WHERE in the WORLD is LUISA?: Heading to Zagreb - late flight, missed connection and delicious dinner!

Saturday, March 9, 2013 – We met the group of nine agents, British Air sales rep and a reporter at the First Class check at JFK and went through the first class security area. We toured the 1st class lounge area with their private restaurant dining. The Concorde (plane) used to park right outside its windows! Oh how I wish that plane would come back to life…I truly regret that I never flew on her. I had saved my US Airways miles for that journey and never took advantage of them...Lesson Learned: Don't Put It Off.

We toured the business class lounge, where they offer free 15 minute Elemis spa treatments, have several lounge areas and business centers and a buffet. We enjoyed the buffet, with Venezuelan arepas (thick round and flat corn bread dough) with either a meat or fish sauce and other salad and meat choices. At the gate, there was mild pandemonium and the flight went well. We had a calf-support rest and more space between the seats in front of you plus a million TV and radio choices and the meal choices are from business class. A very nice way to travel!

Sunday, March 10 – With a late arrival in London, it was total chaos. We took the 25+ minute transfer bus from Terminal One to Terminal Five and it took forever. You feel like you are on a tour of London! Then you have to go through security again and we were cutting it very, very close to our departure time. I was the first through security so I ran ahead to the gate, and it was YONKERS down past the shopping area, around a corner, down the steps, through the hallway, up the escalator, down the hall, down the steps and into the gate area and I saw NO GATE SIGN FOR ZAGREB! And I arrived at 8AM with scheduled departure at 8:25!! So strange. I ran to all the agents asking for our flight and no one knew a thing!! So I went BACK to meet the others and then we ALL RE-TRACED my steps to find the same info I did. The flight was gone - was missing in action. And we were in London without another flight to Zagreb until morning. Oh well. So we stood in a long line and waited. Even with the help of the British Air rep WITH US, we had an adventure. Eight of us were put on the Croatian Airlines flight nonstop to Zagreb. One flew Easy Jet from GATWICK (with a 140 pound taxi ride) and two were put on British Air to Brussels and then Croatian Airlines to Zagreb. The eight of us had a nice snack onboard and were met by Robert, Uniline Operations Manager. Marco was our driver for the week in the 18-passenger minivan.

Landing much later than expected and without our full group, we headed west. We arrived at Opatija about two hours later, the Hapsburg Empire’s royal beach resort and considered the Opatija Riviera. They had magnificent mansions built along the coast with a concrete pathway (12 km long – the Lungomare) and inlets and small public marinas. And I mean small. There were seven little wooden fishing boats in the one marina and it was as picturesque as it could be. We stopped for chocolates at a typically European pastry shop and oohed and aaahed at all the goodies – of course, choosing just a few was no simple task. There was a particularly beautiful camellia flower made entirely of marcipan!! Wow. ALMOST too beautiful to eat.

We continued driving to Pula and stayed at the Plaza Histria hotel. It was very large with several pools and a fantastic indoor health center. A few days here would be fantastic! We had two balconies and enough beds for five! We drove off site for private dining in a “stancia” restaurant, in Fazana, "alla Beccaccia", where we were the only ones in the “home”. It was a separate private building with so much character and warmth. These locations are unknown to the public – if you live locally, you show up and ask if they are serving that night! There was a large fireplace on the far wall and a high beamed ceiling creating a very unique dining facility. Serving homemade food, we were offered course after course - olives, cheese, salad, meats, sausages, sauerkraut, vegetables, roasted potatoes and sweet fruit wines as appetizer, red and white wines locally made and apple strudel to finish. It was a superb meal in a great setting! But we all felt like we were already on day five of our trip! What long two days we had experienced! So we collapsed after the long day of travel by car, plane and bus from Delaware to Pula, Croatia.