9 countries - 7 airlines

[henleybeach]

We stayed near the blue lagoon the first night at a place called northern light inn. It's a cosy little place , its like a B&B with afternoon tea with waffles served in the afternoon (complimentary) it has a bar with a lounge and a honesty system help yourself to the bar system and a lovely big fireplace that goes on every night.
We had tea in their restaurant called MAXs restaurant, it's a lovely place and I had fresh cod . It was unreal ! We went and sat by the fire with some red wine until we were ready for bed . At about 1am we got the phone call to get up and get outside .
We jumped out of bed and for some reason I put a jumper and pants on and slipped on my Thongs . We went outside and we seen a little bit of the lights, it was faint green and my feet are burning from the cold. It lasted about 10 minutes and the more cloud cover came over . I went back to bed to let my feet thaw off!
The next day it was blue lagoon, we loved it , it was such a cool place and it wasn't packed . Freezing cold outside and 40 degrees under the water . Ticked it off the bucket list .
We stayed in the center of Reykjavik at a hotel called skuggi. Nice modern inside and right next door to the main restaurant strip . Today we off to do the golden circle tour .

 

[henleybeach]

We Start the golden circle tour this morning at 830am and it's Still pitch black in Iceland until about 10am. Its a weird feeling.
I booked with a company called geoiceland tours . They are smaller with only a 16 seater Mercedes van and not a big bus. So it was defiantly more private feel and I can defiantly recommend them . We went to Gulfoss waterfall which we stunning , the scenery along the way is beautiful. Wasn't much snow around and the guide said this year has been one of the mildest winters ever in Iceland. We checked out the geysir as well, it erupts every 5-7 minutes , we were defiantly feeling the cold , especially coming from Adelaide weather . We sucked up and carrying on walking with frozen ears and noses . We had soup for lunch which was exactly went the doctor ordered. After lunch we made our way to thingvellir national park, some of the games of thrones was shot there and is the boundary between the North America and Eurasia tectonic plates. Some great views,a nice waterfall and icelands biggest lake is there . It was Defiantly worth doing tour and we got to see some "outback" of Iceland. The tour guide said tourists have risen like 20% in the last three years and the Chinese are starting to come in big numbers. There is lots of Americans and Europeans as well. He mentioned 6/7 years ago the tourist season was really only summer but now it's year round and they are struggling to keep up. A good day around and here is some pics

 

[LadyC]

Iceland looks really interesting. Another one for the list. Not sure I would go when it was that cold though!

 

[henleybeach]

Some more photos from yesterday , from thingvellir national park

 

[henleybeach]

Today we walked around Reykjavik, it such a cool little city. So many little restaurants and cafes and little shops. The big church is called Hallgrímskirkja
it's big and impressive inside , and it stand out in Reykjavik (one of the tallest buildings in Reykjavik)
We didn't realize Iceland is famous for its hot dogs, so of course we had one or maybe 2! They were so nice, better then NYC. After lunch we headed to a cool little bar and had some wine in front of a fire watching everyone Walk by. I love a good people watching session!
Our last night is out in a town called grindavik, near the airport, it's a small fishing town and only 10 min from the airport. Reykjavik is about 45 min away.
I defiantly recommend Iceland and Reykjavik, just be prepared it's not cheap!

 

[henleybeach]

A early 445am wake up this morning to get ready for our flight to Amsterdam , wasn't well received by ms HB who loves her bed too much !
Flight ---


