A long weekend in Ancient Athens - BA business class
May 25, 2016, 2:43 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
A long weekend in Ancient Athens - BA business class
I had treated myself to a trip to Hawaii for my 30th (before my actual birthday last year) - see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...r-dub-abz.html. One of my 30th birthday presents from my parents was a trip anywhere in Europe for a long weekend. A lot of the places I fancied they had been to and vice versa. I had fancied Athens for a while and my mum has a cousin out there so I suggested that as the location and it was met with approval. One evening in February, we were having a look on the BA site and found a decent deal which included business class flights (BA's Club Europe) and Club rooms at the Intercontinental Athens. We took the plunge and booked that evening.
Fast forward a few months and it was time to go. I stayed at their house the night before as it made sense to all get a taxi to the airport together. Our flight was at 7.25am so we arranged to get to the airport for just after 6am. We had probably the nicest taxi driver I have come across in Aberdeen - a very chatty guy interested to hear about where we were flying to any why.
Anyway, we arrived at the airport. Mum and Dad have never really done the whole business class thing before so were impressed when we headed to the priority check in and flew through security in a matter of minutes. A quick stop for mum to buy a few bits and bobs and we were at the BA lounge. They were both impressed - "it's much better than sitting out there with everyone else" was one of the comments. Yes, quite! I decided that we should get the weekend off to a good start so ordered three glasses of the fizzy stuff which went down very well.
BA1319, ABZ - LHR, G-EUPX, A319
Boarding was called at 7am - Golds first so I headed to the front and had no problem getting mum and dad through with me. We took our seats in Row 1 and waited for everyone else to get on the plane. We pushed back on time and headed to the runway where we took off on what was a lovely morning in the Granite City.
A yellow visitor doing today's run to Dalaman and back.
BA serve a hot breakfast or a continental breakfast on these flights from Scotland to London which is perfectly acceptable.
Well. They would. If the crew remember to switch the ovens on. "They'll be a little while yet, Sir". Erm, ok then.
Passing into England on the moving map....
We were just coming unto Manchester when eventually the two crew at the front came out with the hot breakfasts and, about 10 mins after that, we had already started the descent. So yeah, a bit rushed and a bit of a poor show from the crew. Not sure how those folks further back managed to finish before the crew started to clear! The breakfast was tasty though so thumbs up for that!
Some random air strip....
BA's famous "strong" coffee - lol
Landed around 15 mins early but had to wait for a plane to get out of our space before we could get onto the stand.
We headed into T5 where mum decided to treat herself to a few bits and bobs. We then headed to the confines of the Flounge (all of us getting in courtesy of a nice person....)
To say the folks were impressed is an understatement. "You just help yourself to fizz?"......yeeeeeeeeees. It reminds me of a thread on the BA board recently where they were discussing how bad the Flounge was but the point was made that it probably isn't that rubbish to someone who hardly ever uses it. That was the case here. We sat yapping and drinking for a while and nibbled on the lunch buffet when it was put out. I ordered the gnocchi which was very, very tasty!
BA632, LHR - ATH, G-BNWA, B767
A B gate flashed up so we left the Flounge and headed to get the train across the tarmac. When we got there, there was a massive queue but boarding hadn't quite started yet.
Not our ride today but isn't she pretty?!
Priority boarding was called - Club Europe and Golds first. Mum quite enjoyed heading to the front of the queue and were were down the jet bridge and onto the plane. Mum and I took our seats in Row 2 at the front and Dad was across the aisle from us. Hot rag first!
Eventually we pushed back and, after waiting for a wee while, we took off and got a great view of T5 from the air.
A round of drinks was done to start with and nuts were handed out. The crew announced that a film would be played and it started on the screens.
Menus were then passed out once the crew had done the first drinks run and offered top ups - sign of a good crew!
I went for the cod which was really nice. My folks were really impressed with the quality of the meal and loved the fact that they got their own individual menu! *money face emoji*
I went for the cheese and biscuits after - I love those crackers.
After that, I took some coffee. I still like the cups that BA have - very nice.
Oh, and a whisky
I had a short nap and when I woke up, we were already well into the descent into Athens coming in over the coast.
Heading round to ATH...
We landed and got off the plane at Door 1 which was nice. Priority luggage was a joke - all the priority bags were more or less last off the plane - yawn.
