Hi there! Pickle Deli Square is a collection of my experiences living, eating, and traveling the world. Currently an expat based in Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
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Flying two of Europe's main Low Cost Carriers, and visits to three Priority Pass Lounges, plus an unpublished benefit to Priority Pass: Fast Track security at Naples Airport!
Magnificent views from the hotel's rooftop terrace were the hotel's best asset.
From a generous offer for breakfast upon check-in, to a sweet parting gift, Hotel Il Convento set the standard for the small, independent hotels that abound in Italy.
Flying back from Bogotá to Valencia via Frankfurt, and trying out Lufthansa's Premium Economy class.
Thanks to Priority Pass, I got to visit the LATAM and Avianca lounges in Bogotá, before my flight to Cusco on Avianca.
Due to a snafu with United's online rebooking tool, I got to fly a final time on United's 747 upper deck, before they retire the 747 fleet.
I wanted to extend my trip back to California a couple days, and used united.com to make the change. The website is great for seeing all of the rebooking options, change fee, and fare difference. You can change origin, destination, and dates, and price out the implications of changing each variable. It's quite powerful.
I carefully selected only the return flight to change, leaving my outbound flight unchanged. I went all the way to the last step, clicked confirm change, and got an error message. I considered trying again, but saw that my credit card already had a pending charge, so called the reservations line.
To my shock, the reservations agent told me that I cancelled my outbound flight...
When I was choosing flights coming back to Valencia from Stuttgart, I noticed something interesting: there was a flight around 6:30pm to Zurich, connecting to a flight to Valencia; there was ALSO a train around 6:30pm to Frankfurt, connecting to a flight to Valencia. While the trip time was about the same for both, I would have had to get on an airport train from Hauptbanhof at around 4:30, giving a 2 hour advantage to the train itinerary.
Traveling with "Lufthansa Express Rail" is as similar as possible to boarding a flight as possible. First, there are Lufthansa self check-in kiosks on the ground floor of the train station, in the Deutsche Bahn travel assistance center, the "Reiseservice"...
Though I was in Strasbourg two days and Stuttgart one, I spent only one night in Strasbourg and two in Stuttgart due to flight and train schedules.
I thought choosing a place near the train station would be handy, to drop bags off upon arrival in the morning, and to leave in storage and pick up again just before boarding the train.
With a rate of just $64 including taxes for one night, the price was right. And as you can see in this photo, it really was right next to the modern, bulbous Strasbourg train terminal.
I had stayed at a Motel One a few years ago in Munich, and thought the concept was quite attractive: modern rooms with just what you need at a reasonable cost. One of the Motel Ones in Stuttgart (there are a few) was just a block from the Hauptbanhof (train station), and given that I had late evening/early arrivals in Stuttgart both times I was passing through, this hotel was a logical choice.
So much for "Swiss punctuality."
Posters on a certain frequent flyer message board often like to say how efficient, punctual, and reliable SWISS is, along with their partner Lufthansa. I guess it's the national reputations of Switzerland and Germany influencing the perception of the national airlines. Though if you look at the statistics, Iberia has been the most punctual airline in the world the past few years, the stereotype of Spanish people being lazy and tardy notwithstanding.
So I had confidently booked a 45 minute connection in Zurich Airport, for my flight from Valencia to Stuttgart. It was a way to maximize my work day, yet still arrive in Stuttgart the same evening.
When I got to the airport, however, I found out that the flight was delayed 35 minutes! And the check-in agents refused to look for alternate possibilities, telling me that I had to go to Zurich to be rebooked. How does this make sense? What if it became so delayed that I would be stranded in Zurich while in Valencia I could just go home?
So I was left with little choice but to head through security and cross my fingers that it would all be resolved in Zurich.
Ibiza is a small airport, so the chances of spending a lot of time here are probably not great. Still, they have an Aena-operated lounge called Sala Cap des Falcó, which is accessible by Priority Pass!
It's located at one of the ends of the terminal, near gate 1. So after coming through security, make a U-turn. Don't make the mistake that I did and walk to the opposite end of the terminal!
Time for my yearly trip to Milan for Design Week! Eurowings, the new-ish budget airline of Lufthansa, FKA Germanwings, turned out to be the cheapest option going to Milan. Much cheaper than Ryanair. So always price shop and never assume Ryanair or EasyJet are the cheapest!
My journey back to Valencia started in the groggy early morning hours to walk to the train station, getting on the Arlanda Express, and checking in my bag in time for the 6:15am flight. I wasn't particularly looking forward to the SAS Lounge, having been to the Copenhagen one a couple years ago (very crowded), and the Gothenburg one (very slim pickings). I was surprised that the lounge in Stockholm featured a new design, with sections separated by carpeting and screens, creating various little living rooms. The use of diverse furniture designs is brilliant in breaking up that massive uniform look a lot of lounges have.
The food was pretty good - mainly cold options besides an oatmeal option (I seem to recall). I went in for one last big helping of the pate that I so loved from the hotel breakfasts.
When checking into my Lufthansa flight, there was a warning in the email saying that certain countries (i.e. Sweden) have instituted passport control, even for flights within the Schengen zone. This started with the refugee crisis...
Well fed from Valencia to Zurich to Stockholm, but will SWISS be serving the exact same on every flight?
Finally getting to try United's "new and improved" "multi-course" Economy Class meal...
