CMK10

Background
Who doesn’t love an excuse to travel? No one on this website, that’s for sure. From 2013-2016 I attended law school and each year I was in school I traveled out of the country between Christmas and New Years due to the generous Christmas break we were given. Despite the fact that I’d graduated back in May (and passed the bar AND got a job!) I figured why break precedent? The last two years I’d gone to Europe and just because I’m a fancy pants esquire now was no reason not to shoot over there, right? Right. All that was left was choosing where. In 2015 I went to Eastern Europe so this year I decided to go to the west. I first picked Brussels as it would be a new country for me and one I could easily do quickly. I then decided that I hadn’t been to Paris in too long and as I had two years of college French, what better place to go? Next, I figured I’d also visit Lyon as I’d long wanted to see the city and as a noted Fat Guy, the appeal of a renowned gastronomic city was very strong. Lastly, one of my younger brothers had visited Luxembourg in 2015 and his pictures made it look really gorgeous and as it would also be a new country I decided to end my trip there. Once I looked at my list of cities (Brussels, Paris, Lyon and Luxembourg) the historian in me decided to call the trip the Battle of France Trip.

As to the part that really matters, the flights, I put together the following. I had a decent chunk of American miles on hand and as the 747 is about to become nothing but a memory, I sought out which flights British Airways was flying them that worked for my trip. I settled on BOS-LHR as it would allow a very early arrival into Brussels and was a new route (I likea the new routes you see). I tacked on positioning flights and the arrival into Brussels. To get to Paris I booked Thalys as anyone who’s ever read a CMK10 trip report knows he likes trains. For Lyon I was able to buy an Air France ticket and to get to Luxembourg, KLM. Lastly to get home I had originally booked United but when there was a schedule change I looked around and found there was mileage availability on Swiss to Boston. As trying new business class cabins is one of the best reasons to earn miles, I jumped on it even though it would mean having to overnight there. The final itinerary, a very respectable one I thought, looked as follows:
- December 25/26: AA F RDU-ORD-BOS, BA J BOS-LHR-BRU
- December 27: Thalys Comfort 1 Brussels-Paris
- December 29: AF Y ORY-LYS
- December 30: KL Y LYS-AMS-LUX
- December 31: LX C LUX-ZRH-BOS
- January 1: AA F/Y BOS-PHL-GSO

Raleigh



After a morning of preparing for the trip



And of course making sure my trademark suit was ready for the next day, I spent a very enjoyable Christmas Eve dinner celebrating my father’s 67th birthday at my parent’s house before heading down to RDU. A friend of mine was short on requalifying stays for Hyatt Diamond and I pointed out that the Hyatt House RDU was $72 with tax on Christmas Eve and that I was happy to be his additional guest to do the mattress run for him. He got the stay, I got to sleep in a little more and check out a new hotel…everybody won!



I’d never been to a Hyatt House before but I was impressed. While the hotel is not REALLY an airport hotel (it’s about 6 miles from RDU), it’s new and the rooms are very comfortable and well appointed. The only issue was trying to explain to the desk agent that I was the ADDITIONAL guest on the room and that the primary was the one paying.







AA 1539 RDU-ORD 0739-0859 MD-80

After too little sleep and sadly a checkout before breakfast started, the shuttle deposited me at RDU’s curb ready to start a Christmas Day in the air.





Not gonna lie, that woman looks super comfortable and warm…kinda jealous.



Anyway, getting back on topic, I printed out four beautiful boarding passes from the machine and dropped my bag off to be checked. As is typical with AA at RDU, at least in my experience, I had to specifically ask for a priority tag.



Getting through security was a breeze, mainly because everyone was still home dreaming of Sugar Plums of all things.





I spent a leisurely hour at the Admirals Club which emptied out once the DFW flight boarded leaving myself and the staff as the only ones there. Sadly it was a Sunday morning which meant no alcohol until 12 so my Christmas champagne toast would have to wait until later.







Our flight ended up slightly delayed due to a late crew due to their shuttle forgetting to pick them up at their hotel. Thankfully our flight would be as empty as pre-Christmas Eve Scrooge’s heart (CHRISTMAS REFERENCE!) so we’d board quickly despite the delay.





Welcome aboard 1982’s newest and most exciting aircraft, the MD-80! Oh wait, are those pictures not nostalgic enough for you?



How does THAT grab you??



If I may be serious for a minute, I love this plane. I get it, it’s something out of another era and a lot of them are badly aged inside. But as someone who’s been an American Fan Boy since he was in short pants, how could I not? There’s never been an American Airlines in my lifetime without a large fleet of Super 80s reliably plying their trunk routes. I know the door is closing on this part of my life and it makes me sad.



Speaking of sad, despite a load of 9/16 in First and a charitable 60% full in the back, no PDBs were handed out during our time on the ground. But what else did I expect? This is American after all, not Delta.





Still, being on my way relatively on time, with a beautiful sky and an empty seat next to me made me forget the fact that I was literally dying of thirst thanks to the lazy (and UNIONIZED) flight attendants.







Despite having pre-ordered my meal, the flight attendant serving First walked up the aisle reading out the breakfast options. Thankfully, I still got my choice.



It was this or oatmeal. This was about what you’d expect for a US airline omelet. Thankfully I had my secret weapon



BWA BWAH! (that’s the noise it makes when I bring it out)





After breakfast the crew wandered off to do whatever they do when they hide in the galley and I sat and enjoyed my book and the view until we landed in an ugly Chicago morning.





AA 1257 ORD-BOS 1025-1335 737-800



Thanks for the ride, see you soon…I hope. Anyway, you might be wondering why I was in Chicago if my Trans-Atlantic flight was in Boston. Well, when I was putting this together my options were RDU-CLT/PHL/DCA/ORD-BOS. I was tempted by the CLT option as CLT-BOS is a new route (which as I mentioned earlier I tend to salivate over) but my brother James pointed out how much fun the two meal routes would be. And he was right. Plus, what better way to spend a morning? Comfortable seats, good book, watching the ground pass below me, free booze. Yeah, going out of the way had its perks.



Plus, I love how this place looks at Christmas time. I may identify as Jewish but I’ve always loved this time of year. The decorations, the music, the happy, sappy feelings…you name it.







Said happy-sappy feelings took a little blow when I was forced to stand in this line. I arrived at the H/K Admirals Club along with the morning rush (most of whom were on the JAL flight to NRT) and got stuck in a slow moving line to get to the front.







Once inside, things weren’t much better. Half the lounge is closed for renovations and while these are badly needed, it didn’t make my visit much fun. Nor did the fact that my drink coupons (which I had to ask for from an agent who replied “oh are you flying internationally?”) were useless as the bar couldn’t serve alcohol yet. I’M AN AMERICAN! IF I CAN’T MAKE DRUNKEN SCENES AT AIRPORTS THEN WE MAY AS WELL SCRAP THIS DEMOCRACY ALLTOGETHER!







I was disappointed to find I would not be on one of the fun-fun AVOD equipped 737-800s but instead on an older version which had been outfitted with drab gray seat covers. Wave of the future I guess.





