About 6 pm we headed out to dinner. There was a neat looking restaurant I'd turned up during my research, called Pod Verba. It seemed to be pretty close to our apartment. You go out to the street, go right, then turn down the next street a few blocks.
We went out the apartment, and went right. The first street seemed like an alley, so we went to the next one which was a major street. After a block or two, we saw shops and restaurants and thought we must have arrived. But no Pod Vrba. We kept walking. Another few blocks, and then we saw a man walking down the sidewalk and he turned into a yard as we came up.
We asked for directions and he said to go to the semaphore and turn left, and it was about 500m down. We started down and then heard footsteps behind us. It was the man. He said "Sorry, I was wrong, turn right at the semaphore." They are very friendly here.
Now the problem became, was a semaphore a stoplight or a stop sign? We assumed it was the stoplight. So we went by the stop sign and all the way to the light, and turned right. The main road seemed to have a huge wall on the right side of the street that went for more than 500 m. So when a smaller road forked off, we took it.
The smaller road took us through a subdivision, so we turned left and got back on the bigger road. And walked. And then we saw a little old lady coming up, carrying what looked like a small milk pail. I asked if she knew where Pod Vrba was. It took her a minute to understand, because of my accent. She said I should learn Slovenian. But then she said she was going by there and we could walk with her.
So we followed the little old lady. She went around the block, and then I think we got back on the main road again, because we passed the milk machine. We went down to the end of the block, and turned on a smaller road, which wound through the subdivision, and kept walking and walking. And finally there it was! We thanked her profusely and went to the patio to find a table. We sat down and realized we were staring at the backside of the complex where our apartment building is located. It only took 45 minutes to get there! Doh!
Dinner was soooo worth it. This was one of the places that I had looked at the menu online and used their English descriptions to translate words for my word list. (Yes, I have an Excel spreadsheet of Slovenian:English words that I made up from menus. I can't help being a geek.)
I had Veal Medallions in a Cabernet Sauce with Herbs and Homemade Gnocchi. Frank had Pork Fillet with Prunes and Grilled Polenta. (See the Menu.) Mine was 11.50 Euros, his was 10.90 Euros.
The food was amazing! My veal was more like 3 cutlets of beef, with an amazing gravy and gnocchi. Frank's fillets were round medallions of pork, about 1-1/2 to 2" tall, stuffed with prunes. There were 3 of those and 3 polenta "loafs." I couldn't finish my food. I was stuffed. Frank had room for the Sour Cherry Strudel, which I took a few bites of. It was good, but too sour for me.
After that, it was only a few hundred feet to our door, through the back of the apartment complex.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Day 4: Our first outing
Well, we woke up early and breakfast was a peach. Literally. We had our peach and some strawberries, then I ate a few leftover chicken corn flake strips from yesterday. We puttered around until a little after 7 am then headed off.
Nothing was open. Even the coffee shops were still setting up. We kept walking down by the river, and even the market was still setting up. But the stuff already up was amazing! The produce was beautiful and the smells were fabulous! There was also a clothing section to the market, and later in the day, food trucks.
Next to the river, by the market, were a series of shops with a covered walkway. We stopped and Frank got one of the specials: coffee and a marmalade croissant for 1.80 Euros.
By the way, coffee here is more like Italy. They ask if you want espresso, machiato, etc. And it's 1 Euro, which is just over a buck right now. So if you love coffee, this is the place to be!
We got our Ljubljana Cards from the visitor center - these give us access to a bunch of museums, the castle & funicular, a boat ride, and other stuff, for a discounted price (that we already paid). Oh yeah, free bus rides too.
The funicular didn't open until 9 am and I needed a restroom and a drink, so we went for those. There are public restrooms near just about every bridge. They are a little odd though, at least the one I used.
The ladies' was on one side of the bridge, and the men's on the opposite side - not the opposite side of the water, just across the near side of the bridge. But they met up under the bridge. Well, there was a glassed in office under the bridge. You walk down the stairs and see the office in front of you. To the right is the stone wall of the bridge, to the left is the ladies' room. In the ladies' room, there are windows looking out over the water. And to the right there's a glass door leading into the office. And if you look through the office, there's a glass door leading into the men's room. And there's a sign saying "Videotaped for your protection." Well, I'm assuming that's what the big picture of the video camera meant, and the actual camera in the sink area. Luckily, the stalls had very tall doors on them that went almost all the way to the floor. A bit weird though.
Afterwards, we stopped at a different coffee shop and I got a Limonada. It sounded good and was about a buck. It's lemon juice, diluted with water, and I don't think there was any sugar in it. It wasn't bad, just stronger than I'm used to.
Finally, it was time for the funicular. Thus begins the saga of the stairs! The funicular ride wasn't that long, but I enjoyed it. I took some pictures of the city. The funicular comes in at the bottom of the castle. Then you have to walk up about 3 different flights of stairs to get to the main level. From there, we went to the history section, which was included in our Cards.
The history section was small, but nice. They had videos explaining the different eras and artifacts from each. There were some computer games for kids and Lauren to play. And there was extra information at each display. And the regular displays were in Slovenian and English. We had to walk down for the first section of history. Then back up for the next. Then go up another flight of stairs to the room above the room we were originally in. Then go up another flight and we were near the theater. Then we saw the directions to the Viewing Tower.
We went up 2-3 flights of spiral stairs, and stopped at an area where you could leave the stairs and look out the windows. I could hear kids screaming above us, so I didn't want to move too fast. Then we went up another 2-3 flights and stopped at more windows. The kids were going down the stairs now - on a different staircase! There were 2 spiral staircases - one for going up, and one for going down. It looked like this was a class field trip.
We finally went up the last few flights and came out on top of the tower. The view was amazing! There's no ropes or glass or anything, you're just on top of a tower with crenelations, but there was very little space between them, so you couldn't get through them. There was a couple our age taking pictures and they asked us to take one of them. Then they took one of us. Then we heard more kids screaming up the stairs so we headed down.
