From a first time visit to Copenhagen, to a first time visit to Reykjavik -- out of the frying pan and into the fire -- not...
Our flight from Copenhagen (CPH) to Reykjavik was also our first flight aboard Scandinavian Airways System (SAS), a non-stop flight of about 3.5 hours aboard a 737-800 in SAS Business Class. The seating was a bit unusual - essentially what I would consider "Premier Economy" seating -- three seats across with a little more leg room and free food/booze. On the CPH to Keflavik (KEF -- Reykjavik's international airport), leg we had all three seats to ourselves -- which was not the case when we flew SAS to LHR (London Heathrow) via Oslo (OSL) -- we had aisle seat mates on both segments. I would rate our SAS experience as competent and efficient but would definitely not pay (in $ or in points) for SAS Business Class again.
Our arrival at KEF was gray and rainy - we'd rented through Auto Europe (our continuing "Go To" for European car rentals) - lots of people sitting around the terminal, most looking like they were getting ready for an expedition of some sort. Was this a harbinger of things to come? Yep...
The drive from KEF to our hotel - the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica - took about 35 minutes. Our Co-Pilot Live navigation program got us there with one slight navigation fault - getting off on an exit to have us go straight back on the same road - perhaps this is an "Anti-Spy" feature or something to ensure we can shake a tail - need to check out the settings...
The hotel is conveniently located at the intersection of two major thoroughfares a bit up the hill from the traditional downtown area along the waterfront. We greatly appreciated three things at the Hilton. First, we had free parking for our rental (rental cars are essential to get out and see things if you want to do it on your -- vice tour operator's schedule). Next, our room rate included free breakfast -- which was an amazing spread and considering the prices of food in Iceland in general, a real money saver if you are a dedicated breakfast person. Our seventh floor room had a beautiful view of the Reykjavik harbor and the mountains (snow capped) north and east of downtown. Overall, we were very pleased with our hotel choice in Reykjavik.
We were even more pleased with our choice for dinner that evening at Resto. Highly recommended on Trip Advisor, it was the best and most memorable meal we've had in years. Focused primarily on sea food, Resto had plenty of atmosphere, great service, and wonderful food. Price-wise, our dinner for two (starter and main each) with a decent bottle of wine was about $150 US -- not cheap but in this instance and comparatively speaking, it was a great value. Especially when compared to trying to satisfy our craving for Mexican food the following evening at Red Chili. Our starter at Red Chile was an order of Chips and Salsa - $23 US - followed by two burritos at $25 each (without beans and rice) and two glasses of wine that totaled about $100 US. The only redeeming feature of our Red Chili meal was that we could walk to the restaurant from our hotel.
The other meal we had away from our hotel was Happy Hour (weekdays from 3-5pm) Fish and Chips at Icelandic Fish and Chips on the waterfront in downtown Reykjavik. For $15 US, we each got three beautifully fried pieces of fish (Cod, Ling, and one other white fish) delicious chips, 6 different tartar sauces, and a draft beer. We would highly recommend making your way to Icelandic Fish and Chips for their happy hour special.
Iceland is the land of unusual sights - so what did we see? We started with the Golden Circle - a loop of roads east of Reykjavik that take you past a variety of natural wonders - waterfalls, azure lakes, snow capped mountains, spouting geysers, Icelandic horses, and lichen covered lava fields that look like moonscape. The vistas were very beautiful, the roads were decent (including the gravel segment we traveled on for 10 miles after taking a less traveled shortcut) and for the most part, our iPhone GPS kept us headed in the right direction. You do notice though that since you are pretty far north (almost 65 degrees north) it takes longer for your GPS to synch up and you get more frequent location hiccups due to loss of GPS satellite signal.
Highlights along the Golden Circle? Lots and lots of Icelandic horses - in just about each of their reputed 42 distinctive colors. The Strokkur geyser at Geysir which erupts about about 5 minutes or so was fun because it erupts so frequently - Strokkur, while not quite as large as Old Faithful, is quite close to Geysir geyser which erupts during earthquakes and reaches almost twice as high as Old Faithful. https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-iceland/drive/strokkur While this might have been fun to see, I wouldn't look forward to an earthquake in such an active geothermal area.
