ramblings

Well, so much for blogging my trip. We are back now, and I am in the process of downloading the tons of pictures that we took! Until I am finished, though, I wanted to share one of the experiences that is still so very fresh in my mind. First, let me begin by sharing our itinerary:

Friday, 01August
Depart Rome 8:20 a.m.
arrive at Frankfurt Hahn 10:15 a.m.

Saturday, 02August
Depart Frankfurt 2:25 p.m.

So, the only reason we had to fly out of Frankfurt was that was the only city in Europe that had available frequent flyer seats. The mistake we made was giving ourselves over 24 hours in Frankfurt. By the time we got there, we really didn't want to spend any more money. We were ready to go home, and we missed the kids. We had already called American Airlines to try and change our flight to fly out of Frankfurt on Friday at 2:25 instead of Saturday. Not only did they say the flight was full, but that we also could not fly stand-by on an international flight. We did not lose hope. (My alternative was to sleep in the airport in Frankfurt. I was willing. Being willing to sleep in the airport is much different than actually sleeping in the airport. For example, before we went on our trip, Josh made me tell him I would be "willing" to sleep underneath the stars one night in Tuscany. You get my point.)

We arrived in Frankfurt safely, only to realize that we would need to take a one and a half hour shuttle bus to a different airport in Frankfurt. Okay. 24 more Euro. We made it to the airport, found the American Airlines people, and they happily placed us on the standby list to fly out of Frankfurt that very day. Yippee! Did I mention that the airport people in Germany are very sweet? So, we had plenty of time to go eat before heading to our gate. During this time, I am already becoming more positive about the whole sleeping in the airport thing. The Frankfurt International airport is very nice! I even saw reclining seats in the waiting area. We waited, waited, and waited at our gate. We watched us other presumably stand-by people boarded the plane, looking happy. Finally they called our names. "We absolutely cannot seat you together." We don't care. "We're gonna put you in business class if that's okay?" Um, sure! Let the giggles begin. I cannot express how thrilled we were to make this flight, and in business class, no less! Whatever happened to the lady on the phone that told me we could not fly stand-by on an international flight?

Anyway, for those of you who have flown or always fly business class, please stop reading. It all happened so fast - the flight, that is. My memory card was full at the time, and my battery was dead, but I kept the menu so I wouldn't forget the service we received. We were served some kind of food or drink 11 times within our 9 hour flight! The menu is too hard to read from the scanned version, so here is what it says:

1. TO START
Warm mixed Nuts OR Marinated Cheese Antipasto

(I chose cheese, and Josh chose nuts. We shared. Oh, I forgot to say that the man sitting next to Josh saw that we were together, and switched seats so we could sit together!)

2. APPETIZER
Grilled salmon, hot-smoked salmon and grilled shrimp, served with a marinated roasted vegetable salad.

3. SALAD
Fresh seasonal greens and an assortment of fresh vegetables offered with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing or premium olive oil and balsamic vinegar

4. BREAD BASKET
Assortment of Gourmet Breads offered with choice of butter or premium olive oil.

(I have to add that when it says olive oil or salad dressing, they don't just put it on for you, they give you your own little miniature olive oil bottle. So cute! Also, they gave us our own miniature salt and pepper shakers!)

5. MAIN COURSE

(We had a choice of rack of lamb, fillet of salmon, roasted chicken, or pasta. I chose chicken and Josh chose salmon.)

6. DESSERT
A selection of gourmet cheeses offered with flavorful dried fruit and assortment crackers
Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Ice Cream with a choice of Hot Fudge, Butterscotch, or seasonal Berry Toppings, Whipped Cream, and Pecans

(By the time the dessert came, I could barely restrain my giggles. At first I was trying to act like a seasoned traveller should, but I'm afraid it was extremely obvious to the flight attendant that we were SO out of our element. I also didn't want it to be obvious to the other business class people that we were stand-by people who didn't pay a dime for this royal treatment! So, I just said Thank You A LOT. It didn't help that every time I looked at Josh, he made me smile even more. I'm sure our expressions were priceless. It wasn't just the food and the service though. The way the food was presented was so, what's the word? Fine-dining-ish. Like, they spread our miniature "table cloths" on our trays, and they gave us utensils wrapped in what seemed to me fine linens that looked like they had never been used. The seats are another story. See pictures below.)

7. TO FINISH
Assorted Lindt Chocolates

8. MID-FLIGHT SNACK
An assortment of gourmet cheeses offered with flavorful dried fruit and assorted crackers

9. LIGHT MEAL
(On the menu it states in italics "a light meal offered prior to landing," cute!)

UNO's Farmer's Market Pizza - A Chicago-style deep dish pizza, topped with fresh spinach, eggplant, sun-dried and plum tomatoes, caramelized onions, and a three cheese blend of Feta, Mozzerella, and Romano, flavored with fragrant Basil Pesto, accompanied by a fresh green salad tossed with English cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.

10. DESSERT
Fresh fruit or cookies, freshly baked on board.

(We got both cookies AND fruit, AND another cup of coffee).

11. PRE-ARRIVAL BEVERAGE
Chilled Sparkling Beverage with a fresh citrus garnish (that means lemon).

That flight did not last nearly as long as I had hoped. Josh watched three movies. I watched two. I have never been more entertained, nor have I eaten as much within 9 hours as I did on this flight. The food, service, comfort, topped off with a warm moist towelette at the end was a great end to a fabulous trip. My advice for flying business class on a budget: Get to the airport a day earlier than your flight is scheduled for, and ask nicely if you can fly stand-by. :)