2025 Annual Trip: Europe and London

Monday, 10th March 2025

After completing the packing for our trip to Europe, we left our home in the Bangkok area at 8:30 p.m. and went to Suvarnabhumi Airport. This was where we checked in at the Business Class counter and met the tour guide and the operator, where we completed the check-in formalities.

After checking in was completed, we went to the fast-track security and immigration clearance and took less than five minutes to complete. Then we enjoyed the lounge experience as I am a business class customer and had some refreshments. The lounge was quite a bit busy since more people were leaving the flights to Europe and most flights to Japan on the night departure rounds.

Surprisingly, the gate shown showed that the flight had left from the SAT-1 terminal building, and we took the shuttle train, and it was my first time being here at the satellite terminal at the airport, with few newly opened lounges.

The flight leaves at 12:45 a.m. on March 11th on TG922D to Frankfurt Airport, using a Boeing 777-300ER, which was my favorite plane. The flight to Frankfurt Airport was 11 hours 45 minutes, and we cruised at an altitude of up to 36,000 feet. The three-course meal started with a late dinner, and I ate a shrimp dish for the main course. Approximately 2 hours before landing, breakfast was provided onboard.

Tuesday, 11th March 2025

Welcome to Europe! After flying for 11 hours 45 minutes, we landed at 6:53 a.m. at Frankfurt Em Main Airport. The flight was excellent, with Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. The immigration process at Frankfurt Airport was very slow and a long wait due to only one counter opening in the non-EU lanes. After an hour later, we finally made it to the baggage reclaim hall, but our luggage was ported into the group bus to the next city.

At around 9:10 a.m., we went on an air-conditioned coach, all the way to the next city in France, which was Colmar. Since it crossed the country border, it doesn’t need to clear the immigration again as both Germany and France are in the Schengen EU Zone. The ride took about three hours to get there from Frankfurt Airport, and it was very smooth traffic.

We arrived at the city of Colmar in France, to have a little walk around and had lunch at the Michelin Restaurant called “Restaurant Maison Rouge”. This menu was a three-course meal, almost like Leura Restaurant at Stamford International University, Rama 9 Campus. The dishes that I ate was Seaweed salmon for the starters, Chicken with mashed potatoes for the main course, and chocolate pudding with ice cream for the dessert.

After lunch, it was raining outside for a little bit, and after around 20 minutes outside, the rain stopped and the sun was shining out, then we had a chance to explore around Colmar while waiting on the bus back to the hotel in Strasbourg.

Three hours later from Colmar, we arrived at the hotel in Strasbourg, which was “Sofitel Strasbourg Grand Lle”, very antique refurbished 5-star hotel, the room was a bit small, but comfortable.

In summary, the highlights of the day were incredible with lunch in Michelin-style restaurant in Colmar and shining weather after the rain, and the city of Colmar was quite antique but beautiful.

Wednesday, 12th March 2025

On the next day in Europe, still in Strasbourg, France, we started our morning by eating the buffet breakfast in the hotel. I ate the full breakfast course, and it was more delicious than I made it! The weather out there was very cold.

After breakfast, we made the large baggage transfer arrangement to the next city so that we travel only with small luggage during the whole trip to Europe. We took the shuttle bus to the Strasbourg train station (Gare du Strasbourg) at 9:00 a.m. for our adventure to the next city in France, which was Rennes, on the west coast of this country.

We boarded the TGV Inoui 5470 high-speed train in the first-class seats, left right on time at 10:01 a.m., and traveled all the way from Strasbourg to Rennes. The ride took 4 hours and 46 minutes, which was my second longest train ride in history. (My first and longest train ride was around 11 hours when I was in Thailand for the field trip in 2010.). As we traveled over 300 km/h (185 mph), lunch was served with the Thai dish while the train was at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. I ate the delicious Pad Thai Goong, which was my favorite Thai dish.

We arrived in Rennes, our next city, at 2:46 p.m. local time, as our TGV Inoui train arrived at Gare du Rennes. Then, we explored the Rennes Cathedral, followed by a little walk around town, and it was a bit rainy with lots of wind and cold weather outside.

This evening, we stayed for two nights in Rennes at the “Balthazar Hotel & Spa by MGallery”, with a wonderful experience and beautiful atmosphere. However, each room has a separate toilet and shower. The room was very spacious with a balcony to enjoy the chilly weather outside. Dinner was at the restaurant in the hotel, served with five-course meals, more than Leura Restaurant at Stamford International University, Rama 9 Campus. So far, I have enjoyed the delicious Michelin-style dishes!

My highlights of the day were enjoying the longest high-speed train ride, 4 hours 46 minutes from Strasbourg to Rennes in France, and the dining experience at the hotel. We all had an enjoyable day on the train and in the new city!

