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Posted on July 30th, 2011 by Douglas and viewed by 623 people
Posted from London, England, United Kingdom.
 My time in London for the past few days is coming to a close. I must admit, that I am quite fond of hotels and locations that offer free wifi. I am sitting in the Indigo’s restaurant and catching up on email, facebook, yelp, flight memory, booking flights, all on the iPad with the Logitech keyboard.
The trip was uneventful but productive. I feel a much stronger sense of alignment with the objectives and even greater support in our initiatives going forward.
The weather in London was fantastic today, in the 70′s and sunny. I left the Indigo Paddington and ventured all over the city, to many tourist traps I had not seen in 4 years. Big Ben, Westminster Abby, The Eye, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Oxford St.
I love walking around the parks in London, you find one person reading in a suit, another couple asleep against each other, sports, and people enjoying the sun. One might say it is because the horrible weather they are accustomed to in London, and it’s almost a reason to celebrate. I believe that with many foreign countries, they work hard but enjoy the quiet moment. I saw this in Glasgow, Paris and London. One person was in a suit, changed down to soccer shorts, enjoyed sitting in the sun for 30 minutes, put the layers back on and returned to the office, I presume.
My flight is at 10am tomorrow out of LHR to JFK and then down to ATL. I will catch up on some sleep and look for reasons of comedy. Hopefully the extra pre planning I put into this trip will prove successful on the last legs of my journey.
Posted on July 26th, 2011 by Douglas and viewed by 1,018 people
Posted from New York, New York, United States.
 Greetings from JFK, Sky Club by Gate 12. Upon arrival I realized something about JFK, it has not changed since I flew through here on the way to Munich in 1996. I flew on a 767 and L1011 that trip, 767-400 tonight.
Wanting to sleep tonight on the flight over, slightly shorter from JFK. I am typing and listening to the “Dueling Banjos”, two people traveling together to Brazil, both on their cellulars, both growing louder over the other. Focus Douglas, Focus!
Focus back, I crashed around 04:30 and was up at 07:00. I accomplished everything I had on my list today and made it out to the airport 30 minutes late. Luckily a car pool, combined with Henry (and his aggressive driver) we made it at the time I had hoped, 16:40. My flight departed ATL at 17:45.
Delta Flight 122, ATL-JFK (MD-88) had meal service. I have to ponder where Delta is getting their food selections. The increased amount of sandwiches continues to bewilder me. On a flight to LA I had an option of a hamburger. Surprisingly it was not bad. Today’s option was a cold pasta with chicken on it, or a roast beef sandwich. Row 4 had the option of roast beef OR roast beef. After a long and serious debate, I selected…. ROAST BEEF. The sandwich was ice cold, covered in onions and bell peppers, found it to be disgusting. TIP: Scrape off the top, fold the bottom over, and it’s a mini sandwich without the two giant pieces of bread. Can someone help me understand, why does Delta serve Twix this time of year? It is pointless, they are melted every time. Maybe season is better? How I miss the Garden Salsa Sunchips. Minus the screaming child the entire flight directly behind my seat, somewhat quiet.
I had high hopes for JFK, knowing they have some serious renovations going on from the old TWA days. Luckily, arriving in Terminal 3, departing here, nothing has been done here. Exit the plane, look up for your connecting flight info, don’t worry, it’s across the gate area, makes complete sense? It was nostalgic to see the old airplane chairs with the blue leather and Delta logo. I believe I sat in the same one in 1996, thanks for bringing back the memories of a great trip! The Sky Club has been renovated for the most part, I can see N832MH (767-400) awaiting to depart. (The Dueling Banjos are packing up and leaving!)
In saying ADIOS to my friends now, I look around, what an empty terminal, maybe this is the OLD terminal and I am missing out on a beautiful, new one hiding. SkyClub – When I entered, the person in front of me was complaining about passport control… I heard my favorite statement that I hear often -
I wish more people could be like you….
I am pretty mellow when I travel, go with the flow, and not much is within my control. (Looking out window and an old 757 with TW in the tail number is passing by, Nostalgic indeed). I headed to the restroom, only to notice the signs were reversed, luckily the woman’s restroom looks NOTHING like the men’s. Both are somewhat shabby, but men’s toilet did not flush, reminded me of Karen and the trough in China. Awakening my senses with an aroma this time around.
After the small mishap, I ordered a Bailey’s in coffee. A woman comes out and asks “why do you get drunk” . This left me baffled, I thought “Who are you? Are you the ATC? “, then I realized she was a Delta employee with a different opinion on drinking. I ordered a decaf coffee and a Bailey’s, far from pounding back shots, or double fisting a few beers.
