Instalment 1: Getting to the US
Friday, June 14th 2019
We had a busy week just after the wedding. My wife had her last days at her old job as she would start a new job right after our honeymoon. I had a very busy few weeks prior and needed to wrap everything up before I would be away for a whole month. Our flight from Basel to London was at 10pm. We both went to work on Friday, but were able to get home a bit earlier than we usually do. It was time to pack our bags and then head to the airport. The flight from Basel to London was pretty quick as always.
We enjoyed that feeling when you know you can leave work behind and look forward to an amazing trip. Of course, we celebrated this with champagne. During the approach we got beautiful views over London which is breathtaking even for us frequent travelers. We had an overnight connection and checked the bags through to Gothenburg and had all essentials in our carry-ons. We headed to the hotel straight away and went to sleep as we were tired.
Saturday, June 15th 2019
Our flight to Gothenburg was scheduled to leave very early. We went to the airport and enjoyed a quick breakfast at the lounge and then it was time to board a full flight to the Swedish city. The breakfast onboard was delicious and yet again we indulged in champagne. After landing we took the bus to the city center and checked in to the hotel (First Hotel G) which was conveniently located in the city center by the train station.
It was our second visit to Gothenburg and since we were still tired from the wedding and work we took it easy, walked around the city without the need or pressure to do this or that. Eventually, we sat down at a café and enjoyed a cinnamon roll and coffee.
Sunday, June 16th 2019
I had been looking forward to this day for a long time. Even as a frequent traveler, traveling across the pond is still something special for me and we had an amazing day ahead of us. We took the bus to the airport and checked in. We then went to the rather nice lounge to enjoy breakfast. The lounge had beautiful views to the apron and runway and eventually we saw our Finnair A319 land. When it was time to board we were quite excited to see that we would be the only passengers in Business Class – a first for us.
The flight to Helsinki was pretty short – it took a bit more than an hour – but the service was very attentive nonetheless. The food on Finnair is very good and nicely presented. Both my wife and I had pre-ordered vegan meals and it was very good indeed. After arrival at Helsinki we went to the newly opened Platinum Wing straight away. I was very pleased to read on Flyertalk just a week or so prior that it would finally open. The opening had been delayed for some time and I was already worried that we wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. We were impressed by the lounge. I tried an Arctic Blue Gin and Tonic (They also serve Napue Gin, but I had had it already and wanted to opt for something new) which I found delicious.
Around noon it was time to board the A330 bound to New York. The flight was full and once again we had an excellent crew which really did a great job and offered a very personalized service. The food was delicious too. Even though the A330s are a bit worn, we didn’t mind much as the soft product was excellent and the seats are excellent too when traveling as a couple. I find the Thomson Vantage seat very comfy, especially for lounging. The first row has a larger footwell, so sleeping is also very enjoyable in this seat. The flight time was 8 hours it went by quite quickly.
After landing in New York we had to go through immigration and re-check our baggage. It took about an hour from de-boarding until we arrived at the American Airlines Flagship Lounge. First, we went to have a shower to freshen up and then relaxed for a few hours until our flight to San Francisco was ready to board. The flight to SFO was operated by an A321T in a 3-class premium configuration with lie flat seats in Business Class. We had a quick meal after departure and then slept all the way through. The flight had an interesting routing as we first flew north into Canadian airspace and then flew west as there were many storms across the US. After landing we collected our baggage and went to a hotel close to the airport for a good night’s sleep.