Down is much easier than up. But then the theater was closed, so we went down some more stairs, several times, and into an art gallery we had seen from our arrival on the funicular but couldn't figure out how to get too. The art gallery had a little hallway gallery leading out to another large room where I think they held events or something. We kept looking around and finally found a door out. Then it was back down another flight to the chapel, because a tour group was heading towards us.
The chapel was really pretty! And there was a guy there doing calligraphy names for tips. So I got mine down in Gothic something-or-other. Then it was out another door and up another damn flight of stairs.
We both wanted a rest by now - it had been about 2 hours, so we headed towards the cafe. I got a water and Frank got a cocoa. The cocoa was really good. It was in a huge cup, with cream on top. It was rich and not overly sweet, but not bitter. I got the Prekmurska Gibanica (sp?) which is the national cake. It was humongous! I mean, it was square, about 3" on a side, and almost that tall. I split it with Frank and we couldn't finish it. I felt sad leaving some on the plate. It was really good! I'm not sure exactly what's in it, but it's about 6 layers of stuff, including an apple strudely layer, a poppy seedish layer, and some kind of cream or dessert cheese. I've got pics.
After our revival, we went up to the front wall of the castle - 2 flights of spiral stairs. Then down again. Then I needed the restroom which was all the down by the damn funicular. Three flights down, then 3 up, then the shops.
The gift shop was not that great. The crafts shop was really cool! We got Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts and saw some other stuff, but couldn't figure out how to get it back to the US without breaking it.
There are walking paths up to the castle, so we decided to take one down. I was intrigued by a sign, which showed a walking trail and what looked like a bulls-eye. So we took that one. Which turned out to be a switchback trail down the side of the steep hill. Parts of it were gravelled and I was in my sandals. Fun.
We finally made it down and then headed back to the old town for lunch. We weren't really hungry, so we stopped at a bar/cafe and got paninis. A tour group had bought out most of them, so we ended up with prosciutto and ementaler and a ground beef and cheddar one. They were cheesy, but only 2.50 Euros. Frank had a Dark Union beer - Union is one of the Slovenian beers. It wasn't bad either. The Slovenian beers seem smoother.
After that it was walking and looking around at stuff. There was an exhibit of wood at the Town Hall. There were chairs, benches, forks, computer mice, pears, etc. all made out of wood.
We stopped by the modern art exhibit at the City Art Gallery, which was up another flight of stairs. We went through the first section but skipped the next part, which was up another flight. I just can't get into a lot of modern art.
We kept wandering down the street, in the general vicinity of home, and then I took a nap and Frank read.
Nothing was open. Even the coffee shops were still setting up. We kept walking down by the river, and even the market was still setting up. But the stuff already up was amazing! The produce was beautiful and the smells were fabulous! There was also a clothing section to the market, and later in the day, food trucks.
Next to the river, by the market, were a series of shops with a covered walkway. We stopped and Frank got one of the specials: coffee and a marmalade croissant for 1.80 Euros.
By the way, coffee here is more like Italy. They ask if you want espresso, machiato, etc. And it's 1 Euro, which is just over a buck right now. So if you love coffee, this is the place to be!
We got our Ljubljana Cards from the visitor center - these give us access to a bunch of museums, the castle & funicular, a boat ride, and other stuff, for a discounted price (that we already paid). Oh yeah, free bus rides too.
The funicular didn't open until 9 am and I needed a restroom and a drink, so we went for those. There are public restrooms near just about every bridge. They are a little odd though, at least the one I used.
The ladies' was on one side of the bridge, and the men's on the opposite side - not the opposite side of the water, just across the near side of the bridge. But they met up under the bridge. Well, there was a glassed in office under the bridge. You walk down the stairs and see the office in front of you. To the right is the stone wall of the bridge, to the left is the ladies' room. In the ladies' room, there are windows looking out over the water. And to the right there's a glass door leading into the office. And if you look through the office, there's a glass door leading into the men's room. And there's a sign saying "Videotaped for your protection." Well, I'm assuming that's what the big picture of the video camera meant, and the actual camera in the sink area. Luckily, the stalls had very tall doors on them that went almost all the way to the floor. A bit weird though.
Afterwards, we stopped at a different coffee shop and I got a Limonada. It sounded good and was about a buck. It's lemon juice, diluted with water, and I don't think there was any sugar in it. It wasn't bad, just stronger than I'm used to.
Finally, it was time for the funicular. Thus begins the saga of the stairs! The funicular ride wasn't that long, but I enjoyed it. I took some pictures of the city. The funicular comes in at the bottom of the castle. Then you have to walk up about 3 different flights of stairs to get to the main level. From there, we went to the history section, which was included in our Cards.
The history section was small, but nice. They had videos explaining the different eras and artifacts from each. There were some computer games for kids and Lauren to play. And there was extra information at each display. And the regular displays were in Slovenian and English. We had to walk down for the first section of history. Then back up for the next. Then go up another flight of stairs to the room above the room we were originally in. Then go up another flight and we were near the theater. Then we saw the directions to the Viewing Tower.
We went up 2-3 flights of spiral stairs, and stopped at an area where you could leave the stairs and look out the windows. I could hear kids screaming above us, so I didn't want to move too fast. Then we went up another 2-3 flights and stopped at more windows. The kids were going down the stairs now - on a different staircase! There were 2 spiral staircases - one for going up, and one for going down. It looked like this was a class field trip.
We finally went up the last few flights and came out on top of the tower. The view was amazing! There's no ropes or glass or anything, you're just on top of a tower with crenelations, but there was very little space between them, so you couldn't get through them. There was a couple our age taking pictures and they asked us to take one of them. Then they took one of us. Then we heard more kids screaming up the stairs so we headed down.
