While most of the trip to Nashville was accompanied by magical places of music history, the first highlights of the day were on my aviation hobby side. I had my first flight from Washington Reagan airport (which I originally hoped to fly to as well). I was also looking forward to fly into Chattanooga, as I visited this nice place in 2018 following the Weird Al Yankovic Tour (Day 2 episode of my trip report). The day was about to end at the birthplace of Elvis, so that there was a lot of excitement guaranteed. The day felt like the first “real” day of my trip.
No-breakfast morning
I cannot really state that I love the hotel I selected for Washington D.C. The only real good thing about the Doubletree Crystal City was the breakfast on the first morning. As they start serving the morning dish just at 7:00 on weekends, I could not take one and headed fed with a banana to Reagan Airport. Checking in there is quite funny, because some of the check-in counters are outside the building, just at curbside where the shuttles arrive. I was a bit confused that American Airlines reseated me from 1F to 8F. 8F was in fact a seat in the fourth row. An equipment change from a CRJ 200 to a CRJ 700 meant that the first three rows were “proper” Business Class seats. Before taking off to Chattanooga, I enjoyed Reagan Airport and the Admirals Club (American Airlines Lounge), solving some flyctory.com technical problems instead of producting contents. Here is a flight review.
Date | Flight | from | to |
---|---|---|---|
02.06.2019 | AA 5309 | Washington DCA | Chattanooga CHA |
The flight, which started from an apron position, was rather quick, but bumpy. I had some time to work on some postings before the short hopper was over. Nice cabin, though – had a really huge seat pitch and a double seat on my own.
Grabbing a rental car at Hertz was quite effective. I was a bit surprised that the Buick Encore I got is “Full Size” category. Does not really fit two suitcases in the trunk – but at least, it has Sirius XM radio – so I did not complain and enjoyed the pleasure of switching between “Ozzy’s Boneyard” and “The Highway”.
Back in Choo-Choo Town
I was looking forward to be back in Chattanooga. Some one year ago, I had quite a lot of fun at the Weird Al concert there. My friend Jeremy had his 300th (!!!) Weird Al Yankovic concert one year ago in Chattanooga and had some time after the show together. I did not see too much of the city, though, at my last time there. At least I saw the famous choo-choo train. Thus, I had quite a long list of open items starting from the “classic” Tennessee Aquarium and the Incline Railway until more special places like the Towing Museum. I just wanted to do what I felt like most. Thus, I went for the Incline first. The railway is incredible, especially, the last bit before the hill station is incredibly steep. The view from uphill was amazing.
Back at the lower station, I went around the mountain scenic drives and finally decided for the International Towing & Recovery Museum (also because I could not find one other place). Of course, the museum is a bit nerdy, but I liked it definitely.
After that, I started my roadtrip. Roughly 270 miles ahead.
Tennessee – Georgia – Alabama – Mississippi
My destination of the day was Tupelo, Mississippi. There are different routes to the city. The fastest is likely via Birmingham, Alabama, home of the World Games 2021. As I will likely see the area as part of the floorball family in two years anyway, I went for the shorter route via Huntsville, AL. I left Tupelo in Western direction. I-24 makes a short dip into Georgia. I bought water and food in Kimball, TN, where the route headed South. I made a short visit in South Pittsburg (no typo, no “H”). I just had to visit this place. They even have a sports team called “Pirates”. Right behind South Pittsburgh I crossed the Alabama State line (first time in this state for me), which also meant that the clock turned back by one hour. The State Line Flea Market told me that tehre were better times, though.
US-72 headed on South West. I concentrated on getting closer to Tupelo. I felt a bit sad when I saw the Space Shuttle and the Rockets at Huntsville, AB. I would have loved to visit the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, but parts of the tours are only accessible with a US passport.
I did make a break shortly thereafter, at the lovely Decatur Rhodes Ferry Park. It is part of the Trail of Tears, which reminds of the hunt on the Cherokee Native Americans. Nice views, sad history.
Elvis’ Birthplace
There were still some 120 miles left. I felt more and more tired so that I tried to make it to Tupelo, where I arrived around 19:30. I was very happy that the welcoming at Hilton Garden Inn was much better than in Doubletree Crystal City in Washington before.