At least I got to watch the terrible new safety video on this drop down monitor while sipping on a warm OJ!





I don’t mind American’s new paint scheme, but I am going to miss the older style winglets, they always classed up photos.





Lunch options were a perplexing choice of quinoa salad (eh eh eh) or a salmon nicoise salad (wow who made these choices? MICHELLE OBAMA? #rimshot). The latter was fine but pretty unsubstantive. Cold options are lame on general principle too.



This and a couple of Sams were the best part of the meal. On the plus side, this crew was actually quite friendly and happy to keep refills coming and smiling at the passengers. A much better premium experience than the last flight with the bAAh humbug types.



Ew, I hate winter.







Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Boston.

BA 212 BOS-LHR 1755-0510 747-400

At this point I had, in the immortal words of Styx, nothing to do and all day to do it. AA and BA are in separate terminals (B and E respectively for the pedants) and from what I heard the BA lounge was not the place to be. I figured I could spend an enjoyable few hours checking out the offerings in B instead.



I’m a great flyer, you can trust me.



Still a better ride than anything Frontier flies







First up, the legacy American Club. I hadn’t been here since 2007 (it’s not one of my TRs until I say “I hadn’t done X since Y”) and it has definitely changed for the better. Though just to remind me it WAS an AA club, the agent again didn’t give up the precious, precious drink coupons until I opened my big mouth.



At last!



My window seat gave me a chance to watch the on time arrival of G-CIVX, a vintage 1998 jumbo.



Next I took a walk to the area where United’s gates are now. In the old days, B25 was part of the Siberia Gates, so known because American Eagle used them, you had to reclear security to get to them from the mainline gates, and there were no places to eat or shop over there. It’s also home to United’s amazing new United Club.







This is the same concept that’s been used at United’s new SEA, ATL and ORD lounges and I really like it.



But with art like that, how could I not?





Last up, the former US Airways Club between what were once the US Airways Shuttle gates and the US Airways gates. I don’t care what that sign says, nothing about it felt Admirals Club-y.





See? I also made that group of 20-somethings very happy when I gave them my spare drink coupon.







One crappy bus ride later (quick note, in 2016 I did THREE transfers where I had to change terminals and leave security in the US, not a stat I want to repeat) and I was in Terminal E. I was initially impressed until I got through security.



Yuck. And it gets worse.








I love getting to a lounge via a route that reminds me of the walk I used to take to my orthodontist’s office.





Inside wasn’t much better due to how crowded it was. I also couldn’t find an outlet and the Wifi was spotty. Seriously, whose idea during terminal construction was it to make the lounges dingy rooms in a basement? Because his face is late for a meeting with my fist.







Being as I was in Club World, in addition to the spread above I could access the pre-flight dining area.











This spread was actually pretty good, and as I was in full Charles Gets his Money’s Worth mode, I enjoyed my pre-dinner dinner.

CMK10

And now, time for the main event.



Oh, you know right where I’m going. I managed to make it to AA Platinum this year which meant free advanced seat selection on BA and on this trip in came very much in handy.





In keeping with this nostalgic day, here’s the best international business class cabin of the Clinton presidency!





I was very comfortable, but as you can see this plane felt rode hard and put back wet.



Plus, if you’re not traveling with the person next to you it’s weird that you stare right at them unless you make a conscious effort not to.



On the plus side, the crew was right lovely (I think that’s how you say it in English English). Plenty of smiles, champagne, amenity kits and menus were handed out as we waited to depart.





A decent collection, the pen is now a fixture in my office.



Christmas Fayre you say?





I was expecting only a very light dinner but this menu left me much happier than I expected to be. I could easily say at this point “I didn’t need to eat so much in the lounge” but I did need to. Because I’m me.



After a short delay due to baggage loading issues, during which I had a lovely talk with my seatmate and naturally, apologized for Trump (she was British), we sprang to the skies for the short journey to the UK.



Big negative points for just handing me a pack of nuts, BA. This isn’t a short hop you know!





I’m not usually a fan of one-tray set ups (especially as my last Business Class flights were on Qatar where tray set ups are an art form) but it’s a short flight and BA isn’t exactly a world class airline. As it was, I enjoyed the food, especially my Christmas Turkey dinner! That was super fun. I even managed a good three hours of sleep in the comfortable enough bed. And it wouldn’t be BA without…



BACON SANDWICHES!





All in all, a very enjoyable flight. I had rock bottom expectations for CW, after all, it seems every day there’s another dozen BA horror story threads in the BA forum but they impressed me. The seat is obviously more outmoded than my 1995 Montero (RIP, first car) but the crew was great, food was fine, alcohol and wine were decent and hell, any flight in the Upper Deck is special. So a good use of miles that was.

BA 388 LHR-BRU 0645-0900 A-319





My connection was as easy as pie (which, incidentally is not easy because using the oven scares me, but that’s another story). We came into B47, I walked a ways, woke up some security guards at the B Concourse checkpoint and my next flight was leaving from B32. Despite my 95 minute connection I still had plenty of time for the lounge.







Which as you can see was very empty.







Food options were pretty decent too, though as I was as close to full as I ever get, I stuck to a croissant, coffee and juice.





I must say, it was a bit eerie seeing LHR so empty. Though once I got to the gate I understood a little of why: the flight to BRU would have literally 14 people on it.



When the agent called us to board, I demanded to know why she wasn’t boarding by class and status and when she was about to explain herself I cracked a grin and she laughed heartily and thanked me for the joke.





Remember how I said there were only 14 people on board? Well, your favorite trip report writer (I hope) was the sole passenger in Club Europe.



Which obviously deserved a selfie.



Of course as this was Europe, I was still uncomfortable.





The crew was great. They laughed and joked with me and said I could have as many hot towels as I wanted.







Discomfort aside, it was pretty awesome that there was a choice of meals. I went with the Full English over the continental as, well by now you already know why.





The closest I’ve ever been to feeling like I was alone on a private jet.





As is always my lot in life, it was raining when I landed. But, I was still in high spirits as I just had TWO British Airways flights in a row with no complaints. Now that’s rare.

Brussels



After getting a passport stamp (yay!) my good spirits vanished. My bag was not waiting for me. Worse still, the baggage service people were incredibly unhelpful and even worse, completely ill informed. They opened a claim for me but had no idea where my bag was. I know AA had delivered it to Boston:



AA has baggage tracking on their app afterall. But the agents couldn’t tell me where it was or when it would get to Brussels. I told them I was moving onto Paris the next day and I got met with what I think was what authors describe as a “Gallic Shrug”. I also asked if perhaps the bag could just be sent to Paris and be waiting for me there and was told no, that it had to come to BRU first which is frankly, idiotic. This meant I was stuck with just the clothes I had on (a suit), the shoes I had on (dress shoes), a CW amenity kit and the contents of my laptop bag which didn’t include my guide books. I was told I could purchase emergency replacement stuff but it was still not how I wanted to start my trip. In fact, I was in a downright awful mood because of it.