We jumped into a taxi and, after nearly an hour and a half, got to the Intercontinental hotel. The traffic was absolutely crazy. We checked in on the 8th floor, headed to our rooms to change and then went to the Club Lounge for some drinks and nibbles (these were out every day between 6 and 9.30pm).
The rooms were great - very big and had nice views across to the Acropolis.
We decided to head out around 9.30pm for some dinner. The guy on the desk in the lounge told us somewhere close to go and we took him up on his suggestion. A nice church on the way down...
We ate some nice Greek food, drank some great wine and then headed back to the hotel. A few drinks in the roof top bar and we were all ready for bed before exploring Athens the next day!
Fast forward a few months and it was time to go. I stayed at their house the night before as it made sense to all get a taxi to the airport together. Our flight was at 7.25am so we arranged to get to the airport for just after 6am. We had probably the nicest taxi driver I have come across in Aberdeen - a very chatty guy interested to hear about where we were flying to any why.
Anyway, we arrived at the airport. Mum and Dad have never really done the whole business class thing before so were impressed when we headed to the priority check in and flew through security in a matter of minutes. A quick stop for mum to buy a few bits and bobs and we were at the BA lounge. They were both impressed - "it's much better than sitting out there with everyone else" was one of the comments. Yes, quite! I decided that we should get the weekend off to a good start so ordered three glasses of the fizzy stuff which went down very well.
BA1319, ABZ - LHR, G-EUPX, A319
Boarding was called at 7am - Golds first so I headed to the front and had no problem getting mum and dad through with me. We took our seats in Row 1 and waited for everyone else to get on the plane. We pushed back on time and headed to the runway where we took off on what was a lovely morning in the Granite City.
A yellow visitor doing today's run to Dalaman and back.
BA serve a hot breakfast or a continental breakfast on these flights from Scotland to London which is perfectly acceptable.
Well. They would. If the crew remember to switch the ovens on. "They'll be a little while yet, Sir". Erm, ok then.
Passing into England on the moving map....
We were just coming unto Manchester when eventually the two crew at the front came out with the hot breakfasts and, about 10 mins after that, we had already started the descent. So yeah, a bit rushed and a bit of a poor show from the crew. Not sure how those folks further back managed to finish before the crew started to clear! The breakfast was tasty though so thumbs up for that!
Some random air strip....
BA's famous "strong" coffee - lol
Landed around 15 mins early but had to wait for a plane to get out of our space before we could get onto the stand.
We headed into T5 where mum decided to treat herself to a few bits and bobs. We then headed to the confines of the Flounge (all of us getting in courtesy of a nice person....)
To say the folks were impressed is an understatement. "You just help yourself to fizz?"......yeeeeeeeeees. It reminds me of a thread on the BA board recently where they were discussing how bad the Flounge was but the point was made that it probably isn't that rubbish to someone who hardly ever uses it. That was the case here. We sat yapping and drinking for a while and nibbled on the lunch buffet when it was put out. I ordered the gnocchi which was very, very tasty!
BA632, LHR - ATH, G-BNWA, B767
A B gate flashed up so we left the Flounge and headed to get the train across the tarmac. When we got there, there was a massive queue but boarding hadn't quite started yet.
Not our ride today but isn't she pretty?!
Priority boarding was called - Club Europe and Golds first. Mum quite enjoyed heading to the front of the queue and were were down the jet bridge and onto the plane. Mum and I took our seats in Row 2 at the front and Dad was across the aisle from us. Hot rag first!
Eventually we pushed back and, after waiting for a wee while, we took off and got a great view of T5 from the air.
A round of drinks was done to start with and nuts were handed out. The crew announced that a film would be played and it started on the screens.
Menus were then passed out once the crew had done the first drinks run and offered top ups - sign of a good crew!
I went for the cod which was really nice. My folks were really impressed with the quality of the meal and loved the fact that they got their own individual menu! *money face emoji*
I went for the cheese and biscuits after - I love those crackers.
After that, I took some coffee. I still like the cups that BA have - very nice.
Oh, and a whisky
I had a short nap and when I woke up, we were already well into the descent into Athens coming in over the coast.
Heading round to ATH...
We landed and got off the plane at Door 1 which was nice. Priority luggage was a joke - all the priority bags were more or less last off the plane - yawn.
We jumped into a taxi and, after nearly an hour and a half, got to the Intercontinental hotel. The traffic was absolutely crazy. We checked in on the 8th floor, headed to our rooms to change and then went to the Club Lounge for some drinks and nibbles (these were out every day between 6 and 9.30pm).
