When flying was fun

[Inkmahm]

Best to go in off season as it gets very warm in summer and crowded with cruise ship tourists. They have historical displays from major producers including Milka, Nutella, Kinder, and lots of other no longer in business companies.

I've been to that museum! Great place. And great prices on chocolate in the store there, too.

 

[crashbb]

Peppermint is one of their BEST flavours! It is on my list. Just one of the flavours that we keep hidden a secret from the export market.

Much as it pains me to tell Bavaria that she is wrong...

I am currently sitting with a Ritter Pebermynte (peppermint) chocolate bar on my desk. Bought in one of the three stores that I saw it in today (including the little convenience store in my building).

 

[Flossbolna]

Well, to move it back into the realm of the original subject matter, I am a little peeved to say the least that LH seems to have (hopefully temporarily!) replaced the Reber Mozartkugel Betthupferl with some other assorted brands of things in business class. I believe that may be part of the secret cost cutting measures outlined in Der Spiegel recently.

Those just get tucked into my handbag for my father instead of eaten, like the Mozartkugel.... (Or maybe LH just wants me to continue with the Delhi Diet and are doing their part to help!)

I wouldn't miss the Mozartkugel - don't like Marzipan - and i wouldn't have gotten anyway since I don't get to travel in the nicer areas of the plane... So I won't miss it that much

But regarding the cost cutting: If Lufthansa wants to become more like Air Berlin they need to give out more and better chocolate! Air Berlin offers Fassbender & Rausch chocolate hearts when you exit the plane! Very nice touch!

 

[goofy4tink]

HEY!!!! Where does it say this is the 'Chocolate Board'????? Sheesh.

 

[pr surfer]

To help bring this thread back to semblance close to the title... today I spent 20 minutes in immigration secondary at SJU.

I flew SXM-SJU this morning, and showed up early hoping to get on an earlier flight. I succeeded (yay!) and got on AA4887.

That was where the good news ended. One of the AA ground workers at SXM failed to add me to the manifest sent to Customs beforehand, and allowed me to fly anyway. As a result of this, I was questioned by immigrations about the purpose of my trip to SXM, my occupation, my income, if i have a girlfriend in SXM, etc. Finally they realize that I did nothing wrong, that it was the airlines fault, and they called for an AA representative. I got to witness them fine AA $10,000 for this and then I was on my way (hey, I'm a US citizen, they can't deny me entry).

Still though... if it weren't for the stupid requirement that all visitors even traveling to the US need to be essentially precleared first (even citizens), not to mention those merely traveling over US airspace, then this wouldn't have happened, and I would have been saved the embarrassment of being marched to a secondary room.

 

[bavaria]

MOOOOOOOOOOOOM, pr surfer made me do it!!!!!










good, now that we got that out of the way, perhaps crashbb would like to work off some of that illegal export chocolate (it's for the eastern European market and may have a French language sticker on it, but you shouldn't be eating it....) There is a little something called the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Similar to the Basic Law. And a little something called flyOVER (not flyTO, flyOVER)

Google is your friend.

Again, I offer up a public apology to pr surfer - you were right, I was very very wrong.

Back to topic of the thread now.

What really sucks??? Being top tier elite with UA, flying in First on a domestic US ticket, and they don't give access to their crappy lounges unless one pays. And then all that one gets is tired carrot sticks and celery sticks and maybe a wimpy granola bar. Of course, in the MCO RCC one does also get the added bonus of the smell of dirty socks, and in the PHL RCC the women get a mouldy 'decorative' birdhouse in the bathroom.

Give me a LH SEN or Business lounge any day, complete with full meal buffet, Merci chocolate, Brezln, and other delicacies. True luxury flying DOES still exist...

 

[bavaria]

I wouldn't miss the Mozartkugel

And that my friends is the difference between Upper Bavaria and the rest of Bavaria....

Cafe Reber still is one of the very special (if wonderfully tacky tacky) places to visit, and they still make the best Frankfurter Kranz after my mother and my grandmother. (no, that isn't a chocolate 'wiener' people)

And as to crashbb's peppermint bar, Canada still has that special protected status of land of pretty good chocolate. Remember, Kinder Eggs are not against the law in Canada (unlike in the US) because apparently Canadians can tell the different between chocolate and a plastic toy.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I also enjoy train travel. I have taken the train from NYC to the home of our missy moderator several times, and it isn't quite the same experience as taking a 'modern' train in Europe. (Well, I suppose that the Acela and the Thalys are about the same quality) I love holidaying on the 29 Euro idTGV fares and upgrading to First for just a few Euros more.

I don't miss peanuts, except in their butter form--which thankfully you can buy here now (otherwise DS might starve he does not like any meat which is very much NOT a German attitude). I have found a source of Reeses cuos for when I need the ultra sweet kind so it is all good.

Yep, I love trains--but I am not sure what an idTGV fare is and must check that out. I do know booking in person early gets some smoking deals (we paid 204 Euro for all four of us first class to Salzburg and back this comming Easter--very excited for that little trip). They are nicer in Europe but fun in the US too. I took the kids from Detroit to Denver once on Amtrak. You can really see the country that way. Your trip sounds fun and like a great way to handle the snow

Why do I have this craving for chocolate now?

You're surprised?!

HEY!!!! Where does it say this is the 'Chocolate Board'????? Sheesh.

Chocolate and travell go hand in hand. In fact, I suspect that the key difference between those of us who travel in the parallel universe where travel is fun and those who hate it is that the travel haters have not yet learned the importance of chocolate

To help bring this thread back to semblance close to the title... today I spent 20 minutes in immigration secondary at SJU.