KEF-AMS b767 Icelandair Y class
Departure time 0745hours
We arrived at the airport at about 545am, we went to the kiosk and checked in and printed our luggage tags off, and preceded to the bag drop off section . God this airport is crazy at this time of the morning , every flight to Europe leaves from 6am to 9am. Checkin queues were ridiculously long but the kiosks were empty ! We were through in security in 10 minutes and we were sitting down having a coffee at six. The airport has some nice cafes there and a couple good shops but as soon as you head to the gates it's a rat race . Our gate was down the back and trying to walk down there was crazy. The center aisle walkway is wide enough and everyone from gates either side are just standing in the middle of the walkway. You had to literally push your through because people wouldn't move.
We boarded by bus and remote stand again and i was very impressed when I got inside . Brand new leather seats with seatback IFE and the legroom between seats was so spacious ! I don't know what SeatGuru says but it was the best I've had in economy . Drinks are free , but food needs to be purchased. We settled for a juice , a ham and cheese croissant and vanilla skyr. Skyr is a traditional Icelandic fat free dairy thing like yoghurt . It's amazing, it's thick like double whipped cream, taste like cream and so smooth, and there's no guilt after eating it !
I would defiantly fly Icelandair again, well there 767s anyway, im not sure how comfy the 757s are . The FA were all very friendly and hopeful and loved chatting to me about Australia.
We arrived 10 mins late into AMS, now for the flight to Casablanca on royal air maroc
:A Picture of the seat behind us and a pic of the legroom:

 

[love_the_life]

Iceland looks really interesting. Another one for the list. Not sure I would go when it was that cold though!

We were there in an August and it was wonderful. Loved Reykjavik. But.. would love to be there in the cold.

 

[henleybeach]

Flight --
AMS-CMN b737 royal air maroc Y class
Departure 1645.
Inexperience FF here and I got rolled at checkin ! Agent asked whether I would like a window or aisle, window please was my response. BP issued , happy days.... until I got on the plane and realized that row 12A has a window missing ! Ms HB said my reaction was priceless, the disappointment in face. I felt like I had been cheated on!
Anyway we move on and suck it up .....


Well what can I say ... what a circus during the boarding process. It was hilarious but head shaking at the same time.
The flight was absolutely chockers , well economy was. Half the plane had boarded the flight by the time we got on board, and the only place to put our bags was row 8. There was suitcases everywhere, we sat down and I literally grabbed the salted caramel nuts I had bought and started to watch this comedy unfold . People bringing 2, 3 carry on cases each plus duty free, boxes , big black plastic bags filled up with clothes I presume. FAs were telling people off but they just pushed there way through and were trying to jam them in there. This show went on for ages with people yelling , getting your bags up in the lockers was free for all. Of course not all fitted so across from us 2 people had carry on suit cases sitting on their laps for the whole flight incl take off and landing. Tray tables down with laptops on watching movies while taking off and landing ! It was a unreal and something I never seen, no one listened to the FAs when being told off.
RAM is a full service airline so shortly after takeoff we were given a hot dinner, chicken or beef ! I had the chicken with rice and it was actually very nice, accompanied with a bread roll with cream cheese , a piece of smoked trout and a vanilla yogurt . It was a pretty good meal , it's a Shame more and more airlines are moving to the LCC model and charging for food and drinks .
We landed on time into Casablanca and its time to explore Morocco

 

[love_the_life]

Flight --




View attachment 91015

What is the orange thing on the left?

 

[henleybeach]

What is the orange thing on the left?

That's a piece of smoked trout ! It was quite yummy

 

[henleybeach]

