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 Lufthansa Economy Class back from Shanghai Pudong to Frankfurt. Could a flight departing Pudong offer good Chinese meals, especially if they’re “prepared by experienced Chinese chefs” and chosen by the “head chef at the Pudong Shangri-La,” according to the menu?
In for a quick bite of salmon jaw at Air China’s Star Alliance Gold lounge in Shanghai Pudong Airport, before my flight back to Europe.
A hotel mainly catering to domestic travelers, Shanghai Hotel was kind of a blast from the past. And as the first hotel designed, built, and managed by Chinese people since China’s Opening and Reform when it opened in 1982, it really was a hotel from the past!
Lunchtime aboard China Eastern / Shanghai Airlines’s Boeing 737-800 from Xi’an to Shanghai Hongqiao.
One of the nicest hotels I’ve stayed at, featuring a supremely comfortable and practical room, and an enormous breakfast spread featuring local dishes.
A nice spread of Chinese food at the Air China domestic lounge in Beijing provided a substantial lunch, followed by a warm snack aboard a Boeing 737-800 from Beijing to Xi’an.
A pleasant flight from Frankfurt to Beijing with nice touches, like a printed menu. Hey, why doesn’t Lufthansa hand these out on transatlantic flights!?
A pretty good showing for lunch, at the AENA-operated shared airport lounge, which is also open to Priority Pass cardholders. Also, Madrid-Frankfurt, being just a bit farther than Valencia-Frankfurt, meant a hot meal rather than a snack on Lufthansa!
When Preferente (first class) is cheaper than Turista (economy class), why not book the more spacious seat, with complimentary breakfast?
A quick stop at the United Club at Washington-Dulles, and then on to Frankfurt, with another vegetarian entree choice. Indian for dinner three nights in a row!
A last minute rebook put me all the way in the back of Economy near the lavatories from San Diego to Washington-Dulles, but I still got my choice of breakfast, and I learned a new trick for watching movies and TV on my phone.
Entering the secret society of the vegetable curry option and the clandestine cheese sandwich, on United’s transatlantic Economy service.
Deck the halls with hazelnuts and candied peanuts! Lufthansa gets in the mood for winter’s holidays…
For once, I had enough time before my train trip in AVE Preferente (first) class to visit the Sala Club lounge.
The trip to Salamanca from Valencia involved two trains with a connection in Madrid, but good food, an unexpected reunion with a friend, and nice views of the “plains of Spain” en route to Salamanca made for an enjoyable travel day.
How to traverse through Spain’s scenic green north slowly but surely and comfortably, aboard the cute FEVE trains.
First time on this Asturian airline, and first time flying this successor of the DC-9, from Valencia to Oviedo, Spain
Big improvements in Valencia airport’s single lounge, including “fresh” food served on china!
A restful stop at the United Club before flying Washington-Dulles to Barcelona, where I found the meal service to be a step up from my experience on SWISS earlier in the year, on a flight of similar length (Newark to Zurich).
