not to do anything too energetic (well, I did climb Gediminas’s Hill which was probably a little too much in the extreme heat), instead popping to a restaurant for food. I’m careful in the sun like that.

The interior of the restaurant, which felt on-trend and modern.

Look at me sitting outside….. My logic here was that this was where everyone else was and it was a partly covered area so it wouldn’t be too hot and there wouldn’t be any swooping birds or angry wasps to unsettle me. I thought that I’d find the shadiest area of the courtyard to sit in though, just in case. All was well and the service during ordering was efficient rather than anything else, but that suited me.

The drinks were served after around three minutes, but I was getting nervous about my food after 35 minutes but I was inwardly reassured that the team member had brought over the cutlery so I knew that the food element of my order had been taken. I needn’t have worried, it arrived around forty minutes after ordering and looked suitably appetising. The chicken was tender and had a richness of flavour, although it could have been just a little hotter in terms of the temperature. The sauce added flavour and the chips were crisp and delicious. The portion size was more generous than it perhaps looks in the photo and I thought it looked well presented.

The beer was the Grimbergen Dubbel which had a flavour of toffee and was dark and rich, it’s a beer I’ve had before and liked. I had tried numerous local beers the night before, so I felt it was reasonable to go for a Belgian beer on this occasion. When I asked for the bill, the team member pointed towards the QR code on the table to make payment. I was unimpressed to see that they charged for that service as some sort of convenience fee. Anyway, I was happy with the portion size, the quality and the value and it was a rather relaxing lunch. Apologies this is a little shorter than I would have usually written, but I’m struggling with this laptop still.

June 17, 2025
Vilnius to Kaunas Rail Journey – LTG

There weren’t any cheap flights from Vilnius, nor indeed any cheap hotels, so I decided to splash out just over £8 on a first class rail ticket from Vilnius to Kaunas to fly back from there.

Despite ongoing maintenance, this was a clean and organised railway station.

The station hall.

Um, decoration.

Signage says they’re doing something exciting here soon. Perhaps it’ll be a Greggs.

My ticket got me free access into the VIP lounge.

Very smart.

This is a rail network on top of its game…..

There were snacks and drinks available on a self-service basis which were keenly priced.

There was a meeting room and private toilets available in the lounge.

My train was the 18:47.

There’s the rather glorious double decker train.

You could reserve seats for free when booking, so I went for the one with the table on the left. The carriage remained quiet and no-one sat opposite me.

The table on the opposite side to me. There was also wi-fi and a power point for every seat, all clean and comfortable.

An old locomotive at Vilnius.

There was an early ticket check and everyone in First was given a bottle of water which was handy. There was also a buffet downstairs if customers wanted to buy any food or drink.

Stations en route.

And safely in Kaunas.

For the money, this was excellent value and everything worked as it should. The journey took around 75 minutes and was entirely stress-free, it’s made me want to return to Lithuania to visit all of the major cities in the country by train. Very lovely.

June 17, 2025
Dortmund – German Football Museum (Sole Remaining Ticket from 1903 German Football Championship)

This ticket is the only one surviving from the first major football championship to be held in Germany. This event marked the beginning of organised national football in Germany, albeit in a fashion that can only be described as enthusiastically chaotic. At the time, football in Germany was still in its infancy and regional leagues were the norm. The Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB), founded in 1900, had only recently decided it was time to crown a national champion. So, they came up with a straightforward plan which was to take the champions of various regional football associations and have them compete in a knockout tournament. Well, that’s what their decadent plan was and what could possibly go wrong?