I can see why people say don't stay in Casablanca , it really has no soul or looks.
We had breakfast and walked around for a hour and then went to the train station .
We caught the train to Marrakech, a $18 first class 3 hour train journey. The seats were comfortable and it was nice to sit back and relax.
We only had one night in Marrakech, hindsight we should've stayed another night. We stayed at the sapphire and spa riad and it was amazing, its rated 5/5 on trip advisor and I can see why! ms HB got a massage and some sort of bath from there . It's located inside the medina yet when your inside the riad it feels like your a million miles away from the action.
The next day we started our 3N/4D tour from Marrakech to Fez . We crossed the Atlas Mountains which is the second biggest mountain in Africa after Mt.k in Tanzania. Winding through the roads was spectacular and the views amazing. We even had snow ! After we got through the mountains we made our way to dades valley which again was spectacular, totally different to how i pictured Morocco . We stayed in riad in the valley and had a great 3 course dinner and breakfast the next day.
We made our way through some windy roads and then on to the Sahara desert. We stopped along the way to visit a market and another gorge. We arrived at our hotel in the Sahara at about 3pm, we had some mint tea ( everywhere you go everyone gives you mint tea) then got changed and walked up on top of the dunes to watch the sunset . The sand dunes are the size of mountains and seeing them change colours as the sun went down was pretty special.
The next day we cruised around the Sahara desert , and visited a nomad family , had a traditional Berber pizza had a little cafe overlooking the desert . Then it was time to ride the camels to our camp for the night. It took a hour and half to get there by camel and we got there on sunset . The tents were nice , more like glamping and not camping ! Once the Sun went down it was cold and we sat around the fire talking and drinking wine. There was only nine staying here which was good, 4 from chile and 2 from Netherlands, we all exchange stories over the fire . The next day was back to the hotel by camel , get changed and make our way to fez.
We arrived in fez at 6pm and we stayed at riad Mazar in the medina, right in the thick of it . It was another good little place with 8 rooms and we settled in for the night with a bottle of Moroccan red and relaxed on the couches .
We went to the markets the next day for a few hours before making our way back to Casablanca . We fly out the next day with Etihad to Abu Dhabi with one night there and then into joburg . Overall we loved Morocco , we have seen snow , desert , sand dunes , mountains , valleys , gorges, the trees blossoming and we have had beautiful sunny weather. It's cheap , and staying in riads rather then hotels is defiantly the way, they are nice , boutique B&Bs with beautiful breakfasts . We used realmoroccotours.com and they were great, a small boutique company with only 5 drivers . Defiantly recommend them to anyone going to Morocco . We will be back to spend more time in Marrakech but we defiantly underestimated the language, I had no idea it was mainly French.
Now onto to the next stop , South Africa and our flight with Etihad

 

[henleybeach]

 

[henleybeach]

 

[bPeteb]

Iceland looks really interesting. Another one for the list. Not sure I would go when it was that cold though!

We've been in summer. We loved it so much visiting in winter is now on our must do list.

 

[bPeteb]

KEF-AMS b767 Icelandair Y class Brand new leather seats with seatback IFE and the legroom between seats was so spacious !
I would defiantly fly Icelandair again, well there 767s anyway, im not sure how comfy the 757s are.
:A Picture of the seat behind us and a pic of the legroom:
View attachment 90987View attachment 90988TE]
Just went back and read my posts from our flight to Iceland a couple of years ago. We were on a 757 in Y. It can't have been too bad or I wouldn't have said 'ok flight'. Said IFE was ok. We had issue with one of the engines before take off. I did comment about how crazy the terminal was when we arrived at 0630. Loved Iceland. Just talking about flying to northern Europe through JFK and then across with icelandair next Jan.

 

[henleybeach]

Flight---
CMN-AUH a330-300 Etihad J class
Departure 1055am


We arrived at the airport later then expected , the Casablanca traffic was heavier then expected and we didn't visit the lounge beforehand . We checked in and then by the time we got through security and to our gate it was time to board. Remote stand and via a bus, for the sixth time this trip !
I was seated 11a and ms HB directly behind me . There was two Indian men seated directly opposite me in the middle who must of got upgraded , because they looked at me and said not bad for upgrade. They took lots of selfies and were ringing everyone and telling them there were in business class. It was funny watching them , they loved it . But after takeoff they were so rude, clicking fingers , yelling out , and demanding things , I kid you not , the first two hours i reckon there was a FA at their seat every 5 minutes . They really made the most it but were terribly rude , i really felt sorry for the FAs .
A few champagnes before take off and and we were airborne, Etihad serve the billcart-salmon which is one of my favorite champagnes . For lunch I ordered the cauliflower soup , the beef fillet and the pear pudding. Soup was amazing , best cauliflower soup I've had, beef fillet was nice , very tender and soft and was washed down with a lovely south Australian Chris ringland shiraz . The FA was French and from the Bordeaux region so we chatted about wine for about a hour in the galley, both trying to convince each other we had the best wines!
The pear pudding was delicious but needed a dollop of double thick cream. The service was fantastic and better then the Mel-Auh leg.
Another couple red wines and I must of fell asleep for a bit because when I woke up and the blinds were down . I started to feel a little peckish so I ordered the steak sandwich with a vodka and ginger ale,
The steak sandwich isn't as good as it used to be , the bun was too bready , it was like a hot dog bun. But it was the steak was nice and it was good just not as good as it used to be .
I watch a bit of Telly and then it was time for landing , we landed 45 min ahead of time !