The rooms were great - very big and had nice views across to the Acropolis.
We decided to head out around 9.30pm for some dinner. The guy on the desk in the lounge told us somewhere close to go and we took him up on his suggestion. A nice church on the way down...
We ate some nice Greek food, drank some great wine and then headed back to the hotel. A few drinks in the roof top bar and we were all ready for bed before exploring Athens the next day!
May 27, 2016, 12:15 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
Thanks alexisonsmith - hope you enjoy the rest!
May 27, 2016, 12:49 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
We got up the next morning and the sun was shining. After a quick breakfast in the Club Lounge (which had an enormous selection of choice), we headed into town using the hotel's free shuttle bus. It dropped us off right outside Parliament. We decided that we would jump on one of the open top buses to get our bearings of the city - I always think that's a good way of getting to know where you are. It started to cloud over and get a bit windy but we still managed to sit on the top deck!
The guards outside the Parliament do the strangest walk around type thing which was great to watch.
The guy in the army uniform then spent a few minutes checking each of the guards and making sure that every single piece of their uniform was in place.
We hopped off of the bus at the Acropolis which was swimming with folk. After getting our tickets and some water, we hiked up to the Acropolis and started to explore. The Parthenon was just wonderful to look at and there was so much to see there. There were a lot of people going around but it didn't feel busy and it wasn't noisy. The architecture was just amazing - I loved seeing how intricate the marble carvings were.
Looking across to the Temple of Zeus.
I think this panorama shot turned out pretty well!
The business end!
Walking further down the hill towards a theatre.
It was interesting seeing all of the busts which had been recovered from the ruins.
There was graffiti absolutely everywhere. We asked someone why this was and his reply was "Well, it's illegal but who will stop them? The police? Haha don't kid me on. This is Greece!"
Mum was getting hungry and thought that it was about 2pm. I looked at my phone and it was 3.45pm. We popped out to a small restaurant and had some lunch and some cold beer before going back in.
This looks a bit unstable!
Hello!
It was now about 6.30pm - we had done so much walking and then had to walk back up the hill to get the bus back into town.
After getting ready, we nipped to the lounge for a few drinks before heading out for the evening. We went to mum's cousin's house and met her and her husband. We sat out on their balcony eating souvlaki and drinking rose wine for hours. It was a lovely evening and time seemed to just fly by! We got a taxi back to the hotel and I collapsed on bed and fell fast asleep!
The guards outside the Parliament do the strangest walk around type thing which was great to watch.
The guy in the army uniform then spent a few minutes checking each of the guards and making sure that every single piece of their uniform was in place.
We hopped off of the bus at the Acropolis which was swimming with folk. After getting our tickets and some water, we hiked up to the Acropolis and started to explore. The Parthenon was just wonderful to look at and there was so much to see there. There were a lot of people going around but it didn't feel busy and it wasn't noisy. The architecture was just amazing - I loved seeing how intricate the marble carvings were.
Looking across to the Temple of Zeus.
I think this panorama shot turned out pretty well!
The business end!
Walking further down the hill towards a theatre.
It was interesting seeing all of the busts which had been recovered from the ruins.
There was graffiti absolutely everywhere. We asked someone why this was and his reply was "Well, it's illegal but who will stop them? The police? Haha don't kid me on. This is Greece!"
Mum was getting hungry and thought that it was about 2pm. I looked at my phone and it was 3.45pm. We popped out to a small restaurant and had some lunch and some cold beer before going back in.
This looks a bit unstable!
Hello!
It was now about 6.30pm - we had done so much walking and then had to walk back up the hill to get the bus back into town.
After getting ready, we nipped to the lounge for a few drinks before heading out for the evening. We went to mum's cousin's house and met her and her husband. We sat out on their balcony eating souvlaki and drinking rose wine for hours. It was a lovely evening and time seemed to just fly by! We got a taxi back to the hotel and I collapsed on bed and fell fast asleep!
Jun 3, 2016, 12:33 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
Apologies for the delay......I have been in Cameroon all week with not much access to the net!
Thanks! I'll try update later today!
Thanks Spymon - more to follow soon!
Thanks Spymon - more to follow soon!
Jun 3, 2016, 1:20 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
After the usual breakfast in the lounge, we headed to catch the hotel bus down into the city again. We started off at the Temple of Zeus and then took a couple of walking tours up into Monastiraki and Psirri. The tours were included in the price of the ticket we bought for the open top bus. The guy who took us round was really nice and chatty and went to great lengths to explain a lot about the history of Athens.
