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Below Average Biz Class to the Above Average Balkans
Planning
My wife and I have been on a couple of great European cruises in the last few years (Eastern Mediterranean and Baltic) and we were looking into an Adriatic cruise for this summer. When I priced it out last year, the itineraries seemed overly expensive and the ships on offer were nothing exciting (putting aside the Crystal/Seaborn/Regent level which we are not in the market for when we are about to have 2 kids in college). So, the better option appeared to be flying into either Zagreb or Dubrovnik, driving up or down Croatia and flying home from the other city. I was able to take advantage of the Iberia promotion last year and grabbed the 90k Avios. Once the points hit my account, I quickly booked MIA-MAD-DBV in biz for May 31, 2019, before all the transatlantic space dried up for the summer. The MAD-DBV flight was all one class when I booked so we were stuck in economy for that one. The flights cost 50k pp so I transferred over 10k Avios from BA to make up the difference. Apparently, I managed to do so before Iberia made that difficult due to the promotion. For the return, I found space on Air France ZAG-CDG-ATL on June 11, 2019 for 21k economy and 53k biz. I ended up booking biz, even though it was the crappy A380 hard product, as I figured we could get lounge access at CDG and be off that massive plane in ATL before most of the other passengers. To get to Miami, I booked us on DL ATL-MIA for 8k Skymiles pp in Main Cabin (just before DL added basic economy awards). I gave us about a 4 hour layover in MIA to enjoy the AA Flagship Lounge. As for our hotels, I booked the Dubrovnik Hilton almost a year in advance at 70k per night for 3 nights. I ended up swapping in a free weekend night from $15k spend on the Ascend card. Funny aside on this one – the rep I spoke to didn’t realize that there were no more standard room awards at the hotel when I called to use the free night. She ended up gifting me the free night as she had already canceled and tried to rebook my reservation before she realized her mistake. So, I paid 140k for 3 nights (which were going for close to 500 Euros per night) and kept my free night for later use. In Split, I found the Le Meridien Lav (just outside Split) on a points and cash Starwood award (pre-August 2018) for 5k SPG plus $75 per night for 3 nights (rates were well over $200/night). I decided the cost of the Uber back and forth was worth the cheaper cost of the hotel compared to some of the in-town options. The hotel also has a beach and marina (and free parking) so we could relax a bit as well. For our one night in Zadar, I booked an Airbnb for ~$80, which turned out to be comfortable and well-located (and had free parking just outside old town). I also decided we would detour to Ljubljana, Slovenia for a night on the way to Zagreb and booked the Intercontinental using a free night from the IHG credit card (rooms were ~250 Euros per night for our date and the only other chain option Four Points was way out of town compared to the IC). For our final two nights in Zagreb, I flipped a coin between the Westin and Sheraton (both 17.5k Marriott points per night) and decided on the Westin as it was much closer to where I had to return the rental car. My rental car was to be picked up on the third day in Dubrovnik (for a day trip to Montenegro before our last night in Dubrovnik) and returned in Zagreb on arrival there. I booked Sixt via Priceline and ended up with a nice BMW 1-Series with built in GPS and great gas mileage which was handy as I drove about 1300kms in total. Despite all the Sixt horror stories out there, they could not have been easier to deal with. I’ll update this report over the next few weeks and add some below average pictures as well. |
5/31 – From Flagship to Sweatbox
We said goodbye to our 17 year old (who was babysitting her grandmother while we were gone – yes, I put it that way on purpose) and grabbed an Uber around 8:45 to ATL. I had signed us up for a free CLEAR trial just before this trip so we checked our bags at DL (free with DL credit card) and quickly got through security. We were flying out of B so we hit the B Sky Club for some breakfast.
DL 1795 ATL-MIA 11:45 We boarded on time and had an uneventful flight. We landed in MIA around 15 minutes early and grabbed our bags. We then had to hike around the upper level at MIA from J to E for Iberia check-in. Luckily, it was open even though it was still about 3 ½ hours until our flight. I had noticed that our MAD-DBV flight had switched to an A321 with business class so I asked about sitting there given that we were on a business class award, but the agent cluelessly told me that the flight didn’t have business class (he was wrong) and I wasn’t in the mood to argue. I figured I would ask in Madrid at the lounge. We went through CLEAR at E (although it didn’t really save any time) and walked through the connector to D where we entered the AA Flagship Lounge. It’s a huge space and never was crowded in the 2 hours we were there. The food and self-serve bar were excellent. There were also nice views of the runway and AA international gates. This was probably the nicest airline-flagged US domestic lounge I have been in so far and given the lack of crowds, better than the Centurion lounges I have visited (MIA/DFW/PHL). Even the wife was impressed with the food and she’s not one to care about airline lounges much. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7654f1372.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...787fff971.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...54e290e56.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d4b8126c9.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d0d9fcb7e.jpeg Around 4, we headed back to E and took the people mover to the midfield gates. We boarded around 4:35. IB 6124 MIA-MAD 17:10 We had seats in Row 3 in the middle section of the 1-2-1 configuration. Our seats were the closer together variety, both had a table between the aisle and the seat. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dc23b333e.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...07e0c7f70.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...50b9b9c5e.jpeg Our flight got off to a fantastic start when I accidentally knocked my wife’s cell phone into the gap behind the seat. It took two flight attendants and the purser (and most of the pre-flight boarding time) to retrieve the phone. I’m sure they were all thrilled with me. We pushed back on time and business was full. Pre-departure beverage of water or orange juice as we pushed back. I didn’t ask for anything else as I figured I would be pushing my luck after the cell phone incident. We took off at 17:23, about 15 minutes after pushback. It’s pretty much a straight shot across the Atlantic from Miami to Madrid. There was a 3 prong adapter for the headphones so my noise canceling earbuds didn’t work (they only have a 2 prong converter). I used the uncomfortable Iberia headphones and watched The Mule, a decently entertaining Clint Eastwood movie, during dinner. Good old Clint put his 80+ year old self in a threesome in this movie. I liked that the handset locked so you could not accidentally pause or FF the movie when banging into it. The WiFi was supposedly free for 30 minutes, but I could never get it to work anyway. My wife got her menu around 17:50. I got nada. Here’s the menu: https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...838399b37.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...11b3679e6.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6a9f5ae17.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a96169931.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a6d3493ac.