Down is much easier than up. But then the theater was closed, so we went down some more stairs, several times, and into an art gallery we had seen from our arrival on the funicular but couldn't figure out how to get too. The art gallery had a little hallway gallery leading out to another large room where I think they held events or something. We kept looking around and finally found a door out. Then it was back down another flight to the chapel, because a tour group was heading towards us.
The chapel was really pretty! And there was a guy there doing calligraphy names for tips. So I got mine down in Gothic something-or-other. Then it was out another door and up another damn flight of stairs.
We both wanted a rest by now - it had been about 2 hours, so we headed towards the cafe. I got a water and Frank got a cocoa. The cocoa was really good. It was in a huge cup, with cream on top. It was rich and not overly sweet, but not bitter. I got the Prekmurska Gibanica (sp?) which is the national cake. It was humongous! I mean, it was square, about 3" on a side, and almost that tall. I split it with Frank and we couldn't finish it. I felt sad leaving some on the plate. It was really good! I'm not sure exactly what's in it, but it's about 6 layers of stuff, including an apple strudely layer, a poppy seedish layer, and some kind of cream or dessert cheese. I've got pics.
After our revival, we went up to the front wall of the castle - 2 flights of spiral stairs. Then down again. Then I needed the restroom which was all the down by the damn funicular. Three flights down, then 3 up, then the shops.
The gift shop was not that great. The crafts shop was really cool! We got Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts and saw some other stuff, but couldn't figure out how to get it back to the US without breaking it.
There are walking paths up to the castle, so we decided to take one down. I was intrigued by a sign, which showed a walking trail and what looked like a bulls-eye. So we took that one. Which turned out to be a switchback trail down the side of the steep hill. Parts of it were gravelled and I was in my sandals. Fun.
We finally made it down and then headed back to the old town for lunch. We weren't really hungry, so we stopped at a bar/cafe and got paninis. A tour group had bought out most of them, so we ended up with prosciutto and ementaler and a ground beef and cheddar one. They were cheesy, but only 2.50 Euros. Frank had a Dark Union beer - Union is one of the Slovenian beers. It wasn't bad either. The Slovenian beers seem smoother.
After that it was walking and looking around at stuff. There was an exhibit of wood at the Town Hall. There were chairs, benches, forks, computer mice, pears, etc. all made out of wood.
We stopped by the modern art exhibit at the City Art Gallery, which was up another flight of stairs. We went through the first section but skipped the next part, which was up another flight. I just can't get into a lot of modern art.
We kept wandering down the street, in the general vicinity of home, and then I took a nap and Frank read.
Day 3: Slovenia - Slovely!
Part II
We made it! We gathered our bags, walked through a small door into the Arrivals area, and then walked outside. We're renting an AirBnB apartment and I had just finished reading the description of the vehicle picking us up, when it arrived. Perfect timing!
Stasa drove us to the apartment and showed us the bikes downstairs and where everything was. Then we collapsed. But only for a few minutes. I really wanted to get some shopping out of the way so we could relax and I could shower and not change into dirty clothes.
Right down the lane is a little supermarket so we stopped in and got a few things. And a few nibbles. They have these things here called burek, which are kind of a filo or croissant style dough with a filling. We got cheese, spinach, and potato burek!
The cheese one was not bad. I don't like much cheese, but this one was mild and inoffensive. The spinach burek was spinach and cheese, in a spiral shape, and it was really good. The potato burek - oh my. It was in more of a croissant-style dough and it was amazing! I've got pics I'll try to upload later. I'm really too tired for much right now.
On our way home, we were accosted by the fruit man. We had passed his fruit stall on the way to the market, but on the way home stopped to look. He gave us each a strawberry, and that was all it took. We had to buy some! If you shop at Allen's, you know how good the strawberries from Pea Ridge are, especially compared to Walmart. These were at least on par with Pea Ridge, but a slightly different variety.
After the strawberry, he gave us a slice of pear. Wow. Frank doesn't like pears, but he agreed that we should buy one of those too. We also got a peach. And a free slice of cantaloupe. What appears to be actual cantaloupe, not what we call cantaloupe in America. We didn't get one of those, mainly because we weren't sure what kind of utensils and knives were in the apartment. But I think we'll get one tomorrow.
After our jaunt, I took a nap and a wonderful hot shower. Finally - clean clothes! We sliced up the pear and ate it, then headed off to look for dinner.
We mainly wandered around until we finally found a restaurant that wasn't a coffee shop or pizzeria. Although we did pass a Thai place too. Maybe tomorrow.
The restaurant is called Eksperiment. We were the first ones in there. Everyone else seemed to be getting off of work and having a coffee or beer.
For starters we got Chicken Taquitos with Guacamole, which were good. I got the Sticky Fingers - strips of chicken rolled in corn flakes, fried; Frank got the Chicken Schnitzel. And we both got fried potatoes with it.
Overall, it was good. The potatoes came out in this huge bowl! I'll post pics later. But I couldn't finish it. Frank had a pint of the house draft. It was pretty good. I took a sip and it was smooth, without the funky aftertaste I associate with beer.
Afterwards, we went home and unpacked and read and went to bed. Which is why we woke up at 5:30 the next morning.
We made it! We gathered our bags, walked through a small door into the Arrivals area, and then walked outside. We're renting an AirBnB apartment and I had just finished reading the description of the vehicle picking us up, when it arrived. Perfect timing!
Stasa drove us to the apartment and showed us the bikes downstairs and where everything was. Then we collapsed. But only for a few minutes. I really wanted to get some shopping out of the way so we could relax and I could shower and not change into dirty clothes.
Right down the lane is a little supermarket so we stopped in and got a few things. And a few nibbles. They have these things here called burek, which are kind of a filo or croissant style dough with a filling. We got cheese, spinach, and potato burek!
The cheese one was not bad. I don't like much cheese, but this one was mild and inoffensive. The spinach burek was spinach and cheese, in a spiral shape, and it was really good. The potato burek - oh my. It was in more of a croissant-style dough and it was amazing! I've got pics I'll try to upload later. I'm really too tired for much right now.
