Today’s edition of “the Wednesday Who” introduces us to Igor Sikorsky. Sikorsky was born on 25 May 1889 in Kiev, which at the time was part of the Russian Empire. According to Britannica, his mother’s zeal for Leonardo da Vinci helped pave the way for his interest in engineering and mechanics; this was first demonstrated […]
Europe
Istanbul Airport (IST) Now Has Metro Access
Although they may not be the most convenient methods of transportation at this time, both of Istanbul’s commercial airports are now connected to the city’s metro system. Istanbul Airport (IST)’s metro station on the M11 line was inaugurated yesterday, 22 January. The ride from the airport to Kağıthane station takes only 24 minutes; however, from […]
Brussels Airlines Starts Receiving Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Teaming up with Finland’s NESTE, Belgium’s Brussels Airlines is now the second major European carrier — after Amsterdam-based KLM — to start using Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or SAF to fill its aircraft. Last year Finnair and Iberia signed contracts with GEVO, a Colorado-based renewable energy and biofuels company, but those SAF shipments will only start […]
Top Five Unexpected Visits of 2022
To follow up the earlier post on my top five meals of 2022, I thought, food is great and all, but where the heck was I when eating? Why did I end up there? And, were any of those meals due to unexpected visits? Not necessarily, but I’ve got a fun top five list — […]
My Top Five Meals of 2022
First of all, Happy 2023! Mexico, Turkey, Japan, AND Georgia for good measure– how am I going to make a “top five meals of 2022” list when I was in some of my favorite countries for food? Better just take one from each, and then reveal a mystery country to finish the list off. Cue […]
An Early Christmas Gift from ITA Airways
The SkyTeam airline alliance member ITA Airways (AZ), the successor to Italy’s flag carrier Alitalia, only started flying on 15 October, 2021, less than a year after having been founded. As with many new businesses, there was a host of issues that had to be sorted out in the beginning; these issues included applying for […]
Wednesday’s Who’s Who of Airport Names, Part 8: Anne de Gaulle
In 2021, Paris, France’s Charles de Gaulle (airport code: CDG) airport was the 5th busiest in the world for total number of international passengers (bear in mind that #1 Dubai DXB and #3 Amsterdam AMS operate in countries without domestic scheduled commercial flights). Sure, many countries had more draconian COVID-19 rules in effect for much […]
Croatia gets a New Bridge; Bosnia gets a New Eyesore
Since the fall of Yugoslavia around 30 years ago, there has existed an unusual border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. While many of us know that Croatia is famed for its enchanting Dalmatian Coast castle towns along the Adriatic Sea, less well-known is that Bosnia and Herzegovina actually separates Croatia into two parts, at the port city […]