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6a33853c3.jpeg She got a tablecloth around 18:00. I still got nada on my side. Finally around 18:05 I got my tablecloth and we all got warm(ish) towels. My menu arrived at 18:15. About 2 minutes later, they took my order. Drinks came around and I tried the 2014 Rioja. It was pretty good. It was served with nuts and olives (that I gave to my wife). https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7a7fc4650.jpeg I realize this is only sort-of a redeye, given the early departure, but they could pick up the pace a little. Another round of drinks were served at 18:45 – still no actual food. Five minutes later, food! The appetizer, soup and salad were all very good. The cheese was served at the same time – it was a small portion but also tasty. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f9667c06c.jpeg Around 19:05, we got our main course. The fish was not overly dry which, in my limited experience, is an achievement on a plane. Of course, the gobs of butter probably helped. It tasted better than it looked. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e90176b8d.jpeg Cheesecake with raspberry sauce was also quite good. I asked if they had any fruit and the FA brought me some melon, which was nice. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...34ca597ff.jpeg The service, while slow, was attentive and friendly, if a bit unorganized. The quality of the food was good overall. Dinner ended at 19:30 so a little over two hours in the end. Cabin lights were dimmed around 20:00 and I tried to sleep. Unfortunately, the cabin was way too warm and the lack of individual air vents did not help. It probably was exacerbated by the fact that we were so close together in these seats too. |
great report so far... pics very nice... (compliments from a photographer myself)
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6/1 – The Walls of Victory
Onboard the Iberia A330, it finally cooled off after a couple of hours, but then it got a bit bumpy which did not help the sleep situation. We probably slept on an off for a couple of hours. Around midnight/06:00 Madrid time, the lights came on and a lame continental breakfast was served. I drank the coffee to wake up, but that's about it. I would have expected something like this in economy, not business. We skipped it as we knew we would get better food in the lounge.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b4b0dcc12.jpeg We landed at 07:20, about 25 minutes early and the airport was empty. We were in the lounge by 07:30. I did check to see about moving to business class on our next flight, but no luck. As we were going from a non-Schengen to non-Schengen flight, we stayed in Terminal 4S and used that lounge. We were told that we would get a gate in that terminal and then be bussed to T4 where our flight was to depart from. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...886dc4cc8.jpeg Let’s take a quick break from the trip report for an interesting aside. If you’ve read my other trip reports, you know I am a massive Liverpool supporter. Well, it just so happened that my team made it to the Champions League Final (again) in, uh , Madrid, on, uh, June 1 – i.e. today. I had really thought about stopping in Madrid and skipping our first day in Croatia to try and get tickets to the match. I even went so far as to book a Holiday Inn Express in the suburbs for 10k points just in case. In the end, I decided it was a bad idea for a couple of reasons. Tickets were outrageous and I could not even find two together anyway. Also, it is my wife’s vacation too, so making her sit through drunken fan events without tickets would have been unfair. Also, the one-way cash price for the flight to Dubrovnik the next day was expensive. As it turned out, I found a great place to watch the match in Dubrovnik, as you will see later on in this report. While I would have gone to the match (or tried) if I was alone, I think I made the best decision (for my marriage). Back to our report: The Iberia lounge was very nice and the breakfast spread was pretty good, with different types of omelets, meats, cheeses, etc. plus decent coffee. We still had about 3 hours before we needed to go to our bus gate, so I took a shower, then we both found available nap rooms, which only had curtains, so they didn't exactly lend themselves to great sleep. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...856635d5c.jpeg We slept for about 2 hours and then headed to our bus gate. The bus was crammed full of people and then we were driven to the plane. We got to our plane about T-10 and most of the people already on board had moved to empty seats as they must have thought the flight was mostly empty. A game of musical chairs later, we were ready to go. IB 3154 MAD-DBV 11:40 The legroom on the A321 was not terrible but the slim line seats were not comfortable for almost 3 hours. There was also no IFE so I just listened to podcasts and snoozed. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...08c291a50.jpeg We landed on time in Dubrovnik, but our luggage took a while to come out. I had ordered a car from the Hilton just to save hassle. It was about $10 more than an Uber, but nice to have someone there to meet us. My wife doesn’t mind me being thrifty but hates when I am cheap (I’m sure other spouses out there can relate). We had a whole van to ourselves and a pleasant ride to the Hilton. We checked in and received a nice room with a balcony overlooking the Fort. This is one of the nicest Hiltons I have ever seen. It seemed more like a Conrad or WA to me. The staff were extremely helpful and well-trained. The lounge was very nice and had a few different servings per day (breakfast, appetizers, drinks, desserts). The location cannot be beat – just a few steps to the old town gate. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...776d46b4c.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...29c17647c.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9b4b9ae74.jpeg As my wife got settled, I walked over to the tourist office and picked up our Dubrovnik Cards, which I had pre-purchased online so we could get admission to several tourist sites at a discount. As long as you hit at least 2-3 places (including the wall), it is worth getting. I also walked over to Caffe Bar The Kop, a Liverpool-themed pub very close to the hotel, and reserved a table for the 9pm kickoff of the Champions League Final. I had to pay to reserve a table, but that came with some special T-shirts and unlimited chips and salsa (woop de do). Most importantly, we had a prime seat for the outdoor projection TV showing of the match later that evening. As we had napped in the lounge and the weather was pleasant, we decided to walk the city walls in late afternoon. It was not too crowded and we got some great pictures. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4c6792835.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0045ad665.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3e4d0290d.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...532ab71cc.jpeg Then we had a little bit of time to walk around the old town, visit the old pharmacy and take some more pictures. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f12105558.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2cb894221.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e097961dd.jpeg We found a great place for dinner – Aquarius – and had our first of many whole fish dinners and cheap, good local bottles of wine. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2c079f107.jpeg After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to put on our Liverpool garb and walked over to watch the match. In the end, it wasn’t the best match, but Liverpool won 2-0 so the crowd was happy. We stayed to celebrate for an hour after the match before finally stumbling back to the Hilton around midnight and crashing. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e43529411.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...68a99e886.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ec4a7da16d.jpg This last picture wasn't taken by me :) Up next: Thrones and Michelin Stars |
Nice place to watch the football from!