I loved the Temple of Zeus. To think that there were 143 of these massive columns standing thousands of years ago and that the 15 still standing are that old......crazy.
*waves*
Sleepy kitty!
Monastiraki - buzzing with people - great atmosphere!
Anyone for sausage?!
We then took a walk through the fish market which was an experience - sellers shouting at the top of their voices all trying to outdo each other.
And then we hopped back onto the bus into the city.
MASSIVE cruise ship!
We then took a walk to the original Olympic stadium and wandered up and around it for a while. It surprised me just how big it was. There was also a small museum that we had a quick look around.
By this time, it was pushing 7pm and we were starting to require some sustenance in the form of wine and nibbles.....back to the hotel!
We headed back up to Monastiraki for dinner as we had seen a few nice places while we were walking around during the day. I was slightly taken aback at the shape of my starter, however, will confirm that it tasted great.
I loved the Temple of Zeus. To think that there were 143 of these massive columns standing thousands of years ago and that the 15 still standing are that old......crazy.
*waves*
Sleepy kitty!
Monastiraki - buzzing with people - great atmosphere!
Anyone for sausage?!
We then took a walk through the fish market which was an experience - sellers shouting at the top of their voices all trying to outdo each other.
And then we hopped back onto the bus into the city.
MASSIVE cruise ship!
We then took a walk to the original Olympic stadium and wandered up and around it for a while. It surprised me just how big it was. There was also a small museum that we had a quick look around.
By this time, it was pushing 7pm and we were starting to require some sustenance in the form of wine and nibbles.....back to the hotel!
We headed back up to Monastiraki for dinner as we had seen a few nice places while we were walking around during the day. I was slightly taken aback at the shape of my starter, however, will confirm that it tasted great.
Last edited by stu1985; Jun 4, 2016 at 6:29 am
Jun 4, 2016, 5:12 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Geneva, Dubai, Paris
Programs: Disillusioned Cent
Posts: 1,880
Very enjoyable TR, stu1985! ^
I took my mom to Athens as well a few years back and we had a great time.
Traveling with your parents is always something special, all the more so if they're not used to premium cabins and you can make them discover it. Their reaction adds to the fun and the memories and also puts things into perspective. Well done.
I took my mom to Athens as well a few years back and we had a great time.
Traveling with your parents is always something special, all the more so if they're not used to premium cabins and you can make them discover it. Their reaction adds to the fun and the memories and also puts things into perspective. Well done.
Jun 4, 2016, 7:20 am
#12
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: MIA
Programs: AA EXP (AC), DL G (SC), Bonvoy LTP, & IHG AMB
Posts: 1,798
Very, very enjoyable TR. I was pleasantly surprised by Athens, as I thought it would be like southern Italy (Naples/Capri/Amalfi = Rude, rude, rude!), but the people were all very friendly. I remember there was a touristy restaurant with food that wasn't great, Archaeon Gefsis, again, very touristy, but they had fortified wine which knocked me out after a day of touring. Thanks again for the TR.
Jun 5, 2016, 6:58 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
Very enjoyable TR, stu1985! ^
I took my mom to Athens as well a few years back and we had a great time.
Traveling with your parents is always something special, all the more so if they're not used to premium cabins and you can make them discover it. Their reaction adds to the fun and the memories and also puts things into perspective. Well done.
I took my mom to Athens as well a few years back and we had a great time.
Traveling with your parents is always something special, all the more so if they're not used to premium cabins and you can make them discover it. Their reaction adds to the fun and the memories and also puts things into perspective. Well done.
Very, very enjoyable TR. I was pleasantly surprised by Athens, as I thought it would be like southern Italy (Naples/Capri/Amalfi = Rude, rude, rude!), but the people were all very friendly. I remember there was a touristy restaurant with food that wasn't great, Archaeon Gefsis, again, very touristy, but they had fortified wine which knocked me out after a day of touring. Thanks again for the TR.
Jun 5, 2016, 7:35 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
We got up on the last morning and decided to go down to Parliament where there is a big ceremony every Sunday at 11am. Lots of pageantry involved and big band music.
Before the good stuff happened, a black car pulled up and a guy got out surrounded by security guards. Turns out that the Greek Defence Minister was there to chat to the crowds of folk. My mum didn't miss the opportunity and went right up to him and introduced herself lol. He seemed quite a friendly guy.
