PianoPlayer

Great trip report! Shame about the aircraft downgrade but at least you'll always have the wonderful crew. I'm looking forward to your SQ TR!

bthotugigem05

Next Part: Oslo (pictures at http://andystravelblog.com/2013/04/2...ext-part-oslo/)

Lots of people have done incredible things. For example: Jesus, Sean Connery, and I’m probably leaving out a few others.

Roughly 3-4 years ago (I tried to find the exact date by looking back through my journals, but then I remembered I don’t keep a journal) I started following the blog of a guy named Chris Guillebeau at www.chrisguillebeau.com. When I happened across his website for the first time, I had the same first thought many of you probably did, “this guy should’ve named his website something easier to spell.” But my second thought was, “this is genius-level stuff here, not only does he hack frequent flyer programs but he also seems to lead a pretty fulfilled life.” My third thought was “I need a sandwich”. Anyhoo, back to Chris. This is a guy who, when he turned 30, came up with an amazing goal: to visit every country in the world by his 35th birthday.

What I liked about his goal is it was very big (goals should be ambitious), very measurable (instead of “I should travel more”, he defined his goal as visiting all countries recognized as such by the UN), and he made it very public (you need accountability when setting goals, tell people, it’ll give everyone a stake in it). He had traveled to quite a few by 30, and only had something like 120 left and a little less than 5 years to do it. Easy, right?

Having been bitten by the travel bug, I followed his journey with great interest, not only as he traveled to countries, but also released two best-selling books and founded the World Domination Summit. I’d read about 5 countries he had visited in 2-3 weeks and would think “oh yeah, well I had an excel spreadsheet with TWO VLOOKUPS in it today. NESTED VLOOKUPS. Your move Guillebeau”. I had reached out to him a few times on twitter and he was always responsive to his followers, which no doubt took a bit of time, so I appreciated his thoughts. In the later part of 2012, Chris posted on Twitter and Facebook that he was going to meet his goal and, if we could make it, he was throwing a party in Oslo on his 35th birthday to celebrate his final country (he saved Norway for last since it was a bit easier to get to than Tuvalu). It had been like 7 months since I had been to Oslo so I figured why not, I’ll go to Oslo again, because who needs money anyway (Oslo, and Norway in general, is EXPENSIVE).

Another thing: I would be turning 30 a few days before the event in Oslo, so there was some pretty cool symbolism for me. What would be my big vision and goal for the next 5 years? Before I left, I jotted down some ideas.

As you can see, my goals needed some honing and crafting, and since I’ve returned I’ve had a few ideas for 2 and 3. Also, I had that sandwich. But back to the trip.

I arrived in Oslo very late on Saturday night. Oslo’s Gardermoen airport is absolutely gorgeous, lots of nice wood trim and minimalist design cues that make it look like a big Ikea. I proceeded directly to the Radisson Blu hotel that’s next to the airport terminal. The weird thing about Norway is that none of the big-time hotel chains with which I have loyalty points have any hotels there (there was briefly a Doubletree in Oslo, pay attention to this fact), so I had to pay for a hotel room with money. Ugh. $200 later, I arrived at my room in the Blu, and I immediately got the blues (HA!).

Ok, it really wasn’t that bad. Except there were suspicious looking stains all over the place. The bed was comfy and it had free breakfast. Those are really the two ways to my heart, and I figured most of the rest of the trip was free so I could stomach a few nights paying for a hotel.

Like I said, I arrived late at night and the restaurant was already closed, so I did the only thing that felt right…yup, you guessed it, I paid $8 for a big package of chocolate candies from the hotel minibar. Money well spent, and probably the cheapest meal possible in Oslo.

I awoke the next morning ready and rearing to…fall back asleep. Ok, I awoke for the second time more ready and re…nope, back to sleep. FINALLY I woke up, showered, and prepared to meet up with a group of people attending the party who were having coffee in Oslo then were going to sightsee a bit before the party. Despite my gregarious personality and general obnoxiousness I’m actually quite an introvert and get nervous meeting new people, so this was going to be a fun challenge for me.