I hope the chips and salsa were fine! ;) |
Liking it so far, as Dubrovnik is on the edge of our radar - although a bit full of tourists for our taste! :)
The IB long-haul looks decent, even in the service in your aisle was a bit out of synch with the other side. The fish platter I LIKE! :D! |
Originally Posted by fotographer
(Post 31388913)
great report so far... pics very nice... (compliments from a photographer myself)
Originally Posted by nequine
(Post 31392657)
Nice place to watch the football from!
I hope the chips and salsa were fine! ;)
Originally Posted by T8191
(Post 31392976)
Liking it so far, as Dubrovnik is on the edge of our radar - although a bit full of tourists for our taste! :)
The IB long-haul looks decent, even in the service in your aisle was a bit out of synch with the other side. The fish platter I LIKE! :D! |
6/2 – Thrones and Michelin Stars
We slept off the remainder of our jet lag and were up at 08:00. We decided to have breakfast in the restaurant and sat outside in the beautiful weather (low 70s at that time).
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d67e38924.jpeg The buffet was good. Made to order omelets, smoked salmon, meats, cheeses, bacon, sausage, etc. After breakfast, we walked through the old town as the shops opened and just browsed around. It’s fairly small so it can be covered in a couple of hours. My wife found some arts and craft places to buy a few locally-made things. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c48666b1a.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fcbe80ee2.jpeg I am a big Game of Thrones fan and the show had just concluded a couple of weeks before this trip so I decided to take a tour. My wife is not a fan so she kept on shopping and browsing the stores in Old Town. I really enjoyed the tour. The guide was a massive fan, and her mom was a stand-in for Peter Dinklage (or so she said). We got to see many of the places where they filmed and the guide provided context about where the CGI was added using pictures of the real scenes. We also had some great photo opps from the fort across from Old Town. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e2f73e042.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...10e68170b.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7154e025a.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6abee183c.jpeg After the tour ended and we had seen the steps of “Shame” I met back up with my wife and we went to a cute little wine bar named D’Vino for some wine and cheese. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d609ce740.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...834b31deb.jpeg We decided we’d had enough of the old town crowds by then (I bet July and August are insane there), so we walked out the Ploce Gate and visited Banje Beach to see the views back toward Dubrovnik and dip our toes in the (cold) Adriatic. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4ea64cdfb.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3adf7391a.jpeg On the way back, I stopped in the GoT store and got my iron throne pic that came with the tour. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6d2bb23e5.jpeg Bonus points if you can figure out the significance of the '6' After all that time in the heat, we were ready for a nap. Plus the weather was starting look a bit stormy. We went back and relaxed at the Hilton. After the storm ended, we walked over to Restaurant 360, a Michelin starred eatery along the wall near the Ploce Gate. While the view was fantastic and the food was good, the portions were small and the service was a bit pretentious. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...138507c9e.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6ac7c64e2.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...00fbc695e.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...320d88f02.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...457d79c8c.jpeg We were still hungry so we grabbed gelato on the way back through Old Town. We turned in for the night early as we had a busy day ahead of us and a new country to check off the list. Up next: Motor to Kotor |
Q: On the menu, what’s 880 kn in money? :)
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Originally Posted by T8191
(Post 31393742)
Q: On the menu, what’s 880 kn in money? :)
There's a thing called google Uncle T ;) It doesn't discriminate on the basis of age! |
I confess to idleness ... a privilege afforded to the elderly!! :)
OK, so not a cheap meal. I prefer SA, where we can dine (for 2) similarly for c. £50 ... or $60.7056 :) |
Originally Posted by pjs
(Post 31393689)
After the storm ended, we walked over to Restaurant 360, a Michelin starred eatery along the wall near the Ploce Gate. While the view was fantastic and the food was good, the portions were small and the service was a bit pretentious.
... We were still hungry so we grabbed gelato on the way back through Old Town. We turned in for the night early as we had a busy day ahead of us and a new country to check off the list. |
Originally Posted by nequine
(Post 31396424)
That is always my fear after reading so many TR and going to fancy restaurants with tasting menus that the food looks so minuscule for which you pay an absolute fortune for... then feel like you need to go have something else (proper!) to eat as you are not full.