After that, we just had a wander around for a few hours before grabbing a last lunch.
Not much to look at but, my God, it was great!
I had a late check out from the hotel at around 2pm. We got back to the hotel just before 2 and grabbed our stuff before catching a taxi to the airport. The trip back was much quicker than it was on the way out there.
We waited in the queue to check in for about 10 mins and then made our way through security and made the long walk down to the BA lounge which is conveniently located right opposite the gate used for the BA flights. The lounge was quiet when we entered so we easily found some seats together before it filled up. The lounge is nice enough but the furniture is showing its age and is in major need of repair.
The lounge had a decent enough selection of snacks and a cold cabinet with wrapped sandwiches.
BA637, ATH-LHR, G-EUYP
Boarding was a strange affair. The lady at the desk said she would let us know when the flight was boarding. It was getting closer and closer to departure time and I made a move to go and she said "The flight isn't quite ready for lounge passengers yet". I wasn't quite sure what she meant but it turned out that they had boarded everyone at the gate and left priority boarding until last. That was fine for us as we were in Row 1 and had storage space but I'd be a bit peeved if I has been in the lounge and was then stuck at the back and had no storage space.
The CSD came over and welcomed me back and had a quick chat about my trip. We took off and had some nice views of the coast.
Hot towels were handed out along with menus and the drinks run was then done.
The curried cod was really nice and the salad with the balsamic dressing was also tasty.
I went for the cheeses again hoping that there would be the usual nice crackers......damn!
I spent the rest of the flight listening to music and enjoying the views from the windows. There were no blankets or pillows on the seats when we boarded so I asked for one which led to a stream of people asking for them.
Passing Venice.
We didn't have to hold before going into Heathrow and landed on time.
Connections didn't take too long and we went into Galleries North for a drink before heading to board the Aberdeen flight.
BA1318, LHR-ABZ, G-EUYL
Nice sunset at Heathrow as we taxied.
Usual drinks / snack offering on the domestic flights.
And a nice sunset too.
And then we were back in Aberdeen after a nice long weekend away.
Thanks for reading!
Before the good stuff happened, a black car pulled up and a guy got out surrounded by security guards. Turns out that the Greek Defence Minister was there to chat to the crowds of folk. My mum didn't miss the opportunity and went right up to him and introduced herself lol. He seemed quite a friendly guy.
After that, we just had a wander around for a few hours before grabbing a last lunch.
Not much to look at but, my God, it was great!
I had a late check out from the hotel at around 2pm. We got back to the hotel just before 2 and grabbed our stuff before catching a taxi to the airport. The trip back was much quicker than it was on the way out there.
We waited in the queue to check in for about 10 mins and then made our way through security and made the long walk down to the BA lounge which is conveniently located right opposite the gate used for the BA flights. The lounge was quiet when we entered so we easily found some seats together before it filled up. The lounge is nice enough but the furniture is showing its age and is in major need of repair.
The lounge had a decent enough selection of snacks and a cold cabinet with wrapped sandwiches.
BA637, ATH-LHR, G-EUYP
Boarding was a strange affair. The lady at the desk said she would let us know when the flight was boarding. It was getting closer and closer to departure time and I made a move to go and she said "The flight isn't quite ready for lounge passengers yet". I wasn't quite sure what she meant but it turned out that they had boarded everyone at the gate and left priority boarding until last. That was fine for us as we were in Row 1 and had storage space but I'd be a bit peeved if I has been in the lounge and was then stuck at the back and had no storage space.
The CSD came over and welcomed me back and had a quick chat about my trip. We took off and had some nice views of the coast.
Hot towels were handed out along with menus and the drinks run was then done.
The curried cod was really nice and the salad with the balsamic dressing was also tasty.
I went for the cheeses again hoping that there would be the usual nice crackers......damn!
I spent the rest of the flight listening to music and enjoying the views from the windows. There were no blankets or pillows on the seats when we boarded so I asked for one which led to a stream of people asking for them.
Passing Venice.
We didn't have to hold before going into Heathrow and landed on time.
Connections didn't take too long and we went into Galleries North for a drink before heading to board the Aberdeen flight.
BA1318, LHR-ABZ, G-EUYL
Nice sunset at Heathrow as we taxied.
Usual drinks / snack offering on the domestic flights.
And a nice sunset too.
And then we were back in Aberdeen after a nice long weekend away.
Thanks for reading!