After a mad "Chocolate Soufflé" dash to the gate (See part 2) we were now boarding. The Asiana plane was very nice and comfortable.
Asiana Airlines OZ 542 - Boeing 747 (747)
First Class was very full (Only 1 empty seat). The service on board was phenomenal, even in the middle of the night with a very dark cabin; someone would walk by (very discreetly) every 10 minutes. And if I got up to go to the washroom, someone was always near the galley asking if I needed anything. About 4-5 cabin attendants serviced the First Class cabin.
The food was ok (Perhaps I was just spoiled on Lufthansa). The caviar was served in individual jars and somehow it didn't have much flavor. Also it was a bit opaque and runny.
I had the traditional Korean meal which came in separate bowls that you mix yourself (Minced meat, rice, salad-like veggies, sesame oil, spicy red paste). It was nice to have something authentic but again nothing spectacular.
Asiana Airlines OZ 542
When I woke up I had the full breakfast. The best part was the yogurt and jam. I don't know what type of yogurt this was but it tasted like whipped cream, it was fabulous. I also had a nice course of prawns with red sauce.
The pajamas and amenities kits were very nice and we received a "Gift" before landing. We had a choice of a nicely wrapped leather business card holder or a CD of a Korean singer. We chose the business card holder.
This was our first flight on Asiana, although I'm glad we tried it, in the future I would select LH from FRA to ICN.
Seoul Korea:
This is where I realized that 1 day per city is not only "Not enough", it's wasteful. We took the metro to our hotel, it was easy to navigate. We saw a bit of the city from the metro but that's about it.
We checked into our hotel at about 4pm (After a 2 hour metro ride). We wanted to have a small nap and go exploring but we crashed and didn't wake up until the next morning. We packed up and it was time to leave for the airport.
InterContinental hotel - Lounge area
InterContinental hotel - Lounge area
We took the metro again, got breakfast from a small convenience store in the metro (Sushi rolls wrapped in foil + sandwich both we very nice).
The city from the metro seemed a bit "plain". Very little color, it reminded me of an industrial town like the ones you would find in Europe. The buildings were mostly grey or beige and very similar. I'm sure when we go back to explore the city we will have a different point of view.
Seoul- View from the metro
We made it to the airport, check in with United was a breeze and we received an invitation to the Asiana First Class lounge near our gate. After security we had to take a train to our gate. Before boarding the train I noticed there was an Asiana First Class lounge in that area, we asked if we could come in. The attendant reminded us that the other lounge was closer to our gate and still welcomed us in.
Seoul Airport - Asiana First Class Lounge 1 of 2
Seoul Airport - Asiana First Class Lounge 1 of 2
The lounge was spacious, beautiful and had a large selection of food and drink. I was surprised to see Johnny Walker blue; normally you don’t get high end alcohol like this at a “Self Serve” bar.
We had a small bite, and went to the train to the other part of the terminal. At the other end there was another Asiana First Class lounge. It had very similar food and drink offerings, again super quiet and almost empty.
Seoul Airport - Asiana First Class Lounge 2 of 2
Seoul Airport - Asiana First Class Lounge 2 of 2
Seoul Airport - Asiana First Class Lounge 2 of 2
Next stop, Tokyo