NoNames European Vacation (Paris, Italy, Zurich)

[NoName]

The NoNames have just returned from Italy and it would be remiss of me not to report back to the forum. And so......

So the trip was a bit more localised and a bit less Griswald-ish than the first part of the title would indicate but as we all know, drawing a crowd of gawkers to ensure maximum likes is the most important part of any trip report and a catchy (sic) report title is the key first step in achieving this. Well, that’s the story I will go with anyway.

We begin in September 2016 and after giving up her destination preference to make way for The United States Of Eating, Mrs NoName wasn’t missing out – and neither was NoName Jnr! 2018 is a significant birthday for her and Italy was her present of choice. Despite a somewhat depleted points balance, her instructions were to make it happen. After 6 months of scrambling we had managed to scrape together what we needed and when May 2017 rolled around it was time to book.


After searching around for suitable award availability at various European arrival/departure points we ended up with the following:

BNE-HKG-CDG CX J (NoName taking one for the team in Y+ for the 1st sector)
CDG-NAP AF Y (using AMEX travel credit)
FCO-ZRH LX Y (using AMEX travel credit + approx $100 cash)
ZRH-HKG CX J
HKG-CNS-BNE CX J


With flights sorted the 11 month game of itinerary planning and associated arguments began. Fast forward through all of that and we came up with:

Paris – 3nts
Naples – 1nt
Positano – 3nts
Rome – 1nt
Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore) – 4nts
Lucca (Tuscany) – 3nts
Florence – 2nts
Venice – 3nts
Rome – 4nts
Zurich – 2nts
Hong Kong – 12hr transit

Flights sorted. Itinerary sorted. Still some trepidation about dragging a 4 year old to the other side of the world for a month. Oh well. And off we go!

 

[kelvedon]

Looking forward to this trip report.
A little bit of intel from my experiences. The walk between the Cinque Terre is lovely, but in places quite challenging. Between Riomaggiore and Manarola is a promenade stroll, but between Montrossa and Vernazza it is hard, and best done in the cool of the morning. You can of course catch the train between the villages though there’s a substantial hike from Corniglia’s train station and the village.
From Rome to FCO you can catch a train from Roma Termini, but for the three of you, the flat rate taxi fare of 55€ is similarly priced and certainly more convenient.

 

[cjd600]

Looking forward to this trip report.
A little bit of intel from my experiences. The walk between the Cinque Terre is lovely, but in places quite challenging. Between Riomaggiore and Manarola is a promenade stroll, but between Montrossa and Vernazza it is hard, and best done in the cool of the morning. You can of course catch the train between the villages though there’s a substantial hike from Corniglia’s train station and the village.
From Rome to FCO you can catch a train from Roma Termini, but for the three of you, the flat rate taxi fare of 55€ is similarly priced and certainly more convenient.

He's already been....

 

[kelvedon]

He's already been....

Oh !!

 

[cjd600]

Still handy info!

 

[NoName]

I had been monitoring award availability for a number of weeks in the hope that another J award would pop up for me to use. Unfortunately day after day I was met with disappointment and when I ended up checking how full the J cabin was a few days prior to departure I realised that I was going to be out of luck. Looked like a full flight all around. Y+ it was for me.


At 10:30pm it was time to head to the airport. A short taxi ride later and we were there. Walked into the BNE departure hall and to the CX check in desks where we saw a bunch of self-check in stations and just couple of bag drop desks. We asked the staff member manning the self-serve stations if we could have someone check us in as normal and was told “no you have to do it yourself” followed by a sarcastic “only business class customers can use the check in desk”. Well yes buddy, we are business class customers so take a hike.


Checked in quickly, through immigration and off to the QF J lounge to see if we would have any luck in getting me in. I had asked the question HERE whether my connection to a long haul J flight in HKG would allow me lounge access in BNE and there was not really a consensus. However when we got arrived the staff member at the door was more than happy for me to join MrsNoName & NoName Jnr when I asked.


