San Francisco to Scandinavia and Hokkaido
Aug 13, 2010, 1:16 am
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Fremont, CA, USA. UA Premier Platinum 1MM
Posts: 331
Hotel dinner
After we got back to Sapporo from Furano, we went to do some more sovenir shopping and got back to the hotel for dinner. With all the food options in Sapporo, why would we pick to eat in the hotel ? That's because they were running some anniversary promotion that says buy 1 dinner and get 1 free. But upon further inquiry, it's not any dinner, it has to be their anniversary set menu, which costs 5000 yen for 2 people. It still seems to be too a good deal for French meal in Japan to pass, and we could also relax quite a bit more in the hotel. The food also turns out to be very good.
Hotel restaurant
Restaurant
Amuse-bouche
Farmhouse paté with mustard
Pam-fried scallops with olive purée and lemon sauce
Pan-fried fish of the day with saffron sauce
Grilled Hokkaido pork with mushrooms and garlic sauce
Cheese
Chocolate cake with pear sherbet
After a very satisfying dinner, we walked a bit around town, and found lots of young people were doing dancing and singing practice in front of the closed stores.
Dancing rehearsal
Hotel restaurant
Restaurant
Amuse-bouche
Farmhouse paté with mustard
Pam-fried scallops with olive purée and lemon sauce
Pan-fried fish of the day with saffron sauce
Grilled Hokkaido pork with mushrooms and garlic sauce
Cheese
Chocolate cake with pear sherbet
After a very satisfying dinner, we walked a bit around town, and found lots of young people were doing dancing and singing practice in front of the closed stores.
Dancing rehearsal
Last edited by UAFlyer; Aug 13, 2010 at 2:44 am
Aug 13, 2010, 1:17 am
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Fremont, CA, USA. UA Premier Platinum 1MM
Posts: 331
Sapporo to Munich
To Sapporo airport
Our flight was at 7:50am, but after checking the train and bus schedules, we found there's no means to get to the airport much earlier than 7:00am. In the US we would have a problem if not arriving at least an hour before departure. However, the ANA website indicated 30 minutes prior to departure would be OK for domestic flight. So it's our time to test the Japanese efficiency. We got on the first airport bus in the morning at 5:30am, but since it had to stop at various places, we did not get to the airport till slightly before 7:00am. We went to the domestic check in and showed our 1K/Star Alliance Gold card, and were told we should go to the International connection counter, but an agent also accompanied us and made sure we got the priority treatment. Then we were asked to go through gate 10 to the lounge, we were a bit puzzled as we did not think we have enough time for going to the lounge. It turns out the gate is used for priority access, and has its own security check and led directly into the lounge. We were even able to use the wifi for like 10 minutes before walking to the real departure gate. Yes, the Japanese efficiency works wonder.
Sapporo airport bus
Check in counter
Lounge
Snacks
Flight to Narita
Our flight to Narita is on a A320. If you look more carefully at the picture, you will notice that the middle seats are wider than both the window and the aisle seats. No, that's not an illusion, and I think ANA nicely solved the inferior middle seat problem. Maybe they cannot upsell preferred seats like many of the US airlines, but passengers are also less worried about getting poor seats as each kind of seat has its own advantages. On the other hand, I wish ANA would change the charge for drinks policy for domestic flights, this is one area the US airlines are doing better.
It was a very windy day in Narita, and the plane was shaking quite a bit on the landing approach, and then something scary happened. Just when we were about to touch ground, the engine ramped up and the plane flew back up into the sky, the pilot had aborted the landing attempt. Fortunately the pilot soon announced that this is quite normal, and we will have to circle back to the airport and wait for the next turn to land again. The English announcement, however, was only saying "Please fasten your seatbelt. Thank you". That probably caused some anxiety to the non Japanese passengers. Fortunately, our second landing attempt was successful, and we were delayed by about 30 minutes. There was a special immigration counter for domestic to international connecting flights, and we quickly had our passport stamped and went our way to the ANA lounge. We did not spend too much time in the lounge because of the delay, but still managed to enjoy the hot noodles and the shower.