On our way home, we were accosted by the fruit man. We had passed his fruit stall on the way to the market, but on the way home stopped to look. He gave us each a strawberry, and that was all it took. We had to buy some! If you shop at Allen's, you know how good the strawberries from Pea Ridge are, especially compared to Walmart. These were at least on par with Pea Ridge, but a slightly different variety.
After the strawberry, he gave us a slice of pear. Wow. Frank doesn't like pears, but he agreed that we should buy one of those too. We also got a peach. And a free slice of cantaloupe. What appears to be actual cantaloupe, not what we call cantaloupe in America. We didn't get one of those, mainly because we weren't sure what kind of utensils and knives were in the apartment. But I think we'll get one tomorrow.
After our jaunt, I took a nap and a wonderful hot shower. Finally - clean clothes! We sliced up the pear and ate it, then headed off to look for dinner.
We mainly wandered around until we finally found a restaurant that wasn't a coffee shop or pizzeria. Although we did pass a Thai place too. Maybe tomorrow.
The restaurant is called Eksperiment. We were the first ones in there. Everyone else seemed to be getting off of work and having a coffee or beer.
For starters we got Chicken Taquitos with Guacamole, which were good. I got the Sticky Fingers - strips of chicken rolled in corn flakes, fried; Frank got the Chicken Schnitzel. And we both got fried potatoes with it.
Overall, it was good. The potatoes came out in this huge bowl! I'll post pics later. But I couldn't finish it. Frank had a pint of the house draft. It was pretty good. I took a sip and it was smooth, without the funky aftertaste I associate with beer.
Afterwards, we went home and unpacked and read and went to bed. Which is why we woke up at 5:30 the next morning.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Day 3: Air France Doesn't Suck!
And the saga to Slovenia continues...
Okay, today wasn't too bad. We woke up early for breakfast at 6am. As I was checking out, the guy said he needed my card for my room upgrade. We were like what? We paid yesterday. Which we did. Eventually we got through to him and he printed us a receipt. As we were leaving I told him the AC wasn't working properly and we had called yesterday about it. They had said they would send a technician to check it. The guy said, We know it doesn't work. But the AC technician couldn't get here for a few days. I will definitely be putting that on Expedia!
So our original flight to Ljubljana said Adria Air, an Air France affiliate (so is Delta). I looked it up on the computer and it leaves from Terminal 1. Our shuttle bus doesn't go to Terminal 1. So we take our bus back to where we started from yesterday at Terminal 2. Right as we get off, another bus pulls up and it says Terminal 1. Huzzah! So we board that and check with the driver.
Now we're on our way. We pull into Roissypole and the driver tells us this is for Terminal 1. Turns out, we have to catch the train here to Terminal 1. Thank goodness for nice drivers! We catch the train and enter Terminal 1. I don't see our flight on the Departures board, so I ask at information. Turns out, our flights is actually an Air France flight, leaving from Terminal 2. And the Adria flight LEAVES AT NIGHT. Remember way back when, when Delta told me there was only 1 flight a day to Ljubljana? Which didn't quite make sense as I remembered seeing more than 1 when I booked our flight. But I was tired.
So, now we catch the train back to Terminal 2, looking for 2G. We arrive and see a sign for F & G. We take a bunch of moving walkways to F, and then outside F is another bus that goes to G. Thank goodness. Because you can't walk there. It's in the boonies of Chareles De Gaulle Airport. It's an older building and it's very small.
We got in a very short line and got our boarding passes and told them my luggage was there somewhere. Then it was through security. They were training a lady, so I had to pull my Kindle out of my purse and get them rescanned. Then we went upstairs to a giant seating area. There were several shops, and I mean shops like luggage and purses, and wine. As well as snacks and a bar. There was a sealed off smoking area and an area for reading with some walls around to block out the sound.
Basically, you sat here until 20 minutes before your flight, and a gate number would show up on the Departures screen and it would say Boarding. Then you walked down to the end and through a door, leading outside. There were 2 long, long skyways leading different directions. At the end of ours was a large room, like a warehouse with stairways leading down to the gates. You check through there and go outside and them clambor aboard the plane. Easy peasy.
The flight was great! Frank noticed that the planes we could see from the windows looked much newer than what we're used to flying on in America. This one wasn't as noisy, and the seats seemed a bit bigger. We could both lean back in our seat without one of us getting their shoulder smushed.
We got drinks and 2 cookies and mini-rosemary breadsticks for snacks. But it's Air France, not Delta. The flight was fast and I could see the Alps below us. As we got to Slovenia, I could see Lake Bled, with its island. I took pics so hopefully they came out.
We got in a few minutes early, walked down the stairs to our plane, and there was a bus to take us to the terminal. Inside were 2 baggage claims. We waited, and waited some more. And finally, a purple bag arose from the bowels of the airport and made its grand way around the carousel! Frank let me do the honors of pulling it off in triumph. We made it to Slovenia!
Part II later...
Okay, today wasn't too bad. We woke up early for breakfast at 6am. As I was checking out, the guy said he needed my card for my room upgrade. We were like what? We paid yesterday. Which we did. Eventually we got through to him and he printed us a receipt. As we were leaving I told him the AC wasn't working properly and we had called yesterday about it. They had said they would send a technician to check it. The guy said, We know it doesn't work. But the AC technician couldn't get here for a few days. I will definitely be putting that on Expedia!
So our original flight to Ljubljana said Adria Air, an Air France affiliate (so is Delta). I looked it up on the computer and it leaves from Terminal 1. Our shuttle bus doesn't go to Terminal 1. So we take our bus back to where we started from yesterday at Terminal 2. Right as we get off, another bus pulls up and it says Terminal 1. Huzzah! So we board that and check with the driver.
