22 December 2012 - 23 December 2012 - Christmas Batical Part I

Have you all missed me?  I know I have.  Who cannot miss those pearls of wisdom, insights and witticisms that only I could dole out.

We have been back from our Christmas / New Year journey for some time and I have been very lax in putting fingers to key.  In fact I suspect this may be in two parts.  What reasons can I give?  I can always use bone idleness but this was coupled with having about 18 loads of washing to get through, the third season of Downton Abbey (inc Christmas Special) and various other distractions such as snow and horses.  Hard to imagine that this could drag me away from my faithful followers but it did.  Added to that I have a cold....I bet I caught it from one of those pesky economy passengers when I went to explore the Emirates jet - never again I tell you, never again.

So where did it all begin, before I was struck down with this debilitating virus....I am surprised I can even move.  Well we left snowy Zurich on 21 December to head to sunny and much warmer Dusseldorf.  Why you ask?  Dusseldorf is a lovely city and the birthplace of my brother but essentially the airfare on Emirates was cheaper out of Germany.

To get to DUS it was all aboard Air Berlin on their zesty little Airbus A320 where the air hostesses wear red gloves to welcome you on board, and protect their skin from all those happy endings they give I suspect.  Check-in was hideous as the lass on the desk had no idea what she was doing or how to deal with our copious amounts of luggage.  We were in economy on this sector but both Emerald One World Frequent Flyers - not sure she had even heard of One World or even knew the days of thew week.  Anyway, all luggage was checked-in and no cost incurred.  It was then off to the lounge which had some strict rules!

We had one night in DUS and S had chosen well in his hotel with the Briedenbacher Hof Hotel.  Excellent hotel right in the heart of the city.  Rooms were great.  I did have a minor incident which did set me off - hard to imagine but true.  I opened my main case which had been carefully and lovingly packed to discover some sticky confectionery had exploded - I was not a happy smurf.  Out everything came, with a tantrum, and then a vacuum cleaner arrived and the staff even did the vacuuming - very nice.  then I calmed down and we had dinner and wine...always settles the wild beast.

Next day was a leisurely breakfast and a little walk around the town centre.  It was relatively sparse affair with "Continental Breakfast" meaning only bread and jam....similar to prison I guess.

Our limousine arrived to take us to DUS aerodrome where we checked in with Emirates with no fuss and a friendly check-in agent at the First Class counter.  Next step was security which was not so easy.  The First/Business fast track lane was being used by everyone and when S asked one of the officers on duty she replied with "First Class begins on the plane....".  Nice!  We made it to the sanctuary of the EK Lounge which looks the same as every other EK Lounge which is great from a product consistency point of view.










It was then finally time to board our Boeing 777-300ER for mystical Dubai.  It was a warm welcome on board and then an escort to our suite as we turned right on the jet.  It was time for champagne and in some ports now EK will serve the good stuff before take-off.  Hoorah, DUS was one of them.  It was then followed by dates and Arabic coffee neither of which I am a big fan of.  It was then time to settle in and prepare for our next six hours of what would be essentially being a couch (suite) potato - eating drinking and watching the IFE.  The crew were fantastic with nothing being too much trouble.  Here are a few cabin/food shots all surrounded by the bling that is EK....I am not a fan of the faux wood and gold trimmings....  In case you are wondering what the black photo with white dots is, well it is a picture of the ceiling in the jet where you have an image of the night sky (well, the ceiling has lots of small holes drilled in it and small lights shine through).

We made it to DXB on time and had a couple of hours to relax in the lounge.  DXB airport is still the same as I remember it, big, busy and crowded.  It lacks the serenity of Changi...I will miss it on those QF flights.  After a quick shoe shine and a champagne it was time to board the next Boeing 777-300ER bound for PER.

The crew were nowhere near as good as the first sector and in fact I would probably call them lazy!  Anyway had some food, wine and a snooze and all was well.  Arrived on time to a warm PER and Ma and Pa there to meet us.  Funnily enough at customs I got straight through but S had to go and be sniffed by a dog.  He was gone for a while....maybe he liked it.  He did describe the dog as cute and they did exchange numbers!

So I am back home in Perth to the wonderful hospitality of the parentals.  There is a never ending flow of food and drinks and that night was no exception.  It is only the beginning.....