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I think we did well, for our needs, in this TR >>> https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip...th-africa.html
Skip to post #2 unless you’re interested in BA’s in-flight dining! |
6/3 – Hike and Dislike
I got up early, around 6am, to walk down to the Hotel Rixos and get the rental car from the Sixt location there. I had paid a bit extra for them to open at 6:30 for me instead of 8 so we could get on the road early. I ended up with a BMW 1-series automatic with built in GPS (saving me having to use my phone). It was a brand new car with only a few hundred kms on the odometer.
We grabbed a quick breakfast in the lounge (no one else was there at 07:00) and headed out for Montenegro. The border formalities were quick at that hour and we arrived in Kotor by around 09:30. Unfortunately, there were two large cruise ships already parked in the Bay of Kotor. This was really the only time we dealt with cruise crowds on this trip. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...571698d42.jpeg I really wanted to climb the steps up to the old fort and get some nice views back down of Kotor and the bay. My wife wanted to browse around old town so we split up for an hour or so. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4e8b355f2.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d1ccb3459.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1c3c6c9de.jpeg About 20 minutes into my hike up the mountain, I got a text saying “this place is pretty but all the stores are full of tourist crap – hurry up.” So, I got up there pretty quick, took a few pics and came back down, as it started raining, which wasn’t helpful for the footing on the cobblestones. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7bb5a8a3c.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...868db664c.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5c2755f82.jpeg Around 11:00, we left Kotor as the cruise ship hordes were only getting worse. We drove around the bay and stopped at Perast, a small fishing village with a famous island church nearby. We decided not to take the boat ride out to the church and instead looked for some sustenance. We found some wine and charcuterie at a place near the end of the small old town overlooking the water. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...58490c842.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b23da50f1.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0c5503a4a.jpeg After lunch, we headed back to Dubrovnik as the weather wasn’t looking any better. The drive back took longer as we had about a 40 minute wait at the border. When we got to the Hilton, I asked if we could park in the Diamond spots right out front rather than the underground garage and the front desk said that was fine. The rain and clouds moved in, along with some cruisers, so we rested at the hotel for a few hours. The rain mostly cleared up by 6 and the cruise ship crowds had also faded away. We went to Proto Fish for dinner, a pricey but excellent seafood restaurant in Old Town. There was much more food than the previous night including a huge whole fish cooked in salt that we shared. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8a2dfb672.jpeg We walked back through Old Town for the last time and went back to the Hilton for our last night. Dubrovnik should be on anyone's list, just check the cruise calendar first and don't go in July and August. Up next: Split via Bosnia |
If you think Kotor was bad with those two ships, be aware those are both relatively small in today's cruise ship terms. Just one of the bigger cruise ships there would cause even worse crowds.
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Oh, those bloody Cruise ships. I could rant on that subject for hours and hours!!
Valletta (Malta) usually gets 3 at a time in season, and they’re the HUGE ones. The crowds (no, make that hordes) following the umbrella/sign bearer make the City almost impassable at times. I may have some photos in my MLA TRs in my signature! ;) |
Originally Posted by wrp96
(Post 31397228)
If you think Kotor was bad with those two ships, be aware those are both relatively small in today's cruise ship terms. Just one of the bigger cruise ships there would cause even worse crowds.
Originally Posted by T8191
(Post 31397647)
Oh, those bloody Cruise ships. I could rant on that subject for hours and hours!!
Valletta (Malta) usually gets 3 at a time in season, and they’re the HUGE ones. The crowds (no, make that hordes) following the umbrella/sign bearer make the City almost impassable at times. I may have some photos in my MLA TRs in my signature! ;) |
That climb looked worth it for the fantastic photos at the top!
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Originally Posted by nequine
(Post 31400285)
That climb looked worth it for the fantastic photos at the top!
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6/4 – Four Borders
We were at breakfast when they opened at 07:00 and checked out by 07:50, on our way to Split. We decided to go via Mostar in Bosnia as it looked like an interesting and different place to stop on the way. It’s a more circuitous route, but we had the time and the freedom of a rental car to do it.
