swingaling

Background:

This trip is a bit of a departure from the norm for me. I initially booked the BOS-MAD award last year during the IB 90k promotion, but I didn't really consider what I'd use it for until two weeks prior to the trip. I'd originally envisioned a trip to North Africa, but the plans had to be amended when my wife told me she'd be running the Vermont City Marathon on 26 May. This meant I needed to be in Burlington, VT on 25 May, which only gave me a couple days for the trip. So I looked for an easy city to see from Madrid and then a good return airport to get me to Burlington.

The flights weren't exactly what I wanted, but I didn't have a lot of options booking things fairly close in. I finally settled on the routing below. The overnight in Montreal was a nice bonus, as I used to live there but haven't been back in almost 15 years.

Routing:


BOS-MAD (IB J ticket)
MAD-BRU (IB Y ticket)
BRU-VIE-YUL (AC PE ticket)

In this report:
Amtrak & MBTA: Providence - Boston
Iberia Business Class: Boston - Madrid
Iberia Economy Class: Madrid - Brussels
Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel
Brussels, Belgium
Brussels Airlines Economy Class: Brussels - Vienna
Austrian Airlines Premium Economy Class: Vienna - Montreal
AC Hotel by Marriott Montreal Downtown
Montreal, Quebec


Previous Trip Reports:
10 Countries in 9 Days (CX, KE, QR, TG, KL, BI)
Former SSRs: the Baltics, Belarus and Back
Bangladesh, Burma and Beijing the Long Way (with stops in Laos, Singapore and Tokyo)
A Passage to India with stops in Qatar, Sri Lanka and Scandinavia (AA, QR, UL in J)
An Engagement to Remember: BOS to ZQN (with a few stops along the way)
RTW in J: Cairo, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Bali and Nepal
Touring the Five Stans

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Amtrak
Business Class
Acela Express 2154: Providence to Back Bay
22 May 2019
Departure: 1:10PM
Arrival: 1:55PM

This was my first time taking public transport to Logan. I generally catch an Uber/Lyft, but this time I decided to try something different. In retrospect, I probably should have taken the commuter train instead of the Acela because it's only slightly slower and 75% cheaper. That said, the Acela was perfectly fine. We arrived in Back Bay ahead of schedule despite the late departure from Providence.

Waiting in Providence


Boarding


Boarding Acela


Acela Seats


Once I arrived at BBY, I purchased a Charlie Card and headed to the Orange Line platform. The train arrived a few minutes later. I transferred to the Blue Line at State and rode the T onward to the Airport Station. The T portion of the trip took 15-20 minutes tops. It worked out pretty well.

Orange Line


Orange Line


Once at the Airport Station, I hopped into one of the blue shuttle buses idling out front. This was probably the least efficient part of the whole trip. It easily took 20 minutes to get from the Airport Station to Terminal E, a distance of 0.7 miles... It probably would have been faster to take the Logan Express from Back Bay or the Silver Line from South Station.

MBTA Bus


I finally arrived at Terminal E at 2:45PM, making it a 90 minute trip from Providence. Roughly 50% longer than a Lyft, but it was a fairly pleasant ride.

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Iberia
Business Class
IB Business Class Award Ticket
IB6166: BOS-MAD (Boston to Madrid)
22 May 2019
Airbus A330-300 (Three Class Configuration)
EC-LZJ
Seat 2A
Departure: 5:30PM
Arrival: 6:20AM+1

Arriving at BOS, I retrieved my boarding pass at the IB counter. While they were able to issue the pass for the BOS-MAD segment, they were unable to issue a boarding pass for the separately ticketed MAD-BRU segment. This was a bit strange and slightly inconvenient.

I last took this flight in January and it was very much the same this time around. Even the menu was exactly the same as last time. This time I skipped the consomme. While the timing of this flight is good for connections in MAD, it's pretty terrible for getting a good amount of sleep. I was lucky to get 3 hours of sleep on this flight, despite the fact that I skipped the breakfast meal. I always find it difficult to fall asleep at 7PM.

In contrast to last time, the flight was nearly full this time around. The boarding process was quite a lot more chaotic, but it went fine in the end.