Now we're on our way. We pull into Roissypole and the driver tells us this is for Terminal 1. Turns out, we have to catch the train here to Terminal 1. Thank goodness for nice drivers! We catch the train and enter Terminal 1. I don't see our flight on the Departures board, so I ask at information. Turns out, our flights is actually an Air France flight, leaving from Terminal 2. And the Adria flight LEAVES AT NIGHT. Remember way back when, when Delta told me there was only 1 flight a day to Ljubljana? Which didn't quite make sense as I remembered seeing more than 1 when I booked our flight. But I was tired.
So, now we catch the train back to Terminal 2, looking for 2G. We arrive and see a sign for F & G. We take a bunch of moving walkways to F, and then outside F is another bus that goes to G. Thank goodness. Because you can't walk there. It's in the boonies of Chareles De Gaulle Airport. It's an older building and it's very small.
We got in a very short line and got our boarding passes and told them my luggage was there somewhere. Then it was through security. They were training a lady, so I had to pull my Kindle out of my purse and get them rescanned. Then we went upstairs to a giant seating area. There were several shops, and I mean shops like luggage and purses, and wine. As well as snacks and a bar. There was a sealed off smoking area and an area for reading with some walls around to block out the sound.
Basically, you sat here until 20 minutes before your flight, and a gate number would show up on the Departures screen and it would say Boarding. Then you walked down to the end and through a door, leading outside. There were 2 long, long skyways leading different directions. At the end of ours was a large room, like a warehouse with stairways leading down to the gates. You check through there and go outside and them clambor aboard the plane. Easy peasy.
The flight was great! Frank noticed that the planes we could see from the windows looked much newer than what we're used to flying on in America. This one wasn't as noisy, and the seats seemed a bit bigger. We could both lean back in our seat without one of us getting their shoulder smushed.
We got drinks and 2 cookies and mini-rosemary breadsticks for snacks. But it's Air France, not Delta. The flight was fast and I could see the Alps below us. As we got to Slovenia, I could see Lake Bled, with its island. I took pics so hopefully they came out.
We got in a few minutes early, walked down the stairs to our plane, and there was a bus to take us to the terminal. Inside were 2 baggage claims. We waited, and waited some more. And finally, a purple bag arose from the bowels of the airport and made its grand way around the carousel! Frank let me do the honors of pulling it off in triumph. We made it to Slovenia!
Part II later...
Monday, May 11, 2015
Day 2: Delta Still Sucks
So, we sit around and finally our plane starts boarding. It started out fairly well. A young couple came up behind us and asked us what zone was boarding. We told them and then the guy asked where we were going. I told him and he said "Slovenia! I love Slovenia!" He started giving me tips and pointers from their trip there last year, and I knew most of the places he was talking about. Meanwhile, Frank and the girlfriend are giving each other glances, like "I'm traveling with a crazy, obsessive person." We talked all the way up to the airplane and then exchanged cards.
The seats were okay. I had a window, and Frank had the aisle, on the row in front of me, so the nice lady next to me agreed to switch seats with him. Then we got comfy and started watching movies.
I was in the middle of my first movie when the food was brought around. "What was it?" you ask. "Was it a choice of Chicken fricassee with cream sauce, mashed potatoes, and carrots or Penne pasta with salmon and creamed leeks? With sides of Quinoa salad with corn and black beans, Cheese wedge (Brie), Fruit compote, Coconut cake, Bread, and a small water?" Or perhaps it was "Chicken with lemon sauce, bulgur wheat, and vegetables OR Florentine 4-cheese tortellini, goat cheese, and tomato. With sides of tomatoes and zucchini, Camembert cheese, cherry tomatoes, bread, and chocolate mousse?" Like on my last transatlantic flights? No, it wasn't that, because I'm flying fucking Delta and they Suck.
We had a choice of beef, pasta, or shrimp salad. I took the beef, because I needed protein, and I've seen the movie Airplane too many times. Frank took the shrimp salad. My beef was basically small, sometimes tenderized, pieces of stew meat with maybe turnips or parsnips or both. It wasn't potatoes. There was an iceberg salad with 3 cucumbers and ranch dressing - blech! A piece of bread that was okay, but nothing special. And butter and some crackers.
The shrimp salad looked better. It was 4 shrimp on a salad, with a tiny bottle of olive oil vinaigrette. The same bread and butter, but a "side salad" of kiwi, grapes, etc. Cheese, and a brownie. My lovely husband took pity on me and gave me the brownie! It wasn't bad.
After that, I started watching another movie, but only made it through about 30 minutes before I had to pause it and I passed out. I was wiped.
I woke up about 90 minutes from Paris. They decided to bring us breakfast. Because on the east coast, it was about breakfast time. Never mind that it was lunch time in Europe. The foreign airlines always serve food for the time zone you're going to. But I guess Delta can't do that because 'Murica!
Breakfast was a disappointment as well. It was a tiny, hot croissant, shmushed, with a tiny omelet inside it. It didn't taste bad, but it was maybe 2" in diameter. There was a pack of tiny "bruschetta" pieces and some kind of cheese spread, an orange juice, and a granola bar. Oh, and a mint.
They came around with drinks after that, so I got tea. It was so bitter and nasty I had to add 2 packs of sugar to it, to make it drinkable, and I still couldn't finish it. It is not that hard to make tea, people! The Brit do it several times a day!
By now, Frank has gotten a small migraine. So after we land, we wait for almost everyone to get off and then make our way through customs and to the baggage claim. Where we wait. And wait. Until the belt stops. No bag. So we go to the Baggage Desk. The Delta guy in Atlanta had told me that he was sending my bag to Paris, and I could collect it there and then re-check it the next day for the flight to Slovenia. Apparently, that wasn't what happened. My bag made it to Paris, and since I had a continuing flight, it was put in the transit section to get put on my plane tomorrow. So, no shower and new clothes for me!
