Brussels to Ljubljana, Slovenia in Adria Business

 Belgium, Flights, New Years 2009-2010, Slovenia  No Responses »
Aug 192011
 

After a few hours of wandering around Brussels, and a quick hop back to the airport, it was time to board our flight to Ljubljana on Adria Airways.  A few things I need to admit:  part of the reason I booked this route was my plan to (eventually) fly on every Star Alliance airline.  What better time to fly on Adria than when going via their home airport of Ljubljana?  Although the main reason for this trip was to get to Iraq, the chance to go via Slovenia in one direction and Croatia in the other was irresistible to me!

The biggest downside of this flight – which I may or may not have been entirely honest with Matt about in advance – was the plane.  It was the one plane I categorically refuse to fly under normal circumstances, because I find it to be the most miserable piece of aluminum in the air:  The Canadair CRJ-200.  Miserably cramped, windows that even a little person can’t see out….basically…I can’t stand them.  That said, they promised “business class” which means they left the seat next to you open…so how bad could it be…right?

Adria 395, Brussels (BRU) to Ljubljana, Slovenia (LJU)
Depart: 20:55 Arrive: 22:35, Flight time of 1:40
CRJ-200, Registration S5-AAI, Manufactured 1998, Seat 3A

Once on-board, it was pretty uneventful. Easily the most comfortable CRJ-200 flight I’d ever taken – but hard for it not to be. There were three rows of “business” and with nobody next to me, it really wasn’t bad at all. We even got a small “snack” which I was pretty unimpressed by…but hey, compared to what you’d get in the US at this hour…not complaining to at least have the option!

I nibbled on the protein a little bit, all the while trying to avoid snickering at the wet nap, which I found absolutely hysterical for some reason.  I mean, come on, could they make the picture just a little more comical if they tried, lol! Continue reading »

IAD-LHR-BRU on United, and time in Brussels

 Belgium, Flights, New Years 2009-2010, United Kingdom  No Responses »
Aug 182011
 

Shortly before we booked this trip, United had started the London-Brussels flight as a way of holding onto their Heathrow slots for the off-season.  I didn’t expect it to fit so perfectly into our needs, but there you have it.  This year was exceptionally difficult (I found) to get award space over the holidays, so this extra option really helped out.  After Christmas with family, it was time to head off on the adventure!

United 922, Washington, Dulles to London, Heathrow
Boeing 767-300, Registration N646UA, Manufactured 1992
Depart 9:46 Arrive 22:00
Seat: 6H

Honestly, not a whole lot to say about this flight. It was quite uneventful, and after the drama the year before on the same date (22 hr delay after boarding, etc) we were just glad it was uneventful. The food was pretty standard: full hot breakfast shortly after departure, and full hot dinner shortly before arrival. All in all an uneventful flight, and after several dozen trips between IAD an LHR the past few years that’s how I like them. Landed on-time around 10pm, and we were home in the flat around midnight and off for a short night’s slept before grabbing some coffee and catching the DLR/tube back to Heathrow.

United 935, London, Heathrow to Brussels, Belgium
Boeing 777-200, Registration N784UA, Manufactured 1997
Depart 13:20 Arrive 15:35
Seat: 2J

When we got to the gate for the flight, it was clear there were maybe 50-60 people on the entire 777. I’d heard rumors of rampant op-ups on this flight, but didn’t want to get our hopes up. Then, one of the agents I knew from many previous trips came over, started chatting us up, and came back with two new boarding passes…1J and 2J….yes, it’s only an hour tops to Brussels, but the op-up is certainly appreciated. That said, we weren’t the only ones. I think business was booked to 1 or 2 people, and ended up with 10-15 people in it. I suspect all elite Milage Plus members were upgraded one class.

We did our best on the short flight to do serious damage to the champagne stocks (and I do believe we managed an entire bottle) before landing in Brussels on-time and ready for a short bit of exploring before catching our 20:55 flight to Ljubljana. With 5 full hours in Brussels I knew we had time to train into the city, walk around and grab a short dinner, before heading back to the airport for the flight to Slovenia.

