Author Topic: circling the globe  (Read 16956 times)

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #40 on: April 21, 2020, 02:32:15 AM »

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #41 on: April 21, 2020, 03:00:22 PM »
PART 7-
we landed in seattle at about 2 pm on thursday nov 21. we planned on returning to the airport at around 10 pm, so that gave us some 8 hours to get a look around, and mark a ✔ on seattle. we took the train and headed towards pike place market. on the way i was looking out the window and saw a group of hat and jacket clad yeshiva boys walking together down the street. it was the first time in over 10 days that i had seen such a basic normal everyday life scene, and it was quite a homey feeling. in sydney there are such ppl, but its not a large community there, and we really only saw older guys over there. im not sure why im even writing about this, (maybe because i dont have much to write about seattle) its just that it struck me.

we got off at the wrong stop (something about 2 stops with the name university in them), and while waiting for the next train we decided to daven mincha. a fierce argument then broke out between me and my uncle as to in which direction is mizrach, with each one of us totally convinced that somewhere along the way the other one had totally lost his mind. after realizing that no one would be able to convince the other one, we davened mincha back to back, with each one of letting the other one know that there is no way his mincha would ever make it thru the makom hamikdash traveling in that direction :) . what a poetic jewish scene it was. ive never experienced this before, but im sure it has happened thousands of times in the past. if i had to guess, the last 2 surviving jews in afghanistan probably davened in opposite directions. after all with a lack of 2 shuls, u have to have at least a different direction to daven to.

we eventually got to the stop near the market, but before we headed down in, i had an old itch to scratch. when i was in 3rd or 4th grade, the social studies book we used had a picture of the space needle tower. for some odd reason, the picture fascinated me, and whenever the teacher bored me i would turn to that page and stare at that picture. i wouldnt have stuck in seatlle to the itinerary to scratch that itch, but once i was so close by, i had to go get a glance at the real thing. i asked around for directions, and after about 10-15 minutes of walking, i found a spot where i can get a look at it from the distance. i saw it, was yotzei my itch, snapped a few shots, and headed back towards the market.

if u dont have anything to do on a stopover in seattle, the pike place market is definitely the place to do it. tons of colors, sounds, interesting sights to see and u dont have to spend any money. we went up and down those alleyways stopped by the fish market, the fruit and vegetable stands, the tourist shops and all the narishkeit they have to offer. we then walked to the most disgusting tourist attraction on planet earth, the Market Theater Gum Wall. the minhag hamakom over there is to chew gum and then to place the chewed gum along the wall. the walls there are covered with tens of thousands of such pieces. no wonder washington was one of the first places to get hit by corona. go understand people. then again, i doubt all those people would understand half of my above mentioned thrills.

we then headed over to pier 57, where we did the ferris wheel and visited the pirate shop. not much for a guy like me to buy over there, but we had some good laughs at all the crazy things sold and bought over there. we then started heading back to the airport for our overnight flights to new york. being that i was flying delta and have an amex platinum card, i was able to enter the delta lounge. a real nice lounge. the shower room was really big and comfortable, soaps and towels were really good. after a whole day of running around, it was exactly what i needed in order to retire to my night flight/hotel. i would be landing at around 7 am on friday in new york, and needed the full day of friday to see as much family as possible.

to be continued....
« Last Edit: April 21, 2020, 03:04:48 PM by m65 »

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #42 on: April 21, 2020, 03:01:25 PM »
fish market

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #43 on: April 21, 2020, 03:03:04 PM »
pirate shop

Offline Jeremiah

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2013
  • Posts: 673
  • Total likes: 74
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • View Profile
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #44 on: April 21, 2020, 11:52:21 PM »
Keep them coming! This TR is awesome!

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #45 on: April 22, 2020, 02:05:07 AM »
Keep them coming! This TR is awesome!
thank u for the positive feedback :)

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #46 on: April 27, 2020, 02:19:21 PM »
PART 8-

i got into jfk at about 7 am on friday nov 22. there isnt much to write here about new york, because besides for bagel hole's pickels on avenue j, everything else was just visiting parents, grandparents, and siblings in brooklyn and lakewood. of course there was also some shopping for presents for the family back at home (thats my travel insurance, it insures i will be able to travel next time). the free ones from the family and the non free ones from the stores. but im sure thats of no interest to anyone here.

our return home was booked JFK-HEL-TLV (40k AA miles per person) with a full day stopover in helsinki. at the time of booking all of aa's options to TLV were wide open. we didnt want london, because we'd both been there enough times. amman wasnt good, because that would take us back to TLV coming from east to west. we wanted to get back in from west to east to make sure the world really is round. the choice was between madrid and helsinki. madrid is easier and cheaper to get to on a random trip, with plenty of low cost options. madrid also just clicks as less exotic, and of course, helsinki gives u the option of saying "im going to HEL" or "i just got back from HEL". so helsinki it was.

we were scheduled on AY6 at 7:25 pm on sunday, getting into HEL at 10 am monday, then leaving HEL to TLV on AY1979 at about 8 pm later on monday. when we got to JFK, our suitcases were both well over 30 kg and we were running late. there was a long line at checkin, and we were getting nervous. while waiting on the line some manager announced "anyone here connecting to tel aviv?". we jumped up and he took us over to the side. he then told us that there was some strike in helsinki and that almost all the connecting flights from helsinki on were being cancelled. all those who were waiting on that long line were not going to be allowed to board because they then would have no way to get from helsinki to their destination. they would all have to be put on different flights instead. only those who their destination was HEL (not too many ppl as u can imagine), or those connecting to TLV, which for some reason was not cancelled, were being allowed on. he then took our passports, went to some office, and came back with boarding passes and luggage tags. he gave us the boarding passes, put the tags on the bags, and started shlepping himself the 2 suitcases to the belt thru a side door. we didnt hear a peep about the size and weight of the bags.

the flight was on an almost totally empty airbus a330, a total pleasure. every single person was able to get a whole row of 4 seats for himself, or 8 or 12 for that matter also. couldnt have imagined a more comfortable night on any other night flight/hotel. after a full night sleep, shacharis, and breakfast we pulled in to HEL at about 10 am on monday nov 25th.