 

[love_the_life]

Actually the steak sandwich looks like it is in a brioche bun which would make it more dense and a bit sweeter than bread.

 

[henleybeach]

Actually the steak sandwich looks like it is in a brioche bun which would make it more dense and a bit sweeter than bread.

Spot on , good description!

 

[henleybeach]

We had a overnight stay at the premier inn at Abu Dhabi before our flight to JNB. Rooms were good and clean and quite good for $90 a night .
Having never been on the Dreamliner I was looking forward to this flight, the Etihad 787 business studio I thought was the perfect way to fly it for the first time !
Well the old plane sub happened, when I checked the Etihad app in the morning I noticed our seats had changed, so I jumped online and had a look, we are now on a330-200. Geez I was disappointed but that's plane travel! Further investigation I found that for the last couple months the 787 was daily to jnb but now is 6 days a week and every tues it's a a330 for some reason.
--Flight--
AUH-JNB a330-200 J class Etihad
Departure 1015am seat 9A


We boarded by bus and via stairs (the 8th time this trip) and settled in with some pre departure champagne .
Meal orders were taken and then we push backed about 15 min late .
After some nuts and more champagne the meal service began .
I had the duck rillette and it was delish, I had no idea what was coming out as I've never heard of rillette but it was good.
Mains was served straight away after the entree was taken away. I went with the beef short rib with mash and spinach. Washed down with Chris ringland Shiraz.
The meat was tender and fell apart and the mash was nice and creamy, the serving was a little on the small side but the amount of food I have eaten with zero exercise in the last couple days it was probably a good thing .
Next up I got the chocolate dulce de leche tart with caramel jelly.
This was very rich , I ended up breaking some chocolate off the side as it was too much. The caramel jelly was a fail, couldn't taste the caramel and the jelly was hard.
I reclined the chair and relaxed watching some Telly and had a cappuccino with a cookie. We hit some minor turbulence for about 5 minutes and the crew were told to take seats but 90 minutes later they were still seated and it had been smoothing sailing . So I don't know what was going on there , maybe the captain was expecting some bad turbulence but it never came .
About two hours before landing I ordered the steak sandwich to try this one out. This one had different ingredients , it tomato on it, and a tomato chilli jam and it also had a different roll. The roll wasn't as thick and bready which was good.
I had my windows open because it was a day flight but the FA came over and said a guest has asked my to shut my windows . The FA was good and said it's up to you , it is a day flight. I closed one window and left the other open as I was listening to music and looking outside . About 5 minutes later the FA came over again and said the passenger has requested I shut that window as well, the FA said he told him it was a day flight and he is allowed to leave it open . For the last 6 hours it's been open , and now he wants it shut with 90min before landing . I left it open as I was genuinely looking outside and following the flight tracker to see where we were while listening to some music. It wasn't like I was the only one with a window open. Anyhow it was a pleasant flight, the crew were friendly and polite and for the first time on a Etihad flight they were pro active and came around asking did we want more food before landing , he twisted my arm and before you know it a creme brûlée landing on my lap ! It was very nice , i didn't expect there to be a hard top as I would've thought a blow torch on a plane wouldn't be allowed.
A couple vodka and ginger ales before landing we were there . 20 minutes but arrived safely and with full bellies . I had booked the chauffeur car online , and this morning before the flight I got a confirmation email from Etihad with chauffeur details. Which was good because I was thinking I bet the car doesn't arrive and Etihad will claim I never booked it like what happened in Sydney a year ago.

 

[henleybeach]

Sorry i forgot to crop the pictures