It also ate up a lot of time. Thankfully, getting downtown was really simple. I also knew my hotel was around the station somewhere so I figured I’d walk outside, find a place with Wifi, and boot up Google Maps on my phone.



Huh, or I could just walk to the hotel which was literally across a plaza from the main station entrance. I was also happy to find that they had my room ready for me at 10:30 AM.







Well it was no suite, but it was technically some kind of upgrade (an “Executive Room” or whatever BS nomenclature they were using) and quite comfortable. The location was good too but wow, the soundproofing was AWFUL and so was the Wifi. As a HH Diamond I get annoyed that some overseas hotels just have one free wifi network for everyone with no premium option.



I would see the words “1 bag still missing” a lot over the next few days. At this point though I didn’t know how bad the bag situation was going to be so I figured I’d just go do my day’s exploring in my suit (after a shower though) and maybe the bag would arrive tonight or at worst tomorrow morning.





As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t have my guidebooks so I had to rely on just some notes I’d taken and my phone. Still, it was the eve of 2017 and I’m a smart enough guy so I was able to make that work. At this point I use guidebooks more out of habit than out of necessity. Annoyingly, Monday is Museums Are Closed Day in Belgium so I would have to confine my activities to mainly walking around.





Brussels was mobbed by tourists but at least I got the smug satisfaction of knowing I was the best dressed one.



One of everything, please!







Ah a store with “me” written all over it! My walk was pleasant enough though the more I walked the less impressed I was with the city. Sure it was nice enough, but it also felt a little dingy and I didn’t get that awe inspiring feeling of wonder I’ve gotten in other World Cities. Still, it was a fun place to be at Christmas Time.







You know me (or if you don’t, you’re about to learn) that when I see a church I go into it. This was St. Catherine’s which was a good start to my week of churching.





See what I mean? Nice I guess but not nice enough for my tastes. Though to be perfectly honest, it’s quite possible I was just being a cranky pants because of my bag, and the fact that my shoes don’t do well on wet surfaces and I kept slipping.





In its defense, the Grand Place was indeed quite a grand place. And one of those places I was glad I came to during the Yuletide Season.







Billions of Blue Blistering Barnacles!



At this point I found myself literally having to push my way through throngs of tourists.



AND FOR WHAT! Though if that made you hungry, there’s always this point:



Yep, that actually exists.





Me, I’m more of a café kind of person.



Especially when I can have a lunch like this. Mmm that was a tasty one.





After lunch I walked through a really run down, nondescript neighborhood which was worth it because I came to my destination of a local brewery!



2016 was the Year of the Local Brewery for me and I had a really lovely couple of beers while talking with a fellow Hop Head from San Diego. Beers make bag woes bearable.






A subway ride later and I was at Atomium. It was built for the 1958 World’s Fair and is absolutely worth a visit just for its sheer oddness.



Of course half of Europe also had this idea so it took me 30 minutes or so to get inside.



I decided to skip the elevator that took you straight to the top (there was a line of 150 or so people) and go see the exhibits along the way instead.





This turned out to be a great choice as this was one of the temporary ones!









It wasn’t lie flat back then but come on…onboard typewriter!



Yeah I think I’d make that face too.



At this point I was exhausted and needed some rest. I’d slept 3 hours in the last 31 and decided to head back towards my hotel.



Still, I always have energy for one more church, especially as this one (the Cathedral St. Michael)







Very impressive. Now, for that rest.



A nice touch to find in my room. So anyway, after waking up for a nap I found there was still no update on my bag. The stores in Brussels that sold clothes were only open from 10-7 and I was in a really pissy moody and decided I didn’t want to go foraging or put my dirty clothes back on. I regret this now, but I had a little temper tantrum and stayed in my room eating chocolates as dinner and cursing British Airways, fate and God in that order.

CMK10

The next day started with good news. An email from British Airways showed my bag was on that morning’s flight from London. After I called BRU bag services to confirm this, I decided to go collect it, hurry back to the hotel, shower, change, and then go see a few museums before my 12:47 PM train. I had a quick breakfast at the lounge (which abuts the main restaurant which had a very good buffet and also had snacks and drinks available during the day) and headed back to BRU.







Once at the airport, I was quickly let through into the baggage claim only to find…no bag. I went back and found the same agent from the day before and although I wanted to give her the worst thrashing a Belgian had suffered since 1940, I managed to control my rage, even when after I asked where my bag was she said “I don’t know…maybe Boston, maybe London”. I expressed my frustrations, that I was told the bag was arriving by an agent and an email and she said that these things weren’t certain, just possibilities. Oh the rage I felt, mere words, even four letter ones, can’t convey it. I decided to scrap my morning plans and go find replacement clothes.



Luckily there was a street about a half mile from the hotel with a number of stores. Of course it took forever to find what I needed



Even though they knew I was coming. The worst part is, I wear a size 13 shoe and it was impossible to find a pair of shoes in this size. I ended up buying a pair of size 12 sneakers (or “trainers” if you will) and just dealing with hurt feet.



By the time I was done it was too late to visit the military museum or art museum like I had planned, but I did have time for a short detour on my walk back to my hotel.







There’s always time for waffles.



See? At long last Happy CMK10 returns.



Once back at my hotel (who graciously granted me a 12:30 PM checkout) I quickly started ripping tags and peeling labels off what I bought. On the plus side, BA did later pay up so I was able to get $280 worth of free clothes out of them. After savoring the feeling of clean clothes and a shave again, I went to checkout. I asked for the agent to call me a cab but she told me if I was taking Thalys to hope one of the many IC trains from Brussels Central to Brussels South (Midi) as they were free with my Thalys ticket and it would be way faster.





This was really good advice.

Thalys 9336 BRU-PAR 1237-1359

Midi Station was not very impressive. It was also large and I had a very long walk to the Thalys tracks. Apparently I did have access to some lounge but I never saw it so I just walked to the train.









I paid an extra 30 Euros and got a seat in Comfort 1. This meant 1x2 seating (and I was pleased to find a single seat to myself) and meal service. There was also free, workable wifi which was great, though no power outlets.





The ride was great, we flew along at 180 MPH (or thereabouts) and never slowed down.



Lunch was a choice of quinoa (ugh why does that choice keep following me?) or duck breast which was surprisingly delicious. Service from the attendant was also quite good, there were refills and later a coffee service. All too soon in fact we arrived into Paris. And not to be like everyone else but wow…wish we had trains like this in the US.



Paris

The Gare du Nord is annoyingly not centrally located, but a couple quick Metro trips and I arrived at my hotel.



Like any good FTer, I’ve worked the IHG promos hard the last couple of years and done very well. Spending about $180 during early 2016’s Into the Nights Promo netted me enough points for two nights at the IC Le Grand. Speaking of, I walked into the hotel and a man in a suit said something to me about my bag. I figured he was trying to ask if he could take it to my room for me for a tip so I shook my head and kept walking. He then switched to English and it turned out he needed to search it. This was a constant theme in Paris, I saw a lot of armed police and military forces (heavily armed I might add, sub machine guns, assault rifles, shotguns etc.) and it had been prevalent in Brussels too. Stupid terrorists.



