by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 22, 2012 | Airlines |
Earlier today via a press release, Lufthansa provided an update to it’s “BALANCE” initiatives that included news about a new record that Lufthansa set as far as fuel efficiency of their fleet.
According to the press release, Lufthansa was able to reduce fuel consumption to 1.104 gallons per 100-passenger kilometers. In other words, it took Lufthansa 1.104 gallons to carry 1 passenger 100 kilometers. Impressive if you consider what is involved.
The annual BALANCE report is designed to report on Lufthansa’s corporate stewardship as far as environmental responsibility, fleet management, economic sustainability, workplace diversity and corporate citizenship are concerned for the previous year.
The 110 page report is full of information on all segments of the Lufthansa Group and is actually a very worthwhile read. Especially worthwhile if you want to learn more about what the Lufthansa Group is doing behind the scenes as we fly on their aircraft. To down a .PDF copy of the report, please click HERE.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 22, 2012 | Trip Reports |
During our visit to London in May, it was by coincidence that we were there on the day that the UK Parliament opens it’s session. By far the highlight of the event is the Queen’s address to the session laying out her policy recommendations and direction that she wishes parliament to pursue during it’s session. This tradition has is roots dating back to the 14th century and according to historical accounts, little has changed in terms of the procedures.
Today, the event is attended by members of the House Lords who come attired in their traditional robes, members of the UK government and ambassadors from countries around the world. Normally Parliament has it’s opening session in November or December, but due to an introduction of 5 year term limits and future elections being scheduled for May of every 5th year, it was decided to moved the 2012 opening of Parliament to May.
Reading up on the history of this event, I discovered two traditions that are in place today that had very unique origins. The first one involves the searching of the cellars in the Palace of Westminster by the Yeoman’s Guard. This tradition goes back to 1605 when the “Gunpowder Plot” was uncovered. This plot’s aim was to blow up the House Of Parliament and King James I who was in attendance for it’s opening. The plot was traced back to English Catholics and to this day the ceremonial search happens each year.
Another interesting tradition based on historical events involves the taking of a hostage. Each year, prior to the King or Queen’s departure for Parliament, they take hostage a member of the House of Commons and keep that person as “prisoner” in Buckingham Palace. The reason behind this is to ensure the safety of the Monarch as they enter the Parliament. Apparently the Monarch may on occasion be faced with a less-than-friendly session when opening Parliament and needed to ensure their safety. Reading up on this tradition, I found that it goes back to the days of Charles I who in 1642 had stormed into the House of Commons seeking to arrest 5 members for treason. Due to his actions, no Monarch has EVER AGAIN been permitted to enter the House of Commons. Today, the Monarch only has the ability to enter the House of Lords.
For this year’s opening of Parliament, Mark Francois was the Member of Parliament (MP) who went to Buckingham Palace as the hostage.
Now that my brief history “lesson” is complete, I can move on the photos. We arrived at Parliament about 90 minutes ahead of the beginning of the session and had ample opportunity to find a great spot from which to watch the procession. The spot we secured was as close as any member of the public could get to the procession and still be behind the security barricades.
When we arrived, the traffic around Parliament had already been diverted, leaving a very unusual and traffic free scene around the area:
Our vantage point would ultimately be right under the red lights you see in the distance. The entire procession would pass within 30 yards of us (Westminster Abbey in the background):
The procession would include representatives from the Military:
Security was obvious:
Who's watching who???
Of course, no procession is complete without a band. In this case the band was very entertaining. Once they positioned themselves by the Sovereign’s Entrance to Parliament, they belted out several big band hits!
The Queen’s guard indicated that she was not far behind:
The Queen’s Carriage:
Once the Queen concluded her speech, her guard prepared to escort her back to Buckingham Palace:
We caught a great glimpse of Prince Philip on their way back to Buckingham Palace:
In all, we spent approximately 3 hours standing by Parliament to take in the event. Typically I’m not one to stand in place for 3 hours waiting for few minutes of excitement. But in this case, to actually see the Queen as up close as we did was worth the wait. Its not everyday that one gets to have a live glimpse at someone who has been so influential and instrumental for her nation and it’s citizenry for 60 years!
This is only part of a much larger trip report covering the trip to Istanbul and London. If you would like to be informed of future trip reports, please follow me on twitter: @lufthansaflyer.
Here is the current “index” of the trip report. The one’s with hyperlinks have already been completed:
Lufthansa First Class Services from Chicago to Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Lounge in Frankfurt
Istanbul – Sultan Ahmed (Sultanahmet) Mosque.
Istanbul – The Basilica Cistern.
Istanbul – Spice Market and Grand Bazaar.
Istanbul – Park Hyatt Macka Palas.
Istanbul – Our Day with Ihsan (besttaxidriver.com).
Istanbul – Hagia Sophia.
Istanbul – Other Mosques and Churches.
Istanbul – I find out what Zultanite is….
Istanbul – The Food We Found.
Istanbul – Turkish Airlines’ International CIP Lounge.