I went back to the airport to catch the Flytoget Express train into Oslo (“flytoget” is Norweigan for “give us all your money ha ha”), and before I did that I went ahead and checked in for my flight the next morning so I could pick a good seat. I headed down to the train platform and was soon on my way to Oslo’s city centre. Oslo has a really nice central train station, but I bypassed that. Last year when I came to Oslo I didn’t really have a map or sense of direction or plan for what to do in Oslo, so I got to know the central station well as I confusedly tried to find my way around town. Thankfully I knew where I was going this time, since I was staying at the exact same hotel as last year (it used to be a Doubletree, then abruptly it was no longer a Doubletree).

I arrived at the station called Nationaltheatret (“Nationaltheatret” is Norweigan for “..ha we’re still laughing at how much the express train cost”) and headed towards the familiarity of what is now called Oslo City Centre Hotel. It’s a descriptive if not creative name for a hotel that was in the city centre and right around the corner from where the party would be that night. As I turned the corner onto the boulevard leading to the hotel, I was greeted by a coOHMYGOSHITWASSOCOLD.

I scampered in my light jacket (because only a moron would come to Norway in early April and not bring a heavy jacket) over to the hotel and was thankfully allowed an early check-in to my room. I like this hotel because despite the location the prices are reasonable and the rooms are nice and up-to-date. There were also no suspicious stains, for which I was grateful. That said, the rooms are small. Like really small. Like this was the only real angle I could get kind of small.

I met the crew at a cafe in Oslo. In order to get there I had to walk past the parliament building, which was nice and a distraction from the cold.

They were, as expected, all very nice with all sorts of different stories: where they were from, why they’d come, why didn’t I bring a heavier jacket, etc. We had coffee and got to know each other (there were probably 30 of us there). One of the group was a Norweigan who happened to live a few blocks away, so we volunteered him to be our tour guide and show us around. A member of our group had heard that there was a famous sculpture park in Oslo, and Jorgen (zie Norweigan from last sentence) told us it wasn’t too far away, just a few metro stops. We made our way down to the subway, but on the way saw Oslo Cathedral and had to stop for a picture.

So, we got onto the subway with all the grace of a cement truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant and were on our way. A few short stops later and we arrived in the Frogner suburb of Oslo and made our way to Frogner Park, site of the famous Vigelandsanlegget, Gustav Vigeland’s sculpture arrangement. My brief research (which consisted of asking Jorgen “where the heck are we going”) led me to the conclusion that this was like the Central Park of Oslo (my words, not his). We arrived through a set of big gates to a lovely park on a mostly sunny day and OH MY GOSH WHY ARE ALL THE SCULPTURES OF NAKED PEOPLE.

So, our ol’ buddy Gustav apparently thought frequently about humans using sexuality as a means to approach the divine, and these statues, were, um, reflective of that.

So, I’ll admit I have felt less uncomfortable in my life, but the Norweigans around us were having a grand time enjoying the sunny weather, ambling about and taking pictures of all the nudity. My camera needed a break from it all, so I took pictures (below) of Nothing In Particular

Everybody was enjoying themselves though, and I really enjoyed getting to know everyone. Everyone was unique and remarkably comfortable with where they were in life and what they were doing. I’m going through a bit of a transition phase right now, so it was nice to bounce ideas off them and get their thoughts. Also, it was really nice to meet someone and truly feel like you’re meeting THEM, not some front or image they try to maintain (that alone was worth the trip, as that’s something with which I struggle).

Oh yes, random person that was wondering, there were also naked babies. This is apparently one of the more famous sculptures in the park.

So this whole time, there’s this big sculpture off in the distance that looked, well, rather phallic. As we got closer, we saw what it actually was: rather phallic. But it wasn’t just phallic, it was a bunch of naked people stacked on top of each other to resemble, erm, something phallic. Did I get a picture? I did not. I tried to get some less nude pictures of the park, which turned out nice.