It had been a couple of years since we had visited the lounge at BNE International. While it was fairly small, I liked it. Not sure I would enjoy being there at a busy time but at 11:30pm on a Friday night with only the CX flight to depart before closing time, it was an enjoyable place to relax for an hour or so.


Midnight rolled around and it was time to board. Half way down the bridge and I bid farewell to the family – they went left and I went right. Oh well, it was only for 8hrs, I would survive….right?



CX156 BNE-HKG A350-900


Plonked myself in seat 31D (MrsNoName & NoName Jnr were in 12D & 12G) and awaited departure. Received an amenity kit which contained the usual basics which never get used. The seat itself had a pretty decent amount of leg room and once we took off I also found the recline to be very good. I preferred this Y+ seat to what I have experienced previously on the QF 747.

Apparently NoName Jnr wanted to visit me so they wandered through the curtains in front to take a peak. NoName Jnr proceeded to ask at the top of his voice “daddy, why doesn’t your seat turn into a bed?” Not entirely sure what the rest of the Y+ cabin thought about hearing this come out of the mouth of a 4 year old but it was enough for me to get the hug out of the way and send them back to the front ASAP.


Supper was served pretty quickly after take-off. I had the Stir fried chicken which was nice. Tender with plenty of flavour. The ice cream was rock hard though. Needed to wait half an hour for it to soften enough to be able to get a spoon into. Slightly irritating.

J Menu & Meals:

Watched half a movie before nodding off for brief periods. Probably managed 2hrs of actual sleep. As I’ve mentioned previously, I don’t sleep well sitting up so my experience has been that Y+ is really no more conducive to rest/sleep than Y. For this reason on overnight flights I would be just as happy at the back of the bus.



An hour or so out from HKG and breakfast rolled around. Had the stir fried noodles with bbq pork. The noodles were basically flavourless which was disappointing however the pork itself was nice enough. The yogurt and fresh fruit were good as you would expect. Unexpectedly, the highlight was the croissant. While it looked very sad on the plate, it was pretty decent to eat with some butter and jam.

Landed in HKG a little stiff a sore but relieved to be half way to Paris with the rest of the journey being in more comfortable surroundings.


Summing up my CX A359 Y+ experience: seat is good. Definitely a step up from Y with the recline in particular being very good. For me personally though I wouldn’t pay extra for this on a night flight simply because I don’t get any additional sleep. If it’s not J then Y will do. Obviously YMMV here. The food was fine. Nothing special but then I wasn’t expecting it to be.

 

[LadyC]

Look forward to reading more - especially about your experiences travelling with NoName Jnr. MasterC is also well travelled and we did 5 weeks in Europe with him when he was 3. Holidays with little ones usually have a different focus so I am interested to know what your tourist adventures entailed.

 

[Milboo]

Looking forward to your thoughts on Zurich. I was there 6 months ago and really enjoyed it.

 

[zig]

Looking forward to the rest of your trip.

 

[NoName]

Off the plane pretty quick and over to the scrum that was transit security check. Through that and it was a very quick march towards our next boarding gate with the plan to duck in to whichever CX lounge we saw close by. We had just under 90min connection time and this was down to about 60min once we had cleared security so we would have to hurry if we wanted to have a freshen up. Got to The Bridge quick enough and was into one of the showers within 5 minutes. Very good result. A much needed shower, a small snack, a quick wander through the lounge to have a look and then it was off to a nearby gate ready to do it all again.

This was our first time in HKG so no expert on the lounges by any means. Nevertheless, thoughts on the lounge after what was a very brief visit: The shower facilities were great so that served the main purpose of our visit perfectly. Didn’t get a whole lot of time to sample the offerings but what I did see/eat was quite reasonable. Wasn’t a big fan of the long, narrow layout but that’s just a personal opinion. I would visit again if in a similar short transit with my connecting gate nearby but for longer visits I would choose other offerings.

 

[HockeyMonkey]

We are doing a very similar France, Italy, Switzerland CX J award trip in 4 weeks that was booked 11 months ago, MEL - HKG - CDG, ZRH - HKG - ADL - MEL so watching your trip report with much interest.

