After a slow morning walk and talking about our villain (antihero?) origin stories in Berlin, I hugged Daniela and Gabe goodbye, hopped on the tram for a few stops, went underground for the metro, and made it back to the hostel in time for a 1:30pm check out. Nisha, Kenny, and I then scrambled: our 3pm train to Frankfurt was selling out fast, with prices climbing by the minute. With barely enough time to pack, we bought our tickets, threw our things together, rushed down the stairs, and said our goodbyes in the lobby.
After taking an Uber over to the central train station and boarding the ICE 933 direct train to Frankfurt, we walked the length of it more times than I’d like to admit: For over half an hour we scanned end to end of the train for unreserved seats, getting politely kicked out of others, and even considering splitting up just to sit. Just as we were actually about to give up and settle for scattered single spots, I passed by a family car that had just emptied out at the last stop and only one guy remained inside. I asked if we could join him.
That guy turned out to be Simon: a fellow Tomorrowlander!
What are the odds? Within minutes, we swapped festival stories like old friends and as if we’d planned this all along. Our conversations felt so fresh discussing it, we might as well still had our wristbands on.
And just like that, our 4 hour ride to Frankfurt flew by.
Later that evening after settling into our respective hotels, we headed back into the Hauptwache area for dinner, stumbling across the Main Festival that was taking place in Frankfurt!
As we had took down some street food, we reunited with Simon and met his partner, Ilka, who had both just gotten out of watching the new Fantastic Four movie. She joined without hesitation and we stayed out for a few drinks and chatter until 1:30am, as if we’d all known each other for years.
To wrap up a month-long trip by stumbling into a new friendship like that? That’s how you end a trip like this.
The next morning and my first time all alone in 23 days, I took it slow: Woke up to a solo gym session, a post-trip massage around the corner, and bubble tea from The Alley at Nisha’s recommendation the night before when we said goodbye (I unknowingly picked the same Brown Sugar Ube that Nisha also had back in Berlin; go figure). My plan was to close out the trip with something I’d been waiting for: cashing in 60,000 Air Canada miles for my first-ever flight in Singapore Airlines Business Class.
I’m now writing this mid-flight, connected to surprisingly fast onboard WiFi, on par with what I experienced on Air Canada between Brussels and Montreal last year.
If you’re flying Singapore Airlines out of Frankfurt, your lounge access also runs through their partnership with Air Canada. That means you’ll be hanging out in the Maple Leaf Lounge:
Boarding started at 8:00am for our 8:35am flight, and somehow we were fully boarded by 8:04am.
First impression? The seat was so big I had to use my wide-angle lens just to prove such a seat can exist. The seat felt so wide, it was like sitting between a La-Z-Boy at the back of a studio apartment.
Pro tip if you’re ever on this route: snag a bulkhead seat in Row 11 or 15. You can stretch out, pile your snacks, and even curl up sideways without setting off the seat controls like you’re playing whack-a-mole.
So big, I had to use my wide-angle camera just to fit it all in:
Honestly, I think I might like this seat more than Qatar Airways’ Business Class.
Shortly after takeoff, lunch began.
First up was their signature Singapore chicken satay with onion, cucumber, and spicy peanut sauce.
Then came heirloom tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella, Iberico ham, and pesto Genovese.
For the main, I couldn’t decide… so they brought me both: braised beef cheeks and pan-fried sea bream.
Dessert? They didn’t make me choose there either: Engadine nut cake, lemon-lime sorbet, artisanal cheeses, and fresh fruit.
They followed it with a petit four set; so good I forgot to take a photo before I ate it.
And even handed out a full snack bag for the road:
A few hours later, they came around with an extra refreshment course: flat noodles in vinegar sauce with minced pork . . .
. . . followed by another filled crepe course that hadn’t been claimed by another passenger.
When I started feeling sleepy, I flipped the seat into a bed, not by pressing a button like other business class seats, but by folding it over manually via a latch behind the seat where there were pre-fitted sheets and a sleeping pillow waiting for me!
I slept for about an hour before waking up just as we landed a few minutes earlier than scheduled.
The only minor issue had on the flight were that the power outlets weren’t consistently reliable so other than for an hour after takeoff, my phone and laptops were never charged during the flight (even though the outlet’s green light was on). But everything else more than made up for it: the crew went above and beyond, offering extra snacks, additional mains, and even a personal apology from the purser when I (jokingly) mentioned I hadn’t tried all four main course options.
Would I go out of my way to fly this route again? Without hesitation.
- At time of posting in Frankfurt, it was 19 °C - Humidity: 78% | Wind Speed: 8km/hr | Cloud Cover: cloudy and then sunny