After this, we left the park and took a long walk to a metro station to head back to the city centre. We walked through a residential neighborhood, which I loved. It’s great to get away from the tourist melee and see where people live. Everyone agreed it looked nice and very peaceful.

That night we all celebrated with Chris at the End of the World party. Why the End of the World? Because Chris reached the end of it, he’s been everywhere now. It is an amazing accomplishment, and I’m proud to say I was there to help him ring it in. There was a wonderful band, great (open) bar (that turned into a cash bar later, and eek), and a very meaningful thank you from Chris. I always forget to take lots of pictures during events like this, but I’m sure if you google you’ll find all sorts of pictures of the event.

After a fantastic evening (only slightly marred by paying what turned out to be $24 for a Red Bull and Vodka) I returned to my hotel, my heart full. It’s an incredible thing to witness someone doing what is most important to them and using their gifts. Now imagine being around 100+ people from 18 countries who are all at various stages of that idea and it’s hard not to be moved.

After a brief sleep my alarm went off at 3:45am. I had to get back to the airport to start the journey home. The long way home.

Up next, the Lufthansa Senator Lounge and the Big One: Suites Class on Singapore Airlines.

spizzy

Can't wait to the next one. Yes I'm impatient

BigEyedFish

Really enjoying your trip report, particularly your style of writing. Informative AND amusing at the same time - great combination!

smithk

great report! looking forward to the rest.

bthotugigem05

Suite Part: Oslo-Singapore (lots of pictures at http://andystravelblog.com/2013/04/2...-suites-class/)

Everyone has a great flying story. For me, one of my first memories was OK ALREADY I’LL GET TO THE SINGAPORE SUITES PART.

So how did I get to ride up front on the A380? Amex recently ran a one-day 100,000 MR points promotion for their platinum card, which I was going to get anyway. Conveniently enough, the trip from Frankfurt-Singapore in Suites and Singapore-Hong Kong in First cost 105,000 Singapore Krisflyer points, so I transferred the points over (it took about 6 hours to update my Krisflyer account), confirmed my flights, and pretty much squealed like a little girl for about 3 weeks as the flight approached.

But first, a lot of unnecessary build-up.

Oslo-Frankfurt
I caught the 4:10am Flytoget train back to Gardermoen airport. It was about as painless as it could possibly be, and, after a short wait, checked my bag to Frankfurt.

I was flying coach to Frankfurt, which isn’t really that bad provided you’re not a very tall person. And, by very tall person, I mean have legs.

About an hour and a half and two torn knee ligaments later, we had a soft touchdown at zie airport in Frankfurt, where my “zie” schtick is no doubt still funny. I immediately went to claim my bag. Full disclosure: I checked a bag so I’d have a reason to go into the main terminal and experience what I was sure would be excellent ground service from Singapore Airlines. I went into the arrivals area and promptly: got lost. Those of you who have tried to transit Frankfurt know what I’m talking about (in fact, most of you are probably still there, trying to find your way out. Good luck.).

I eventually found my way over to the Star Alliance section, so I thought, and perused the various airlines for the Singapore Airlines desk. I later found it precisely nowhere near the other Star Alliance airlines. I took my first steps onto the beautiful Suites rug and waited for a few moments while the lone agent finished checking in another passenger (I was really early, so I wasn’t expecting a full staff quite yet). Other passenger shooed away, I confidently approached and said, “Hello, how are you today?” The agent customer servicedly responded, “I’m…how you say…very congested” and proceeded to prove it by blowing a huge chunky honker into a waiting handkerchief. Only about 80% disgusted, I then remembered everyone saying “Singapore’s ground service is a bit inconsistent”. I don’t quite recall anyone saying “Singapore’s ground service is full of snot” but I could’ve just not been listening I guess. The lady used some hand sanitizer, sniffled, but I didn’t care, because all of a sudden I was in possession of The Golden Ticket.

I almost jumped with joy, but that would’ve been a little too wonky. I took my ticket, sped through security (light crowds this early in the morning) and found my way to Lufthansa’s Senator Lounge. It was an extremely nice lounge, almost comparable (in amenities at least, not the service) to the First Class Terminal from a few days ago. I really enjoyed the decorations. I frequently say to friends back home “I love it when people put big block letters in places that don’t really convey any sense of meaning”…BOY WAS I IN LUCK.