Thursday, 13th March 2025

On the third day in Europe, we had breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. The hot breakfast was made-to-order, but they still had the buffet spread serving cold dishes and pastries. It was delightful dishes served at the table! The weather outside was very cold and chilly, with a temperature of around 0°C (32°F), with strong winds, making it feel colder than usual. This morning was a late sunrise at around 7:00 a.m.

We left the hotel in Rennes for Mont Saint-Michel at 8:30 a.m., and it took around 60 minutes on the coach. Since there was no horse-riding, instead they provided the shuttle bus to the scenic views of the Mont Saint-Michel in Rennes, France.

Once we arrived at the parking lot at Mont Saint-Michel, we were greeted with wonderful scenery around the visitor center while waiting for the shuttle bus to the center of Mont Saint-Michel. As we approached, we enjoyed the beautiful scenic views surrounding the waters and had a little bit of hiking to the middle of the mountain, just before the ticket office to the top. I didn’t go to the top of the mountain because it needs a lot of hiking that makes me feel a bit tired. Instead, I went to see the views from the middle; it was very nice and beautiful with clear skies and sun. I bought my favorite postcards and a reusable bag as souvenirs for the trip.

After we went to Saint-Malo, 30 minutes away from Mont Saint-Michel, we had lunch at the “Fidelis Saint-Malo,” the Michelin-style restaurant. We ate delicious six-course dishes, which were beautifully crafted by a curated chef. I ate scallops for the main course, my favorite seafood, along with tacos and oysters. Following that, we explored around the town of Saint Molo, with windy and chilly weather as it was close to sea level. Saint Malo was my favorite place to visit in France with antique buildings.

Then, we returned to the hotel in Rennes for a brief break before heading to dinner at Crêpe's Café, which serves crepes stuffed with oysters and ham.  The crepe tastes better than in Thailand. Next, I took a night walk, which lasted for about fifteen minutes, to the hotel that we stayed at. We packed our luggage tonight for the delivery service to our next hotel in London, United Kingdom.

In short, I enjoyed visiting Mont Saint-Michel and Saint Malo, which had beautiful scenic views with clear skies and chilly weather, together with lunch on a six-course set menu. I love that place, and I wish I could visit Saint Molo again.

Friday, 14th March 2025

On the fourth day, I ate breakfast at 7:00 a.m., the same as the day before. We made our way to Paris Gare du Nord station for our next city, which was London, United Kingdom. At the halfway point, three hours on the coach, we ate lunch at Terra Restaurant in Chartres, France. The dishes that I ate were shrimp with scallops’ salad for the starters, pasta with truffles for the main course, and chocolate mousse for the dessert.

After lunch, we continued the journey to Paris Gare du Nord station and explored a drive-through sightseeing tour around the city of Paris along the way.

We arrived at the Paris Gare du Nord station at around 4:00 p.m. For the train to London St. Pancras International, we cleared two immigration checkpoints at the same time: French customs and UK Border Control went smoothly, and we don’t need to clear immigration upon arrival in London; just head straight to the arrival hall.

At Gare du Nord, it has dedicated waiting halls for passengers to London, United Kingdom, which consist of two boarding gates. Each of them is grouped by the coach number on the same train, totaling 16 coaches. At 4:38 p.m. local time, the boarding door opened, and we were on the back of the train! We boarded the Eurostar high-speed train in the first-class seats, left right on time at 5:08 p.m., and traveled all the way from Paris Gare du Nord all the way to London St. Pancras International. The ride took 2 hours and 27 minutes, crossing the Channel Tunnel area and going inside the tunnel for half an hour. After we exited the tunnel, the clock went back one hour due to a time zone change.

We finally arrived at London St. Pancras International at 6:30 p.m. local time, our last city for the Europe trip 2025. Then we went to dinner at Mandarin Kitchen Restaurant, which was Chinese cuisine, found just twenty minutes from the train station. The menu was more than three courses, more than the experience from Leura Restaurant at Stamford International University, Rama 9 Campus. It was delicious and one of my favorite Asian dishes.

Following that, we stayed for three nights in London at the “Intercontinental London Park Lane, an IHG hotel”, which was one of the five-star hotels in the city. The room was very spacious, with antique materials and a woodgrain finish. It has an en-suite bathroom with more space for working out. We arrived there at almost 9:45 p.m.

In addition to that, I have been there in London for my first visit since April 2012, and I am so happy to revisit again during the Europe trip in 2025. After it feels like a homecoming after 11 years, which was more than a decade from now.

What I liked the most about that day was riding the Eurostar train from Paris to London, going on an underwater tunnel for half an hour, and having a lunch and dinner experience at Michelin-style restaurants eating Asian dishes. My overall experience was wonderful so far on the Europe trip 2025!