I should have taken a bite on the trip likely – the options around the hotel were a bit limited at about 20:30. I went for the nearby fast food option, which I better not mention… I would call it the Cockroach Inn – at least, these locals were quicker than the burger staff. The city looked nice though. Some reminders of Elvis already – made me look forward to the next day.
A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 – Day by Day
Here are the links to the daily postings (link will be added once posting is published):
- A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 – Overview Posting
- Day 1, 31st May 2019: From Germany to Washington D.C.
- Day 2, 1st June 2019: Day in Washington D.C.
- Day 3, 2nd June 2019: Chattanooga and Tupelo
- Day 4, 3rd June 2019: From Elvis’s place of birth to his place of death
- Day 5, 4th June 2019: (Not just) Walking in Memphis
- Day 6, 5th June 2019: Driving “Home” to Music City
Aviation on Flyctory.com
Here are all postings about Airports & Airlines:

Food I Had Onboard VII (mid-February 2023 til March 2023)
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British Airways Boeing B777 Club Suite Cabin
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Nice Upgrades to Manchester Airport (MAN) Terminal 2 (Pictured Story)
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American Airlines / British Airways Soho Lounge New York JFK Terminal 8
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Oasis Lounge Royal Air Maroc Marrakech (RAK)
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Food I Had Onboard VI (December 2022 til mid-February 2023)
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Iberia Regional / Air Nostrum ATR 72 Business Class
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Aegean Lounge Larnaca Airport (LCA)
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Singapore Airlines A380 Premium Economy
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Frankfurt Airport (Fraport) Visitors’ Center
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VIP Business Lounge Tirana Airport (TIA)
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Andorra La Seu d’Urgell (LEU) Airport
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Food I Had Onboard V (September 2022 til November 2022)
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SAS Gold Lounge Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL, International Flights)
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Lufthansa Bistro Lounge Frankfurt (FRA) C14/C15
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Aspire Lounge Inverness Airport (INV)
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Flying Cape Air from Marion (MWA) to St. Louis (STL)
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Austrian Senator Lounge Vienna Airport (VIE) Non-Schengen (D/G)
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Flying with OFD (Ostfriesischer Flugdienst)
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Food I Had Onboard IV (May 2022 til August 2022)
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Malta Airport (MLA)
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Inverness Airport (INV)
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Tupelo Airport (TUP)
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Aspire Lounge Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS) Non-Schengen (Lounge 41)
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Flying with Icelandair Domestic (Flygfelag Islands / Air Iceland Connect)
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American Airlines Admirals Club New York LaGuardia (LGA)
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The Lounge Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN)
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Helgoland Airport (HGL)
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Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois in Marion (MWA)
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La Valette Club Lounge Malta Airport (MLA)
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Graz Airport (GRZ)
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Marhaba Lounge Dubai International (DXB) Terminal 1
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Finnair Business Lounge Non-Schengen Helsinki Vantaa (HEL)
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Keflavik Airport (KEF)
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Menzies Norrsken Lounge Stockholm-Arlanda (ARN) T5
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Gdansk Airport (GDN)
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Egilsstadir Airport (EGS)
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LOT Business Lounge Mazurek (Warsaw WAW Non-Schengen)
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Flying With Porter Airlines from Toronto (YTZ) to Ottawa (YOW)
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Reykjavik Domestic Airport (RKV)
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Flying Norlandair from Akureyri (AEY) (not) to Grimsey (GRY)
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Salzburg Airport (SZG) Business Lounge
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Salzburg Airport (SZG)
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Lufthansa Senator Lounge at Dubai (DXB) Terminal 1
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My Top 15 Airports Flown – With Some Brief Thoughts
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Lufthansa Senator Lounge Munich Airport (near G28)
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Air France / KLM Lounge Toronto Pearson (YYZ) Terminal 3
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Bolzano Airport (BZO)
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Flying With Lübeck Air
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Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)
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Condor Boeing 767 Business Class from Toronto (YYZ) to Frankfurt (FRA)
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Boeing 757-200 Icelandair Saga Premium Class
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Saga Lounge Kefklavik (KEF)
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Flying With SkyAlps
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Akureyri Airport (AEY)
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Lübeck Airport (LBC)
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Flying with DAT (Danish Air Transport) from Saarbruecken to Hamburg
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The Twelve Best Flights Of My Life (… so far)
