Monthly Archives: March 2015

Air France – Matron in the Air (and not in a good way)


I lucked out to get relatively inexpensive tickets to travel Business Class to Bali – I’m not stupid – and I completely recognize a bargain when I see one. So it was with a great deal of trepidation that I read some pretty negative reviews of Air France in general – and Air France Business Class in particular.

For those who google – Seat Guru.com, Seat Plans.com, and Airline Quality.com are 3 of the many sites that allow folks like you and me to comment publicly on how airlines are treating their paying guests these days. My personal favorite is probably Seat Guru – it seems to keep up to date pretty reqularly – and has enough reviews to lend believability to the total.

Any way – it generally appeared upon reading these sites that I was in trouble. Air France has gone from Queen of the airways to what can best be described as an older lady who hasn’t aged as well as she might. Reviewers describe an old fleet, an old entertainment system, food that is best avoided, and not very friendly service.

Well I’m here to report – at the half way point – that the reviewers are not completely wrong. There is lots to love, and lots to wonder about on just one flight experience – people who have put on more miles with Air France will likely have found even less to love.

But let’s hit the highlights and the low lights. You can decide for yourself.

Right now I’m sitting in the Air France Executive lounge in Paris. On the Air France website – this lounge is described as sophisticated, elegant, luxurious. Well – not quite. The lounge in Montreal – while much smaller – had a much more elegant feel to it. I haven’t seen a single person cleaning or straightening up. The food selection is limited to delicous cheeses – and pre-packaged cups of noodles. Really – cup of noodles?

There was a sign at the entrance that advertised free massages – but when I arrived at 3:30 and asked for an appointment – they were ‘gone for the day’. Would it be so hard to take down the sign? Guess so.

I will give the lounge credit for size – it’s huge. And broken into quite attractive sections thru the use of plants (fake) and glass panels. One section is walled off completely – and labeled for Japan Air only. Guess they can’t mix with the likes of us. There are toilets – not wonderfully located though – and there’s an upstairs section that apparently has computers and work stations. Not to complain – but there’s no elevator – so everyone going up stairs is lugging their carry on.

And here’s the worst part – I’m in a basement. The view out of the only windows is of a huge construction site – I’m assuming the airport is expanding.

But this is the ‘name’ carrier of France – shouldn’t they offer guests a bit of a higher standard.

Late breaking news – my flight boards at 6:50 PM – so at about 6:45 I made my way out of the lounge – to realize they were setting up the most amazing spread for dinner – lox, cold cuts, several salads, etc. But it was chained off – you have to wait to 7:00 to eat! I guess they figure that just because you are Travelling – you should abide by France’s standard eating times to get hungrey. At least it’s a way step up from Cup of Noodles.

On to the review of the flight over the pond as the Brits like to refer to the Atlantic Ocean. Yes – I turned left. Yes I had one of those cool looking seats that becomes a bed – and yes they provided slippers, hand creme, eye shades, and even low end ear phones permanently attached to your chair. But I couldn’t plug in my own ear phones and stereo sound, the tiny TV monitor was over an arms reach away – and the selections rather limited. I did get to watch MockingJay, Big Force 6, and a bit of the 100 Foot Journey – so that was ok – but in comparision to the options available on Air Canada in Economy class – this was pretty weak. No points for making me use your earphones, no points for selections, no points for size/clarity of the TV. Sorry Air France – losers.

The service was variable. I can’t actually lift my carry on – it has my regulator inside – so I need help. Points for the staff noticing, Points for the staff trying to help – no points for the male steward saying – aren’t you going to help me. Really – I’m 66 and 5’4″ – I can’t even OPEN the overhead bin – let alone lift the carry on. And this is fancy dancy business class.

Drinks – Points for lots of drink options, 10 points for AWESOME hot chocolate, no points for making me ask 3 times for a refill on water, and definitely no points for telling me that after 5 hours they had figured out that I liked fizzy water – and thus included a bottle on the breakfast cart – just for me. It’s not the guesture – it’s having to tell me about it that’s weird.

Silverware – I have no idea where they are storing these things – but seriously cold silverware is a real turn off. So of course is plastic – so points for real silverware, no points for it being cold. Very cold.

Food – ok – this too had temperature issues. Where are they storing stuff? Frozen shrimp? Really? But the bread was fresh baked and delicious – and the cheese – wonderful. The butter so hard that I couldn’t cut it with a knife. So again – mixed review – Points for the bread – lots of points for the bread. And the main course was pretty good too. But too cold to eat shrimp was a serious negative. And I would have loved some of those fresh baked cookies that Lou mentioned. None showed up. On the other hand – the Hot chocolate was outstanding. And I’d almost fly AF again to get it.