One thing that struck us during our two days of driving around Iceland was the lack of visible 4-legged critters (other than Icelandic horses) on the trackless expanse of volcanic landscape. Maybe there is a lot going on in the cracks and crevices but we kept thinking we were going to see deer or elk like we would in Montana or Wyoming but apart from a few reindeer in eastern Iceland, there aren't any large, non-domesticated animals in Iceland.
We had our first Icelandic geothermal bath experience about midway on our Golden Circle tour at Laugarvatn Fontana Geothermal Baths. https://www.fontana.is/ When compared to our visit at the world famous Blue Lagoon geothermal baths the following day, Laugarvatn Fontana was far more intimate and less crowded though less visually stunning than the contrast of black volcanic stone with aqua waters at Blue Lagoon. Price-wise, there isn't any comparison either -- Blue Lagoon is about an order of magnitude more expensive. Ultimately, the geo-thermally heated water in both spots is equally relaxing - your choice of none, one, or both will be based on personal preference, how long you have in Iceland, and whether or not the water is a destination - Blue Lagoon - or a stop along the way on a larger route - Laugarvatn on the Golden Circle.
On our Blue Lagoon sight seeing day, we headed out first to take a look at one of Iceland's nicest golf courses, the Keilir Country Club. http://english.keilir.is/ Just a few minutes south from downtown Reykjavik, the course sits all by itself on a peninsula that juts out into a harbor. Looking like a prototypical "links" style course, we wish we'd had the time (and weather) to play rather than just visit the course. When we entered the club house, there was a lively group of men doing what golfers do - talking about their golf swing and what they'd done on their last round - or at least that is what it seemed like they were talking about since we don't speak a word of Icelandic. What they weren't doing though was playing golf or waiting to tee off - did I mention the temperature was about 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit), winds in the mid-40mph range, and driving rain making for a wind chill factor of about 27 degrees F - which stands for FuhFuhFuhFuhfreezing - one hardy (foolhardy) soul was actually out on the course playing in a cart with canvas sides fully down (and probably a heater going full blast inside too). Our next stop on the Reykjanes Peninsula after Keiler was the aforementioned Blue Lagoon. http://www.bluelagoon.com/
Located in a moonscape of black volcanic rock and aqua tinted geothermal pools, the location is visually stunning. Even on a day with monumentally foul weather, there were tons of people waiting their turn to get in. The Blue Lagoon is so popular that they recommend reserving your place ahead of time - and if you are price sensitive, plan on visiting in the off hours since their pricing is based on time slot demand. If you want to visit between 11am and 2pm, you are going to pay a lot more than if you show up at opening (8am) or around closing (10pm) when it will not only be cheaper but a lot less crowded. There are also several options ranging from your basic entry fee (bring your own towel/robe but you do get your Mel Gibson Braveheart mud mask) to a VIP option - with a (non time adjusted) price range of $54 to $530 USD. One thing we found in common between Blue Lagoon and Laugarvatn Fontana was the availability of very nice Icelandic draft beer on tap at each venue. After Blue Lagoon, we headed farther south and east along the main road on the Reykjanes Peninsula ultimately arriving at the windswept shores of lake Kliefarvatn https://www.visitreykjanes.is/en/travel/places/nature/kleifarvatn by way of a stop at Krysuvik-Seltun geothermal area. https://iceland.nordicvisitor.com/travel-guide/attractions/reykjanes-peninsula/krysuvik/
On the next morn, we headed back out to KEF, turning in our rental car before catching the Avis shuttle to the terminal. Conveniently, there is a gas station located at the airport to refill your rental before turning it in. Fuel prices are more than we're used to but not out of line with many other European countries - filling our car's tank after driving around 500km was about $70 US. Another item of note had to do with our entry and exit from Iceland...