The hotel itself certainly lives up to its name, though of course being a mere IHG Platinum didn’t get me much of anything here. I was told I was upgraded to a “superior” room and I got free Wifi but they wanted ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY EUROS A DAY for club lounge access. Even me, a noted Fat Guy, couldn’t possibly make that work.



My large room in Brussels had spoiled me. This one was barely large enough to walk around the bed in. Plus, it’s older and some stuff was in a state of disrepair.





The bathroom and bath products were quite nice though, I’ll give them that.





As soon as I hit the streets, I felt elated. It was great to be here, here in Paris. That feeling that you are somewhere truly amazing. The architecture, the sounds, the smells, the sights. Everything about it. Even the fact that I missed my bag and its unknown location was still nagging at me couldn’t spoil it.



After a few more Metro rides (another great thing about the city, the Metro is fantastic and really extensive. Cheap too at just 1.90 a ride) I got to the neighborhood that houses Sacre Cur.





As you can see, all of Paris, half of Bordeaux and at least a third of Marseilles had the same idea as me. This would be a recurring theme of my time in the city but can you blame people for wanting to be here?





I can’t.



Alright fancy duds, be quiet! After dealing with all the crowds inside, many of whom violated the last rule on the sign and took pictures, including with the ever present selfie sticks, I went back outside and escaped the masses (church pun!) by walking behind the church and through the nearby neighborhood to get back to the Metro.





What a gorgeous structure.



After another ride on my friend the Metro (which incidentally is really easy to find your way out of to where you’re going, this is helpful to me as I have a horrible habit of taking the wrong exit from a transit system and getting hopelessly lost), I found my next overcrowded tourist destination.



Pretty



I’ll defend any Frenchman pro bono who wants to run those people over.



Originally my plan was to go to the top but when I saw a line of several hundred people waiting, I figured I’d just walk around the base.









As a person who is fascinated by military history, I was very glad I came here. And enjoying the last rays of the sun setting on the Champs de Elysee was icing on the cake.



Speaking of.





What a great city, tourists be damned.



Plus how could I be mad at a city where my name is seemingly everywhere?



I went through a phase in my life when I really loved subways, almost as much as airplanes. I’m not as into it now, but being back on the Metro made some of those old feelings come out. Also, when I was a kid my mom would take my brother James and me to Paris in the summer. The Metro now is the same as it was then so there were lots of happy memories.







After my nostalgia heavy ride, I ended up near the Latin Quarter with a planned visit to the Pantheon.





Sadly I was given bad closing times from Google (they listed the SUMMER closing time, not the winter) so I wasn’t able to go inside. Still, this meant I was “forced” to spend a few hours wandering around the Quarter.





A sight I was not expecting to see.



And who could resist stopping at a café, enjoying a beer and soaking in the experience of being here? Not me, that’s for sure.



Once it hit 7 I decided to find a place to eat. The first two places I considered were busts, one wasn’t open despite its website saying it would be and one, a tiny Vietnamese restaurant, required reservations. Eventually I stumbled on this small restaurant and I figured if the food was bad, at least I had a good story about eating where Hemmingway used to live.





Now I’m thirsty



Ahhhh. My one complaint about French dining is that I could never find a place with a good single malt. Seemingly everywhere just carried Johnny Walker Black.





My dinner of scallops in a delicious lemon sauce and rack of lamb complete with scotch and a vin de maison came out to less than 40 Euros. So in short. France:

Expensive: Museum admission; soda
Not Expensive: Subways; food



One last trip later (VIVA LE METRO!) and I was back at my hotel and ready to call it a night. At this point BA informed me my bag had been sent to BRU (arriving 4 hours after my train left) and the next day it would be sent BRU-LHR-CDG arriving to me at 3:10 PM. What a stupid, stupid process.



The next day I was up with the sun (which sounds better until you realize sun rise is around 8 AM in the winter) and ready to start my day. As tempting as the breakfast at the hotel may have been, I feel I got more out of a croissant and latte I bought in the subway for 4 Euros than I would have in the hotel’s restaurant for a jaw droppingly high price of 65 Euros.



My first stop of the day was going to be the Musee d’Armee. I decided to go one Metro stop further and enjoy my first of many neighborhood explorations.





This proved smart when I stumbled upon the Rue Cler and was able to enjoy a glass of the best fresh squeezed orange juice I’ve ever had.



The museum was, quite frankly, incredible. I left after two hours only because I had a full day planned but I could have easily stayed longer.







The exhibits focused on France’s glory days





And France’s not so glory days. Bonus points if you know who the gentleman in the mustache is.





The military cathedral was also incredibly impressive, one of the best parts of visiting the museum and it seemed most people skipped it. Next I moved onto the World War exhibits



Good to see that the French Army is trying to learn from their past mistakes.







Thanks for the shout out, France!



Say what you want about colonialism, and there’s a lot to say, but it sure led to some sweet uniforms.



Fun fact, if you become a Marshall of France, they give you a baton to carry around with you. It’s the ultimate sign of a DYKWIA.



And of course no visit would be complete without paying my respects to the inventor of the greatest pastry there is.





Personally, I think Foch’s tomb is more befitting of a solider, but then again Napoléon was more of akin to a God.



Following my visit I needed to do some serious thinking. And where better than the Rodin Museum? Not only is it excellent, but it was the lone museum I visited in Paris that wasn’t overcrowded with tourists.







The setting is also lovely and you get to enjoy an indoor and an outdoor portion. Plus, they’re partnered with the Musee d’Orsay so you can buy a combination ticket that saves you a few Euros.





Good show, but now I’m hungry. How about I walk until I find a café?



There’s one!



When I was a child and visiting Paris with my mother, I used to eat jambon baguettes every day. I decided to get one for old time’s sake and wow, it tasted just as good as it did back then. I love when little things don’t change.



Now for a stroll along the Seine until I get to the Musee d’Orsay





Or we could just view it from the outside. There are very few things I’ll stand in a line of 1000 people to see.





If you have to be somewhere that you can’t get inside places because of crowds, this is the place to be. Plus it was 45 degrees and sunny so being outside and pounding the pavement felt like a treat rather than a punishment.

CMK10

My brother James had been to Paris more recently than I do and as he always knows what he’s talking about travel wise I’d asked for some suggestions. He suggested going to Saint Chapelle to see the stained glass. I got there and found a mere 15 minute wait to get in so I decided to see what the deal was. Incidentally, it’s right next to one of the main courts in Paris so while you’re waiting in the courtyard to get inside the church you have to step aside to let judges, lawyers and armed police officers through. It was a bit odd.





When I finally got in I found this small antechamber that was dimly lit with low ceilings and I was mentally preparing to demand James give me 10 Euros and an apology for wasting my time when I saw a sign pointing to an upstairs portion.



Oh now I get it!





Damn that was cool. One of those awe taking or breath inspiring places for sure. Glad I listened to the suggestion.