We're walking to the hotel shuttles and stop for a restroom break. This next section may be too gross for some people. I've been PMSy, so I was expecting to start my period soon. Apparently, I started it before the plane landed, and bled through my underwear and onto my khaki pants. So now I'm stuck in Paris with bloody pants and sweaty clothes. Luckily I carry a change of underwear with me on flights. I know this technically isn't Delta's fault, but the lack of clothing is, so I'm blaming them. Fuck you Delta! I hope I bled on your seat.
We finally get outside and wait on the shuttle bus. That only took about 15 minutes. Another 15 and we're at our hotel. Everything goes great, we get up to our room, and it's hot as hell. I guess the ACs are off until you check into your room. So we've had the AC on for over and hour and it's just starting to cool off. I went to the pub and grabbed a sandwich, which was really good! And I paid 4 euros for a freaking coke, but I wanted something sweet and cold.
Frank is napping and I'm typing, then I'm going to try and clean my clothes off and let them dry before we leave in the morning. Wish me luck!
Oh yeah, one more thing. Delta sucks!!!
#DeltaSucks
The seats were okay. I had a window, and Frank had the aisle, on the row in front of me, so the nice lady next to me agreed to switch seats with him. Then we got comfy and started watching movies.
I was in the middle of my first movie when the food was brought around. "What was it?" you ask. "Was it a choice of Chicken fricassee with cream sauce, mashed potatoes, and carrots or Penne pasta with salmon and creamed leeks? With sides of Quinoa salad with corn and black beans, Cheese wedge (Brie), Fruit compote, Coconut cake, Bread, and a small water?" Or perhaps it was "Chicken with lemon sauce, bulgur wheat, and vegetables OR Florentine 4-cheese tortellini, goat cheese, and tomato. With sides of tomatoes and zucchini, Camembert cheese, cherry tomatoes, bread, and chocolate mousse?" Like on my last transatlantic flights? No, it wasn't that, because I'm flying fucking Delta and they Suck.
We had a choice of beef, pasta, or shrimp salad. I took the beef, because I needed protein, and I've seen the movie Airplane too many times. Frank took the shrimp salad. My beef was basically small, sometimes tenderized, pieces of stew meat with maybe turnips or parsnips or both. It wasn't potatoes. There was an iceberg salad with 3 cucumbers and ranch dressing - blech! A piece of bread that was okay, but nothing special. And butter and some crackers.
The shrimp salad looked better. It was 4 shrimp on a salad, with a tiny bottle of olive oil vinaigrette. The same bread and butter, but a "side salad" of kiwi, grapes, etc. Cheese, and a brownie. My lovely husband took pity on me and gave me the brownie! It wasn't bad.
After that, I started watching another movie, but only made it through about 30 minutes before I had to pause it and I passed out. I was wiped.
I woke up about 90 minutes from Paris. They decided to bring us breakfast. Because on the east coast, it was about breakfast time. Never mind that it was lunch time in Europe. The foreign airlines always serve food for the time zone you're going to. But I guess Delta can't do that because 'Murica!
Breakfast was a disappointment as well. It was a tiny, hot croissant, shmushed, with a tiny omelet inside it. It didn't taste bad, but it was maybe 2" in diameter. There was a pack of tiny "bruschetta" pieces and some kind of cheese spread, an orange juice, and a granola bar. Oh, and a mint.
They came around with drinks after that, so I got tea. It was so bitter and nasty I had to add 2 packs of sugar to it, to make it drinkable, and I still couldn't finish it. It is not that hard to make tea, people! The Brit do it several times a day!
By now, Frank has gotten a small migraine. So after we land, we wait for almost everyone to get off and then make our way through customs and to the baggage claim. Where we wait. And wait. Until the belt stops. No bag. So we go to the Baggage Desk. The Delta guy in Atlanta had told me that he was sending my bag to Paris, and I could collect it there and then re-check it the next day for the flight to Slovenia. Apparently, that wasn't what happened. My bag made it to Paris, and since I had a continuing flight, it was put in the transit section to get put on my plane tomorrow. So, no shower and new clothes for me!
We're walking to the hotel shuttles and stop for a restroom break. This next section may be too gross for some people. I've been PMSy, so I was expecting to start my period soon. Apparently, I started it before the plane landed, and bled through my underwear and onto my khaki pants. So now I'm stuck in Paris with bloody pants and sweaty clothes. Luckily I carry a change of underwear with me on flights. I know this technically isn't Delta's fault, but the lack of clothing is, so I'm blaming them. Fuck you Delta! I hope I bled on your seat.
We finally get outside and wait on the shuttle bus. That only took about 15 minutes. Another 15 and we're at our hotel. Everything goes great, we get up to our room, and it's hot as hell. I guess the ACs are off until you check into your room. So we've had the AC on for over and hour and it's just starting to cool off. I went to the pub and grabbed a sandwich, which was really good! And I paid 4 euros for a freaking coke, but I wanted something sweet and cold.
Frank is napping and I'm typing, then I'm going to try and clean my clothes off and let them dry before we leave in the morning. Wish me luck!
Oh yeah, one more thing. Delta sucks!!!
#DeltaSucks
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Day 1: Delta Sucks
The day started off inauspiciously enough. We were packed ahead of time. I did some last minute vacuuming to get rid of the gigantic piles of dog hair that perpetually live at our house. I even got a nice drive to the airport from my friend Eunice, of the Village Chauffeur. Then it went wrong.
We got to the airport around 10:45 am. There was no line for Delta, so we went right up and got our boarding passes and made it through security relatively quickly. I was reading the current book for my book club, when the guy behind me got a text and said "The flight's delayed."
A few minutes later the gate person announced that because of the storm we had just had (which was bad but brief, maybe 15 minutes) the pilot had gotten low on fuel and had to divert to Memphis. Say what? It was an hour away. She said he should be back in about an hour.
Well, one hour turned into 2 hours. Which was our exact layover time in Atlanta. I talked to the gate agent and she said if we missed the connection, the next flight we could get on was at 5:45 pm, the next day. Joy.