**** Travel Alert **** - when you cross the Atlantic on a cruise ship (and this has happened to us twice now - maybe we'll remember next time) and disembark, they don't stamp your passport - in fact, there are no Immigration formalities what so ever (sample size of two - in Civitavecchia, Italy and Copenhagen, Denmark) and thus you will end up explaining to Immigration officials at an airport in some country how you got to where you're explaining yourself, without any official records of your journey to get there... Last time, this was in Germany -- this time, after flying from Iceland on what amounts to a local flight to Oslo (no immigration formalities on departure and thus no passport stamp) we were explaining ourselves in Oslo. Fortunately, the immigration folks were understanding but think about it... We arrived in Denmark, flew to Iceland, and are transiting to UK in Norway before anyone acknowledges -- officially -- that two American citizens are in Europe. Moral of the story - when you get off a Trans-Atlantic cruise, make a point of finding someone in the terminal and getting your passport stamped. Why the cruise ships don't bother to mention this is beyond me...
Other than our Immigration issue, the flights from Iceland to Norway to UK were smooth but unremarkable. Best of all, there was no line at London Heathrow Passport control which has hosted several of my longest waits in the past - although I think San Jose, Costa Rica may have wrested the title for longest wait ever from LHR on our arrival there this past December. So with no waiting in Immigration, and towing our carry-on luggage, we were out of the terminal within 15 minutes of arriving at our gate and being whisked away to the Cotswolds for a country weekend by my brother Paul.
Paul and our sister in law Selina had planned a fully packed weekend in the countryside north and west of London. Staying at The Wild Rabbit -- a beautiful and quaint countryside inn with a newly awarded Michelin Star -- was a real treat. https://thewildrabbit.co.uk/ We stayed in the Hedge Hog room located above the Inn's kitchen/dining room area. We had breakfast at the Inn each morning and dinner on two of our three Cotswold nights. The evening menu is English countryside - beef, fowl, and fish - including use of a "Green Egg" for cooking your meat.
Our first day in the Cotswolds was reserved for Daylesford Cooking School http://daylesford.com/cookeryschool/our-courses/ with Jason as our head chef ably assisted by James as sous chef. Unlike a couple of other cooking classes we've attended, this was a 5 course, hands-on class, given by a real restaurant experienced chef who ensured we learned the techniques chefs use to handle knives, accomplish food preparation, and plating presentation. Everything Jason or James walked us through was clearly presented and with none of the "attitude" that sometimes accompanies cooking classes. These are folks who are clearly interested in your enjoying the process of learning what they are teaching. The food we prepared was simple in concept and really tasty -- something we're sure we'll be able to replicate here at home. Along with the cooking techniques we learned, we also learned a lot about the Slow Food movement and responsible agriculture. Daylesford Farms is centered on sustainable organic farming and our menu was organized on the concept of using seasonal herbs, vegetables, fruits, and dairy. Knowing the pedigree of your food is perhaps more important to the final product than actual preparation of the food. All in all, The Cookery School at Daylesford was simply excellent -- something you should absolutely consider doing if you spend time in the Cotswolds.
The next morning, we set out for Oxford and a private two hour walking tour of the Oxford campus hosted by Elizabeth from "Walking Tours of Oxford" http://www.walkingtoursofoxford.com/. Over the course of our tour, we found out how differently Oxford is run/organized from just about any other university of the world - truly fascinating - and luckily enough, we got to see a number of graduates queueing up to receive their degrees on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning. From the hallowed and ancient gates of Oxford, we traveled next to the nearby Blenheim Palace http://www.blenheimpalace.com/ a relative youngster (1820's vs 1100's) by comparison. Still maintained as the country home of the Duke and Duchess of Marlboro, we were accorded a private "bespoke" tour of the magnificent residence and grounds. The combination of Oxford and Blenheim Palace as a morning/afternoon was perfect - enough time to see both places with relatively short drives between each attraction.