At this point I went to another James suggestion, the Catacombs. I figured their remote location and the fact that they weren’t as well known as say, the Louvre might make them unpopular among tourists. I was wrong on both counts as the line to get in stretched around the block. I consulted my map and saw that Montparnasse Cemetery was nearby and decided to head there instead.







This was a really good choice. I had the place virtually to myself and there are numerous heroes of France buried here.







At this point I had to take a break and go back to the hotel to check in with the office. I’m the sole lawyer at the nonprofit I work at so every day I’d call in for 30-40 minutes to make sure the place didn’t burn down. Thankfully with Skype this was cheap and easy.



Later it was time for a nighttime stroll to see the City of Lights in all its glory. But first I informed the concierge my bag should be arriving on the 3:10 PM flight so they should expect it to be delivered soon.





My first stop would be the Herge Exhibit at the Grand Palais. I decided to walk down the Champs Elysee which turned out to be hosting a massive Christmas Market.







It slowed me down a bit as, surprise surprise, 18 million people were there (I counted) but it was kind of fun too.





The exhibit itself was quite good. I’ve always loved Tintin so seeing original panels and learning about the back stories to the books and more about Herge was quite enjoyable.





And now for some dinner. I got to Relais Entrecote ten minutes before it opened and joined the line to get in. James had warned me to get there early and I was glad he did because it meant I got a table right at 7 when they opened instead of having to wait with the second wave outside.





There entire menu is salad and steak frites. But they do a damn fine steak frites. You get one refill of frites and one of steak and unlike most eateries in French, it is make very clear to you that this is not a place where you are expected to linger over your table. It was also at dinner that I got yet another email from British Airways showing my bag would now be arriving on the 8:45 PM flight. They loved to do this to me, inform me hours after things should have worked that things had now changed. This left me with a real conundrum, there was no way the bag would get delivered tonight and I was flying to Lyon the next day from ORY. I didn’t want the bag to have to go CDG-LHR-LYS or whatever insane plan BA would have. Nor did I want to go buy more new clothes. I made an executive decision and took an Uber out to CDG. Once there, I anxiously waited by the baggage claim until.



Reunited at last! My comfortable walking shoes! My guidebooks! New reading material! My razor! I have seldom been as happy on a trip as I was when I saw that big blue duffle come out onto the baggage belt. And with that I headed back to my hotel to catch what sleep I could before moving on the next day.

AF 7400 ORY-LYS 0930-1030 CRJ-1000



Early the next morning I walked across the street from my hotel to the Auber RER station. This led to a one stop ride on the RER A, then the RER B to Antony where I caught Orly Rail out to ORY. It was a painless and relatively inexpensive trip. But then again I expect nothing less then reliable public transit here in France.





When I used to fly to Paris, ORY was the airport that the US airlines used. Now it seems to be more like Gatwick.





It also looks about as crappy now as it did in the late 90s.



I probably shouldn’t have checked my bag but I knew I’d never get through security with it and what the hell, gambling is fun.



France is an annoying hole in Priority Pass’s lounge network so I had to pay an exorbitant amount for a light breakfast and then sit in the overcrowded gate area.





But at least a new aircraft awaited me. Always nice to add something new to the old logbook.





I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the last blue sky I’d see until Boston. Low ceilings and fog moved into western Europe and made the rest of my trip grayer than my best suit.



The flight itself was quite pleasant and I got to enjoy a European drink (one without ice) and the seat next to me empty. Plus, flying from ORY instead of from CDG meant no slimlines like I’d have found on the AF 320 that operates CDG-LYS.



In case you wondered what the S in LYS stood for



Thankfully my bag made the flight and I could move onto exploring a new city.

Lyon



Because this isn’t America, LYS has an attached train station with both national rail and a train connecting it to the city That said, the airport is surprisingly far from downtown Lyon, at least 27 kM by road. The train is expensive but at least fast and it runs frequently.





I also experienced an incredible act of kindness. I was descending the stairs to the Rhone Express platform and I watched as the doors of the waiting train closed. I made eye contact with the motorwoman and looked sad and she opened the nearest set of doors for me! This saved me a 15 minute wait for the next train.



After exiting the Gare Part Dieu where the train drops off, I was greeted by an ugly sky and uglier skyline. The pencil shaped building was my hotel so I set off on a short walk in the bitter wind to reach it. I was also exhausted having stayed up way too late the night before celebrating the return of my bag.







The hotel itself was a bit odd. It occupies floors 32-39 of an office tower. Still, you have to give it credit for the funky fresh design. Also, despite me having zero Club Carlson status I was able to check in at 10:30 and was upgraded to a “Business Class Room”…whatever that means









The best part of the room was the Nespresso machine. This meant I could kick off my shoes and lie down while sipping a damn decent cup of coffee before I was awake enough to venture out for lunch and funtivities.



One of my reasons for wanting to come here was apparently it’s a big food city.







This was a natural first stop. I love places like this. The sights and smells and tastes and learning about food you never knew existed but now you wonder how you ever lived without. I was glad my hotel was near it, even though the part my hotel was in (Part Deux) is otherwise rather drab and bland.



A short Metro ride later (it’s no Paris Metro, but the Lyon Metro does an okay job) and I was in Saint Jean where I’d be doing a lot of walking and a lot of churching.



Up first, the Cathedral St. Jean the Baptiste. It didn’t look like too much from the outside, but much like a book you stupidly judged by its cover, it was amazing inside.







I do find it odd that they are stubbornly hanging onto their phone booths though.





This was the Lyon I came to see. A beautiful city rich in history that was very walkable and also less trafficked than Paris.





Is it a trip to Europe until you put the FUN in funicular? No it is not. Plus it’s the best way to get to Lyon’s Notre Dame (which would be my third Notre Dame in fact).



Damn



I appreciated this guy providing a French soundtrack for my visit too.



The pictures of course won’t do it justice, but this church is one of the most incredible buildings I’ve ever been inside.









At this point I could gladly say to myself “choice to come here? A good one”.





Up next was a really awesome old Roman amphitheater. My weather app kept claiming in just one hour the sun would come out but it never did.



“You suck, Plautus! You’ve got nothing on Livius Andronicus! NOTHING!”



Not in bad shape for being as old as it is. Hell, it looks better than the bowels of Fenway Park.







Sigh, this would have been so much prettier in the sun. Oh well, at least I stayed at a hotel that was really easy to pick out of the skyline.



My next destination was in the 2nd Arrondissement which is on a small island between the Rhone and the Saone. Getting there would mean a walk of a little over a mile but hey, I didn’t come here to ride around in cabs all day.







It was a beautiful walk too (helped by the fact that it was mainly downhill). Plus I got to see a bunch of unintentionally hilarious things.



Such as.





After crossing the Saone I arrived at the Hotel de Ville (which I only learned recently means City Hall not you know…place I can pay to sleep and shower in) and went to the nearby art museum.









Sculpture of the first person to step on a Lego.







Their collection was incredible and I was very much enjoying myself until a little notification popped up on my phone from KLM showing that my 7 AM flight the next day to AMS was cancelled. Did I do something to offend the continent of Europe or something? Between my bag, the weather and now this, I sure had a frustrating trip at times.





