| DebitNM |
Apr 2nd, 2014 11:32 AM |
So a bit of background. ( and please forgive typos, iPad seems to have mind of its own lately)
We have flow on SAS a few times in last couple of years and built up some points. Last August SAS had a great deal for fares going from San Francisco to Copenhagen. With our points, RT ticket was $400 each. Such a deal! So I booked the flights for as late in the period as the deal ran(first week of April). We would figure the trip out later on, but we thought we would return to Norway where we went in 2011 when we picked up our new Volvo and did a road trip to Norway. We only spent 4 days in Norway and wanted to go back and explore some more.
Our intention was to try and get an Optiontown (more about that later, if you don't know who/what they are about) upgrade to Business and be able to sleep some on the almost 11 hour flight. In the past we had flown east and started for CPH in either Chicago or Washington DC. We were 4/4 on the upgrades on OT. Our luck ran out this trip, we did not get upgraded. We did have great seats though, the first row of economy, just behind economy plus. Lots of leg room and we were just 2 seats, aisle and window.
As the time grew closer for the trip, we - make that "I" got nervous about heading to Norway in winter, albeit late winter. We really lucked out when we were there last time, in mid April when it had been an unusually warm winter. Soooo, we decided to go to the warmest spot in Europe that we could get to - and chose Italy. I booked RT flights on EasyJet to Rome from CPH.
We flew on points (and our Companion Pass) from our home in New Mexico to San Francisco via Southwest. We stayed overnight in San Francisco at the Omni. We got in early enough to walk around and enjoy the glorious spring day and then had a nice dinner at Plouf. It was a Sunday night, which is a bit tough. We didn't want to venture too far for dinner. We go to SF almost every year, and it has become our favorite US city, despite having grown up just outside NYC, so we know the restaurant scene well.
The next day we walked around Union Square, into the Palace Hotel, into Gumps and eventually had an early lunch at Tadich Grill. We LOVE their cioppino and it did not disappoint! We always sit at the counter and have had the same waiter serve us for several years. He makes like he remembers us, but I highly doubt it! He has the last section of counter seats, closest to where they prepare the food.
It was time to check out of the Omni ( they were nice enough to give us late check out, especially nice since I had booked thru Hotwire and got a crazy low price) and hop back on BART to head back out to SFO.
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