The food selection was decent, but I didn’t want to get too full before the real deal on my approaching flight.

Frankfurt-Singapore
My time passed in the lounge very slowly. After what seemed to be about three weeks I decided to make my way to the gate and get my first look at the Airbus A380-800 that would be escorting me to Singapore. Not the prettiest of sites, but I’m from Texas and we like things Big, and it definitely fit the bill.

On first sight, it looked like a bully in school, you know, the one with the thick hulky brows. And that one eye that never quite seemed to be looking where the other was. But you know what, I was impressed. ”Look!” I said, to no one in particular. ”It’s big!” This elicited a fierce yawn from a waiting passenger. Right around this time I was paged over the intercom, I was needed at the gate desk, a massively impressive contraption with 6-7 boarding lanes to help board 500+ passengers as quickly as possible. I showed my passport and was given an invitation to The Private Room at Singapore’s Changi Airport upon my arrival.

There was still about 20 minutes until boarding began, so I killed time around the gate area.

At last, boarding was called. Well, not really called, for me anyway. One of the gate agents found me and invited me to board before the other passengers. Well buddy, you had me at “board before the other passengers”.

I walked down the jetway on the lower level. The first jetbridge you come to is for Suites passengers, the one further down is for Economy. A lady (judging by the fact my beard had grown out further and my attire, a t-shirt and jeans) saw me about to turn towards the Suites and said “Sir, Economy is this way.” I confidently (and probably arrogantly) responded, “Well tell Economy I said hi, heading to my Suite” and somewhere a bunch of people were like “OOOOOOO BURN”.

I was greeted on the jetbridge by one of my attendants for the flight, who welcomed me to Suites Class and escorted me to Suite 3A.

When they say it looks like a dentist’s chair, they’re not kidding. The suite was huge, spacious, and had a surprising amount of storage. I thought as I walked in, “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE”. Also, I thought “this is bigger than that hotel room in Oslo” and I wasn’t far off. Everything found a place, and everywhere I looked I found another subtly placed nook, perfect for the National Geographic magazine I nerdily accepted from one of my attendants as she came by with an assortment of reading materials.

As I sat down, I was greeted eagerly by one of my flight attendants. The Suites cabin was halfway full, but it felt like I had the entire crew to myself. It’s hard to put into words how good they were. When I needed something, they were at my side. When I didn’t need anything, they’d very sneakily double-check to make sure. When I hadn’t asked for anything in a while, they brought by a bottle of water and some potato chips, just in case I was hungry for a snack. Everything was crisp, as I expected. I’ve read plenty of reviews of Suites Class, and had high expectations. My expectations were blown away. When Singapore claim they’re the best in sky, they’re right.

For the record, I preferred the 2000 vintage Dom. I told my attendant to please inform the other guests that they were out of the 2000 vintage so I could have the rest of it to myself. I don’t know if they took me seriously or not, but I had the rest of that bottle. So good, much better than the Krug I had on Cathay Pacific last year.

The takeoff roll of an A380 is hard to put into words. It feels powerful, yet really casual, like Mark Wahlberg walking in slow motion away from something blowing up. I wasn’t even sure we had gone full thrust but then we just casually strolled up into the sky, nary a bump to be found along the way.

As I perused the in-flight entertainment system (which was leaps and bounds nicer than Lufthansa, but not quite as nice as Cathay Pacific) I was overjoyed to find I could create my own playlists, and promptly added the best song ever.

As I was contemplating maybe calling Carly Rae, the meal service began with a delicious satay.

And then came the caviar. It was nice to confusingly try and eat the caviar properly without zie Germans judging me (in case you’re confused, read my Lufthansa flight post).

I had pre-ordered the knuckle of veal (which would be an amazing name for a heavy metal band) via Singapore’s Book the Cook option. Before it was ready I enjoyed a nice soup.