Breakfast – 4 tiny pieces of fruit, a COLD (nothing new there) yogurt and 2 more hot chocolates. Best part – freshly baked pasteries. So few people opted for breakfast that the gal offered me seconds if I wanted. That was nice. Points for Hot Cocolate, Points for asking if I wanted seconds – No points for the rest.

Bed – which was in fact the entire point – Ok – that was pretty good. In fact – I don’t understand the negative comments all over the net. Am I just less fussy? It was firm, there was a nice big pillow and a huge blanket that was quite comfy. I was in 3E – which was NOT a bulkhead seat. That meant I had a shelf to put my feet on – and of course the slanted flat bed. So Points and them some for these. I wouldn’t want a bulkhead seat – but otherwise – all was good. And they had reading lights that you could move around as needed. Another nice touch.

Bottom line – I’m curious to see if we’re going up or down on this next leg – 19 hours to Singapore…

Signing off to get some more of that yummy cheese here in the Executive Lounge – The Soup Lady

Turn to the Left – a whole New Way of Travelling


I never travel business or first class. Never. But I’m going to Bali – and it’s 35 hours of travel there – and 25 hours back. Total – 60 hours.

That’s a lot of flight time for one little lady travelling alone. So when I booked my tickets – I looked at something I never even think of looking at – the difference in price between economy and business class. It was $1000. Round Trip. They were having a huge sale.

So $1000 for 60 hours is $16.67. What could they give me to be worth $16.67 an hour? Well it turns out that they are going to give me a bed. A bed. And not just one bed – two beds each way. And that’s not all – buy now and we’ll give you nicer food, a bigger seat, friendlier more personalized service, 2 bags free, priority access to the check-in counter, and guarenteed seats (which it turns out is not so guarenteed actually).

How could a bargain hunting senior possibly resist such an offer.

So – here I am – sitting in the Air France lounge in the Montral airport – snacking on their delicious food – fine cheese, proper nut bread, quiches, salad, biscotti (oh – I love biscotti), chocolates from Italy, unlimited drinks from canned Perrier to bottle water to wine and beer – although I’m not going to imbide any of the alcoholic suggestions – I know from previous flying experience that’s not a good plan.

They just announced that my flight is on time – but not to worry – when it’s time for us to board, they will make another announcement – meanwhile just relax and enjoy the lounge.

Oh man – I’m relaxing – and enjoying – and getting another biscotti!

About that guaranteed seating – I booked back in the spring of 2014 – and at the time I used Seat Guru.com – great site – to pick out the very best seats. I’m not a fan of bulkhead seats – I need something under my short legs to keep my feet flat – and I definitely don’t want to be near the toilets – or the gallery. So I carefully picked window seats that would be perfect.

Imagine my surprise to discover when I checked in yesterday that Air France had switched planes on me (not a bad thing – I’m getting their brand new upgraded business class experience) – but because I booked early – they gave me consistently bulk head seats! And naturally – there are not nearly as many options now as there where when I booked. So for the seriously long leg of this journey – the flight from Paris to Singapore – I’m in a middle row – no window. But in the image – it looks like one of the privacy booths – I’ll let you know as soon as I know.

Oh – my flight plans – Montreal to Paris – 8 hours in Paris (asleep – I can’t sleep on airplanes), then Paris to Singapore, then Singapore to Bali. Return trip is the reverse – without the long stay in Paris.

Can’t wait to turn to the left – Signing off so she’s really ready to enjoy this brand new adventure – The Soup Lady

I’m Flying Tomorrow – and I’m nervous. My stomach is killing me…


I’m leaving my safe and warm nest tomorrow for a 35 hour flight to another crazy adventure trip – this time to Bali. I’ve always wanted to go to Bali – ever since I saw the movie South Pacific, it’s been on my ever expanding bucket list of things I have to do some day.

And finally – I’m going. The trip is mostly paid for – I’ve gotten some Indonesian Ruples to pay for the Visa when I arrive – and I’m about 3/4 packed.

My packing issues are probably the source of at least part of my stomach concerns. Bali is just a very short stone’s throw away from Komodo National Park – home of some of the best scuba diving in the world.

I can’t go to Bali and not go scuba diving in Komodo Park – that and not seeing the dragons would be an expensive mistake. If you go that far – at least do the highlights!

In the book and susquent movie “Eat, Pray, Love” – the heroine goes to Bali – and doesn’t see the dragons. Loser. Silly movie. Monkeys are cute – and I’m sure that healer was a lot of fun – but when are you ever going to see hundreds of living, breathing, moving, and apparently ill tempered dragons? Get a grip. See the sites.