Ultimately though, our vacation was coming to an end. One last night spent at Paul and Selina's home in London and dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant, Il Trillo, within walking distance of their home http://www.iltrillo.net/en/ristorante-2/ We were joined for dinner by Bob and Jules Thurston, long time friends, who live in London and are preparing for a summer move to San Diego, California. An evening across the dinner table with family and friends you don't get to see often enough is the perfect way to end your vacation because it motivates you to begin planning your next get together.
A smooth Uber ride to the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Wing gave us time to eat a remarkable breakfast in the VA Club House before our 11:35am departure. Our flight, VS 005, was aboard a relatively new 787-8 Dreamliner. Beautiful aircraft and love the Upper Class seating arrangements but the aisles and seats are way narrower than equivalent aisles/seats in Lufthansa or United Business Class on a 747. Yes, I know that 747's are going the way of the dinosaurs, but I don't think their replacements, conceptualized and built during the era of squeezing every ounce of profit out of the flying experience, can hold a candle to an aircraft envisioned and built when flying was less of a bus ride than it is these days. I'm generally not about nostalgia and am all in for new techo-gizmo things - but this is one instance where I don't think we're making progress towards improving the customer's experience.
Arrival at MIA 9 hours or so later was uneventful. I am still trying to figure out our (USA) new arrival procedures... We've been Global Entry folks for about 4 years now - but with the new Mobile Passport App on our phone, we're left confused about what part the app plays (if anything) when you are Global Entry travelers. For sure, the various signs pointing this way and that if you are "This and That" are not straight forward and left a lot of foreign visitors dazed and confused. Regardless of which line you are in, plan on a long walk (> 1/2 mile) from plane to curb or the MIA rental car center (which requires an additional people mover trip) -- all in all, with carry-on only, Global Entry Passport control short cuts, and being among the first off our plane, it still took us an hour from door opening on the airplane to getting into our Hertz rental car for the two hour ride home to Naples.
In summary, we were gone from home for 26 days, visited 7 countries (transited 8), sailed 5030 nautical miles, flew 6615 nautical miles, and drove another 650 miles or so. We covered a lot of "ground" along the way and learned once again, why we love to travel and see new places and people; at the same time though, why we love returning to our little Treviso Bay home here in Naples.
Our flight from Copenhagen (CPH) to Reykjavik was also our first flight aboard Scandinavian Airways System (SAS), a non-stop flight of about 3.5 hours aboard a 737-800 in SAS Business Class. The seating was a bit unusual - essentially what I would consider "Premier Economy" seating -- three seats across with a little more leg room and free food/booze. On the CPH to Keflavik (KEF -- Reykjavik's international airport), leg we had all three seats to ourselves -- which was not the case when we flew SAS to LHR (London Heathrow) via Oslo (OSL) -- we had aisle seat mates on both segments. I would rate our SAS experience as competent and efficient but would definitely not pay (in $ or in points) for SAS Business Class again.
Our arrival at KEF was gray and rainy - we'd rented through Auto Europe (our continuing "Go To" for European car rentals) - lots of people sitting around the terminal, most looking like they were getting ready for an expedition of some sort. Was this a harbinger of things to come? Yep...
The drive from KEF to our hotel - the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica - took about 35 minutes. Our Co-Pilot Live navigation program got us there with one slight navigation fault - getting off on an exit to have us go straight back on the same road - perhaps this is an "Anti-Spy" feature or something to ensure we can shake a tail - need to check out the settings...
The hotel is conveniently located at the intersection of two major thoroughfares a bit up the hill from the traditional downtown area along the waterfront. We greatly appreciated three things at the Hilton. First, we had free parking for our rental (rental cars are essential to get out and see things if you want to do it on your -- vice tour operator's schedule). Next, our room rate included free breakfast -- which was an amazing spread and considering the prices of food in Iceland in general, a real money saver if you are a dedicated breakfast person. Our seventh floor room had a beautiful view of the Reykjavik harbor and the mountains (snow capped) north and east of downtown. Overall, we were very pleased with our hotel choice in Reykjavik.