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VIP Lounge Graz Airport (GRZ)
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Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI)
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Saarbruecken Airport (SCN)
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Flying from Paderborn / Lippstadt Airport (PAD)
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Las Palmas / Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) – Airport Review
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Alaska Airlines A320 Domestic First Flight Experience
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Sylt / Westerland Airport (GWT)
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Berlin Brandenburg Airport Terminal 1 (BER) – My First Review
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Flying the PAD Aviation Embraer Phenom 300
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A Walk Through Cologne / Bonn Airport Terminal at Covid-19 Times (Pictured Story)
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Lufthansa Business Lounge Berlin/Brandenburg (BER) during Covid-19
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MeerExpress – Flying the Air Shuttle to Norderney & Juist
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Flying Dortmund Airport (DTM)
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Long Beach Airport (LGB)
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Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Lounge London-Heathrow
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Flying Under Covid-19 conditions from Venice Airport (VCE)
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British Airways First Class Lounge London Gatwick Airport
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Tenerife North Airport (TFN) Review
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Überlingen Plane Collision Memorials
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Air New Zealand Boeing B777 Premium Economy from London to Los Angeles
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Traveling Through Germany at Covid-19 Times – A special Trip Review
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Frankfurt Airport during Covid-19
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Star Alliance Lounge Los Angeles Airport (LAX)
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Cologne/Bonn Airport during Covid-19 Times (Pictured Story)
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Jersey Airport (JER)
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Planespotting at In-N-Out Burger Los Angeles Airport
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Finnair Airbus A350 Business Class from Helsinki to Dubai
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Flying PSA Airlines from Washington Reagan to Chattanooga
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British Airways Lounge Jersey Airport
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SAS Lounge Stockholm Arlanda (Terminal 5)
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Airport Lounge World Munich Airport
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Eurowings Lounge Munich – The Low(est) Cost Lounge Experience?
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American Airlines Admirals Club Pittsburgh
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Sharjah Al Mahatta Historic Airport Museum
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The Christmas Market at Munich Airport
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George Best Airport Belfast (BHD)
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Newcastle International Airport (NCL)
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The New 2021 Miles & More Points – Back to FREQUENT Flying?
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Iberia Express A321 Business Class
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Dusseldorf Airport Photo Tour
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LOT 787 Business Class
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American Airlines Boeing 777 Flagship Business Class
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Loganair From Glasgow To Barra Airport (BRR)
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Stockholm Arlanda Aurora Lounge (Terminal 2)
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Flying the Aerotask A320 Simulator (in Essen)
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American Airlines Flagship Lounge New York JFK (now: Greenwich Lounge)
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Riding the Arlanda Express
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Finnair Platinum Wing Helsinki Airport
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Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Frankfurt Airport
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Singapore Kallang Airport Today
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Luxembourg Airport (LUX)
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Billund Airport (BLL) Review
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Flying Sun-Air of Scandinavia
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Concorde Technical Tour at Manchester Airport
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Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
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Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA)
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British Airways B747-400 Club World (Business Class)
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Flying Singapore Airlines First Class (B777-300ER)
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Lufthansa First Class Flight Experience
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Swiss A330-300 Business Class from Zurich to Dubai
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Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt
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Malaysia Airlines B737-800 Business Class
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Malindo Air Business Class (B737-800)
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Jewel Changi Airport (Singapore)
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Bus Transfer from Heathrow to Oxford: The Airline
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Lufthansa Panorama Lounge in Frankfurt
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London City Airport (LCY) – UK’s Capital best choice?