HEL was exactly the opposite of its namesake. it was frozen over and almost empty. the one similarity was that it was very hard to get out. we got grilled for a long time by passports as to what we were doing there, where we were coming from and where we were going to. very not typical for eu passport control. it felt much more like the grilling u get in the countries who not so long ago were part of the ussr. especially by the older agents, who havent got used to todays world yet or just havent read the news in 30 years. we tried explaining our trip as simply as possible, but it felt like we were going in circles :) . we were eventually allowed out on bail, thankfully they did not demand an ankle bracelet.

we took a train for about an hour to Rautatientori metro station, and then took the 15 minute walk to market square. the whole way was an interesting mixture of old russian style buildings, european type of streets and trams, and brand new modern malls. when we got to market square we bought tickets for the ferry to suomenlinna fortress, and then spent the waiting time going around the market. there were the regular market stuff for sale, plus some huge whole reindeer skins. seems like that is the finland type of thing.

the ferry was not too crowded and mostly comfortable, and it took around 10 minutes. the fortress is very impressive and has a rich history. ill spare u the history lesson, if u are interested u can start at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomenlinna . there is an army base or something like that on the island, and finnish soldiers were walking around freely. they did not look like they were made out to fight the russians. for us it was just a cool outing to something Finnish, and some nice pictures. we spent a couple of hours there, including visiting a grocery on the island to buy some produce for a picnic. we took the last ferry out, and headed back the way we came to the airport.

all went smooth on the way out, and AY1979 got us into TLV at about 12 am mon night/tues morning. as for my TLV trip report u are welcome to come join me to see it live, as i am currently still on that trip (albeit with 2 short stopovers in the middle in hungary and new york). u are all welcome to come over for coffee...

תם ונשלם שבח לקל בורא עולם

« Last Edit: April 27, 2020, 03:23:44 PM by m65 »

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #47 on: April 27, 2020, 02:20:23 PM »
fortress on the island

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #48 on: April 27, 2020, 02:21:02 PM »
army base

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #49 on: April 27, 2020, 03:05:22 PM »
some numbers:

we traveled about 48,000 km

59 hours of flight time + 12 hour train ride

4 continents, 6 countries, 10 flights

trip cost- 345k aa miles +20k delta miles+ aprox $1500 cash spent per person

Offline CRACKERJACK

  • Dansdeals Gold Elite
  • ***
  • Join Date: Mar 2019
  • Posts: 162
  • Total likes: 25
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #50 on: April 28, 2020, 07:59:57 AM »
Amazing tr very enjoyable and entertaining loved all the “kneichim”

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #51 on: April 28, 2020, 10:55:40 AM »
Amazing tr very enjoyable and entertaining loved all the “kneichim”
thank u, everything needs a little salt and pepper ;)

Offline Jeremiah

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2013
  • Posts: 673
  • Total likes: 74
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • View Profile
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #52 on: April 28, 2020, 11:11:16 AM »
Enjoyed every part of it! Can't wait for your next big trip...

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #53 on: April 28, 2020, 11:54:23 AM »
Enjoyed every part of it! Can't wait for your next big trip...
thank u for reading. next trip is gonna be harder, i had sitting on the side another aa account with 350k in it, but thats gone as well in the latest wave of aa shutdowns :(

Offline sam28

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jun 2010
  • Posts: 1876
  • Total likes: 137
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #54 on: April 28, 2020, 01:46:55 PM »
thanks for the write up I like the way  u wrote it .

Offline ah giten

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Oct 2015
  • Posts: 1977
  • Total likes: 391
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 6
    • View Profile
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #55 on: April 28, 2020, 02:43:26 PM »
thank u for reading. next trip is gonna be harder, i had sitting on the side another aa account with 350k in it, but thats gone as well in the latest wave of aa shutdowns :(
BRRRR

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #56 on: April 28, 2020, 02:52:58 PM »
thanks for the write up I like the way  u wrote it .
thanx for following, and for complimenting :)

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #57 on: April 28, 2020, 02:54:18 PM »
BRRRR
+100
i already had my mind set on where i wanted to go next

Offline mme

  • Dansdeals Gold Elite
  • ***
  • Join Date: Jul 2019
  • Posts: 171
  • Total likes: 61
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: ny
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #58 on: April 30, 2020, 11:09:03 PM »
wow wow just finished reading amazing TR can't decide to which of the destinations i should go now

Offline m65

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 1884
  • Total likes: 725
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: israel
Re: circling the globe
« Reply #59 on: May 01, 2020, 04:17:48 AM »
wow wow just finished reading amazing TR can't decide to which of the destinations i should go now
u can do all of them, its not that complicated :)