I flew SXM-SJU this morning, and showed up early hoping to get on an earlier flight. I succeeded (yay!) and got on AA4887.

That was where the good news ended. One of the AA ground workers at SXM failed to add me to the manifest sent to Customs beforehand, and allowed me to fly anyway. As a result of this, I was questioned by immigrations about the purpose of my trip to SXM, my occupation, my income, if i have a girlfriend in SXM, etc. Finally they realize that I did nothing wrong, that it was the airlines fault, and they called for an AA representative. I got to witness them fine AA $10,000 for this and then I was on my way (hey, I'm a US citizen, they can't deny me entry).

Still though... if it weren't for the stupid requirement that all visitors even traveling to the US need to be essentially precleared first (even citizens), not to mention those merely traveling over US airspace, then this wouldn't have happened, and I would have been saved the embarrassment of being marched to a secondary room.

I am sure that was annoying How long of a delay did you end up with because of all the rigormarole? It must have also been fascinating to see how THAT process works though.

 

[NHdisneylover]

. Remember, Kinder Eggs are not against the law in Canada (unlike in the US) because apparently Canadians can tell the different between chocolate and a plastic toy.

Is THAT why they aren't sold in the US??? I always used to wondered why we had to stock up in Canada and Mexico and could not get them at home.

BTW--I like your new quote (like the old one too).

 

[bavaria]

TGV is the French high speed train but idtgv.fr has fares from 29 Euros as opposed to SNCF fares. And that includes Karlsruhe so you could use those. And DB has great UK fares too - in September it felt like 1/4 of Germany took advantage of those.

When I worked in your side of the country I went on train trips all the time for the weekend for very little money (westwards). I often do that for my holiday from Paris to the Côte d'Azur. Faster than flying - train is 5 hours but if one factors going to the airport, security, boarding, landing, and getting into the city the train is sometimes faster. And then one doesn't have to consider purchasing a ticket on Flossbolna's 'Red Plague' airline.

You must make sure that if Hellbrunn isn't open when you go that you return during season. And Cafe Reber has at least two shops in Salzburg but pop over the border if you want the full experience of the cakes; they don't sell them in Salzburg, nor do they have the music concerts and 'Mozart' in those shops.

 

[bavaria]

Is THAT why they aren't sold in the US??? I always used to wondered why we had to stock up in Canada and Mexico and could not get them at home.

BTW--I like your new quote (like the old one too).

Article about how US government is trying to stop Canadians from sending those dangerous eggs across the border. http://www.canada.com/life/Kinder+Surprises+Banned/2353187/story.html

I like the new quote too for 2010 - I didn't feel the need to post the entire quote however assuming that interested readers would use google.

 

[NHdisneylover]

TGV is the French high speed train but idtgv.fr has fares from 29 Euros as opposed to SNCF fares. And that includes Karlsruhe so you could use those. And DB has great UK fares too - in September it felt like 1/4 of Germany took advantage of those.
.

Thank You You are such an excellent source of information.

I like the new quote too for 2010 - I didn't feel the need to post the entire quote however assuming that interested readers would use google.

We are big Twain fans here--no googling necessary

Off to read the artical about the killer eggs. . .

 

[NHdisneylover]

Well, we mailec 15 Kinder eggs to the USA earlier this week. I hope they make it to their destinations

 

[bavaria]

You rebel you!!!

Someone had better break the news to BWVDreamin' that her government will not permit certain kind hearted people to mail her anyone eggs either....

 

[crashbb]

Article about how US government is trying to stop Canadians from sending those dangerous eggs across the border. http://www.canada.com/life/Kinder+Surprises+Banned/2353187/story.html

I like the new quote too for 2010 - I didn't feel the need to post the entire quote however assuming that interested readers would use google.

Blame Canada! Blame Canada!

I like your new quote, even if I don't agree with it. I've seen too much evidence (even on these boards) of people who travel and manage to come home more ethnocentric than before.

 

[bavaria]

OK, but you do know that World Showcase isn't really 'the world', right? Agreed - one meets a lot of close minded people when travelling, but thankfully there are also those who do try and learn things and are humble enough not to think that their way is the only way or the best way. (And again, with apologies to Mom, anyone who knows a bit about my beliefs may understand why I say that there is no room for patriotism in my personal belief system. I am speaking philosophical beliefs, not religious beliefs)

I even concede that there is some very good chocolate made by non-Germans; another reason to take the train and change in Brussels for London, for example. Just enough time to stop for a box of Belgian chocolate!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Don't be silly... we're expected to get an inch of rain here over the course of this next week!

Not like some parts of the country which shall remain nameless but where the so-called 'weather' is dull, boring, and almost entirely unchanging...

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Field agents don't assess fines, though they can certainly recommend them. They get to write reports and forward them on to their operations chain of command where they eventually get forwarded to an assistant commissioner and then reviewed by general counsel before being noticed (by regulation) to an air carrier (which involves a hearing and appellate process).

We're talking the US Government here... when is anything such a simple process?

I got to witness them fine AA $10,000 for this and then I was on my way (hey, I'm a US citizen, they can't deny me entry)

 

[bavaria]

Oh, you too EPSG get a big apology from me - you were right.

CarolA has also received her apology......

Anyone else I may have missed?

 

[NHdisneylover]

I like your new quote, even if I don't agree with it. I've seen too much evidence (even on these boards) of people who travel and manage to come home more ethnocentric than before.

Sadly true. Personally, if you happen to be on foriegn soil but do not bother to try to at least learn things like please and thank you in the language, try a few loval foods (preferably not all in tourist traps) and meet a couple of people then I do not consider you to be travelling--merely sightseeing (or more likely adding to your brag sheet).