NH 2152 Sapporo (CTS) 7:50am Narita (NRT) 9:25am
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Distance: 490 miles
Duration : 1 hour 35 min
Class: Economy
Wider middle seat
ANA lounge
Shower
Flight to Munich
Boarding had already begun when we got to the gate, but since they have separate lines for Business/First class, we did not have to wait in the long queue. While this is not a flight with the new staggered seating, the seats are still very comfortable. We picked the last row of window/aisle seat (16A/C), as this is a mini-cabin with only two rows and the curtain between the Economy and Business class cabin is closed after takeoff, we had a lot of privacy. The Japanese food on this flight was much better than the Lufthansa flight, but the beef tenderloin dish for the western style selection was a little overcooked. For Amenity kits, ANA does not provide a bag like the other airlines, instead, individual items such as eye mask, toothbrushes, ear plugs, etc were placed in a basket for passengers to pick and the flight attendants would often replenish the supply. ANA also does not use carts to serve meals, and for the second meal, we got to pick when to be served, as long as it's 2 hours prior to landing.
NH 207 Narita (NRT) 11:50am Munich (MUC) 5:00pm
Aircraft:Airbus A320 777
Distance: 5849 miles
Duration : 12 hour 10 min
Class: Business
Boarding
Seats
Appetizer and KABOSU drinks
More appetizer
Shrimp, rice and miso soup
Salad
Beef tenderloin with green onion and sake sauce
White peach sorbet and vanilla ice cream duo
Pick your own amenity
Ready to sleep
Air show
Japanese meal set for second meal
Western meal set for second meal - Shrimp ravioli
Our flight was at 7:50am, but after checking the train and bus schedules, we found there's no means to get to the airport much earlier than 7:00am. In the US we would have a problem if not arriving at least an hour before departure. However, the ANA website indicated 30 minutes prior to departure would be OK for domestic flight. So it's our time to test the Japanese efficiency. We got on the first airport bus in the morning at 5:30am, but since it had to stop at various places, we did not get to the airport till slightly before 7:00am. We went to the domestic check in and showed our 1K/Star Alliance Gold card, and were told we should go to the International connection counter, but an agent also accompanied us and made sure we got the priority treatment. Then we were asked to go through gate 10 to the lounge, we were a bit puzzled as we did not think we have enough time for going to the lounge. It turns out the gate is used for priority access, and has its own security check and led directly into the lounge. We were even able to use the wifi for like 10 minutes before walking to the real departure gate. Yes, the Japanese efficiency works wonder.
Sapporo airport bus
Check in counter
Lounge
Snacks
Flight to Narita
Our flight to Narita is on a A320. If you look more carefully at the picture, you will notice that the middle seats are wider than both the window and the aisle seats. No, that's not an illusion, and I think ANA nicely solved the inferior middle seat problem. Maybe they cannot upsell preferred seats like many of the US airlines, but passengers are also less worried about getting poor seats as each kind of seat has its own advantages. On the other hand, I wish ANA would change the charge for drinks policy for domestic flights, this is one area the US airlines are doing better.
It was a very windy day in Narita, and the plane was shaking quite a bit on the landing approach, and then something scary happened. Just when we were about to touch ground, the engine ramped up and the plane flew back up into the sky, the pilot had aborted the landing attempt. Fortunately the pilot soon announced that this is quite normal, and we will have to circle back to the airport and wait for the next turn to land again. The English announcement, however, was only saying "Please fasten your seatbelt. Thank you". That probably caused some anxiety to the non Japanese passengers. Fortunately, our second landing attempt was successful, and we were delayed by about 30 minutes. There was a special immigration counter for domestic to international connecting flights, and we quickly had our passport stamped and went our way to the ANA lounge. We did not spend too much time in the lounge because of the delay, but still managed to enjoy the hot noodles and the shower.
NH 2152 Sapporo (CTS) 7:50am Narita (NRT) 9:25am
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Distance: 490 miles
Duration : 1 hour 35 min
Class: Economy
Wider middle seat
ANA lounge
Shower
Flight to Munich
Boarding had already begun when we got to the gate, but since they have separate lines for Business/First class, we did not have to wait in the long queue. While this is not a flight with the new staggered seating, the seats are still very comfortable. We picked the last row of window/aisle seat (16A/C), as this is a mini-cabin with only two rows and the curtain between the Economy and Business class cabin is closed after takeoff, we had a lot of privacy. The Japanese food on this flight was much better than the Lufthansa flight, but the beef tenderloin dish for the western style selection was a little overcooked. For Amenity kits, ANA does not provide a bag like the other airlines, instead, individual items such as eye mask, toothbrushes, ear plugs, etc were placed in a basket for passengers to pick and the flight attendants would often replenish the supply. ANA also does not use carts to serve meals, and for the second meal, we got to pick when to be served, as long as it's 2 hours prior to landing.