We were even more pleased with our choice for dinner that evening at Resto. Highly recommended on Trip Advisor, it was the best and most memorable meal we've had in years. Focused primarily on sea food, Resto had plenty of atmosphere, great service, and wonderful food. Price-wise, our dinner for two (starter and main each) with a decent bottle of wine was about $150 US -- not cheap but in this instance and comparatively speaking, it was a great value. Especially when compared to trying to satisfy our craving for Mexican food the following evening at Red Chili. Our starter at Red Chile was an order of Chips and Salsa - $23 US - followed by two burritos at $25 each (without beans and rice) and two glasses of wine that totaled about $100 US. The only redeeming feature of our Red Chili meal was that we could walk to the restaurant from our hotel.
The other meal we had away from our hotel was Happy Hour (weekdays from 3-5pm) Fish and Chips at Icelandic Fish and Chips on the waterfront in downtown Reykjavik. For $15 US, we each got three beautifully fried pieces of fish (Cod, Ling, and one other white fish) delicious chips, 6 different tartar sauces, and a draft beer. We would highly recommend making your way to Icelandic Fish and Chips for their happy hour special.
Iceland is the land of unusual sights - so what did we see? We started with the Golden Circle - a loop of roads east of Reykjavik that take you past a variety of natural wonders - waterfalls, azure lakes, snow capped mountains, spouting geysers, Icelandic horses, and lichen covered lava fields that look like moonscape. The vistas were very beautiful, the roads were decent (including the gravel segment we traveled on for 10 miles after taking a less traveled shortcut) and for the most part, our iPhone GPS kept us headed in the right direction. You do notice though that since you are pretty far north (almost 65 degrees north) it takes longer for your GPS to synch up and you get more frequent location hiccups due to loss of GPS satellite signal.
Highlights along the Golden Circle? Lots and lots of Icelandic horses - in just about each of their reputed 42 distinctive colors. The Strokkur geyser at Geysir which erupts about about 5 minutes or so was fun because it erupts so frequently - Strokkur, while not quite as large as Old Faithful, is quite close to Geysir geyser which erupts during earthquakes and reaches almost twice as high as Old Faithful. https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-iceland/drive/strokkur While this might have been fun to see, I wouldn't look forward to an earthquake in such an active geothermal area.
One thing that struck us during our two days of driving around Iceland was the lack of visible 4-legged critters (other than Icelandic horses) on the trackless expanse of volcanic landscape. Maybe there is a lot going on in the cracks and crevices but we kept thinking we were going to see deer or elk like we would in Montana or Wyoming but apart from a few reindeer in eastern Iceland, there aren't any large, non-domesticated animals in Iceland.
We had our first Icelandic geothermal bath experience about midway on our Golden Circle tour at Laugarvatn Fontana Geothermal Baths. https://www.fontana.is/ When compared to our visit at the world famous Blue Lagoon geothermal baths the following day, Laugarvatn Fontana was far more intimate and less crowded though less visually stunning than the contrast of black volcanic stone with aqua waters at Blue Lagoon. Price-wise, there isn't any comparison either -- Blue Lagoon is about an order of magnitude more expensive. Ultimately, the geo-thermally heated water in both spots is equally relaxing - your choice of none, one, or both will be based on personal preference, how long you have in Iceland, and whether or not the water is a destination - Blue Lagoon - or a stop along the way on a larger route - Laugarvatn on the Golden Circle.
