So, I just am going to throw this out there – I hoard my Frequent Flier miles. And really, the reason I do is because I vowed a couple of years ago that I would never fly to Europe in coach again! I hold on to the miles knowing that an opportunity would certainly come up soon!! Good thing I don’t go to Europe too often.
Part of the plan is to get the best “use” out of the fewest miles possible. That means, for me, searching for the “super saver” deals – that meant that on my trip to Paris I would be flying out of…Washington DC. In my opinion, the drive down is a small price to pay overall!
As I posted here I started the day off by dropping off my pal at his Nanny’s house and headed to DC. I headed to Dulles about 4 hours before my flight since I figured I’d spend most of my time in the lounge (yet another reason to use those miles to upgrade for an international flight!!)
Some of the ‘snacks’ available in the lounge…let the eating begin!!
Why yes, I think I *will* have some shrimp cocktail, thank you!
A light snack before my flight
I had chosen to fly out in United’s Global First cabin– which gave me lots of room for sleeping should that happen!
The pods…
I’d read a lot of reviews online of the service so that I would know what to expect. Based on most of what I had read, I shouldn’t expect much, particularly from the cabin crew.
Well, I must have lucked out or something – there were 3 flight attendants in our cabin most of the time and they were nothing but awesome! Naturally, my wine glass was never empty – except when I was drinking the after dinner port with my cheese course.
So the meal…started with the usual (haha – I say that like I fly first class all the time!) hot nuts. Cashews and almonds. None of those pesky peanuts for us 10 special travelers.
A warm appetizer of coconut shrimp with tabbouleh and mango chutney Then soup. A really yummy chicken enchilada soup. Up next, salad. Not one of those plastic prepacked salads for me – fresh tossed with my choice of dressing. I was getting full so I skipped the croutons! The main course that I selected was beef short ribs. Tasty but not amazing (Anne, when did you become such a food snob?). And to finish, the aforementioned cheese course. You’ll be surprised to learn that I skipped – yes, skipped, the ice cream sundae. Really, I couldn’t have eaten another bite!
I thought they might have gone overboard with the utensils….
My coconut shrimp!
The crouton-less salad…
Mains…
While dining I watched a couple of movies – Night at the Museum and something that was apparently not too memorable! After that I kind of flipped around and at some point dozed off for a little while after changing into my sweatshirt.
Before arriving in Frankfurt, we were served a small breakfast of fruit, granola, yogurt and breads. Before I knew it it was time to say goodbye to our wonderful flight crew. One of the French flight attendants asked if I was staying in Germany or going on and when I told her I was going to Paris she mentioned that she lived just outside of Paris (later on, I saw her on my flight from Frankfurt to Paris!)
When we got out of the plane in Germany, to get to a connecting flight we had to walk WAY to the other side of the airport, up and down stairs and then through security again. Which was a bummer cause they took away my big bottle of water 😦 Once through security it was another long, hot hike to the gate.
EVENTUALLY I made it to Paris, grabbing a couple of shots of the Eiffel Tower – off in the distance in the haze.
Really, it *is* out there!!
One at the airport I grabbed my bag and waited for Eydie’s arrival – she’d been delayed/canceled/rebooked/delayed but eventually arrived! Her luggage, however, did not. After filing the report and letting the airline know where to deliver her bag, we hopped in our pre-arranged shuttle for a long tour of Paris, dropping off other visitors!
After we arrived and freshened up, it was time to find some late lunch, early dinner and hit the expo!!!
outrunningthefork 