Dreamliner to Chicago

Boeing 787 Dreamliner Tokyo to Chicago 

The final leg of our journey home from Southeast Asia was on American Airlines from Tokyo. We were booked in aisles seats across from each other. Fortunately, the plane wasn't full and the flight attendants re-seated passengers, so that they had empty seats between them. While the Boeing 787 is a beautiful airplane, if it were at full capacity, those in economy class wouldn't have an enjoyable flight for a long journey like Tokyo to Chicago.

Lunch is Served

Rice crackers and beverages were served about an hour into our flight.  We had taken off at 6:15 PM Tokyo time.

Two hours into our flight home we were served lunch.  Our selection was pork with mashed potatoes and vegetables.  Perhaps the strangest thing about flying to and from Southeast Asia is adjusting to the odd meal times.   Normally at this time we would be eating breakfast. Our next meal in a few hours was breakfast (see album).

Home Sweet Home

Nineteen days had passed since we departed for Southeast Asia.   We had a marvelous time exploring new sights, learning about the culture, and eating the food, but it was time to be home.

As the saying goes "There's no place like home".  Our flight path took us over Lake Michigan where we could see the Chicago skyline.  It was a beautiful day in the city; despite it being in the middle of the winter.

We hope that you've enjoyed these highlights of our journey to Southeast Asia.   There are a few more posts that we will add over time, mainly about the ship and our time onboard.  If you have any questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you.

We encourage you to go out of your comfort zone when selecting your next winter vacation - explore other parts of the world beyond the Caribbean. It's time to deplane our Dreamliner 787 - here are some dream seats - if you really want to splurge, upgrade your class of service when you fly.

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Related Album:

Tokyo to Chicago

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Japan Airlines Singapore to Tokyo

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Heading Home

All cruises come to an end, and so it was time to leave Southeast Asia and return home.  The journey began with a 6 hour flight from Singapore to Tokyo, Japan on Japan Airlines.

After leveling off, the flight attendants served beverages and rice cracker snacks.  Our plane was a Boeing 777, so there was an entertainment system in our seats which offered music, movies, games, and more.

In Flight Service

We were served chicken with rice, noodles, salad, fruit and dessert for lunch.  The flight was smooth and on time.

This was the first time we'd flown Japan Airlines and we were definitely fly them again.

Soon we could see the coastline of Tokyo.  We were able to get some amazing photos from the air (see our album).   There was a bit of snow on the ground, but that didn't cause any delays.

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Related Album:

JAL Singapore - Tokyo

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Coastal Kitchen Trondheim

Breakfast & Lunch Buffets

As we continue to look at 2016 in review, we are featuring our Hurtigruten Norway Coastal Voyage.  This was the main highlight of the year, seeing Northern Lights in the winter skies of Norway along with many charming villages.  Food was outstanding during our voyage so we'll also be sure to report on each day's meals as well.  Be sure to bookmark our diary page so that you can follow the entire trip.

We arrived in Trondheim at 6 AM but our excursion wasn't until 8:40 AM so we had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast.  Today's feature included pancakes and eggs with bacon among other fresh selections.

The evening's menu was always on the table at breakfast time so that you could see what regional favorites would be featured.

For lunch, we included a small salad, sandwich, and of course one of the desert choices.  These pictures are just a sampling of the many options available each day.

Almost every meal included potatoes which we loved to top off with the gravy of the day.

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Norway's Coastal Kitchen

Note:  we will be adding to this album as we continue our journey.

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Norway's Coastal Kitchen

Treat your taste buds as you sail through one of the most fantastic 'pantries' in the world

Norway

On a Hurtigruten Classic Coastal Voyage through Norway, food is an integral part of the entire experience.

The 12 night voyage stops at about 34 ports of call along Norway's coast. In each port, there is an opportunity to replenish the ship's pantries from local fisherman, farmers, and other suppliers' fresh food supplies.

Utilizing the season’s best ingredients, chefs create either three-course dinners or lavish buffets.

Being a coastal voyage, seafood often dominates the menu, accompanied with fresh vegetables and delicately flavoured sauces. Each dinner ends with traditional desserts, like homemade cakes, puddings, berries, or sorbet. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style.

While you are sleeping in your cabin, after a full day of exploring Norway,local fishermen in Sigerfjord, Vesterålen are about to go get their catch of the day - Arctic char. The deep, salty, cold Arctic Ocean, close to river estuaries with fresh water offers perfect conditions for fishing. Later that afternoon, the fresh catch lies before you, prepared with love by the chefs onboard. It just doesn't get much better than this. As we continue describing our voyage, we'll feature articles about each port of call, including a focus on Norway's Coastal Kitchen.

Additional photos can be found on our Norway Shutterfly page

Norway's Coastal Kitchen

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Avalon Artistry II Galley Tour

Chef Takes Us

Behind the Scenes

What does it take to feed the passengers and crew of Avalon Artistry II?

A small galley crew prepares fresh meals from regional menus each day of the cruise.  Each dinner menu consists of appetizers & starters, a main entree, and desserts.  Breakfast and lunches have several choices which are served buffet style.  It is also possible to order from a daily menu of optional choices.

We got the opportunity to go behinds the scenes for a closeup look at the galley.  It's much smaller than galleys on ocean ships, as you might expect.   What it lacks in size is made up by talented chefs and assistants with the desire to make every meal special for their guests.  Click on the image below for a closer look at the galley.
 

Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:

Avalon Artistry II Galley

 

Artistry II - Chef's Dinner

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