The GPS took us through Neum, which is a tiny enclave of Bosnia on the coast which bisects Croatia and leaves the Dubrovnik area technically cut off by land from the remainder of the country. A new bridge between the Peljesac peninsula and the Croatian mainland north of the Bosnian enclave is being built by China which will rectify this issue in a few years. In the meantime, unless you go a different route to the east of Dubrovnik, you will pass through two border crossings and then head inland to cross into Bosnia again toward Mostar at Metkovic. None of the borders had any long waits and we arrived in Mostar around 10:30. We found a place to park for 50kn (around $7.50) for the day and walked into the old town area. Mostar has an interesting history, which you can look up, but is best known for its “old” bridge (which was rebuilt after being mortared in the 1990s war). Many of the original stones were found in the river and used in the reconstruction paid for mostly by Turkey. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a367f2fec.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...76bcff810.jpeg Mostar was crowded with day-trippers as it’s a popular tour from both Dubrovnik and Split (and Sarajevo for that matter). We had a browse around the market, which was a bit reminiscent of Istanbul. We then watched a guy collect money and then jump off the bridge (a local tradition), much to my wife’s annoyance, as she didn’t see the point. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fd74d5b0d.jpeg I decided to climb the mosque minaret so I could get some good pictures. She decided to sit and have a Turkish coffee. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8f9d06df9.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cdaf04ab2.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...37840688a.jpeg By that point, we’d had enough of Mostar’s crowds and beggars, so we headed back toward Croatia. On the way we stopped at Pocitelj, a stone village built on a hill with some nice views at the top of its old tower. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9a4178c75.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...165a14af4.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8cb7064ec.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3eed7ba68.jpeg Just before the border, we stopped at Kravica waterfall which was easy to access and very impressive. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...897b10e05.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...73916186c.jpeg Then we took the toll road from Bosnia over the border into Croatia and continued on the fantastic highway (also Chinese built) with long tunnels and scenic bridges all the way to the Split exit. The tolls were payable by cash or credit card. It was really a pleasant drive despite the on and off rainstorms. We reached the Le Meridien just outside Split around 15:30 and checked in. We were given a room with a nice view of the marina and islands. This is a conference hotel so it’s fairly large and busy. I understand that it will be undergoing a major renovation this offseason as well. Parking was available right outside and was complimentary for me as a Titanium member (not sure if this applies to all guests or not). https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f40eca8d3.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...87c8729389.png https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a0c55d924.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9d6c9c2f3.jpeg We ordered an Uber to take us into Split. It was 120kn ($18) plus tip. We struck up a conversation with our Uber driver, who lived near the hotel. He offered to drive us back and forth during our stay for 100kn ($15) all-in so we got his WhatsApp info and just contacted him directly when we needed him. We browsed around Split, which is built on the site of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7d1138494.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b5ce37266.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bc6d3d972.jpeg We took a walk out and up to the old Jewish Cemetery, which offers great views back toward the city and the marina. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eac0862a7.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8b7d35f88.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3ba897a70.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...04d13c1eb.jpeg Back down in town, we found a small local place for dinner called Boom!. Fish and seafood platter for two for 200 KN ($30) – don’t mind if we do. Plus cheap house wine – why not? https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bce386f32.jpeg We watched the sunset and had our guy drive us back around 9pm to the Le Meridien. It was a long day of driving and walking. Up next: Split up in Split |
About 50K for Business OW is a good deal. We used 75K from Avios for a OW Business ticket on Air Italy from Milan to New York; the worst Business class I ever took vs. 25K in economy; a good deal.
However what did you pay in fees? We paid $200 same as in economy. I was in Dubrovnik in 1972. We stayed at the Excelsior which one can see in your picture. What i liked is that it is on the ocean and one can swim off the platform. Was it easy to drive in Croatia / Bosnia? Was it expensive as it was an automatic + one way drop off I assume. Thanks. |
Originally Posted by Bretteee
(Post 31404301)
About 50K for Business OW is a good deal. We used 75K from Avios for a OW Business ticket on Air Italy from Milan to New York; the worst Business class I ever took vs. 25K in economy; a good deal.
However what did you pay in fees? We paid $200 same as in economy. I was in Dubrovnik in 1972. We stayed at the Excelsior which one can see in your picture. What i liked is that it is on the ocean and one can swim off the platform. Was it easy to drive in Croatia / Bosnia? Was it expensive as it was an automatic + one way drop off I assume. Thanks. |
6/5 – Local Flavor
We had breakfast at the Le Meridien restaurant (there’s no lounge). It was good, but the selection and quality was not as good as the Dubrovnik Hilton. Our “Uber” picked us up at 08:30 and drove us into Split.
We started by touring the Palace basement. It was nice and empty at that hour. The only hazard was avoiding the pigeon droppings. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...53248bfe9.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cf69cf503.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c43fabd92.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9a64ad9ce.jpeg Then we split up for an hour and I went to visit the newly opened Game of Thrones museum. It was overpriced but had some cool props and models. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f39364575.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cd969a253.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3c55f66bf.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1edc0bd5d.jpeg We then reconnected and walked a few blocks to the archeology museum which had some interesting artifacts, both inside and outside. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d9b890d87.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6eeec3a2c.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...916ed8884.jpeg We decided to have lunch right on the Riva, even though it was a touristy place. We are, after all, tourists. The seafood platter and wine were good, even if we were paying extra for the location. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...80e122994.jpeg After a busy morning, we were ready for a rest. We texted our ride and he brought us back to the Le Meridien around 13:00. We changed and went out to the beach, although like most beaches in Croatia, it was rocky rather than sandy (water shoes are a must). The water was still chilly but refreshing. We napped and lazed around for a few hours. The hotel had complementary towels, beach chairs and umbrellas for guests. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...82bd79b03.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d99daa2dc.jpeg We decided to stay local that night and went to Konoba Nikola, a highly rated restaurant according to the review sites (apparently the President of Croatia has eaten there). We drove there as it was only 5 minutes from the Le Meridien. The food was excellent. Fresh whole fish and shellfish – we got a good look at the available food before they cooked it. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...174b63b23.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ea3a328e2.jpeg After dinner we drove back to the hotel and had nice a walk along the marina before turning in. Up next: Blues and Booze |
6/6 – Island Time
We were up at 06:45 and had another good breakfast at the Le Meridien. Our “Uber” came for us at 7:45 as we had arranged via WhatsApp to take us into Split.