We waited. The damn plane finally made it back and everyone got off. Including the 1 flight attendant who had to use the bathroom. So we spent several minutes waiting for her to finish and get back so we could board.
We finally take off. The flight was uneventful. The flight attendant was nice. We told her the situation, and several other people were in the same boat, so when we landed at 5:30, she asked people to remain seated so we could get off the plane first.
Thus commenced almost 10 minutes of waiting for the gate agent to get in the fucking jetway and attach it to the plane. The flight attendant said the plane-checked bags were already out, so we should be okay. But we weren't. It took another 5 minutes for someone to open the pulldown door where the checked bags were supposed to be, and then actually unload the checked bags.
While Frank waited on his bag, I ran to the desk by the gate and asked about our next flight. The woman looked it up on her computer and said it was at gate F1 and it was running late and wouldn't depart until 6:10. Huzzah!
We grab our stuff and hustle down the concourse - of course we were at the very end. We catch the train to F, go up 2 escalators, and then have to hustle down to the end of that concourse. Which is when we see our plane about 50 feet away from the jetway, leaving. And it was at gate F3. I asked some airport guys there if that was our plane, could we get it back, and they were like "Duh? We're not Delta people." At this point, it was 5:50 pm.
I go down to F1 which now shows an Air France flight, and ask there. That flight was a different flight, and we were told to go to the red help desk. We went there, and after a long, long, long time, the guy helping us finally got our tickets changed from Air France, to a Delta flight leaving later this evening. So we'll get to Paris in the afternoon, then spend the night, because there's only 1 flight a day to Slovenia, and it's in the morning.
Fuck! If Delta wasn't incompetent, we would have made our flight, even being 2 hours late!
By this point, we were both red and completely drenched in sweat from our run. We walked back to the terminal to find some food, but it was either pricey, packed, or just looked icky. I checked a directory and we ended up going back to C to eat at the Atlanta Bread Company. I was getting a caffeine headache by then, and starving, since I hadn't really eaten since breakfast and it was now after 6pm.
After that, we headed back to F concourse. Only to discover that since we were flying an actual Delta jet, it was at E concourse. So we head there. I eventually got hooked up to Wifi and tweeted angrily @Delta for a while. Then I started looking for hotels near Charles De Gaulle airport.
About 8pm Frank needed some caffeine. There's a big food court and coffee shop at the front end of this concourse, so he went there. It was closed. There was a woman at the coffee shop and he said "Is there anywhere in this pesthole of an airport where I can get coffee?" She said "F concourse." Of course.
So he's on a quest for coffee while I blog and watch our bags. At least we'll be overnighting in Paris. Le sigh.
We got to the airport around 10:45 am. There was no line for Delta, so we went right up and got our boarding passes and made it through security relatively quickly. I was reading the current book for my book club, when the guy behind me got a text and said "The flight's delayed."
A few minutes later the gate person announced that because of the storm we had just had (which was bad but brief, maybe 15 minutes) the pilot had gotten low on fuel and had to divert to Memphis. Say what? It was an hour away. She said he should be back in about an hour.
Well, one hour turned into 2 hours. Which was our exact layover time in Atlanta. I talked to the gate agent and she said if we missed the connection, the next flight we could get on was at 5:45 pm, the next day. Joy.
We waited. The damn plane finally made it back and everyone got off. Including the 1 flight attendant who had to use the bathroom. So we spent several minutes waiting for her to finish and get back so we could board.
We finally take off. The flight was uneventful. The flight attendant was nice. We told her the situation, and several other people were in the same boat, so when we landed at 5:30, she asked people to remain seated so we could get off the plane first.
Thus commenced almost 10 minutes of waiting for the gate agent to get in the fucking jetway and attach it to the plane. The flight attendant said the plane-checked bags were already out, so we should be okay. But we weren't. It took another 5 minutes for someone to open the pulldown door where the checked bags were supposed to be, and then actually unload the checked bags.
While Frank waited on his bag, I ran to the desk by the gate and asked about our next flight. The woman looked it up on her computer and said it was at gate F1 and it was running late and wouldn't depart until 6:10. Huzzah!
We grab our stuff and hustle down the concourse - of course we were at the very end. We catch the train to F, go up 2 escalators, and then have to hustle down to the end of that concourse. Which is when we see our plane about 50 feet away from the jetway, leaving. And it was at gate F3. I asked some airport guys there if that was our plane, could we get it back, and they were like "Duh? We're not Delta people." At this point, it was 5:50 pm.
I go down to F1 which now shows an Air France flight, and ask there. That flight was a different flight, and we were told to go to the red help desk. We went there, and after a long, long, long time, the guy helping us finally got our tickets changed from Air France, to a Delta flight leaving later this evening. So we'll get to Paris in the afternoon, then spend the night, because there's only 1 flight a day to Slovenia, and it's in the morning.
Fuck! If Delta wasn't incompetent, we would have made our flight, even being 2 hours late!
By this point, we were both red and completely drenched in sweat from our run. We walked back to the terminal to find some food, but it was either pricey, packed, or just looked icky. I checked a directory and we ended up going back to C to eat at the Atlanta Bread Company. I was getting a caffeine headache by then, and starving, since I hadn't really eaten since breakfast and it was now after 6pm.
After that, we headed back to F concourse. Only to discover that since we were flying an actual Delta jet, it was at E concourse. So we head there. I eventually got hooked up to Wifi and tweeted angrily @Delta for a while. Then I started looking for hotels near Charles De Gaulle airport.
About 8pm Frank needed some caffeine. There's a big food court and coffee shop at the front end of this concourse, so he went there. It was closed. There was a woman at the coffee shop and he said "Is there anywhere in this pesthole of an airport where I can get coffee?" She said "F concourse." Of course.