Thanks Brie for teaching me southern terminology, which is applicable in NYC. Strangely, I felt compelled to answer her, that I was not drinking to get drunk, she then asked if I was doing shots. I thought, can she be serious? She was, I took my Bailey’s and Decaf, with my head held high and walked away.
“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray I have a flat bed to sleep”
Atlanta to Shanghai on Delta, 777-200LR, my seat did not recline. Not to worry, not reclining or having a lie flat on a 15.5 hour flight, electrical outlet on the 14 hour flight on the 744 Shanghai to Detroit, lost bag for 24 hours, has a value to Delta of 19,000 miles. Though you should not equate that to “Pay with Miles” according to Delta — It’s worth $190.00 on a several thousand dollar ticket. The offer is to “make amends” for the many failures I experienced. While I roll with the hiccups, I have to ponder, where is the disconnect. No lie flat, no electricity, lost bag…I look at the ad, this is what lie flat should have looked like on the plane -
Anywho, is what it is - Time to order another Bailey’s and get dirty looks for doing it, I will do it with pride and a smile on my face. Departing in 1 hour at 23:00 – glad to get some humor out of my system before my slumber. Here is tonight’s plane to London.
I just googled JFK Delta – Congrats, they are building a new terminal, I better enjoy the moment.
Posted on July 17th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 204 people
Posted from Fiumicino, Lazio, Italy.
Aboard AirFrance (A321) from CDG to Rome, with an ontime departure, landing in 1 hour and 45 minutes. The room keys timed out at 12:00, with us returning at 12:02. Papa seemed a bit bothered by the timing out of the key, then remembered that Marsha was in their room still.
The Opera Metro station was as busy as the previous days, only no “Information” help, which was needed today. The Metro pass that was fixed yesterday no longer worked today. In frustration of the long line for the one Metro employee to make sales, I was able to fit through the luggage area of the entrance into the station. After 5 sets of stairs, one elevator ride, and one escalator ride, we arrived at the Metro Line, for a quick trip to the next stop to connect to the RER B to the airport.
Our luck slightly improved when we boarded out train to the airport and realized it was an express with only 5 stops instead of the normal 11. A trip on a metro would not be complete without some type of street performer. Today was no difference, after the deaf person passing out the pens for a donation of 2,00, a family affair began their performance. This trio including a child of no more then 5 years old playing the tambourine, a portable sound system, and an accordion player. After 3 French Songs, they departed to the next car. Our entertainment about the RER B ended as quickly as it began.
CDG was as busy as always, with long queues to maneuver through the airport. We arrived at the check in of Terminal 2F, to find a SkyTeam Elite checkin line, with no one in the queue. Bags checked, boarding pass in hand, and directions to the lounge in less then 3 minutes. Way to go Air France!! Security at CDG was a bit more strict, in a different way. Shoes are allowed, but belts are not allowed, and iPads are laptops (or treated as such). After 2 failed attempts through security, I was given clearance to move forward. One interesting thing I did notice was that when my wallet was put through the machine, it was placed in between two trays to not allow the employees easy access to it as it passed through. While my inability to travel was apparent, we cleared the security queue in five minutes.
The AirFrance Business Lounge is now the Carb Lounge, full of potato chips, cookies, wine, crackers, yogurt, soda, alcohol, and Happy Snacks. The peach Schweppes was refreshing and when added to white wine, it made for a great spritzer. One hour in the lounge, off to gate F29 to board for the flight, on time push back, and enroute now.
Farewell Paris, it was an inspiring adventure in the city of lights, it feels as though Barcelona was a whim, and a long time ago. Hopefully we will be able to locate somewhere with wifi in Rome, without a high price tag.
We have changed altitudes looking for smooth air, no such luck yet!
Posted on July 17th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 159 people
Posted from Rome, Lazio, Italy.
Farewell Paris, this morning was the last morning in Paris, it was also the only day that I woke up before 10am. When traveling, days of flight, I tend to wake up around 06:00 regardless of when I began my slumber the night prior. With a departure planned for the hotel at noon, and a plane ride included in the day (Air Francei, A321), the day is unstoppable. Packed and ready to explore, we departed at 08:30, 30 minutes before our alarm was scheduled.
With the mission given by Papa to find a Cream Puff, we found a patisserie called LaDuree, located 10 minutes from the InterContinental Paris – Opera. The patisserie and restaurant offered one of the best varieties of sweets to savor. We departed with 2 chocolate eclairs, 1 cream puff, a raspberry shortcake, and two other baked goods. While the prices were higher then a street vendor, the quality and effort in the products was incredible.