I booked an all day island tour with a company named Summer Blues. I’m not sure what happened frankly, as I had meant to book a 5 island tour on a fast boat, but somehow booked a catamaran “booze cruise.” This became apparent as we sailed away from Split marina at 9am and the bar was open. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...435442268.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5b841d0dd.jpeg Our first stop was for some swimming off the boat near the island of Brac. The water was cold but I got in anyway. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eda683945.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3d32618aa.jpeg Then we motored on to Hvar Town and everybody got off for about 2.5 hours. My wife wasn’t too thrilled with the booze cruise aspect but she liked Hvar. We split up for a bit so I could hike up to the fortress and get some views back down over the island and marina. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c7c5ad06a.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a608ec924.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1003acded.jpeg We had a light lunch at an outdoor café in Hvar. The weather was amazing at this point. We barely saw another cloud the entire rest of the trip. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e5f168bf4.jpeg The boat picked everyone up around 3pm and we made another swim stop near Brac about halfway back. We ended up sailing toward Split and the dance party started. It was pretty funny to watch all these drunk German 20-somethings dance the Macarena, etc, but it was chilly with the temperature dropping and the wind whipping up. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1234b1e3f.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0be4b4441.jpeg This is one of those tour bookings that I will always hear about from my wife. But that’s OK – stuff happens. After we got back to Split, we went back to the same restaurant from the first night – Boom! - and had our same seafood platter and wine. After gelato, our “Uber” came and picked us up for the last time. If anyone wants his contact info, feel free to PM me. That night, we were unfortunately awoken by a phone call around midnight from our 17 year old. She had got into a fender bender and was upset. She was fine, but the car was not. We were up half the night dealing with the insurance, etc. Up next: Real Croatia |
6/7 – To Zadar By Car
Despite our late night, we were up at 6am. We had a quick breakfast after packing up and checked out of the Le Meridien. We were on the road to Zadar by 8am. It was an easy drive on the highway and took about 2 hours total.
We found our Airbnb and got directed into a tiny parking spot by the mother of the apartment owner. She was still cleaning the apartment but let us leave our bags while we went to explore Zadar. The Airbnb was a few yards from the pedestrian bridge into old town Zadar and pretty nice for $80+fees for one night. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0715c57c4.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2eefb73fc.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7fe151399.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5ede2f491.jpeg The views from the 10th floor apartment were great as well. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f218eca90.jpeg It’s a great little town. Lots of locals around unlike Dubrovnik and Split. We felt like we were in a more authentically local and less touristy place. There were school kids displaying art work and little festivals all around the squares in old town. We walked down to the Roman Forum and just enjoyed the ambience. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7f7f64631.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fbf9cb6b7.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d2ab9cefd.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5a666a00a.jpeg We stopped for lunch at a little place called La Gavun. We had a great charcuterie plate with local meats and cheeses along with some excellent wine. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a95151136.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ea86fbcce.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b08f24f5f.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1ed07dda6.jpeg My wife then found some good prices on souvenirs at the local shops. Then we went back to the apartment to nap and make some calls about the insurance, etc. related to last night’s daughter car issues. We ended up going back to the same little restaurant for some more wine and appetizers. We bought some wine from there as we can’t get it at home (I checked online). Then we found a place with you guessed it, a whole fish platter. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...876e21faf.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...953b76487.jpeg By this time, it was close to sunset, so we walked over to the Greeting to the Sun and the Sea Organ to watch the sunset. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4245267e5.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f72b5ab6e.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...60a6556a7.jpeg We had an early morning planned so we didn’t linger too late, but we enjoyed our day and night in Zadar and I highly recommend it if you can add it to your Croatia itinerary. One day and night is enough to get a feel for the place and see the old town. Next Up: Lakes and Ljubljana |
6/8 – Wakey Lakey
We were up early and grabbed coffee nearby before getting on the road at 06:00. Our goal was to make it to Plitvice Lakes National Park by 08:00 as I had pre-booked tickets there.
Traffic was light, even on the back roads, and we made it by 07:45. Parking was pretty easy at that hour and we walked to the entrance. We showed our tickets but they wouldn’t let us in until 08:00 on the dot. This was despite the fact that others who bought walk-up tickets could just walk right in. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...77281a6ce.jpeg There are several different routes you can take through the park, including the lower lakes, the upper lakes and both. We started at the lower lakes “Entrance 1” where we parked and had the place relatively to ourselves at first. We saw the main waterfall, Veliki Slap. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...14b777fd8.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4d404ce1b.jpeg We walked along the pathways beside the lower lakes and there had been plenty of rain over the previous few weeks so the waterfalls were all flowing. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e66a75c47.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e2eccd92e.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ce90495b6.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...39d2c10ec.jpeg We took a boat across one of the larger lakes and started to walk the upper lakes. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f892792f1.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...83227edbc.jpeg It was crazy crowded and not enjoyable, so we turned around and took a short boat ride back to the lower lakes. From there, we took the bus to the start of the upper trail which would lead us back to the parking lot. The upper train was nice and empty, but we could see how crowded it was back where we were walking just a couple of hours before. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1557f2b15.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...64535000e.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0f0b35fb5.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f0df24004.jpeg We left around 10:00 and the line to get in was really long. We were very pleased we got there early. We drove to Ljublana and hit a bit of traffic but nothing too bad. We got to the Intercontinental around 13:45 and checked in. I was using my free night from the IHG credit card. They had parking for 16 Euros in a garage across the street, but I decided to spring for the 30 Euros at the hotel as I wanted to be able to leave early the next day and as it was going to be Sunday, I wasn’t sure whether the other garage would be open/accessible. The room was very modern and had lots of technology. We were given a room on the highest floor and a welcome amenity of fruit. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f125a44a6.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a5d85ea48.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3da0b56a9.jpeg We got settled and walked down to the old town area. It was just a few blocks from the IC. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2258ed90d.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6785e6163.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3d0d336ac.jpeg We found a place to grab some food and wine as we hadn’t eaten anything except a protein bar all day. We took the funicular up to the castle and explored that for a while. Of course, I had to go up the tower to the top for the views of the town and the Julian Alps in the background. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...db4934060.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8c25695a4.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...551340832.jpeg After we came back down the funicular, we browsed the shops in old town and then walked back to the IC. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6707343a3.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...691c5da48.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...62d4f3b6f.jpeg The hotel had a highly regarded restaurant so we decided to go there for dinner. Unfortunately, we were the only people there and still were ignored for about 15 minutes by the waiter and maitre’d. We left, but they insisted on charging us for the water we had been drinking for 15 minutes. I got the front desk to remove the charge when we checked out. Instead, we walked back into town and found a good fish restaurant called Vino + Pibe. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...70d888aad.jpeg Then we went to Romantica, which is rated as the best gelato in Ljubljana and it did not disappoint. We enjoyed our taste of Ljubljana, but we decided to get an early start the next day and make a detour to Lake Bled rather than go directly to Zagreb. Up next: Bled and the Last Border Crossing |
6/9 – From Bled to Zagreb
As we did not have any included hotel breakfast, we walked down to a place called Kaverna Rog which was highly rated by travel blogs. It did not disappoint. The food and coffee were excellent.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3bed7a190.jpeg We checked out of the IC and drove up to Lake Bled. We found parking by the hockey arena and had a nice stroll around the lake for an hour or so. I decided not to hike up to the castle as my wife wasn’t up for it. It was a beautiful morning and the crowds had not yet arrived. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0677ccda2.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...79d16c0f2.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2150e61e1.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4d1a950a2.jpeg When we left, the line of traffic to get into Bled was almost all the way back to the motorway. The Croatian border formalities only took about 10 minutes so we decided to stop at Samobor, a small town near Zagreb. Unfortunately, there was not much to see there so we moved on and arrived at the Westin Zagreb by 14:00. We got upgraded to a large suite as a Titanium. It had weird old furniture but the A/C was nice and cool. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...23a6dff07.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5cdc70c4e.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9584a26d7.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e4fa54a51.jpeg My wife settled in while I drove over to the Hotel Panorama and returned our car at the Sixt location there. An Uber back to the Westin cost all of $2. We walked down to English square to catch the end of an antique show. Then we headed toward upper (old) town and browsed around. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...287327311.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...99ca480a8.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...710d97081.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6020a9e27.jpeg We had a late lunch (our usual charcuterie and wine) at a restaurant in new town off the main square. It was getting hot by them so we headed back to the Westin for a nap. We ended up walking to Gallo, a nearby restaurant, for dinner and really enjoyed our fish and wine. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...38120a73a.jpeg In fact, we enjoyed it so much, we made a reservation for the next night as well. Up next: Broken Relationships (not ours) |
Great pics in the parts you posted :)
|
Originally Posted by nequine
(Post 31423333)
Great pics in the parts you posted :)
What were all the folk waiting for? Some sort of light show? |
Good use of solar power!
|
Originally Posted by nequine
(Post 31423333)
Great pics in the parts you posted :)
What were all the folk waiting for? Some sort of light show? Also, no highways in Croatia were built by Chinese companies. |
Originally Posted by Somnifer
(Post 31431319)
Also, no highways in Croatia were built by Chinese companies. |
6/10 – Museums and Heat
We were up around 07:00 and went down to the breakfast buffet, and…turned around and went back upstairs. The hordes of tour groups were overwhelming. At 08:00 the crowd had thinned out and we were able to get near the buffet. It was a good spread, but I should have insisted they let us have room service at no charge given the crazy crowds and the number of tour groups all scheduled to leave at 07:30.
We left after breakfast and walked to the funicular, which we took up to old town. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4ec2c7bdd.jpeg There's an interesting shrine right near the entrance to Old Town. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...07c8dbc8c.jpeg Statue near the entrance to Old Town. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9b5b8d7a2.jpeg We first visited the Museum of Broken Relationships which is a small, funky museum and hard to explain. It’s definitely worth a visit. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9a9d26d3a.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...93cb354ab.jpeg We went to a café and grabbed a coffee while we waited for everything else to open up. Next was The Museum of Naive Art, which had some interesting works by country farmers and peasants from Croatia. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...247a3d87b.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...738bb085f.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8b37f1fd7.jpeg We spent some time shopping in old town and walked down to the Dolac Market and the cathedral. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...643667caa.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b8faa9d2c.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ec61b79a3.jpeg I found some GoT souvenirs for my kids at a funky store that were cheaper than in Dubrovnik/Split. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ac3e4df57.jpeg We stopped for a drink and snack at a cute little bar/café as the heat started to become unbearable. While it was only around 90F, it felt hotter than that in the concrete jungle. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6c4f34bcd.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0e764e5b1.jpeg I bought some strawberries from the market and brought them back to the hotel where we snacked on them and cooled off. Once we were back in the A/C, it was hard to get motivated to get back out. We went back to Gallo for dinner and had the same waiter. We got a giant whole fish baked in salt. He gave us a second bottle of wine, which was nice and I used the last of my Czech Kuna toward our last dinner. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c06901b63.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...df800d442.jpeg We really enjoyed Zagreb despite the heat and it provided a nice contrast to the Dalmatian coast. Up next: Air Francey ain’t so fancy |
6/11 – Home via Paris
We were up at 06:00 and finished packing. We braved the breakfast tour group rumble at 06:30 when the restaurant opened. We were able to get some food before it all disappeared. After we checked out, we got an Uber to the airport around 06:55.