So he's on a quest for coffee while I blog and watch our bags. At least we'll be overnighting in Paris. Le sigh.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Day 14: The Continuing Voyage
The flight home was pretty good, but I was completely jet-lagged and almost incoherent by the time I got back, so I tried to type a few notes to remind me about how things went. Here goes:
The plane ride went well. This time my seat was further up, in the section where there are 3 seats together. I was at the window, an Indian lady was in the middle, and an American lady was in the aisle. We lucked out, though. Apparently the Indian lady was traveling with her family, but they weren't able to get seats together. Just before takeoff, the seat next to her husband was empty, so she moved. So there was a free middle seat next to me. Hallelujah! I hate being crammed into those tiny seats.
Food was another awesome adventure. First they gave us drinks and mini-breadsticks in a bag (kind of like pretzels). Then they handed out the dinner menu. Seriously. There's a little folding card that shows the menu. Here's what they offered:
Main course was Chicken with lemon sauce, bulgur wheat, and vegetables OR Florentine 4-cheese tortellini, goat cheese, and tomato. The rest of the meal was tomatoes and zucchini, Camembert cheese, cherry tomatoes, bread, and chocolate mousse. And, of course, your choice of alcohol, gratis. The biggest excitement was when they ran out of chicken, right as they got to me. I have low blood sugar, so I need protein. And I'm not that fond of cheese. I think the flight attendant recognized the look of panic on my face, when I asked if the other side of the plane had chicken. She checked there and then up front, and finally found one.
After dinner, you had the choice of coffee or tea. Or brandy or cognac. I love foreign airlines! Later on they brought by ice cream bars. They looked kind of like mini-Magnum bars on a stick.
The final meal was another snack/supper. There was what appeared to be a square piece of pizza, folded over, like a hot pocket. It came with some good stuff, but I can't remember what that was. I want to say there was some kind of salady dish, like cucumbers. Or maybe some fruit.
I watched another 3 movies along the way: Saving Mr. Banks, The Millers, and something else. As we were landing, my row-mate struck up a conversation. Turns out she's a semi-retired history professor at a college in Georgia. So we had a good talk.
Once we arrived in Atlanta, mom and I set off for Chick-fil-a and then to her gate. I swear, that woman has the worst luck with gates! I usually have decent luck. My gates are generally in the middle of the terminal, and okay, sometimes they're right next to the gate I've just arrived at. Not mom. She has a bad knee. And literally every gate on her trip, was at the complete opposite end of the terminal. Which meant that once we were traveling together, every gate on my trip was at the complete opposite end of the terminal. And some of these terminals are freaking big! I was glad to leave, just so I could go back to my normal gate-luck!
I was feeling a big "laggy" by the time we got to Atlanta. I tried to sleep on the plane home, and mostly succeeded. I woke up just enough to get a drink and some cookies. By the time we landed, I really felt like crap. My brain was totally fuzzy. The plane landed around 6 pm and then I hiked up front to the baggage claim. This is a small airport, so there's only 2 baggage claims. And there was only 1 other plane that had landed about the same time we did. It took over 30 minutes before my plane's luggage started going around the claim. Luckily, my suitcase was one of the first, so I was outta there!
Thus concludes our story.
The plane ride went well. This time my seat was further up, in the section where there are 3 seats together. I was at the window, an Indian lady was in the middle, and an American lady was in the aisle. We lucked out, though. Apparently the Indian lady was traveling with her family, but they weren't able to get seats together. Just before takeoff, the seat next to her husband was empty, so she moved. So there was a free middle seat next to me. Hallelujah! I hate being crammed into those tiny seats.
Food was another awesome adventure. First they gave us drinks and mini-breadsticks in a bag (kind of like pretzels). Then they handed out the dinner menu. Seriously. There's a little folding card that shows the menu. Here's what they offered:
Main course was Chicken with lemon sauce, bulgur wheat, and vegetables OR Florentine 4-cheese tortellini, goat cheese, and tomato. The rest of the meal was tomatoes and zucchini, Camembert cheese, cherry tomatoes, bread, and chocolate mousse. And, of course, your choice of alcohol, gratis. The biggest excitement was when they ran out of chicken, right as they got to me. I have low blood sugar, so I need protein. And I'm not that fond of cheese. I think the flight attendant recognized the look of panic on my face, when I asked if the other side of the plane had chicken. She checked there and then up front, and finally found one.
After dinner, you had the choice of coffee or tea. Or brandy or cognac. I love foreign airlines! Later on they brought by ice cream bars. They looked kind of like mini-Magnum bars on a stick.
The final meal was another snack/supper. There was what appeared to be a square piece of pizza, folded over, like a hot pocket. It came with some good stuff, but I can't remember what that was. I want to say there was some kind of salady dish, like cucumbers. Or maybe some fruit.
I watched another 3 movies along the way: Saving Mr. Banks, The Millers, and something else. As we were landing, my row-mate struck up a conversation. Turns out she's a semi-retired history professor at a college in Georgia. So we had a good talk.
Once we arrived in Atlanta, mom and I set off for Chick-fil-a and then to her gate. I swear, that woman has the worst luck with gates! I usually have decent luck. My gates are generally in the middle of the terminal, and okay, sometimes they're right next to the gate I've just arrived at. Not mom. She has a bad knee. And literally every gate on her trip, was at the complete opposite end of the terminal. Which meant that once we were traveling together, every gate on my trip was at the complete opposite end of the terminal. And some of these terminals are freaking big! I was glad to leave, just so I could go back to my normal gate-luck!
I was feeling a big "laggy" by the time we got to Atlanta. I tried to sleep on the plane home, and mostly succeeded. I woke up just enough to get a drink and some cookies. By the time we landed, I really felt like crap. My brain was totally fuzzy. The plane landed around 6 pm and then I hiked up front to the baggage claim. This is a small airport, so there's only 2 baggage claims. And there was only 1 other plane that had landed about the same time we did. It took over 30 minutes before my plane's luggage started going around the claim. Luckily, my suitcase was one of the first, so I was outta there!
Thus concludes our story.
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