So – what does this have to do with packing issues? Well – if you are going diving – in a serious way – you need to bring your own regulator, BC, Mask, Snorkle, Fins, Dive Computer, Dive skin – etc. with you. And instead of just easy to squeeze in bathings suits and a few shirts – I’m now trying to figure out where to put stuff that really was never designed to be packed.

To add concern onto worry – apparently luggage has a habit of not making it to Bali. 3 changes of planes, 35 hours of travelling – just too many opportunities for even clearly labeled luggage to go off on it’s own and visit some other city.

So I’m doing carry on for the critical items – unfortunately – that’s my regulator, mask, Dive Computer, C-cards, and Dive tables. Plus bathing suit, shoes for the boat, hats for the boat, my toiletries, and my clothes. If all of that’s carry on – why am I checking luggage I’m wondering? Oh yes – fins and BC – truly bulky and not dive killers if they go missing. So one mostly empty suitcase in the hold (that is probably getting lost), and one over loaded and super heavy (for me) suitcase to carry on.

If you can’t lift it over your head – can you really call it a carry-on?

Well muttering about my packing concerns is not getting the stuff into the suitcase.

Signing off to go be nervous nearer my suitcase – The Soup Lady

Life in the pursuit of Happiness


Saw a wonderful commercial this morning on TV. It was done for the Cheese marketing board here in Canada – and it argued that doing things that give you Pleasure makes life worth living. I think the actual caption was “Cheese – an Excellent Source of Pleasure”.

I was intrigued – not so much by the cheese – it looked like Brie wins hands down – probably because it’s so easy to cut – but by the concept.

Life lived in the pursuit of Happiness.

I guess it intrigued me because I just did a series of personality questionnaires for a study at my local hospital on how certain personality types handle stress – and the questions generally asked for me rate a series of statements from Totally Disagree to Totally Agree.

The questions were not generally upbeat. I feel like Killing myself appeared at least 3 times – and there was an entire series devoted to issues related to handling overwhelming emotions. As my daughter-in-law quipped – I’m probably a huge outlier in their study. But hey – they invited me to continue for 3 years. I don’t think they would have done that if my results wouldn’t be included.

Back to the pursuit of Happiness.

So what makes you happy is the first question. If you know what gives you personally pleasure – it’s much easier to figure out what to do to get more of the same.

For me – travel (well not the TRAVEL part – but the being somewhere new and different part) is hugely enjoyable. I love seeing new places, visiting new museums (or even old ones with new exhibits). And you know what totally makes my day – exploring new transit systems.

I loved it when we were learning how to use the metro system in South Korea – it was a hoot to see the different stations, to observe how people in South Korea behave when doing their normal getting from here to there routines. Particularly fun – sitting with the older citizens in the reserved seats – and seeing how they knew each other. And watching them compete for least infirm. You take the seat – no you take the seat – no, I’m clearly in better shape then you – it’s yours. Too funny!

All of which leads me to the subject of my next big trip.

I’m going to Bali – Indonesia. And I’m already loving it – because in Indonesia – I’m a millionaire – a 5 millionaire to be exact. And it only cost me $500 Canadian. But my friend says it’s easy come, easy go.

Well – I’m going to revel in my new status for at least a few days, thank you.

Signing off – The newly minted millionaire – The Soup Lady

A Woman’s Guide to Packing for Indonesia


Handy – I’m heading to Bali very soon – so knowing what to bring – and more importantly not to bring is essential. Don’t bring a towel, eh? Ok you – out of my bags!

andreacnapoli's avatar

How to pack for Indonesia largely depends on which of its 17,000+ islands you’ll be visiting. With that many islands and countless more cultures each adhering to a very set collection of fashion faux-paus, packing for this country can be a little overwhelming. And as a woman, when packing gets tough, the tough get over-packing. I brought way too much with me, leaving me in quite a predicament as I now try to pack all my souvenirs, gifts, and clothes to take home.

Here’s a packing list I’ve constructed by learning from my mistakes:

packing

It’s important to note that although Indonesia is located in the tropics of South East Asia and is as hot and humid as primordial soup, it isn’t all tanks, bikinis, and shorts. In fact, on most islands those items would be considered very offensive to wear in public. On the most popular islands of Bali…

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News from the Bird House


Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal dropped by today to say hi – and grab a quick snack at my bird feeder. Officially part of the Grosbeak family – named such for their large beaks (Gross Beak – get it!) – they look amazing silhouetted against the literally tons of snow in my back yard.

It’s been a long hard winter here in Canada – and while we should really be used to this – it does happen every year people – somehow as I get older, winter seems to get longer and longer.