 

[NoName]

CX279 HKG-CDG A350-900


On we went and this time it was a relief to be joining the two other NoName’s in J – 16A, 16D & 16G. A couple of glasses of the Billecart prior to takeoff and I was relaxed and ready to go.

Uneventful take-off and the 2nd part of the journey was underway. Menus and amenity kits were quickly distributed and then before too long it was time for (another) breakfast.

Amenity kit:

Menu:

I chose the dim sum selection. It was only ok. In hindsight I should have realised that the plane environment is not the best place for food like dim sum that is best served completely fresh. The muesli and fruits were great so that was a positive.

Mrs NoName chose the scallop and pomfret congee which was also only ok. It suffered from the same sort of problem as the dim sum in that an on-ground version is far superior. In future we both would probably give the western option a try.

 

[NoName]

CX279 HKG-CDG A350-900 continued......

Attempted to watch a movie for a couple of hours in-between encouraging NoName Jnr to entertain himself. Didn’t really work. Eventually it was time for him to get some sleep and he was compliant enough. With peace and quiet it was time for us to relax. Mrs NoName continued to watch a couple of movies while I decided to test out the inflight wi-fi. UD$9.95 for 1hr, US$12.95 for 6hrs or US$19.95 for the whole flight. I went for the whole flight option.

I wasn’t expecting much in the way of speed but I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t have an upload/download speed but it was more than usable. I was able to load websites reasonably quickly, text, chat on whatsapp etc with no issues at all. I’m no tech expert and assume that being over land may have helped but it makes me wonder why QF haven’t been able to make this happen yet.

Half way through the flight I decided to try the beef burger on offer. Took about 15 minutes for them to prepare. It was a little bland and could have done with a decent sauce.

A couple of hours out from CDG and it was time for the lunch service.

Scallop and couscous salad was great.

We both chose the braised lamb shoulder rack which was great. Nice and tender, plenty of flavour. Good choice as was the 3 or 4 glasses of the French red that I washed it down with.

We had ordered a childs meal for NoNameJnr which he promptly refused to eat (recurring theme of the trip). Sausage, egg & veges to which he blurted out a big “blurr” noise. Didn’t want to waste it so I ended up eating it. Tasted fine to me and I’m sure most children would enjoy. He ended up downing 4 or 5 pieces of garlic bread. Hey, better than nothing right?

Also had the cheese plate and shared some ice cream with NoNameJnr.

By now it was time to prepare for landing. Down we went and before we knew it we were landed at our final destination – CDG.

Thoughts on the CX A350 J product: Seat was great. I didn’t sleep at all but did put the seat into bed mode to lie down and just relax for a while. I found it more than wide enough around the head and shoulders and ok in the foot section at the end. I’m 6’4 so I was taking up the whole bed more or less but it was still great once in the right position. When in seat mode it was very comfortable to recline a little while watching TV. I did find the cabin to be a little warm at times so that would be a minor negative. I thought the food offerings were pretty good without being spectacular. I’m no expert but Champagne and wine were to my liking – ie they tasted good. Overall this is definitely a product I would opt for again.

 

[zig]

I can feel (and share) your relief settling into row 16

 

[GarrettM]

I also have a child that will devour garlic bread and ignore everything else offered.

 

[LadyC]

I also have a child that will devour garlic bread and ignore everything else offered.

Mine would require that all green bits are picked off prior to eating it but is otherwise equally addicted to refined carbohydrates. Crackers, in particular, are a favourite on planes.

 

[Straubs]

Reading with interest!

 

[NoName]

Paris


Off the plane and through security nice and quickly. Grabbed the bags and managed to find a convenience store at CDG selling tourist sims. Went for a couple of Orange sims - €40 for plenty of talk + text + (importantly) 10gb data. The guy at the counter told us that it was valid for 30 days, however we found out a couple of weeks later that it was actually for 14 days. A mild irritation but still an ok deal. A €20 top up saw us reconnected.


