I found myself with a couple days off from work, so what better way to spend it than taking an impromptu trip to Spain! Here's my trip, viewed from the lens of a whimsical solo traveller in his late 20's.
Pretty cool view of the D concourse at MIA. As much as I want to say the pilots were escorting me to my plane, alas that was not the case.
Busy day at MIA
AA 112 Miami, FL (MIA) to Barcelona, Spain (BCN)
B777-200
Business Class
Very comfortable forward-facing window seat.
Flight started with a much appreciated pre-departure selection of bubbles and OJ. I asked for both.
Maybe it was the champagne, but before we started taxiing, I had an epiphany--I had been to Barcelona before--why not try something new? After checking out Google Flights for non-stop destinations out of Barcelona, I decided on Madrid. I found a cheap $34 USD one-way ticket on AirEuropa departing ~3 hours after my scheduled arrival into Barcelona. I booked it right then and there.
We took off, and the meal service began.
The 'small plate' (poached shrimp remoulade with arugula) and salad (baby spinach and arugula salad) were served together. I'm not big particularly fond of shrimp, so this went untouched. However, the salad was delicious and fresh. The flight attendant also came around with a small selection of rolls. I picked sourdough, which was served warm.
For the 'main plate," I had the Korean-braised short ribs. It tasted way better than it looks in the picture. Very flavorful, especially with the accompanying bulgogi sauce. The meat itself was very soft and tender--I was cutting it with my fork. I wasn't a fan of the shredded red cabbage on top--it was overwhelming to the palate given the beef and sauce were very flavorful on their own.
Traditional AA sundae. The outstanding flight attendant offered to make it 'bottomless," haha.
Fully-stocked walk-up bar
Close up of the offerings at the walk-up bar
Traditional American breakfast, served about 1 hour before landing in Barcelona. Potatoes were the best part of the meal--very soft and perfectly seasoned.
First one off the plane through 2L!
I then quickly went through customs and immigration, then back through security at BCN to catch my Air Europa flight. To my surprise, it was an A332!
Air Europa (UX) 2057
Barcelona (BCN) to Madrid (MAD)
A332
Clase Turista (Economy)
Comfortable seat for a short ~30 min flight. No complementary beverages or snacks offered.
Will write part 2 later!