London – Hyatt Andaz Liverpool Street.
London – Opening of Parliament – Great pictures of the Queen and procession to Parliament.
London – ‘The Sunshine Boys’ at the Savoy Theater (Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths)…..BRILLIANT, MUST SEE!
London – Spitalfield’s Antique Market – And the lesson I learned.
London – Churchill War Rooms and Churchill Museum.
London – Photos from around town.
London – Dinner at Petrus
London – St. James Park: Feathers and Fur
London – Covent Gardens.
London – All the other things that I can’t think of at the moment….
Pluckley – They said it was haunted……
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 21, 2012 | Trip Reports |
On our recent trip to Istanbul and London, we stayed with Hyatt properties in both cities. For our stay in London, it was the Andaz Liverpool St and for our 4 nights in Istanbul, we stayed with the Park Hyatt-Macka Palas. For the sake of this review, I’ll focus on the Park Hyatt-Macka Palas.
The hotel is located in a very nice part of Istanbul, near high end restaurants and shopping. The area certainly reminded me of typical European cities like Prague, Rome, Brussels, Vienna etc. as far as the look and “feel”. The Macka Palas area is a 10-15 minute taxi ride from the historic districts (Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace, etc) and with cab fares ranging from 10-15 Turkish Lira ($5-8), it was very reasonable getting around different parts of Istanbul. Another option is to walk or take a short taxi ride to the tram lines, which may reduce your cost by perhaps $2-3. However, whenever I saw one of these trams, it was packed with people, so factor that into your decision as to whether to take a tram around town or just take a taxi! For us the decision was easy. We did not have the desire to impersonate a sardine.
The hotel itself is very nice. It was very clean, well kept and had a fairly attentive staff, though sometimes a small language barrier would exist, but nothing that couldn’t be overcome. Our room was a standard Park King which was very large by European hotel standards. The room was well appointed however some of the furniture had some obvious wear indicating that it’s best days were behind it. The bath area was impressive, with a separate steam shower, a deep bath tub, and large vanity area. Definitely among the better bath areas that I’ve seen in a hotel room.
Overall we were very happy with the room. We had a decent view of one of the bridges crossing the Bosphorus, and the room was very clean and comfortable.
Images from the room:
Large and Comfortable Bed
Sitting Area w/ Desk
Entry way from door
Large Vanity Area
Deep Bath Tub
Steam Shower w/ rain shower head
View from our room (unzoomed)
View with a bit of zoom lens involved
As part of our room rate, breakfast was included each morning and we took full advantage. The Dining Room area is set up with many “self serve” items such as cereals, pastries, fruits, etc. and there is an a-la-carte breakfast menu available as well. The food was excellent and there was a large variety to choose from. Since we were only in Istanbul for a few nights, we did not have much time to experience the restaurants or bars in the hotel since we though it better to be out and about in the city as much as possible.
Overall, we were pleased with the hotel. But not to the extent that I was when I stayed at the Grand Hyatt or Hyatt Regency in Hong Kong. Those properties had that “little extra something” that sets them apart from most of the Hotels I’ve every stayed at. Perhaps it was the city itself and the obvious energy in Hong Kong. However, I would still highly recommend the Park Hyatt in Istanbul to anyone who would ask.
One item of note: If you decide to stay at this hotel, just be prepared that they do not reply very quickly to emails that you send to their main hotel or concierge email addresses. I was trying to arrange a private car transfer from the Airport to the Hotel and wound up having to call the Diamond service center to have them help me take care of it. In the scheme of things, not a major criticism, but just something to be aware of. Enjoy your stay!
This is only part of a much larger trip report covering the trip to Istanbul and London. If you would like to be informed of future trip reports, please follow me on twitter: @lufthansaflyer.
Here is the current “index” of the trip report. The one’s with hyperlinks have already been completed:
Lufthansa First Class Services from Chicago to Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class Lounge in Frankfurt
Istanbul – Sultan Ahmed (Sultanahmet) Mosque.
Istanbul – The Basilica Cistern.
Istanbul – Spice Market and Grand Bazaar.
Istanbul – Park Hyatt Macka Palas.
Istanbul – Our Day with Ihsan (besttaxidriver.com).
Istanbul – Hagia Sophia.
Istanbul – Other Mosques and Churches.
Istanbul – I find out what Zultanite is….
Istanbul – The Food We Found.
Istanbul – Turkish Airlines’ International CIP Lounge.
London – Hyatt Andaz Liverpool Street.
London – Opening of Parliament – Great pictures of the Queen and procession to Parliament.
London – ‘The Sunshine Boys’ at the Savoy Theater (Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths)…..BRILLIANT, MUST SEE!
London – Spitalfield’s Antique Market – And the lesson I learned.
London – Churchill War Rooms and Churchill Museum.
London – Photos from around town.
London – Dinner at Petrus
London – St. James Park: Feathers and Fur
London – Covent Gardens.
London – All the other things that I can’t think of at the moment….
Pluckley – They said it was haunted……