Saturday, 15th March 2025

On the fifth day in Europe, we had a full buffet breakfast at around 7:15 a.m. I ate the full breakfast set, and it was delicious! The same breakfast experience when I am at Marriott in Thailand. This morning was chilly outside, with temperatures of around 3°C (37°F).

Reflecting over the past decade, 11 years later. I spent chilly days in the cold weather, visiting the coffee shops to warm up, starting with Starbucks coffee in the Piccadilly area and eating sandwiches and cookies. My first visit was in 2012.

Then, I went to explore the art galleries to see the famous paintings and took pictures of the artworks. It was very nice and beautiful. I wish I could explore more art galleries on my next visit.

Monday, 17th March 2025

On the final day of our Europe trip in 2025, we had breakfast as usual and packed all our things and were ready to fly back home in Bangkok, Thailand. I walked to the noodle restaurant, where the noodles move in front of the door. Once I arrived at the restaurant, they opened at noon. While I waited for the restaurant to open, I went for a strawberry lemonade drink at Starbucks Coffee, which I went to before. I ate grilled gyoza chicken for the appetizer and duck murger noodles for the main course. They’re deliciously made, and I love them!

After lunch, I relaxed at Pret, a manager coffee shop, for a little bit of sleep, with hot chocolate in the afternoon, very quiet and peaceful in the comfort seating areas. Then we headed back to the hotel at around 3:15 p.m. to wait for the airport limousine.

At 5:00 p.m., the airport limousine arrived at the hotel, and it took about 45 minutes to get to Heathrow Airport due to traffic. We arrived at Heathrow Airport Terminal 2, the Queen’s Terminal, which I had been to before when leaving back to Thailand by myself in 2014. After check-in was completed, we headed to the fast-track security area, then relaxed inside the Singapore Airlines Silverkris lounge, nearest to our departure gate.

We boarded the plane at 8:55 p.m. local time; the flight was on a Boeing 777-300ER, the same as before, with a newly refurbished Business Class product. The flight TG917 from London Heathrow to Bangkok was 11 hours 25 minutes, very smooth and comfortable. I had a chance to sleep on the plane after eating the three-course dinner after take-off, the same dining experience as Leura Restaurant on campus. I ate braised lamb shanks for the main course. The plane cruised up to 37,000 feet, and I saw the sunrise halfway through the plane’s journey. A delicious breakfast was served, and I ate a cheese omelet around two hours before landing for a long flight.

Finally, the flight landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:51 p.m. on the following day, 9 minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival time. Overall, the flight was excellent and very smooth. I had flown on this flight in November 2014 when I came back from the last day of high school in the United Kingdom!! I enjoyed the trip in Europe, together with the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley Stadium! Looking forward to my next trip soon.

Sunday, 16th March 2025

It’s Carabao Cup Final Day, and Liverpool and Newcastle United played together at Wembley Stadium in London! This morning, we had a buffet breakfast, the same as yesterday, then we dressed in formal shirts before leaving the stadium.

We left the hotel for Wembley Stadium at 10:30 a.m.; it took approximately an hour due to road traffic. We arrived at the stadium at noon via the special entrance, where the players dropped off at those areas. We don’t need to clear the security checks inside because they are conducted on the whole vehicle.

As we entered the stadium, we took pictures at the center of the soccer pitch before the game started at 4:30 p.m. All our seats were found at Wembley Suite, 2nd floor. They served three courses, almost like the Leura Restaurant at Stamford International University, Rama 9 Campus. We ate two different kinds of meals for the starters, such as creamy parsnip velouté and artisan bread. For the main course, we got beef Wellington, served with mashed potatoes.

We moved to the stadium grandstand seats around 15 minutes before the game started. Once the players were in, the national anthem of England played just before the kickoff.

At halftime of the match, with two minutes of added time. Dessert was served at Wembley Suite. We ate Chocolate Fudge Delice and cheesecake; they were tasty!

I was going for Liverpool to win this year’s Carabao Cup, but… Newcastle United defeated them 2-1, and they won the title for the first time in history! 88,513 people attended this event, with a total capacity of 90,000 seats in that stadium.

After the match, there was a delay for the visitors to exit the stadium due to road closure. We left the stadium at around 7:45 p.m. and enjoyed the post-match dinner at the Chinese Restaurant near London Paddington Station. I ate delicious seafood rice noodles in the evening before we headed back to our hotel.

In summary, for the Carabao Cup final day, it was an excellent match and a very fun event! I am so happy that Newcastle United has won this year’s Carabao Cup, and they lifted the trophy in front of our seating zone! I wish I could watch it again on TV or at the stadium next year!