On our Blue Lagoon sight seeing day, we headed out first to take a look at one of Iceland's nicest golf courses, the Keilir Country Club. http://english.keilir.is/ Just a few minutes south from downtown Reykjavik, the course sits all by itself on a peninsula that juts out into a harbor. Looking like a prototypical "links" style course, we wish we'd had the time (and weather) to play rather than just visit the course. When we entered the club house, there was a lively group of men doing what golfers do - talking about their golf swing and what they'd done on their last round - or at least that is what it seemed like they were talking about since we don't speak a word of Icelandic. What they weren't doing though was playing golf or waiting to tee off - did I mention the temperature was about 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit), winds in the mid-40mph range, and driving rain making for a wind chill factor of about 27 degrees F - which stands for FuhFuhFuhFuhfreezing - one hardy (foolhardy) soul was actually out on the course playing in a cart with canvas sides fully down (and probably a heater going full blast inside too). Our next stop on the Reykjanes Peninsula after Keiler was the aforementioned Blue Lagoon. http://www.bluelagoon.com/
Located in a moonscape of black volcanic rock and aqua tinted geothermal pools, the location is visually stunning. Even on a day with monumentally foul weather, there were tons of people waiting their turn to get in. The Blue Lagoon is so popular that they recommend reserving your place ahead of time - and if you are price sensitive, plan on visiting in the off hours since their pricing is based on time slot demand. If you want to visit between 11am and 2pm, you are going to pay a lot more than if you show up at opening (8am) or around closing (10pm) when it will not only be cheaper but a lot less crowded. There are also several options ranging from your basic entry fee (bring your own towel/robe but you do get your Mel Gibson Braveheart mud mask) to a VIP option - with a (non time adjusted) price range of $54 to $530 USD. One thing we found in common between Blue Lagoon and Laugarvatn Fontana was the availability of very nice Icelandic draft beer on tap at each venue. After Blue Lagoon, we headed farther south and east along the main road on the Reykjanes Peninsula ultimately arriving at the windswept shores of lake Kliefarvatn https://www.visitreykjanes.is/en/travel/places/nature/kleifarvatn by way of a stop at Krysuvik-Seltun geothermal area. https://iceland.nordicvisitor.com/travel-guide/attractions/reykjanes-peninsula/krysuvik/
On the next morn, we headed back out to KEF, turning in our rental car before catching the Avis shuttle to the terminal. Conveniently, there is a gas station located at the airport to refill your rental before turning it in. Fuel prices are more than we're used to but not out of line with many other European countries - filling our car's tank after driving around 500km was about $70 US. Another item of note had to do with our entry and exit from Iceland...
**** Travel Alert **** - when you cross the Atlantic on a cruise ship (and this has happened to us twice now - maybe we'll remember next time) and disembark, they don't stamp your passport - in fact, there are no Immigration formalities what so ever (sample size of two - in Civitavecchia, Italy and Copenhagen, Denmark) and thus you will end up explaining to Immigration officials at an airport in some country how you got to where you're explaining yourself, without any official records of your journey to get there... Last time, this was in Germany -- this time, after flying from Iceland on what amounts to a local flight to Oslo (no immigration formalities on departure and thus no passport stamp) we were explaining ourselves in Oslo. Fortunately, the immigration folks were understanding but think about it... We arrived in Denmark, flew to Iceland, and are transiting to UK in Norway before anyone acknowledges -- officially -- that two American citizens are in Europe. Moral of the story - when you get off a Trans-Atlantic cruise, make a point of finding someone in the terminal and getting your passport stamped. Why the cruise ships don't bother to mention this is beyond me...
Other than our Immigration issue, the flights from Iceland to Norway to UK were smooth but unremarkable. Best of all, there was no line at London Heathrow Passport control which has hosted several of my longest waits in the past - although I think San Jose, Costa Rica may have wrested the title for longest wait ever from LHR on our arrival there this past December. So with no waiting in Immigration, and towing our carry-on luggage, we were out of the terminal within 15 minutes of arriving at our gate and being whisked away to the Cotswolds for a country weekend by my brother Paul.
Paul and our sister in law Selina had planned a fully packed weekend in the countryside north and west of London. Staying at The Wild Rabbit -- a beautiful and quaint countryside inn with a newly awarded Michelin Star -- was a real treat. https://thewildrabbit.co.uk/ We stayed in the Hedge Hog room located above the Inn's kitchen/dining room area. We had breakfast at the Inn each morning and dinner on two of our three Cotswold nights. The evening menu is English countryside - beef, fowl, and fish - including use of a "Green Egg" for cooking your meat.