NH 207 Narita (NRT) 11:50am Munich (MUC) 5:00pm
Aircraft:
Distance: 5849 miles
Duration : 12 hour 10 min
Class: Business
Boarding
Seats
Appetizer and KABOSU drinks
More appetizer
Shrimp, rice and miso soup
Salad
Beef tenderloin with green onion and sake sauce
White peach sorbet and vanilla ice cream duo
Pick your own amenity
Ready to sleep
Air show
Japanese meal set for second meal
Western meal set for second meal - Shrimp ravioli
Last edited by UAFlyer; Aug 15, 2010 at 5:47 pm Reason: Fixed aircraft type. Thanks tomashi.
Aug 13, 2010, 1:18 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Fremont, CA, USA. UA Premier Platinum 1MM
Posts: 331
Munich
Arrival and Hotel Le Meridien
After we landed in Munich, we took the S-bahn to the Central Station. Our hotel Le Meridien was directly across from the station, though it's a bit tricky at first to pick the correct station exit. At check-in, we were told we got a recently renovated room, and it's certainly very nicely decorated. Though wifi cost 19 Euros a day, and there's no free wifi in the public areas either.
S1 to central station
Le Meridien
Hotel lobby
Room
TV
Munich station
Munich Activities
We then strolled to Marien Plaza, and went to the Hofbrahaus for dinner. We were too full to have the popular pig knuckle, so we only had the sausages and roast chicken, but of course, we went for the beer and music. We had our favorite Radler and Russn, which are beer with lemonade, and are only served in one litre glass !
Stroll to Marien Plaza
Hofbrauhaus
Roast chicken
Sausages
Live music
Marien plaza at night
The next morning we went for an early swim in the hotel, and then headed to the Marien Plaza again to do some crowd watching and shopping.
Le Meridien swimming pool
Munich
Waiting for the clock chime
The Glockenspiel
For lunch, we went to theKauflof Kaufhof department store, and stuffed ourselves with the pig knuckle this time as it's our last chance to try it in Germany. We then went back to our hotel to pick up our luggage and headed to the airport.
Kaufhof
Kaufhof restaurant
Roasted pork
Pig knuckle
After we landed in Munich, we took the S-bahn to the Central Station. Our hotel Le Meridien was directly across from the station, though it's a bit tricky at first to pick the correct station exit. At check-in, we were told we got a recently renovated room, and it's certainly very nicely decorated. Though wifi cost 19 Euros a day, and there's no free wifi in the public areas either.
S1 to central station
Le Meridien
Hotel lobby
Room
TV
Munich station
Munich Activities
We then strolled to Marien Plaza, and went to the Hofbrahaus for dinner. We were too full to have the popular pig knuckle, so we only had the sausages and roast chicken, but of course, we went for the beer and music. We had our favorite Radler and Russn, which are beer with lemonade, and are only served in one litre glass !
Stroll to Marien Plaza
Hofbrauhaus
Roast chicken
Sausages
Live music
Marien plaza at night
The next morning we went for an early swim in the hotel, and then headed to the Marien Plaza again to do some crowd watching and shopping.
Le Meridien swimming pool
Munich
Waiting for the clock chime
The Glockenspiel
For lunch, we went to the
Kaufhof
Kaufhof restaurant
Roasted pork
Pig knuckle
Last edited by UAFlyer; Aug 15, 2010 at 5:39 pm Reason: Typo. Thanks TrayflowInUK.
Aug 13, 2010, 1:18 am
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Fremont, CA, USA. UA Premier Platinum 1MM
Posts: 331
Munich to San Francisco
Munich Airport
Even though the Business Class had its own check in area, it was quite crowded and we had to wait for like 15 minutes for our turn. We were told to get to the gate early, as there's a second security check for flights to the US. Still, we were quite tired from the walk in Marien Plaza, and decided to stop by the Senator lounge to take a quick shower, and of course, more food !