Walked around the city a bit, and soon, as the sun was setting, it was time to head back to the train to the airport.

Got to the airport, quick check-in, and we were in the lounge well in advance of our Adria flight. I still think the lounges in Brussels are majorly sub-par, but you can’t really complain too much – they’re comfortable enough with internet (albeit very very slow) and no shows, but it beats the alternative!

…oh and being Belgium, it wouldn’t be a pre-flight lounge snack without a tasty beer. Soon, it was time to board, and off to another new country: Slovenia!

New Years in Iraq

 Iraq, New Years 2009-2010  No Responses »
Aug 172011
 

I hadn’t much intention to post this, but since I posted a couple others several folks have asked about this trip. Since I’m off for a 35+ day trip in a week this will be brief, but I do want to update this trip!

I have this…thing…for going to strange places for New Years. This year, we went to Afghanistan. Last year…it was Iraq. I’m hoping in a few months to set foot in that place full of pirates without a name. You get the picture.

The post will be split into these parts:

I. IAD-LHR-BRU in United First, and time in Brussels
II. Brussels-Ljubljana, Slovenia in Adria Business and time in Ljubljana
III. Ljubljana-Vienna-Erbil, Iraq in Austrian Business
IV. Erbil, Iraq and adventures to the Iranian Border
V. Erbil-Vienna-Zagreb, Croatia, and a day in Zagreb
VI. Zagreb-London, Heathrow – or Hallucinating around Europe
VII. London to Washington in United Business

There are lots of pictures, lots of bacteria, and hopefully I can fill in a few blanks on places that we found remarkable few details on online before going there ourselves. I admit – it was a bit insane to head to Iraq with absolutely nothing booked but….I guess that’s what adventure is all about!

London, Heathrow to Washington, Dulles in United First

 Caucasus Trip, Flights, United Kingdom  1 Response »
Aug 142011
 

One of the best things about this itinerary was that despite having to wake up at 3am or so for a 5:45am flight I was able to connect to the noon flight out of Heathrow still getting me home at a really good hour! I wasn’t going to complain about that!

Through transfer security, and soon I was in the Star Alliance lounge. I find even the main lounge to be a great improvement over the old Red Carpet Club in T3 at Heathrow (well, I have to admit I only tried it once before using the SAS/Air Canada lounge, and that was before I discovered the Singapore Lounge that was also available!) but the First side is quite nice. It looks nearly the same as the regular lounge, but is far less crowded and has food to order. However, this trip, there was no listing of what was available, so one was left to guess. No matter, my request of a bacon roll was soon delivered!

 

Quick shower in the lounge, and it was time to head to the gate to board.  Since United now boards from somewhere out in Wales, it’s a good 10-15 minute walk from the lounge to the gate. Continue reading »

Yerevan – Warsaw – London in LOT Polish Business Class

 Armenia, Caucasus Trip, Flights, Poland, United Kingdom  No Responses »
Aug 132011
 

Now, before I start this segment there are three things I must confess.

1)  Those of you expecting a fabulous business class report are going to be sorely disappointed.  Not only is this “European Business Class” it is all on ERJs!

2)  I don’t do redeyes or early morning flights.  Matt REALLY doesn’t do redeyes or early morning flights.  Our flight was set to depart Yerevan at 5:45am.  Yes, this would be lots of fun, and I admit I fudged a bit.  “Oh, it’s early, before 7, like 6 something I think?”

3)  Neither of us had flown LOT, so I was kinda excited, Euro business or not, for this.  Though, EVN-WAW-LHR-IAD was going to make for a very very long day.

So that said, on with the show!  We’d made it to bed somewhat early, but the room was a bit warm and wouldn’t cool down much, so I’m not sure how much sleep we really got.  Alarm was set for something like 3:45 if I recall directly, which was a nightmare not to be repeated….at least until next month. Continue reading »

Tbilisi, driving to Yerevan, and around Yerevan

 Armenia, Caucasus Trip, Georgia  1 Response »
Aug 122011
 

This one might get kind of long – you’ve been warned!