Seat 2A


Seat 2A


Menu


Nuts and Water


Salad


Chicken


Cheesecake


We arrived at MAD a bit early and parked at a jetbridge this time. Unfortunately, we parked at S50, which was just about the farthest gate from passport control. Despite that, I was airside in T4 within 30 minutes max.

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Iberia
Economy Class
IB Economy Class Ticket
IB3206: MAD-BRU (Madrid to Brussels)
23 May 2019
Airbus A319 (Two Class Configuration)
EC-JVE
Seat 6C
Departure: 8:55AM
Arrival: 11:15AM

After getting airside, I headed to the lounge. The lounge in T4 is pretty nice, but the breakfast options are rather dismal. I know Spaniards typically eat a very light breakfast, but the lack of more substantive offerings was a bit baffling. They had a variety of drinks and bread. That's about it. Pretty underwhelming.

Anyway, the flight itself was rather quick and uneventful. The only thing of note that happened was boarding was held up waiting for a VIP and his wife to board via a runway transfer. They were sitting in Y, so I assume he was a politician.

Boarding


Cabin


Pitch

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Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel

I had an early flight the next morning, so I decided to stay next to the airport. The hotel was fine for a night, but absolutely nothing special. And not hugely convenient for seeing the city. Though its proximity to the airport train station made the trip to the city relatively painless.

Room


Room


Room


Room


Room


View

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Brussels, Belgium

I took the ICE train into the city and then walked around for a few hours. Brussels is a fairly compact city and is great for walking, so it was quite easy to see a good amount in a short time.

Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Maison Dandoy


Maison Dandoy


Liege Waffle
Delicious


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Frites
With Samourai Sauce


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels


Brussels



After several hours, I headed back to my hotel to get some rest.

ICE Train

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Brussels Airlines
Economy Class
AC Premium Economy Ticket
SN2901: BRU-VIE (Brussels to Vienna)
24 May 2019
Airbus A319 (One Class Configuration)
OO-SSO
Seat 9C
Departure: 6:50AM
Arrival: 8:35AM

Check-in and security was a breeze and I was airside with plenty of time to spare. So I stopped for an espresso and a croissant. The espresso was fine, but the croissant was a big let down so I went for a waffle instead. The waffle is definitely the correct choice.

The flight itself was thoroughly uneventful and we were in Vienna after a short time. The plane itself was nearly identical to the IB flight to BRU.

Espresso


Liege Waffle

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Austrian Airlines
Premium Economy Class
AC Premium Economy Ticket
OS73: VIE-YUL (Vienna to Montreal)
24 May 2019
Boeing 767-300ER (Three Class Configuration)
OE-LAE
Seat 10D
Departure: 10:30AM
Arrival: 1:35PM

When I completed OLCI, I was given an option to buy up to a J ticket. The cost was 550 Euros for this segment. Not worth the price for a day flight to me, but the price isn't terrible. I would have done it for around $200, but that was my limit. I'm glad I remained in PE.

This was my first time flying with OS and my first time flying through VIE, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. The transit process was incredibly smooth. No security check, just exit immigration and I was airside within 15 minutes of landing. Quite impressive considering that we landed at a remote stand. The boarding process was a bit disorganized, with only two boarding groups. It would have been nice to board before Economy, since PE is a higher class of service...

That aside, it was a pretty good flight. We arrived on time, cabin service was good and the food was tasty.

OE-LAE


PE Cabin


Legroom


Menu


Menu


Menu


Snack Mix


Chicken


Snack
Veggies were good, mousse less so



The arrival process at YUL was very different from the previous times I'd arrived there. It was very smooth and fast, which was a big change from the enormous lines they used to have. The entire process took less than 5 minutes. And the immigration officer was quite friendly. We chatted briefly, as I had food items to declare and at the end he welcomed me back to Canada. A very different experience than what I was about to endure when entering the US the following day...

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AC Hotel by Marriott Montreal Downtown

I'm skipping ahead slightly, but the hotel was easy to find. Having lived in MTL for 4 years, I'm pretty familiar with the city. I chose this hotel because it's new and fairly centrally located. I'd stay here again, though perhaps only if staying alone. The bathroom was strange and offered very little privacy.

On the plus side, I was able to access my Netflix account from the in room TV! More hotels should do this.