Check in
Ham Leberkäse, potatoe salad and Strawberry cheesecake
Shower
Flight
Afterwards, we went to the US departure gates, which we had to go through another round of security check. Everyone was patted down, and our carry on also needs to be X-rayed again. It seems like this is just redundant. Luckily no one seems to miss the flight because of this. Once onboard, we were expecting to see the usual Lufthansa amenity kit in a pouch, but instead it's packed in a hard tin box. This actually is nice, as we would not have use for the Lufthansa soft pouch for anything else, but we can probably use the tin box as a pen case, or some other small storage. And we also noticed one of the bathroom came with a window, prior to this flight, we had only seen this on the SAS flight. The meal was a bit disappointing though, as both the halibut and lasagna for the first meal were too oily for us. And for this flight, the Mozart chocolates returned.
LH 458 Munich (MUC) 4:15pm San Francisco (SFO) 7:10pm
Aircraft: Airbus A340-600
Distance: 5889 miles
Duration : 11 hour 55 min
Class: Business
Seats
Amenity Kit in tin box
Cashews and coke
Bathroom with a view
Smoked breast of duck
Lettuce with Bell Pepper, Olives and grilled Zucchini
Eggplant and zucchini Lasagne with Sun dried tomatoes
Fried Halibut with Mussels
Desserts with Baileys
Mozart chocolate
Second meal - Pork salad
Second meal - Pumpkin and Potato Gratin
Bridges
Our vacation gradually came to an end as we approached San Francisco. We looked out the window and started counting the bridges, first the Golden Gate Bridge, then Bay Bridge, and finally the plane turned around after passing the San Mateo bridge. We landed on time and our luggage also came out quickly. This has been a wonderful trip, with all the bike tours we felt we had just finished the Tour de France. And we still did not eat enough of the Hokkaido crab or see enough lavender ! But it's now time to plan another award trip to Asia via Europe for next year !
Golden gate bridge
Bay bridge and the city
San Mateo bridge
Thanks for reading the trip report !
Even though the Business Class had its own check in area, it was quite crowded and we had to wait for like 15 minutes for our turn. We were told to get to the gate early, as there's a second security check for flights to the US. Still, we were quite tired from the walk in Marien Plaza, and decided to stop by the Senator lounge to take a quick shower, and of course, more food !
Check in
Shower
Flight
Afterwards, we went to the US departure gates, which we had to go through another round of security check. Everyone was patted down, and our carry on also needs to be X-rayed again. It seems like this is just redundant. Luckily no one seems to miss the flight because of this. Once onboard, we were expecting to see the usual Lufthansa amenity kit in a pouch, but instead it's packed in a hard tin box. This actually is nice, as we would not have use for the Lufthansa soft pouch for anything else, but we can probably use the tin box as a pen case, or some other small storage. And we also noticed one of the bathroom came with a window, prior to this flight, we had only seen this on the SAS flight. The meal was a bit disappointing though, as both the halibut and lasagna for the first meal were too oily for us. And for this flight, the Mozart chocolates returned.
LH 458 Munich (MUC) 4:15pm San Francisco (SFO) 7:10pm
Aircraft: Airbus A340-600
Distance: 5889 miles
Duration : 11 hour 55 min
Class: Business
Seats
Amenity Kit in tin box
Cashews and coke
Bathroom with a view
Smoked breast of duck
Lettuce with Bell Pepper, Olives and grilled Zucchini
Eggplant and zucchini Lasagne with Sun dried tomatoes
Fried Halibut with Mussels
Desserts with Baileys
Mozart chocolate
Second meal - Pork salad
Second meal - Pumpkin and Potato Gratin
Bridges
Our vacation gradually came to an end as we approached San Francisco. We looked out the window and started counting the bridges, first the Golden Gate Bridge, then Bay Bridge, and finally the plane turned around after passing the San Mateo bridge. We landed on time and our luggage also came out quickly. This has been a wonderful trip, with all the bike tours we felt we had just finished the Tour de France. And we still did not eat enough of the Hokkaido crab or see enough lavender ! But it's now time to plan another award trip to Asia via Europe for next year !
Golden gate bridge
Bay bridge and the city
San Mateo bridge
Thanks for reading the trip report !
Last edited by UAFlyer; Aug 18, 2010 at 2:04 pm Reason: Typo; It's not Ham, it's Leberkäse, thanks El_Duderito
Aug 13, 2010, 6:04 am
#20
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in a cabin
Posts: 6,522
Fantastic work! ^ What a trip. The cycling tours is a great idea. Need to make use of this.