Only six teams actually entered: VfB Leipzig (Central Germany), DFC Prag (Bohemia – not in Germany, but they were part of the DFB), Karlsruher FV (Southwest), Britannia Berlin (Berlin-Brandenburg), Altonaer FC 93 (Northwest), and 1. FC Pforzheim (Southern Germany). Several other qualified teams either couldn’t afford to travel or simply forgot to show up, it feels slightly sub-optimal for the organisers. The final match was played on 31 May 1903 in Altona, now a part of Hamburg, between VfB Leipzig and DFC Prag. DFC Prag were based in what is now the Czech Republic, but since Bohemia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and DFB membership was open to clubs across German-speaking Europe, they were allowed in. The final was played in front of around 2,000 spectators, which wasn’t exactly what they were getting at Wembley. VfB Leipzig won 7–2, becoming the first German football champions. Their player Heinrich Riso scored two goals and earned minor celebrity status, at least within the very niche world of 1900s Saxon football.

Karlsruher FV lodged an official complaint that they hadn’t been told about their semifinal which is highly sub-optimal. They were meant to be playing in Leipzig, but Karlsruhe received a telegram apparently from the German Football Association telling them that their match had been cancelled. The telegram was about as genuine as a politicans’ promises and they got disqualified.

The trophy was a silver championship shield, which Leipzig proudly took home, probably on a very slow train knowing Deutsche Bahn. This slightly farcical but pioneering tournament laid the groundwork for what would become one of Europe’s most prestigious football traditions. The German championship continued in a knockout format until the Bundesliga was created in 1963, bringing league football into a modern, more reliably scheduled age. Anyway, I digress, it’s quite impressive there’s only one ticket surviving and it’s found it forever home here.

June 17, 2025
Dortmund – Mercure Dortmund City

I had a one night stay at the Mercure Dortmund City a few days ago and it’s fair to say that I rather liked the hotel.

I had arrived, without sleep, into Dortmund so I thought that I’d go to the reception desk at 14:00 to see if the room might possibly be ready. It was and the staff member there was friendly, engaging and personable. The welcome gift here is offered in this large glass bowl, so I went for some chocolate to give me energy. Although I was so tired I forgot to eat it and found it in my bag the next day (the usual energy I bring to things evident there….).

The room, which was an upgrade from the cheap and cheerful £40 one that I’d actually reserved. I got a Nespresso machine, a highlight of an upgrade, and all the trappings of someone who pretends they understand crema and intensity levels. There was also a large bath in the bathroom, something sadly being removed from hotels at some pace at the moment.

And a large bottle of water which given the extreme heat of Dortmund was much appreciated.

Some decorative items on the wall of the corridor. I didn’t understand them, but they were trying and I respect that.

The bar area, everything spotlessly clean again.

My welcome drink of the Dortmunder Kronen Pilsener which was light, hoppy and a bit generic, but improved considerably by the supply of snacks.

The breakfast was excellent and it’s a reminder that this is something Germany can do better than most other countries. No distraction of unnecessary hot food, just delicious cold items such as meats and cheeses.

Yoghurt, salad items and bread in the background.

This went well on my yoghurt.

And guacamole! Every hotel should offer this and I apologise that they lost quite a lot of it to me that morning (along with quite a few olives), but guacamole and bread is a delightful thing. There were also little cakes, rich coffee and numerous juices. A delight.

I read through the on-line reviews and most are broadly positive, although a few uncultured heathens complained about the breakfast, but I hope that the hotel ignored them. The extreme heat of Dortmund that weekend, when it was reaching 33°C which is evidently excessive, meant that the room temperature was just marginally above where I’d like it, but the air conditioning was doing its best.

I left my bag behind reception for the day and I’m pleased to say they returned it in the same immaculate state that I gave it to them. Everything about this hotel was clean, organised, functional and worked. Actually, it’s a shame that the hotel doesn’t operate the Dortmund public transportation system, but I may have already written enough about that.