Then the main course arrived. It was cooked to perfection (unlike the beef I’ve had on most airlines), juicy but not too much. It was of course presented with much fanfare by my flight attendant.

Would I like some dessert? WOULD I?! It was raspberry tiramisu and I should’ve hired a poet to describe how delicious it was.

My flight attendant offered to make my bed for me if I’d like to have a nap, which sounded nice after eating 38 pounds of food. I went and changed into my ultra-chique Singapore Airlines pajamas. I asked my flight attendant how I looked, which I think she thought was her cue to take a picture. So she did.

The bed was very comfortable, even though the cabin was a bit warm.

I slept for about two hours, very pleasantly I might add. When I started stirring about, my flight attendant magically appeared (no idea how she could tell I was awake, as the doors to the suite were shut) and asked if perhaps I’d like a snack, some crisps perhaps? Well sure, and how about one of those Singapore Slings I’ve been hearing about?

And, naturally, my flight attendant thought it’d be another good time to take a picture of me with my first Singapore Sling.

So what does a Singapore Sling taste like? Well, it’s hard to put into words, but: really sugary syrup. All that said, it wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t pay whatever they’re asking for at the Raffles bar in Singapore for one.

I walked around the plane for a bit (in my pajamas, which felt exactly as awesome as it sounds, getting the weird looks from everyone on the plane). I couldn’t take any pictures, because it would’ve just looked too creepy, but I did get this sweet shot of the staircase at the front of the Suites cabin.

I had a bad feeling the flight was coming to a close, and it turned out my premonitions were correct. But no good flight should end without a great breakfast service, Singapore Airlines thought, so I took my seat for a great breakfast.

As breakfast concluded, my flight attendant asked me if perhaps I’d like another raspberry tiramisu since I had scarfed the one down so quickly last night. I was actually a bit hesitant, but she insisted I would like it, so I said sure, why not?

A reminder: my birthday was the week before, which I in no way mentioned to the flight staff. But accompanying the raspberry tiramisu was a Happy Birthday card (signed by the entire flight crew), two decks of Singapore Airlines playing cards, and four flight attendants very quietly singing Happy Birthday to me.

We landed right on shedyool in Singapore and just like that the best flight of my life was over. I’ll say it again: I expected prompt, professional service, and I got plenty of it. What surprised me was the warmth and genuineness displayed by each member of the flight crew. Regardless of whether they had seen me before or not, everyone addressed me by name and sincerely wanted to know if there was anything they could do to help. I wasn’t expecting that. I wasn’t expecting to feel so…cared for. It’s hard to put everything into words, but I’ve tried my best and hope you’ve enjoyed the post I know most of you have been waiting for.

Up next: Singapore’s Private Room lounge and Singapore First Class from Singapore-Hong Kong

spizzy

Fantastic and funny. So looking forward to SQ Suites later in the year. Score with 2000 Dom Perignon, and not the 2003 Emirates have Food looks good and the desert Amazing.

bthotugigem05

To be fair, SQ had both the 2003 and 2000 vintages.

Thanks for all the nice comments, have a few more posts and then everything'll be finished up.

Writing all these made me immensely respect the many of you who frequently write TRs. Even doing these fairly quick ones takes so much time, but I like sharing my journey with everybody, so it's worth it.

mad_atta

Wow, sounds like an amazing flight - and entertainingly brought to life by your amusing style. I'm not the world's greatest SQ fan, and have in the past found them a bit cold and 'by the numbers', but the service you describe here sounds incredible. Perhaps it's time to give them another go...

iahkid2014

Probably my favorite line of dialogue I've read in a TR! Really enjoying reading this and the pictures are great!

mattyw

I'm enjoying this, thanks for the report

sfoactuary

great TR! SQ suites has been next on my to-fly list for a while, and those plans may need to be accelerated after reading through your report

bubster

Thanks-great report. Gig em Ags!

kaysquare

Thank you for writing this very witty trip report. A very interesting read indeed. Waiting for the next installments!

Oh, and Happy 30th!

kaysquare

+1. Can't agree more.