At this point I headed back to my hotel to figure out the travel situation (passing the thoroughly bizarre looking opera house pictured above) and to call the office.

CMK10

Day turned to night because the number I called for KLM (the US 1800 number) led me to agents who were clearly resentful that they had been misled to think that a customer service job didn’t involve customers. They first told me that I could be rebooked on a 6 PM LYS-AMS-LUX routing but because only business class was left, I’d have to pay 550 Euros. I suggested flying out of nearby GVA instead and was told I’d have to pay for change too. Eventually I escalated things to a supervisor who rebooked me on a really annoying LYS-ORY on AF and CDG-LUX on LG (Luxair) routing and was told in a really snotty tone that I was responsible for the cost of getting myself between the airports. They also insisted that the first LYS-CDG flight of the day was oversold despite me being able to see tickets on AF’s website. I consoled myself by saying at least I could claim EU 261 credit but I found out last week that my flight was ostensibly cancelled due to “weather” so it was denied.



I decided the best way to get over my anger was to go and eat until I could eat no more! I’d passed this restaurant earlier and it looked perfect for a big dinner



Now that’s a menu! And really reasonably priced too.





Even for me though, the amuse bouche of pureed lentils and beetroot emulsion was really, really odd. Also, that is way too tiny a scotch pour!



The open ravioli of beef and oysters were delicious, even if they photograph kind of funny.



The best compliment you can give to a dish like this is that it’s even tastier than it is pretty. Though please don’t judge me for eating piglet.



A delicious cheese course, it wouldn’t be a good French meal without one, right?



And last but not least, the chocolate cake. With the wine, scotch and the water (stupid Europe) this came to 60 Euros. Not bad at all for one of the best meals I had all year. And of course a great way to end my visit to Lyon.

AF 7401 LYS-ORY 0725-0835 CRJ-1000



The next morning I decided I didn’t want to walk the half mile back to the train station in the dark carrying two bags so I took an Uber. It worked very well (always happy when an overseas Oobs ride is a good one) and a short train ride later



On a logojet no less! And I was back at LYS



I was a little worried the cancelation would make for a difficult check in but there were no issues. The agent even informed me she’d just check my bag to ORY without me having to ask. Hooray.



Screw you and your stupid deflt blue houses KLM you jerkfaces.



LYS isn’t a bad airport, though there are a limited options of eateries and yet again I was stuck with no lounge. Being ST Elite at a place where Priority Pass doesn’t work and you’re in Y sucks.









I definitely wasn’t planning to be back on one of these again so soon. At least it was a different tail number than yesterday.







I spent the flight soaking up all the sun I could as today was forecasted to be another bleak day.





Speaking of bleak, wow does ORY suck. At least my bag made it (two flights in a row! TWO!)

LG 8014 CDG-LUX 1245-1340 Dash-8 Q400



The trip to CDG was actually pretty easy



Though REALLY damn expensive.







I rode Orly Val then the RER B to its terminus and it took all of 70 minutes. Of course as getting to my destination meant you know, being at CDG, maybe I should have wished it would take longer.





My flight was departing from some forgotten outpost at the ... end of CDG that God himself doesn’t remember making called 2G. Getting there meant walking to 2E and then riding a bus to 2G.





I’ve long hated CDG, hell anyone who doesn’t think today is Opposite Day hates CDG, but this was a new level of suckitude. The hold room you’re seeing above comprises about 90% of the terminal. I got to “enjoy” lunch from this crappy bar that sold me an overpriced panini while trying to listen to the announcements. On top of everything else, the plane got in late from LUX.



Eventually we were called down to the bowels of this hovel and allowed to board the flight.





Things didn’t get much better on board. We were informed that there were lengthy congestion delays due to the fog and that we had to be deiced. It took 56 minutes from push back (which incidentally was already an hour and 16 minutes later) to take off. This would mean arriving into LUX at 3:30 PM instead of my original arrival time of 10:30 AM. Thank you very much, KLM.



As you could see I was sad, if only there was a solution.



Huh, could this be it?



IT COULD! YAY!!!!!







The only good part of my obnoxious travel day was my bag coming out first at LUX. I think I’d earned that.

Luxembourg

There’s no subway in Luxembourg but two bus lines connect LUX to downtown. However, I was pressed for time and as there was no Uber I figured I’d take a cab to maximize daylight. Despite my hotel being a scant 7 kM (that’s kilometers, not miles) from the airport, the fare was THIRTY-NINE EUROS! I haven’t gotten robbed that badly since the last time I tried playing roulette.



Speaking of hotels, it would be the Park Inn Luxembourg, my first ever Park Inn in fact. The entrance is located above a box store and you have to ride an elevator from the street past the box store to get to the hotel…that’s a first.





My room itself was fairly nice though a little minimalist feeling. I also had to endure a long check in during with the agent tried to upsell the guest in front of me, and then me, on every ancillary thing under the sun. Meanwhile I’m thinking “come on come on we’re wasting time!”



By the time I hit the streets I knew I’d have about an hour of day light, maybe a little less. I decided to start walking towards the city center (the hotel is located about a half mile from the main sights) and do what I could.





I’m not sure who you guys are celebrating here, you know how people claim the French didn’t resist the Germans at all? That’s basically what Luxembourg did. But I digress.





The city center was absolutely lovely, and thankfully there was a church for me to explore.





A rare one with a Christmas tree inside too.





Nearby was a large Christmas market that I decided to explore later.



Someone looks mad at his job guarding the senate building.



I headed out to the Casements du Bock and was enjoying a little stroll and planning to head up to the hill the Mudam is on when something really crappy happened.



A thick, all enveloping foggy mist rolled in dropping the temperature considerably and ruining any chance of being able to see anything. Oh well, I’ve been trying to make the best of things this whole trip, guess I’ll do the same here.





Back downtown I found that the Cercle Cite had an exhibit of Picasso’s pottery. I had no idea he made pottery but it was really fascinating and I wouldn’t have visited it if the weather hadn’t turned sour so there…lemons are now lemonade.



Speaking of things you can eat and drink (wow that was a bad transition…sorry). I headed to the nearby Brasserie Guillaume which specializes in cured beef and had one hell of a delicious dinner. So, weather issues aside, I got a great dinner and an accidental museum discovery so it was still a good day.



Plus how could any day that ends with crepes at a Christmas Market be a bad one?

LX 751 LUX-ZRH 1035-1210 ARJ-100

Dawn broke late on the last day of 2016, at least it did in Europe, and of course the sun was nowhere to be found.



Despite the fact that it meant a walk and getting up earlier than I would have liked, there was no damn way I was taking another cab ride that cost more than a good three course dinner. The bus actually worked well and as it was Saturday it was free (the normal cost is only 2 Euros).





LUX was a very pleasant airport to use, it was new and had Wifi that worked well and its small nature meant an easy trip through security. Plus their lounge was way, way better than one would have expected.