Room


Room


Room


Room


Room


Room


View
I can just see my old apartment building from here

enviroian

the pics aren't showing up.

swingaling

Montreal, Quebec

Since I'd lived in Montreal previously, I didn't visit the main tourist sights because I'd already seen them (and more). Rather, I decided to spend my time seeking out good eats. I rented a car at the airport, as I needed to be in Burlington the following afternoon. I'd drive to Burlington the following morning and meet my wife and friends for lunch. Then we'd return the car to BTV airport. My wife had to be in Burlington that day to get her race bib, so it all worked out quite well. In the mean time, I had a day to kill in Montreal.

So I left the airport and my first stop was for some old fashioned Quebec BBQ at Chalet BBQ, a Monteal institution. You probably won't find it in any guide books, but it's my favorite place to get BBQ in the city.

Rental Car
I reserved a full size and ended up with this


Montreal


Chalet BBQ


Wood Paneling


Menu / Placemat


Quarter Chicken with Fries, Slaw and Gravy
The afternoon special for $10 CAD


After a delicious lunch break, I headed to the city center to check in to the hotel and ditch my car.

Montreal



I then went for a walk in Vieux Port de Montreal and Chinatown.

Old Port



After a while I was hungry again, so I went to Nouilles de Lan Zhou in Chinatown. They make the noodles from scratch in their open kitchen. It's really cool to watch how effortless he makes it look.

Lan Zhou Noodles


Lan Zhou Noodles


Lan Zhou Noodles


Chinatown


Chinatown


Chinese Bakery


Chinese Bakery



After this, I went to the supermarket to get some snacks for later then headed to bed early. I awoke early the next morning and went to St-Viateur Bagel to buy a dozen bagels to bring home with me. I returned to the hotel to shower and went out in search of breakfast.

Montreal


St-Viateur Bagel


St-Viateur Bagel


St-Viateur Bagel


Old Port


Old Port


After a quick stop at Maison Christian Fuare to get some croissants to bring back, I headed to Chinatown. Luckily, Ruby Rouge Restaurant opened at 8:30AM, so I went in for a quick breakfast of dim sum.

Restaurant Ruby Rouge


Restaurant Ruby Rouge


Char Siu Rice Noodle Rolls


I took a chance on the "peanut dumplings" and they were delicious. Not what I was expecting at all, but really good.

Peanut (and pork) Dumplings


After breakfast, it was time to head south. The drive down to the border was uneventful, as I was on the look out for the ubiquitous Quebec speed traps. There were several, though not nearly as many as I'd see in NH the following afternoon. I crossed into the US at the Highgate Springs crossing and it was anything but routine.

I attempted to cross with just my GE card, but the (moron) agent demanded my passport as well (even though it isn't required). He then proceeded to question me about my previous travels to Turkmenistan and other topics. I answered all questions politely and declared the food I was bringing across the border, but he sent me to secondary anyway. This was the first time I'd been subject to a secondary inspection in over 15 years and was far more scrutiny than I've ever received from any immigration official anywhere in the world (by a huge margin).

The second CBP agent who conducted the secondary was nicer, but she asked a bunch of questions before asking to search my vehicle. I complied and then they sent me on my way. I had nothing to hide, so I was not even slightly nervous about the interaction, but the whole thing really left a bad impression. Frankly, I don't know what they expected to find or what the hassle is all about. They couldn't deny me entry regardless of my answers to their inane questions, so the whole thing was just a waste of time for everyone.

I suppose it's not surprising that the line to enter the US was quite short (10 cars max), while the line to enter Canada was at least 1/4 mile long (hundreds of cars). I'm not sure why anyone would want to be subjected to the CBP if they didn't have to. The contrast couldn't have been more stark. Whereas the Canadian border official was friendly and welcoming, the US official was openly adversarial. If this is how they treat GE holders, I can't imagine how horribly they treat people from other countries.

swingaling

Really? That's strange. They're all showing on my end and I checked with several devices and browsers. It may be an issue with Flickr. I know they've been doing maintenance work and I've had some issues accessing their site at times recently.

enviroian

well great report regardless ^

Maybe it's flickr. I see other reports using Chrome just fine so I don't think it's on my end.

BThumme

pics show up for me with chrome. thanks for sharing.

nequine

Pics working fine for me (Chrome) and thanks for a good TR so far.