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Emirates Aviation Experience London
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American Airlines A330 Premium Economy
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Flying with Southern Airways Express
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Madrid Airport Terminal 4 (Review)
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Air Belgium Business Class from London to Dubai
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Seville Airport (SVQ) Review
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Entertaining or not? An Inflight Magazine Comparison
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Glasgow Airport (GLA) Review
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Thessaloniki Airport (SKG) Review
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Flying Aegean Airbus A320
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Manchester (MAN) Airport Review
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Belgrade Airport BEG (Airport Review)
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Flying Iberia A350 Business Class
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BA 1 – British Airways’ Most Exclusive Intercontinental Experience
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Flying with VLM from Cologne to Antwerp
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The new SWISS Senator Lounge Zurich A
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Flying Air Canada Premium Rouge
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LATAM 705 – Love Letter to a Flight
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Ponta Delgada PDL Airport Review
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Malaga Airport AGP – Review
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Flying with Helity
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Melilla Airport MLN (Review)
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Flyctory.com’s Introduction on Mileage Pooling
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Flying LOT Premium Class
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Airport Review: Kinmen (KNH), Taiwan
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Airport Review: Vilnius (VNO), Lithuania
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Flying the Hello Kitty Jet
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Airport Review: Taipei Songshan Airport – TSA
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Trip Reports
Here are all (other) Trip Report postings:


All German States (and the Eleven Biggest Cities) on one Rail Ticket – Part 2
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All German States (and the eleven biggest Cities) on one Rail Ticket – Part 1
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Exploring Hamburg with the HADAG Public Ferries – Line 61
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Exploring Hamburg with the HADAG Public Ferries – Line 73
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Exploring Hamburg with the HADAG Public Ferries – Line 72
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Exploring Hamburg with the HADAG Public Ferries – Lines 62 & 64 & Overview
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3,337 Waffle Houses Away – A Walk through Paola, Kansas
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Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 (Day 6/7, 30.4./1.5.2022)
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Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 (Day 5, 29.4.2022)
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Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 (Day 4, 28.4.2022)
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Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 (Day 3, 27.4.2022)
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Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 (Day 2, 26.4.2022)
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Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 (Day 1, 25.4.2022)
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Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 (Preview)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 10/11, 19th/20th March 2022)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 9, 18th March 2022)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 8, 17th March 2022)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 7, 16th March 2022)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 6, 15th March 2022)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 5, 14th March 2022)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 4, 13th March 2022)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 3, 12th March 2022)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 2, 11th March 2022)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 1, 10th March 2022)
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Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Preview)
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Four Countries, Four Trains – A Trip on Tracks (Day 4, 10th August 2020)
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Four Countries, Four Trains – A Trip on Tracks (Day 3, 9th August 2020)
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Four Countries, Four Trains – A Trip on Tracks (Day 2, 8th August 2020)
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Four Countries, Four Trains – A Trip on Tracks (Day 1, 7th August 2020)
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Four Countries, Four Trains – A Trip on Tracks (Preview)
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Traveling Through Germany at Covid-19 Times – A special Trip Review
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California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Days 7/8, 2nd/3rd Mar 2020)
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California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Day 6, 1st Mar 2020)
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California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Day 5, 29th Feb 2020)
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California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Day 4, 28th Feb 2020)
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California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Day 3, 27th Feb 2020)
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California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Day 2, 26th Feb 2020)
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California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Day 1, 25th Feb 2020)
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California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Preview)
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Exploring Barra With Barra Island Tours
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Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Day 5/6 – 21st/22nd July 2019)
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Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Day 4 – 20th July 2019)
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Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Day 3 – 19th July 2019)
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Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Day 2 – 18th July 2019)
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Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Day 1 – 17th July 2019)
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Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Preview)
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A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 6 – 5th June 2019)
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A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 5 – 4th June 2019)
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A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 4 – 3rd June 2019)
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A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 2 – 1st June 2019)
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A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 1 – 31st May 2019)
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A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Trip Report Preview)
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Bergisch Historic Trams Wuppertal
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Flying with Southern Airways Express
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One Day in Bonaire
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Sao Miguel on two wheels (Part 2)
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Sao Miguel on two wheels (Part 1)
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Six Intercontinental Flight Weekend – Day 5 (Trip Report)
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Six Intercontinental Flight Weekend – Day 4 (Trip Report)
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Six Intercontinental Flight Weekend – Day 3 (Trip Report)
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Six Intercontinental Flight Weekend – Day 2 (Trip Report)
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Six Intercontinental Flight Weekend – Day 1 (Trip Report)
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Six Intercontental Flights in 72 Hours (Overview)
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Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Day 5&6)
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Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Day 4)
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Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Day 3)
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Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Day 2)
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Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Day 1)
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Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Preview)
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Kinmen – Taiwan’s Western Outpost
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