But today – sitting as I am in my warm house admiring the glistening white snow and startling red birds at my feeder – it’s a tad hard to work up to a good complaint.

Ok – minus anything on a thermometer is probably not wonderful for outdoor activities, but when the snow glistens and every animal track is highlighted by it’s shadows – well – its so stunningly beautiful I really can’t imagine wanting to live somewhere else.

Enough about the weather already – I did want to update my loyal readers on the happenings around my bird feeder!

My daughter accuses me of favoring beauty over brains – because I bought a fab squirrel baffle – the first in my long search for squirrel proof that actually works. It’s actually a Raccoon Baffle – and that should immediately tell you that my squirrels are the hard core type. Even though it’s been defeating them for months – they still occasionally get inspired to check it out. The Baffle is a long (about 2.5 foot) empty cylinder that is about 10″ in diameter. In balances on a disk that is screwed tight to the pole that holds the feeders – and hangs down. It is sufficiently large to keep animals from climbing up the outside – and of course there is nothing inside to do or see or eat. So several times a day a brave squirrel will scramble up the pole – peek into the cylinder – then slide down and give me a dirty look. Fortunately for me – and the squirrels – birds aren’t really neat eaters – so there’s plenty of seeds scattered on the ground around the pole – so no one is really going that hungry.

On to the birds – I know – I’m not much of a birder. Ok – actually – I’m a terrible birder. I can see the color (red – cardinal, blue – blue jay), but little brown birds with white chests – they all kinda look the same to me. And that’s using my binoculars. I’m bad.

But I have good friends – and they bought me a book. Kaufman’s Field Guide to Birds of North America. And it has lots of pictures. While what I’d really like is someone to go – look – see that and that and that – that’s how you know that bird is a Nuthatch – at least with the Kaufman, I can flip thru the pictures and say – well – that looks right.

And I’m not so dumb that I don’t know to check if it even comes into my area. Good thing they have maps in the book, eh?

Ok – so birds I have spotted:

1. Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal – who apparently live near by and visit daily
2. The Chickadee extended family – who dip and dive their way in and out constantly
3. The Blue Jays – sometime visitors – and right now notable in their lengthly absence
4. White Breasted Nuthatch. I for sure saw one – looked just like his picture! I think I might have seen a Red Breasted Nuthatch – but I’m not 100% sure.
5. Yellow Throated Vireo – hey – it’s yellow. I’m so happy. Doesn’t look like the brown guys – works for me.
6. Warblers – I’m pretty sure these are what I’ve seen – but this is a huge family – so it’s a safe bet that at least one or two or a dozen have ventured by
7. European Starling – only slightly smaller than the Cardinals – and not nearly as regular a visitor – I’m pretty proud of the fact that I’m sure that the bird I saw was a Starling. (No joking about the huge population of these either – I’m new to the game of ID’ing birds – and a positive ID is a positive ID
8. And Juncos – Dark Eye’d and very pretty.

I have one more observation to share with you – it turns out that the birds are more interested apparently in sunshine than thermometer readings. No matter how cold it is (and we’ve had days in the minus 30 and worse range), if the sun’s out – the birds come. On the grey days – even when it’s much warmer – there are fewer birds.

Ok – that’s it for news from the feeder. I’ll keep everyone posted if I spot something new and different – or if the squirrels defeat the Baffle. I think my daughter is definitely on their side.

Signing off – The Soup Lady

Another Icon gone forever – And I’ll miss Spock forever


Spock died. Ok – I know – it’s not Spock – it’s Leonard Nimoy – but to me he was Spock. He was a visitor from another galaxy with issues related to his birthright that made him both intriguing and sometimes – lets admit it – annoying.

He was the torn in Captain Kirk’s side, the nemesis of Bones, and often the brilliant problem solver that saved the day for the Enterprise.

He took chances – both as himself, and as Spock – and challenged me at least to consider the benefits of not just doing the same old over and over again.

Getting scared isn’t a bad thing if it also means getting ahead. And one of my favorite posters has always been of a turtle with the slogan – a Turtle never gets ahead if he doesn’t stick his neck out.

And you are never too old, too set in your ways to ignore the pleasure of doing something that makes you happy.

So in honor of Leonard – in honor of Spock – in honor of growing up but not growing ‘old’ in the sense of same old, same old – let’s all go out and do something unique today. Something just a bit challenging – walk a little further, say hi to a stranger, make a plan to do something you’ve always wanted to do, try a new exercise, drive down a different road.

It’s in honor of Spock and Leonard!

Signing off so she too can go do something fun – and different – and challenging – The Soup Lady