Which was your favourite part of Scandinavia? And the least?
The report reminds me I need to go Munich, not been for many years.
Japan is high on my list. Thanks for the inspiration.
Well done
Which was your favourite part of Scandinavia? And the least?
The report reminds me I need to go Munich, not been for many years.
Japan is high on my list. Thanks for the inspiration.
Well done
Aug 13, 2010, 5:36 pm
#27
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 300
UA Flyer:
I just returned from a very similar trip I took in early July-- in fact, I was in Munich from July 3-7! I was staying at the Wombats Hostel just adjacent to the Le Meridien. I went to the Hofbräuhaus, Marianplatz, etc. I also flew ORD-ARN in SK C at the beginning of the trip and then DUS-YYZ in LH C (with the identical meal choices). It was nice to see and recognize a lot of familiar things from my own trip! Looks like you enjoyed Munich-- I know I did.
Regards.
PS-- Look for my own trip report regarding my trip; should be posted in the next few days.
I just returned from a very similar trip I took in early July-- in fact, I was in Munich from July 3-7! I was staying at the Wombats Hostel just adjacent to the Le Meridien. I went to the Hofbräuhaus, Marianplatz, etc. I also flew ORD-ARN in SK C at the beginning of the trip and then DUS-YYZ in LH C (with the identical meal choices). It was nice to see and recognize a lot of familiar things from my own trip! Looks like you enjoyed Munich-- I know I did.
Regards.
PS-- Look for my own trip report regarding my trip; should be posted in the next few days.
Aug 13, 2010, 7:55 pm
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Fremont, CA, USA. UA Premier Platinum 1MM
Posts: 331
Thanks for the comments
Fantastic work! ^ What a trip. The cycling tours is a great idea. Need to make use of this.
Which was your favourite part of Scandinavia? And the least?
The report reminds me I need to go Munich, not been for many years.
Japan is high on my list. Thanks for the inspiration.
Well done
Which was your favourite part of Scandinavia? And the least?
The report reminds me I need to go Munich, not been for many years.
Japan is high on my list. Thanks for the inspiration.
Well done
Comfort - SK is better. Both have angled flat seats that are difficult for me to sleep. But with SK, the blanket is of much higher quality, like a duvet. The monitor angle can be more widely adjusted. The toilet has more windows
Food - It's a tie. SK's first meal is better than both LH's meals, but the lack of hot option for the second meal is disappointing.
Service - SK is better. We got the stuff animals sovenir on SK ^
Amenity Kit - LH is better, either the large size slipper version or the tin box version.
Welcome to FT, zebcal !
UA Flyer:
I just returned from a very similar trip I took in early July-- in fact, I was in Munich from July 3-7! I was staying at the Wombats Hostel just adjacent to the Le Meridien. I went to the Hofbräuhaus, Marianplatz, etc. I also flew ORD-ARN in SK C at the beginning of the trip and then DUS-YYZ in LH C (with the identical meal choices). It was nice to see and recognize a lot of familiar things from my own trip! Looks like you enjoyed Munich-- I know I did.
Regards.
PS-- Look for my own trip report regarding my trip; should be posted in the next few days.
I just returned from a very similar trip I took in early July-- in fact, I was in Munich from July 3-7! I was staying at the Wombats Hostel just adjacent to the Le Meridien. I went to the Hofbräuhaus, Marianplatz, etc. I also flew ORD-ARN in SK C at the beginning of the trip and then DUS-YYZ in LH C (with the identical meal choices). It was nice to see and recognize a lot of familiar things from my own trip! Looks like you enjoyed Munich-- I know I did.
Regards.
PS-- Look for my own trip report regarding my trip; should be posted in the next few days.
Looking forward to your TR !
Aug 13, 2010, 8:27 pm
#29
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
Programs: Mucci, BMI*G, M&M SEN, FB Gold, PC Plat, Father of GhettoIFE
Posts: 3,972
Excellent trip report - very nicely detailed and excellent pics! Catering on all segements looks reasonable, and an excellent selection of food enroute too!
I must admit, the LH Tin Amenity kit is a very nice touch!
I must admit, the LH Tin Amenity kit is a very nice touch!