Our first day in the Cotswolds was reserved for Daylesford Cooking School http://daylesford.com/cookeryschool/our-courses/ with Jason as our head chef ably assisted by James as sous chef. Unlike a couple of other cooking classes we've attended, this was a 5 course, hands-on class, given by a real restaurant experienced chef who ensured we learned the techniques chefs use to handle knives, accomplish food preparation, and plating presentation. Everything Jason or James walked us through was clearly presented and with none of the "attitude" that sometimes accompanies cooking classes. These are folks who are clearly interested in your enjoying the process of learning what they are teaching. The food we prepared was simple in concept and really tasty -- something we're sure we'll be able to replicate here at home. Along with the cooking techniques we learned, we also learned a lot about the Slow Food movement and responsible agriculture. Daylesford Farms is centered on sustainable organic farming and our menu was organized on the concept of using seasonal herbs, vegetables, fruits, and dairy. Knowing the pedigree of your food is perhaps more important to the final product than actual preparation of the food. All in all, The Cookery School at Daylesford was simply excellent -- something you should absolutely consider doing if you spend time in the Cotswolds.
The next morning, we set out for Oxford and a private two hour walking tour of the Oxford campus hosted by Elizabeth from "Walking Tours of Oxford" http://www.walkingtoursofoxford.com/. Over the course of our tour, we found out how differently Oxford is run/organized from just about any other university of the world - truly fascinating - and luckily enough, we got to see a number of graduates queueing up to receive their degrees on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning. From the hallowed and ancient gates of Oxford, we traveled next to the nearby Blenheim Palace http://www.blenheimpalace.com/ a relative youngster (1820's vs 1100's) by comparison. Still maintained as the country home of the Duke and Duchess of Marlboro, we were accorded a private "bespoke" tour of the magnificent residence and grounds. The combination of Oxford and Blenheim Palace as a morning/afternoon was perfect - enough time to see both places with relatively short drives between each attraction.
Ultimately though, our vacation was coming to an end. One last night spent at Paul and Selina's home in London and dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant, Il Trillo, within walking distance of their home http://www.iltrillo.net/en/ristorante-2/ We were joined for dinner by Bob and Jules Thurston, long time friends, who live in London and are preparing for a summer move to San Diego, California. An evening across the dinner table with family and friends you don't get to see often enough is the perfect way to end your vacation because it motivates you to begin planning your next get together.
A smooth Uber ride to the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Wing gave us time to eat a remarkable breakfast in the VA Club House before our 11:35am departure. Our flight, VS 005, was aboard a relatively new 787-8 Dreamliner. Beautiful aircraft and love the Upper Class seating arrangements but the aisles and seats are way narrower than equivalent aisles/seats in Lufthansa or United Business Class on a 747. Yes, I know that 747's are going the way of the dinosaurs, but I don't think their replacements, conceptualized and built during the era of squeezing every ounce of profit out of the flying experience, can hold a candle to an aircraft envisioned and built when flying was less of a bus ride than it is these days. I'm generally not about nostalgia and am all in for new techo-gizmo things - but this is one instance where I don't think we're making progress towards improving the customer's experience.
Arrival at MIA 9 hours or so later was uneventful. I am still trying to figure out our (USA) new arrival procedures... We've been Global Entry folks for about 4 years now - but with the new Mobile Passport App on our phone, we're left confused about what part the app plays (if anything) when you are Global Entry travelers. For sure, the various signs pointing this way and that if you are "This and That" are not straight forward and left a lot of foreign visitors dazed and confused. Regardless of which line you are in, plan on a long walk (> 1/2 mile) from plane to curb or the MIA rental car center (which requires an additional people mover trip) -- all in all, with carry-on only, Global Entry Passport control short cuts, and being among the first off our plane, it still took us an hour from door opening on the airplane to getting into our Hertz rental car for the two hour ride home to Naples.
In summary, we were gone from home for 26 days, visited 7 countries (transited 8), sailed 5030 nautical miles, flew 6615 nautical miles, and drove another 650 miles or so. We covered a lot of "ground" along the way and learned once again, why we love to travel and see new places and people; at the same time though, why we love returning to our little Treviso Bay home here in Naples.
No comments:
Post a Comment