Jumped in a cab and 45min and €50 later we were at our destination – Apartments du Louvre. They have two locations and we were at St Honoré, perfectly situated a couple of blocks from the Louvre. Price was around $600 for 3 nights. A very easy check in process with a reception manned until 6pm each day and a self-check in process for anyone arriving after this. The apartment was pretty cosy but served our needs very well. There was a fold out bed for NoName Jnr which he was excited about. We would have no hesitation in staying here again.

By the time we had checked in and got our things up to the room it was around 6:30pm and having been in transit for the past 24hrs, we were pooped! Popped around the corner to a small café, grabbed a couple of baguettes for dinner and then it was off to bed.

 

[NoName]

Paris – Day 1

Day 1 proper began at a rather early hour. Feeling the effects jetlag, sleep was a struggle and when NoName Jnr decided 3:30am was play time, that was it. We managed to subdue him with the ipad for a couple of hours but come 5:30am we decided it was time to head out. This actually turned out to be a great decision. There was almost no one on the streets and we were able to have a relaxing walk along the Seine.

Headed over to Notre Dame – not a single other person there. Having been there with the hordes last time we were in Paris, we were glad to be able to take photos in peace.

Breakfast time rolled around so we stopped at a café near Notre Dame. Almost totally empty other than 2 women sitting at a table near the window. I heard their accents from 20 metres away. What are the chances? We Aussies do get around!

Breakfast was a basic set menu and consisted of croissant, OJ & hot chocolate. Simple, cheap(ish) and did the job.

We kept wandering the streets making our way back towards the apartment.

By now it was around 9am and after dropping a few things back at the apartment we continued on towards the Louvre. We wandered through the exterior for some photo ops but having been there previously and not being huge art buffs we didn’t want to wade through the sea of tourists and go inside. Buying something from the gift shop would be the extent of our visit on this occasion.

We continued on down through the Tuilerie gardens. Gardens were beautiful. The Ferris wheel next to the Place de la Concorde was a new addition since our last visit and to be honest I found it to be totally out of place. Thought it looked silly and somewhat ruined the area. Just my opinion though YMMV.

 

[NoName]

Paris - Day 1 Continued....

On we went, across the river and through the streets in the general direction of the Eiffel Tower. We had booked tickets for 1pm so had plenty of time. NoName Jnr has seen lots of our photos at home so he can easily recognise the tower. He was very excited and took great enjoyment looking for it poking up over the buildings more and more as we got closer.

Bought some bread, meat & cheese for lunch and found a great spot in the gardens below the tower to sit down and eat.

Wandered over to the Eiffel Tower, through security and into the lifts for our visit. I’m not sure exactly what was going on at the bottom (it looked like either added security measures or some kind of “improvement”) but I found it to be a real eyesore. Like with the wheel at Place de la Concorde, I feel like they have somewhat ruined the area. It’s a shame IMO.

It was a hot day and despite fatigue beginning to set in, we continued on back across the river and up through the streets towards the Arc de Triomphe. We had visited and gone to the top in 2012 and had no intention of doing so again. However, being one of the iconic symbols of Paris and also another of the monuments recognized by NoName Jnr, it was always going to be in the itinerary.

We had intended to walk all the way back to the apartment but by now we were done. A short walk down part of the Champs Elysees and we ducked into a metro station.




We had around an hours rest at the apartment before it was time for dinner. By chance Nanna NoName & husband were also in Paris at the same time so we took the opportunity to catch up for dinner. Well, that was the plan before NoName Jnr decided sleep time would start now. He was gone in his pram within about 5 minutes of meeting and stayed in the passed out state for the duration. No matter.

We took off across the river to Saint Michel to find somewhere to eat. We had not visited this area previously and after seeing it buzzing with activity we wished we had. Plenty going on including lots of restaurants and we soon found something to our liking. Three courses for around €20 from memory. Add in a bottle of wine and it came to around €100 for the four of us. Good value and good food. Would certainly return to both the restaurant and the area next time in Paris.

That was it for the day. We were finished. A short walk back, goodbyes said and then it was bed. Big day with Disneyland tomorrow. Would we survive?