After waking up, we headed up to the top floor of the Sheraton Tbilisi for the breakfast buffet which was included…and huge!  Lots of fresh local fruit – apricots, cherries, etc, and all perfectly in season.  Combined with other food, it was enough to fuel a long morning of walking around Tbilisi.

Headed out of the hotel, and the first stop was the Holy Trinity Cathedral.  Built in 2002, this is one of the largest Orthodox Churches in the world.  We were lucky that being Sunday, there was a service going on.  Despite studying in the USSR years ago, I’d never been to an Orthodox church service, and certainly not a Georgian Orthodox one.  It was fascinating to me to spend time in there, and in retrospect I wish we’d stayed a bit longer.  It was just one of those really authentic local moments that I really enjoy when traveling.

After the Cathedral we made our way down to the river, across a bridge, and took a view up the hill/mountain on the south side of the city.  We wandered through Old Tbilisi, and took a look up the hill towards Narkala Fortress which we planned to visit after lunch. Continue reading »

Baku, Azerbaijan to Tbilisi, Georgia on AZAL Azerbaijan Airlines and the Sheraton Tbilisi

 Azerbaijan, Caucasus Trip, Flights, Georgia  1 Response »
Aug 102011
 

After getting back to the Park Inn, we had no trouble locating a taxi who would take us to the airport.  Only problem is – we knew how much it should cost based on previous rides, so that’s all the cash we had saved up.  A bit of negotiating in Russian, showing the wallet to prove what we had left, and we were good to go.  Down to the last coin!

Got to the airport around two hours before the flight, and check-in was not yet open.  Baku is not exactly JFK – it seemed like there were very few flights, and the airport really only came to life about 75 minutes before our flight.  Checked-in, got boarding passes and seat assignments (no advance assignments on AZAL, despite the rather hefty one-way fare) and off through immigration and security to the gate area.  No lounges were to be had, and there were no restaurants that would take credit cards, so we sat in the gate area for around 30 minutes waiting for our flight.  About 45 minutes prior they loaded us onto the bus, and out to the plane…which was nowhere in sight despite the airport not being that busy.  We were hoping that the promised ATR wasn’t to be had, but…

Flight J2 225 – Baku to Tbilisi
Seat 3A, ATR-72 – Registration 4K-AZ67 – Manufactured 2008
Departure 23:30 – Arrival 23:50 – 1 hour time change

Honestly not a ton to say about this flight. It was 80% or so full, service, for what it was worth was efficient. I got water, and a better “snack” than any US airline would ever give on a segment of this length:

Landed a few minutes early, and was off to immigration, where despite being the first one to the counter in this ultra-modern airport, I was the LAST one out of 50 or so to be through. Seems my passport was “слишком болшой” – too fat – too fit into their passport scanners. Eventually they gave up, typed the data in manually, and we were good to go. Out to the taxi queue, where we negotiated what seemed a mildly reasonable (although higher than advertised online) rate to the Sheraton. At this hour, I wasn’t about to quibble over $5 or so.

Off to the Sheraton at around 150kph down “George W Bush Highway” – where there were signs – complete with pictures of the former President on them. Obviously, there’s still one place in the world that he’s well liked. Soon, we were at the Sheraton and checked into to what was promised as a “suite.”

The room was quite large – huge living room and kitchen area, with a completely separate bathroom and bedroom area. Only problem was…the room was rather warm. Somewhere around 22-24C would be my guess. Two fans were delivered which made it sleepable (mind you, I’m someone who prefers rooms in the range of 17C to sleep), so we were out cold considering it was past 1am in Azerbaijan, and ready for the next day’s adventures!

Baku, Azerbaijan and the Park Inn, Baku

 Azerbaijan, Caucasus Trip  No Responses »
Aug 092011
 

I managed to survive my cab ride with the non-communicative driver and his non-ACd car to the Park Inn, and headed into what must be the most barren lobby I’ve ever been in…filled with….Koreans and Chinese!  It seems the 2012 Olympic Taekwondo Qualifiers were in town this week…go figure in Baku!