Pretty lame in the liquor selection department though, but they had really good croissants and a fancy pants coffee maker so I was able to enjoy my wait.



It’s not a trip to Europe without a “walking through duty free to get to the gate areas!” picture.





Of course because I was on the Trip That God Forsook the plane came in late from ZRH so we’d be delayed yet again.



But it’s such an adorable stubbums of a plane that you can’t get mad at it. When I booked this it was scheduled for a CS-100 but this was swapped out a couple months in advance. Oh well the CS-100 isn’t going anywhere and this plane is. In fact it was older by a year than the MD-80 I’d flown the week before.



Once we were ready to board the agent didn’t bother with Business Class or Star Gold boarding, she just called everyone. And as I’d chosen to sit during the delay, I was one of the last to board. Grrrr.





The bulkhead meant that I had less of a European C experience than usual. The flight attendant was great too. I couldn’t remember what language they spoke in Switzerland when I boarded so I said “guten tag”. She then came to my seat and asked me something in German. I looked at her quizzically and she repeated it so I said in English “I don’t understand”. She said “But you spoke to me in German a minute ago!”. I said “yes well those are the only two words I know”. She finished our amusing exchange by saying my accent was perfect. Who knew?



Swiss may be also the only European carrier that does anything on a short haul close to a PDB





4 Engines 4 Short Haul! What a fun plane to fly, it’s so awkward and ungainly looking (reminding me of my time in the 8th grade now that I think about it) and there aren’t any back home.





As fun as it is to get a meal on a flight the length of LGA-BOS, I think I prefer a better seat and snack mix.







The weather forecast had shown that Zurich was going to have a nice sunny day but then haha, I showed up and ruined that all. One last note about the flight: due to our delay (of about a half hour), a number of people moved themselves to the Business Class cabin to try and make their connections. Once we parked at a hard stand, the flight attendant made sure only actual business class passengers could use the Business Class bus. That was a very impressive touch.

CMK10

Zurich



I had a scheduled six hour connection so even with the delay I had more than enough time to head into town. I had tried to visit Zurich last year but a misconnect had left me with only an evening to enjoy the city so I was glad to head back in.



Getting downtown would be easy too. It was just a matter of hopping one of the many intercity trains and riding it one stop to Zurich HB.



Ugh I’d be offended if that wasn’t so accurate.





The station isn’t much to look at inside but outside it’s gorgeous. Anyway, no time to look, time to walk.





Actually, scratch that, quick tram ride first. I love riding trams when in Europe, watching the city go by, enjoying an experience that isn’t quite the same as on the light rail cars you find in the US. So I took this to Paradeplatz and walked from there.





I’d been smart enough to keep my heavy coat with me this time instead of just my suit coat but wow was it miserable. Just under freezing and windy combined with steel gray skies. I know it’s winter and all but brrrrr, the forecasts lied to me!





My walk was pleasant enough, especially with some chocolates, but Zurich feels kind of plastic-y to me if that makes any sense. Like you’re at Little Swiss World in Epcot Center.



I was tempted by the idea of champagne on the terrace but I also liked not having my ears freeze off so I passed.



Are you the kind of person who has frequently thought “I wish I could get my post cards and underwear at the same store?” Well then boy do I have a place for you. Meanwhile, I wasn’t really hungry despite it being lunchtime but I WAS thirsty







I stumbled upon the Hotel Widder and its bar which features over four HUNDRED single malts and over 650 whiskeys and whiskys. The bar tenders have to use ladders to get to them all. Now that my friends is something I’ll drink to!



Blasphemy!



Well that was a fun little excursion, now let’s get going home.

LX 52 ZRH-BOS 1725-2005 A-340-300





ZRH is really not my favorite airport. It doesn’t feel very premium for premium class customers (at least not ones merely in Business Class) and a lot of it feels like a sprawling labyrinth due to the strange way the older parts of the airport were modernized.



It is nicer past security though.



I’d never flown Swiss Trans-Atlantic and of course the departure boards weren’t bothering to show my gate yet so I figured I’d pop into the first LX Lounge I saw and figure out where I was supposed to go. The agents helpfully directed me to the E Gates but I decided to stay here for a minute, have a look around, and enjoy a beer.



I didn’t like this lounge much the last time I used it and I still don’t. It’s sterile and not much to look at. Maybe the fact that I’m the sole Flyertalker who isn’t Star Gold through someone hurts me as I can’t use a Senator Lounge? I don’t know.





Nor are their food and drink selections overly impressive, minus the popcorn which I did enjoy. Thankfully I wasn’t going to be stuck here long.



That. Is a misplaced period.



The E Concourse was much nicer and the lounge over there was truly world class.







Ahhh this has it all. Lighting, huge windows, comfortable furniture. Much much better.





Plus I get off on lounges with maps.



Their booze selection was still really disappointing but they had a decent hot food spread.









The meatballs were actually quite tasty.



The terrace was of course the best part. And despite the cold how could I not take my scotch out there and enjoy the view for a minute or two?





Just wish it wasn’t so damn ugly out.



Today I’d be flying on HB-JMB, fittingly named “Zurich” which would be only my second 343.







I was in 9K which was sadly not one of the throne seats. What it was was annoyingly narrow, especially for the broad shouldered gentleman. At least the flight attendant was really attentive when we were on the ground.









Wow is that PTV miniscule. The whole cabin felt very dated, but I guess I started with that thanks to BA so why mess up a good thing?





The amenity kit, whose contents were pretty bad by the way, at least was a fun novelty. I hung it up in case Old St. Nick wanted to leave me some candy or trinkets.





The takeoff camera was pretty cool, though a bit useless when it’s a foggy night.







I don’t know if it’s because I’d always heard amazing things about Swiss, but I was really underwhelmed by the menu. It struck me as rather uninspired. Plus there was no alcohol page which is really odd.



I think that was a Chivas, not a world class scotch by any means.



The cold meat plate was okay, fairly tasteless if we’re being honest. And again, after my previous Qatar experiences this year being handed a plastic tray was pretty lame.



To their credit, the chicken was fairly decent, and was the wine, and I did appreciate bread refills.



I was able to pick which cheeses and crackers I wanted as well as grapes, so that was a nice touch plus yay for Port!





The dessert was pretty decent (though negative points for cart service) and the chocolates were nice. Overall the first meal was pretty good. Sadly things went downhill from there as the crew went and disappeared. I had no intention of sleeping so this was not what I would have preferred they do. The menu also alluded to midflight ice cream that never arrived.





I did sample the seat in flat bed mode and it was not very good. Definitely a proverbial coffin like feel. I was glad I wasn’t dealing with this as the overnight portion. Also, the PTV movie selection was okay at best and as there was no Wifi and no crew, I was left a little annoyed by the whole flight experience.



I know it’s late and all, but that’s a really sorry excuse for a meal. Tasteless chicken, cafeteria style fruit cocktail.







First looked pretty disappointing too. Speaking of, seldom have I been so disappointed in a flight. Nothing was objectively bad mind you (well, maybe the service) but for all the ink that’s spilled over Swiss I was expecting more than feeling like I was flying a US carrier in an uncomfortable seat. I’m glad I flew them but I certainly won’t be seeking them out again, at least not in C.