June 17, 2025
Dortmund – German Football Museum (Manuel Neuer’s Football Shirt from 2024 Euros)

This football shirt on display at the German Football Museum was worn by the German goalkeeper Manual Neuer for the Spain vs Germany match which took place in Stuttgart on 5 July 2024 as part of the Euros. This was the quarter-final match which Spain won, with Neuer announcing his retirement from international games shortly after the end of the tournament. But, there’s an element of interest to these exhibits as only a few months ago this shirt was being worn in a game watched by millions and the hopes of a nation rested on the players taking part. There would have been a sense of energy, excitement and nervousness when the goalkeeper put his shirt on, but it’s now all over and it’ll likely be in this museum permanently. I rather like the transience here of an active component of a sporting event now not exactly faded into obscurity as it’s on display, but its time as a functional thing has now passed. I should perhaps get out more….

June 17, 2025
Wizz Air (Kaunas to London Luton)

A relatively early morning as I needed to get the bus from central Kaunas to the airport. It’s the rather excellent price of €0.7 by card, but I had a euro coin left over and so decided to splash out with that as that’s the slightly more expensive cash fare. It’s a 40 minute journey, so certainly value for money. Incidentally, I’ve just realised that I didn’t write any of my trip to Kaunas (I visited late last year) up on this blog so that’s another little project that needs resolving.

They’re still busy extending the airport,the work should be completed later this year.

That’s my flight, the 11:10 to London Luton. Incidentally, the reason that I am writing these flights up with some efficiency, whereas other things fall behind, is that they’re so similar I get the details muddled up. Let’s be honest, once you’ve flown Wizz Air four times in a week, it’s all shades of fuchsia (or whatever colour their planes are) and faint diesel.

Spotlessly clean with seats and power points everywhere.

The gate was busy, but that’s because they are short on space, but that problem is resolved soon. As an unexpected highlight, the border control agent decided to count the stamps in my passport. This turned into a rather intense session of EU arithmetic, during which she seemed briefly convinced I’d overstayed. After fifteen minutes of counting, squinting and light diplomacy, we all agreed I was well within my 90-day limit. Thanks to the efficiencies of Brexit, I have 90 EU stamps in my passport so this is not a quick calculation, but the new integrated IT system will be rolling into place soon.

We were sent outside to board the aircraft before the arriving passengers had managed to get off, which did mean we had a wait on the airport apron of around 25 minutes. I’m not too fussed about this, I like the breeze and the seem of diesel fumes, but for those with kids it’s probably sub-optimal. Especially if they run off, although none did that today.

The new extension to the airport is visible on the airside.

And getting ready to board G-WUKV, the usual Wizz Air Airbus A321. I do check, from my partial records, if I’ve been on an aircraft before and this one took me from Belgrade to London Luton last year.

The seating Gods gave me a window seat and I got to see Amsterdam as we flew overhead.

And safely back into London Luton airport, on time and with a very short queue at border control. As ever, this was another well run flight from Wizz Air and cost £8.99 thanks to Multi Pass. All rather lovely.

June 17, 2025
Dortmund – German Football Museum (Murder of Lutz Eigendorf)

The museum states that this is a copy of a Stasi note that planned to kill Lutz Eigendorf (1956-1983) who was an East German international football player who defected to West Germany. This defection was awkward as he played for BFC Dynamo, which was the plaything of Erich Mielke who also happened to be the head of the Stasi. I think it’s fair to say that he was displeased. The East Germans wanted to show off their sporting prowess and that’s made more difficult when the players run away.

Eigendorf was killed in 1983 in a car accident which was never fully explained. It’s clear what the museum thinks happened, although there’s no evidence that Mielke was personally involved with the decision to assassinate him, although he probably was. Mielke was one of the most evil men in East Germany, he was corrupt and he ended up in prison after communism came to an end. There have been investigations relatively recently, but there’s not sufficient evidence to prove he was murdered and the case has now been closed by the German authorities. Eigendorf was very brave to do what he did, not just the defection, but also the criticisms he made of East Germany whilst in the West. He never saw his wife or daughter again, but the communists didn’t dare let him be free.