Up to the room which was nothing special, but was functional.  I guess at the prices I’d heard in Baku I expected slightly more, but then again at the same time, the location seemed great.  Right on the Caspian Sea, walking distance to the old town and the brand new mall in town – no complaints at all.  I would definitely stay here again if I ever returned.  Especially because Monica Lewinsky seems to recommend it!

Since it was nearing 10pm at this point, I checked out the mall across the street to procure some bottled water and just walk and get a feel of the place before crashing.  It had been a very long day, and I wanted to get up and check things out a bit before heading back to GYD to pick up Matt at noon. Continue reading »

Frankfurt to Baku, Azerbaijan in Lufthansa First

 Azerbaijan, Caucasus Trip, Flights, Germany  No Responses »
Aug 082011
 

So, drama-free trip with Brussels Airlines, and I was soon making my way through Schengen Emmigration on the way to the FLounge when I got the message….the drama to potentially end all drama…from Matt:

“I’m still at London City – appears our inbound flight sucked in a SWAN into the engine…they’re assessing damage now.”  Now, on first thought, I chalked this up to drama.  We had 2.5 hours in Frankfurt to connect, and I wasn’t terribly worried.  As long as he was delayed less than two hours due to swan drama, things would be ok.  A quick check of expertflyer showed there was another LCY-FRA flight 90 min after his original, so I told him to watch both flights, and get on whichever left first.

That was a wonderful idea, until….the SECOND flight went mechanical due to some sort of sensor or another going tits up.  Oh, and plane number one?  Still having miscellaneous bird innards removed from its engines.  At this point, we were at a two hour delay, and I was getting worried.  How worried was I?  I’d spent over an hour in the Lufthansa FLounge, and was still only halfway through my glass of champagne, and hadn’t even hit the showers for the Lufthansa Rubber Duckie.  It was THAT bad!

Soon it become obvious that the inevitable was going to happen:  there was no way he would get to Frankfurt in time, and was going to miss the onward connection to Baku.  Now, normally this wouldn’t be the end of the world, but Baku isn’t one of those destinations with dozens of daily flights.  Lufthansa doesn’t even fly there daily.  So, I passed on the champagne, cornered a third lounge employee, determined to fix this.  Oh, I didn’t mention perhaps the biggest part of the drama.  I had Matt’s passport with the Azeri visa.  Plan was he would fly to Frankfurt on Passport #1, and then I’d give him Passport #2 with the Azeri visa, and we’d go to Baku together.  So, small problem!

Thankfully, after trying three lounge attendants (first two were the very rigid “sorry, there is nothing I can do” types) the third was awesome.  She agreed to hold the passport, and to rebook him on the only other option:  Frankfurt to Baku via Istanbul.  One small problem though:  It arrived Baku at something like 4am.  I don’t do redeyes unless absolutely necessary, and Matt definitely doesn’t do them.  I had her book that option, as well as an option where he got to Istanbul around 8pm, forced overnight, getting into Baku the next day at noon – I was convinced that given all the flight drama that was a pretty damn good solution.

That sorted, I advised him the backup plan, got in my Mercedes, and was driven to the plane…with perhaps the creepiest person I’ve ever met.  I had the honour of sharing the car with a guy who spent the entire 5-10 minutes on his cell phone calling every escort/woman for hire/friend he had in Baku advising them he was going to be in town that night and wanted to see them.  Ewww.  When he caught on I understood his German he switched to Russian.  BZZT!  You lose, it just got creepier!

Up to the plane, on board in Seat 1K and it was confirmed – we would have been the only two in first as expected.  Woo hoo – private plane for me!

Continue reading »

Washington to Brussels in United First and on to Frankfurt in Lufthansa Business

 Belgium, Caucasus Trip, Flights, Germany  No Responses »
Aug 072011
 

So the time had arrived, time for my second eastbound transatlantic with United in first in just under a month. However, since we’d crossed the month marker the menu should theoretically have changed, and should be an interesting flight. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of the “early” flights out of Dulles – they make it far too hard to sleep normally, and they mean skipping out of the office slightly early. Oh well, nothing a little red wine can’t fix! Continue reading »

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