CMK10

Boston

The flight had a scheduled arrival time of 8:05 PM and while there was a jetBlue nonstop back to RDU leaving at 9 PM, that was too close for comfort in my opinion. Therefore, I leisurely made my way through customs collecting my 44th Passport stamp in the process and even more happily found my bag. I was staying at the Embassy Suites BOS and I decided to use my $75 Uber Coupon to take Uber over there. Once arriving, I was greeted by the most uninterested check in agent I can remember. Either she was auditioning for a job at BRU Baggage Services or she really didn’t want to work New Year’s Eve. Oh well, $122 is a good rate for a hotel near BOS so I’ll take what I can get.





About what you expect for an ES. Thankfully soundproofing wasn’t an issue so the many New Years Merrymakers didn’t bother me. The only thing that did was the TV didn’t have the Sy Fy network so I couldn’t watch any of the Twilight Zone marathon. I also was a tired teddy bear by this point so I think I fell asleep at 10, long before midnight.

AA 231 BOS-PHL 0630-0806 757-200

For whatever reason, flying BOS-GSO was half the cost of BOS-RDU. It meant connecting instead of taking a B6 or DL nonstop but hey, $130 is a lot of money. Plus my dad was nice enough to agree to collect me at GSO and drive me the 67 miles back to Durham. Also, I had originally been scheduled on the 7:00 AM A-321 but I got to the airport early and decided to try my luck standing by on the 6:30 AM flight which was a 757-200 with lie flats.





Ah the ex-US Airways gates in all their glory.



The flight was as empty as you’d expect a 6:30 AM flight on New Years Day (and a Sunday at that) to be. In fact, I’m not sure why AA runs two flights within a half hour on this route but I’m sure they have their reasons. I therefore was cleared into First Class right before boarding.





This was definitely a fun plane to open 2017’s flying on. It’s one of only three AA 757-200s flying with the newer lie flat configuration.



Of course AA being AA cheaped out on the installation and didn’t bother with AVOD. On longer flights tablets are handed out and you can insert them into that bracket



Or you can use it as the passenger in 1A did.



Alright, AA! 1 for 1 on PDBs in 2017!







2016 had the worst average for on time flights of any year I’ve flown in so here’s hoping this flight departing only 5 minutes late means the trend will reverse itself this year.



Service was limited to the snack basket but I’d take the seat and the snack basket over yesterday’s Swiss seat and a small meal.



I’m really going to miss these planes. One of the reasons I stoodby on the earlier flight was because the 757-200 is my favorite plane still flying and I don’t fly them nearly as often as I used to. In fact, this was my first AA 757 since 2013!







Sure, there’s nice weather in Philadelphia of all places. Not you know Zurich, Lyon, Luxembourg etc.







It’s going to take a long time to get used to the idea of PHL as an American hub.

AA 5025 PHL-GSO 1145-1311 CRJ-200





As I don’t hold an Admirals Club membership anymore, I spent a long three hours at the PHL United Club (I have the Chase Club Card) which is a nice time capsule to the pre-merger days. Still, it beats the gates, especially here.





Man this sure was a nostalgic trip wasn’t it? Look, US Airways paint!





It is supremely odd that the best part of PHL is Regional Terminal F. It used to be an absolute hovel but now I got to munch Chipotle tacos in their lovely atrium. What a world.





Ugh it’s almost offensive to have to end an international trip on the worst plane in the world. At least the seat next to me was empty.





The flight went quickly, we got drinks and pretzels and then descended into dreary North Carolina. Good thing too, what would I do with SUN?



I used to fly into GSO once a year as a kid to see my grandparents. It hasn’t changed much.



A quick drive later and I was home. And dreading having to go back to work and see the giant pile of paper work that awaited me when I got there.

Conclusion

My best trip ever? No that it certainly was not. However, would I do it again? Absolutely. I’d worked very hard the last two months. I had no training in immigration law and I stumbled into a job as an immigration lawyer and I had to learn so much on the fly. Furthermore, I was also trying to learn family law and criminal defense while praying no one got deported, jailed or lost their kids on my watch. Therefore, being able to unwind while overseas was great. I walked an average of 9 or 10 miles a day, saw things I can’t see at home, ate foods I couldn’t eat at home and of course got to fly. I think overall that makes the trip a win. Plus if the worst that happens is your bag disappears for a few days and it’s cloudy, I think you can’t complain too much.

offerendum

Wow, your suit experienced a lot. Stayed at the Le Grand 10 over years ago when it was in good condition and a solid 5 star choice. My parents stayed 2 years ago and found it terrible, so many things were in need of repair. The view on the Opara house is still great.

You Club-flight was really somethings Special, exclusive experience. Still didn´t fly the "new" product so far and must say, I´m not angry about it

zip10001

Very detailed trip report. Glad you made the best out of it given the missing bag situation. I would have gone nuts!

Le Sacré-Coeur

Les Champs-Élysées

Latin Quartier

Quartier (meaning 'neighborhood', while a quarter (1/4) is 'un quart')

Vive Le Métro

musée de l'Armée

Are you referring to Napoléon (the pastry)? It is actually called "mille-feuille" in France
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mille-feuille

CMK10

It is a shame when a hotel goes downhill isn't it? But as you said, still a great view. Glad you enjoyed my report and thank you for the comments.

Are you one of my very disappointed French Professors from Arizona State?

lamphs

Fantastic photography and great writing style.

In 2015, I had a MH F KUL->LHR->ORY flight and my bag was lost between LHR and ORY. The BA service was appalling - rude, no apology, "it is what it is". The BA rep did suggest that I could purchase a few items and MAY BE reimbursed - no guarantee. I've dealt with lost bags on domestic flights and have always found domestic reps to be helpful.

IHG Platinum - yep not much in Europe. Great in SE Asia and the ME, and usually in the US also. Marriott Gold this year - we'll see what that gets me in Europe in 2017.

enviroian

Excellent report sir thank you !

I love Brussels and yes those waffles melt in your mouth.

You like your trains don't you ^

roadwarrier

An absolutely wonderful TR!!! Many thanks.

I can commiserate about the luggage. That miserable bunch at (now defunct) BMI managed to lose my luggage from LHR to MAN. 5 Days later and still nothing - not a penny to buy clothes or anything.
But, on the bright side, I got my luggage back in Johannesburg more than six, yes six MONTHS later.

CMK10

I'm happy to say I was reimbursed for the clothes and toiletries but not for the cost of schlepping to airports or anything for the inconvenience. Glad to know I'm not the only one who's suffered at BA's hand. And you're absolutely right about IHG Platinum, oh well I get it through a CC so I shouldn't complain too much.

I do indeed enjoy a train or two yes Glad you liked the report.

You'd think that by 2017 now we wouldn't have to have "we don't know where your bag is" stories anymore but sadly we do. I'm glad you liked my report though.

offerendum

It is indeed!

At least we all learned something