The return back to the hotel involved a stop for Postcards (10 for 2,50), Starbucks Coffee, and a pursuit for Wifi. Wifi in France is pronounced Wee-Fi, and all of the Starbucks connection that provides the password for the rate of 2 for 30 minutes were not functioning. After visiting two Starbucks, the final location offered a beautiful area to savor food, coffee, with outdoor seating and a very classic Parisian feel inside. Starbucks in the US seem so small, yet in Europe, they have been more spacious and inviting. Waking up early revealed so many businesses that appeared closed throughout our visit, the late starts gave the perception that many were closed permanently.
Quick stop by the Apple Store in the pursuit of the iPad camera kit, no luck, and purchased a few souvenirs. Apple Store was busier then that of those in the US, and offered up free Wifi for the few minutes we ventured in. Off to CDG now for 15:25 departure to Rome.
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Posted on July 17th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 315 people
Posted from Rome, Lazio, Italy.
After our adventure to the pharmacy in the early morning hours, we found ourself walking back go find wifi to post, on unsecured networks. Unfortunately we failed miserably at our attempt to wake up early. Around 05:30 I began having labor pains, or what I would equate to labor pains, which lasted a few hours. I napped a bit longer while the parents and Daniel entertained each other. They enjoyed conversation while I slept, learning about Marsha’s job, discussing holidays, and laughing a bit.
The parents and Daniel enjoyed Mimosas next door, from champagne and orange juice we picked up the night before, strolling back home. The three mimosas that Marsha and Daniel did them both in, though Marsha slept until 19:00. I awoke at 14:30 and our day to visit the Eiffel Tower began.
The Opera station, conveniently located next to the InterContinental Le Grande allowed for easy access to virtually all of the mass transit of Paris. The information person (Aqua Man) was very friendly, assisting me through when my ticket failed to work (yet again), and when Daniel looked completely lost. The Train 8 to the Metro C brought us to the Eiffel Tower in 20 minutes. Papa, Daniel and I arrived at the Eiffel, with sprinkles in the air, and a young couple in the park enjoying each others company in a very intimate manner.
The Eiffel Tower was a buzz, with street vendors, tourists, and others out for a stroll through the Champs de Mars. The line for the Eiffel Tower was an hour, with the summit opening back up as we approached to purchase our tickets from the ticket booth. While waiting, 2 police offers arrived on motorcycles, immediately the street vendors scurried like roaches in sunlight. Amazing to see how quickly they can pack up their belongings in a towel and depart quickly out of the area, only to return moments later.
The line from the 2nd Floor was 35 minutes, to arrive at the Summit. The queue was very narrow, I would be surprised how any person of significant wait would be able to pass through the queue. One would think that the views at the Summit would surpass those on the prior two levels, but the lower levels had an unobstructed view of the city, without the fence. Even with the light sprinkles, the trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower was memorable. When I went to the Eiffel Tower in 2008, my camera LCD broke in Prague, and Scott-E’s battery died. I am looking forward to the photos that Papa took as the official photographer of our vacation overseas. Upon exiting the lift, on the ground floor, we were warmly greeted by 15+ street vendors hounding us to purchase a variety of souvenirs. Daniel eventually gave in and picked up a few souvenirs key chains, with the normal price change upon selection.
A trip to the Eiffel Tower would not be the same without children screaming (like those sitting behind my row on the flight to Rome as I type this). The streets around the Champs de Mars are of urine, with many persons utilizing the trees as urinals within 10 feet from where we sat.
Our return back was greeted by a text from Marsha, that she was awake, dressed and ready to eat. A quick freshening up, and off to grab dinner at the Cafe across the street from the InterContinental. Our waiter was similar to the character in Ratatouilie, including the blowing of air to keep his hair out of his eyes. His English was understandable, and made it very clear to Daniel, Ladies FIRST when ordering, even if he was asking a question for her in french. The steak was not available, but then was available.
A final evening in Paris would not be complete without a visit to the Carnival for another crepe. Yearning for variety, we visited a different vendor, who seemed amazed at our request for chocolate and peanut better (Skippy!). She insisted that we did not want chocolate and peanut butter. The vendors in the carnival offered up Michael Jackson dolls as prizes, they were a bit scary.
Returning to the room at 23:50 revealed a pleasant surprise, we could see 1/3 of the Eiffel Tower from our view, and it remained lit until 01:00, when the beacon, and lights went dark after one final sparkle on the hour. It was a fond way to say Au Revoirs to the city of lights.
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