June 17, 2025
Wizz Air (Dortmund to Vilnius)

Dortmund’s beautiful airport…. I got the train to the nearby railway station and walked twenty minutes to get to the airport as the direct bus to the city centre was €10. That price is a rip-off, the city knows it’s a rip-off, but this is a city that likes cars and treats them with respect. As a comparison, the bus at the other end of this flight cost €0.70 in Vilnius to get from the airport to the city centre. There’s also no way of paying by card on the bus in Dortmund, but of course there is in Vilnius. The reviews of the airport bus service, which is run as a monopoly by the airport, in Dortmund are very poor, I was pleased not to go near it.

The airport was appalling in nearly every way. There is no care here from management, the toilets had no working hand dryers or paper towels, not just one of them, but all of them. The floor was dirty, surfaces were grubby, it’s a dismal airport. The managing director is Ludger van Bebber, who has led this airport for five years, and the Board are so pleased with him that they’ve extended his tenure by another five years. I’ve seen people mock Luton Airport, but at least they keep the place clean. I had a little rummage around on the airport’s website for anything about customer satisfaction and that transpired to be a fool’s errand. The only document I could find was from 2011, congratulating themselves on being above average. That was also the last time they updated their awards page. Possibly because no one has given them one since.

That middle screen does give a reflection on what this airport is like. However, the security staff were very friendly and engaging, although they had to work quickly as there’s so little space for customers given the small size of the airport.

The airport apron and it’s mostly Wizz Air who are using the terminal at the moment.

One oddly charming touch is that the airside area is so close to the pavement that people were waving goodbye to their loved ones through the glass. I don’t think that’s a feature though, more of a planning oversight that they’ve leaned into.

Most airports have a photo of, well, the airport when they have “Welcome to” their city signs. This image is of Messe Dortmund, which is nowhere near the airport, but is an attractive building.

The gate area had a certain mystery to it, since the screen that should have told passengers what flight they were queuing for was broken. As a result, everyone was sort of milling about asking each other what destination they hoped they were off to. It was a communal guessing game with mild existential dread.

The aircraft was 9H-WAF, an Airbus A321 which has been in the Wizz Air fleet which had been loyally trundling passengers around since November 2022. It was the most competent thing I saw all day (well, until I got to Vilnius).

Frankly, I was quite keen to leave Dortmund Airport, not least because I wasn’t entirely convinced it wasn’t held together by hope and old glue. In fairness, it’s a regional airport trying to stay afloat despite airlines abandoning it like a sinking ship. Wizz Air is doing most of the heavy lifting now but it does feel that the airport has gone by the number that they can easily cope with. There is a cafe that doesn’t have enough seats and that’s pretty much it, although I did find a seat to sit at near the gate and there was working wi-fi.

Boarding was efficient and the member of staff at the gate was friendly and engaging.

And off we go, the seat Gods gave me an aisle seat and there was also no-one next to me, so it was a very comfortable flight. I was going to, for the first time, buy a drink from the trolley as it came down the aisle, but I fell asleep so that moment passed. I’ve realised I don’t take many photos on the aircraft, so here’s a little treat. I’m not sure what it adds to this blog post, but there we go, it’s the thought of the content that counts. Once again, the crew were helpful, personably, well presented and worked hard, with the pilots making informative announcements. Nothing went wrong and that’s a very good thing.

A guy with a bag (it’s actually the guy in the photo, but I can’t imagine he’ll ever read this blog) pushed past me and two others on the aircraft to get off, using some force. All three of us walked around him by the time we reached the terminal (which as is visible in the above photo really isn’t very far away), so he made no time up on that little expedition. Every time though, there’s this huge rush from a few passengers and they then meander about like a drunk snail at the bottom of the steps.

My seat on the aircraft was about four rows from the back, so I deplaned (I know, it’s an American term, but I like it) quickly and I was through the airport quickly. To be precise, I got off at 18:40 and was on the bus at 18:45. I’d say that’s pretty good from Vilnius Airport and thanks to the lovely bus driver who saw me rushing to his bus and waved to signal he was waiting. The bus was clean, the contactless payment worked and it was everything that Dortmund wasn’t.

June 16, 2025