We got to ZAG at 07:20. Croatia Airlines even weighed our hand baggage (8kg limit) even though we were in business. Luckily we packed most of the heavy things in our checked bags. Following a quick security and immigration process, we went to the PrimeClass lounge. It was OK, but quite busy at that time of day. We just had coffee and sat until it was time to board. For some reason, the TV was showing a classic Popeye cartoon. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8f2186831.jpeg OU 470 ZAG-CDG 09:00 Boarding was orderly and pushed back on time. Legroom was not bad in this typical Eurobusiness configuration, but there were not too many interesting planes to spot at ZAG. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...73dcf59d5.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8670742e8.jpeg We were wheels up by 09:11 and the seatbelt sign was off soon after. There was a cold breakfast served which was decent enough. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e44f9dc93.jpeg There were some nice views over the Swiss Alps, but it also got a bit bumpy. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5150f8efe.jpeg The flight attendants would not serve coffee while the seatbelt sign was on. When I did finally get some coffee, it was strong (according to my notes). We landed at CDG at 10:55, and arrived at our gate right on time at 11:05. We were at gate 68 in Terminal 2D. There was no wait at transit security and we were soon on the bus on the way to 2E(M) for our next leg. The lounge in M was large and fairly crowded. The food (when the line wasn’t too long) was good and the Taittinger champagne was fine for my unsophisticated palate. My wife enjoyed the wines on offer as well. We checked on the spa, but no appointments were available during the limited time we had in the lounge. Sorry for the crappy pics. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fdbfbbfec.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b32899940.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1e0530f39.jpeg AF688 CDG-ATL 13:30 Around 12:30, we walked down to our gate. There were individual security questions being asked of each passenger in line at the gate. At 12:50, we boarded in Group 1, along with 100 other people. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...23f652ffd.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...34f09ad26.jpeg Menus and amenity kits were passed around at 13:15. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4ce8a4900.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...04856b7fb.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1383b0a5c.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9e334b5a3.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f092062b1.jpeg While the soft product is not great, it’s OK for a daytime flight and better than flying in the back (or below in the back). I do like the cameras available on the A380. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6da9ac1d9.jpeg We had a short delay which I assume was due to late-arriving connecting passengers. There was not much of interest on the IFE so I left the camera on and watched the final season of House of Cards I had downloaded to my iPad. The aircraft was pretty warm when we boarded but soon cooled off. No individual air vents on this soon-to-be retired A380. We finally pushed back at 13:55 and had a fairly long taxi. We were wheels up at 14:18. Around 15:00, drinks were served and I received my lunch around 15:30. The food and wine were good. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...75b41eb7a.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6ca382dd3.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a4efa29e3.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...07f4abf0a.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c2f0c2738.jpeg In between meals, there were snacks in the galley. About three hours before landing, ice cream was offered. The pre-landing meal was not memorable but it killed some time I guess. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4f8a4f3b6.jpeg I really wanted to fly on an A380 and now that I have checked this off, I'll be sure to try and catch a better configuration the next time on Air France (although I flew this same flight again in July on the way back from Israel - duh). We landed right on time in ATL and then my wife and I did our global entry interview on arrival. Our pre-check was due to expire next year so I had used two GE credits from various credit cards and signed us up. We had to wait about 10 minutes for an interview but it was fairly painless. We grabbed an Uber, who fought the rush hour traffic for us, and got home by around 19:30. It was a great trip for us. Croatia (and the surrounding countries) were beautiful, friendly and definitely worth visiting. Iberia and Air France (A380) business were good value on this trip but definitely toward the low end of the business class options to/from Europe. Hope you enjoyed re-living this trip with me. Since this trip, I’ve already been to Israel to see some family in July, but I didn’t bother documenting that one. Next big one is Peru in December. |
Thanks for a very enjoyable TR. I have enjoyed reading your report. :)
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Thanks for the excellent trip report pjs! Brings back great memories of my own Croatia trips to Zadar and Zagreb. I can completely second your opinions. Dubrovnik is beautiful but horribly busy in summer season (personally I found it already too busy when I once visited in early June - and that was even before the GoT craze!). Zadar is indeed a lovely town and a great mix between local life and tourists - even in Summer I always found it bearable enough (and that comes from a person who avoids most of the Med in summer because of the crowds). Alfred Hitchcock was absolutely right when he once said that Zadar sunsets are the best in the world. Zagreb is in my opinion one of the most underrated of all European capitals. And that Museum of Broken Relationships is one of my favourite little museum in all of Europe, hilarious and touching at the same time!
Glad you liked all of your travels and managed to have some excellent fish dinners. PS. Congratulations with the Liverpool win in last season's Champions League - well deserved! |
Originally Posted by nequine
(Post 31433253)
Thanks for a very enjoyable TR. I have enjoyed reading your report. :)
Originally Posted by Romanianflyer
(Post 31437340)
Thanks for the excellent trip report pjs! Brings back great memories of my own Croatia trips to Zadar and Zagreb. I can completely second your opinions. Dubrovnik is beautiful but horribly busy in summer season (personally I found it already too busy when I once visited in early June - and that was even before the GoT craze!). Zadar is indeed a lovely town and a great mix between local life and tourists - even in Summer I always found it bearable enough (and that comes from a person who avoids most of the Med in summer because of the crowds). Alfred Hitchcock was absolutely right when he once said that Zadar sunsets are the best in the world. Zagreb is in my opinion one of the most underrated of all European capitals. And that Museum of Broken Relationships is one of my favourite little museum in all of Europe, hilarious and touching at the same time!
Glad you liked all of your travels and managed to have some excellent fish dinners. PS. Congratulations with the Liverpool win in last season's Champions League - well deserved! |
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