Advertisement
Published: March 11th 2014
Edit Blog Post
I’m back on my travels again – Yippee! I went home to Ireland for five weeks during the Spring Festival holiday in China. It was very rainy and windy most of the time and has since been declared the wettest winter on record in Ireland. At least China is dry during the winter and has very little wind.
I flew from Dublin to Amsterdam en route to Beijing. When I handed the KLM official my boarding pass at the boarding gate in Amsterdam, she said, “Wait a minute” and off she went to the computer. She returned with a new boarding pass and said, “You are getting a free upgrade to Business Class for the flight to Beijing.” Wow! I was delighted because in all my travels I have never flown Business Class. Of course I took photos for those of you who don’t travel Business Class and, like me, are curious about what it would be like.
On boarding the plane we went upstairs! I often wondered what went on up there. I was barely seated when the stewardess came around with a tray full of tall glasses of water, orange juice and champagne. Great, I began the way I meant to
continue and thanked her for the champagne and a lovely dish of nuts. Whereas in the economy seating it’s awkward to manage your belongings and drink, I had a window seat with an easily-accessed storage locker between my seat and the window.
A few minutes later the stewardess gave each passenger a travel kit – pink for women and grey for men. It contained an eye mask, light travel socks, a toothbrush/toothpaste kit, a pen, earplugs and lip balm. Lovely. She apologised that the airplane did not have the new seats that make into a bed so one can sleep completely horizontal. I was pleased to try out the seat I had with a dozen buttons on the armrest to move the footrest, headrest and all other parts up or down, forward or back.
The TV screen pulled out of the other armrest and the control handset was in the usual place at the side of the seat. It was nice to be able to fully adjust and tilt the screen. I think the entertainment on offer was the same throughout the plane. I regularly buy Western movie DVDs in Beijing for about €1.50 so I see new releases. I watched a
few films, including
Captain Philips with Tom Hanks which was merely OK but I .
Life was so busy on the flight that I barely had time to read the paper. The stewardess brought us menus and asked us to place out orders. We could mix-and-match from the Western and Oriental menus. Next she spread a white linen mini-tablecloth on each table with stainless steel cutlery. For appetizer I had smoked salmon with an apple and fennel cream garnished with apple jelly and served with a wasabi yuzu vinaigrette, also a pickled vegetable salad. The appetizer option was sliced beef with Szechuan sauce with a side salad.
One main course was a choice of braised beef tartlet accompanied by mustard sauce, oud Sluis-style lentils and pumpkin mash, baby potatoes and sautéed mushrooms. I opted for the deep-fried chicken in lemon sauce with fried rice, broccoli and baby corn. The vegetarian option was tajine with harissa coulis, bulghur pomegranate, caramelised pearl onions, mushrooms, baby carrots with coriander and feta cheese, a mild spicy dish. Of course there was red or white wine and other drinks as well. I particularly enjoyed the hourglass-shaped salt & pepper shaker.
When we had finished the first two courses
the stewardess replaced the white linen tablecloths with fresh ones (like we always do at home!) For dessert we had a choice of chocolate pomegranate gateau, yogurt mousse with apple compote, a cheese plate with St. Aubin and Beemster old cheese and seasonal fruit. I hesitated in deciding so the stewardess brought me both a dessert and the cheeses – and more wine.
Tea and coffee was served with chocolates created by the famous Dutch patisserie Van Wely, plus an aperitif of port, Drambuie, Cointreau, brandy or whatever. There were 24 Business passengers (about 6 of them women, I noted) and the dinner seemed to go on for about two hours.
After dinner the Senior Stewardess went around to each passenger for a short, cheery chat about their travels. Then it was time to watch the entertainment and order breakfast. After a while the lights dimmed so people could sleep. I
never sleep during a flight but when I stretched out my comfy seat I actually slept for about an hour-and-a-half. I was amazed at myself.
Luckily I woke about two hours before landing, just as breakfast was being served! One could order the express option of tea and coffee and rolls, but
not for me. I had a choice of egg roll with Gruyére cheese served with mushrooms and grilled tomato or crêpes with apple cream served with cranberries, pistachios and vanilla sauce. I chose the latter and it was served with fresh orange juice, fruit, yogurt, hot rolls, preserves and cold cuts. Even the tea was delicious.
By this time we were flying over the mountains or northern China so once more I took out my camera. I never tire of admiring those mountains and valleys. It is fascinating to see tiny villages tucked away in the mountains. In the 1950’s Mao Zedong was afraid of a Cold War and at attack by the United States so he ordered that any production related to defence must be carried out in the mountains. I once met a young woman who grew up in such a village because her parents worked in a factory making army uniforms, which were not exactly “top secret.” After Mao’s death these factories and workers were moved to more hospitable terrain. It’s fascinating to look down and try to imagine what is must be like to live in such isolation with extremes of weather.
Tip: When you are flying out
of Beijing you should keep your camera handy to take aerial photos of the Great Wall.
The delights of Business Class were not over yet. A stewardess offered each passenger a ceramic model Dutch house filled with liqueur. Then the pilot announced, “Please straighten your seat backs, fasten your seat belts and prepare for landing in Beijing where it is a crisp 2°C.”
What? So soon?!Flying Business Class was a fabulous experience.
My only complaint? The 9-hour flight was too short!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.087s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 16; qc: 37; dbt: 0.0339s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
I'm in Ireland
And the weather is sunny....so far. Did you find out why they gave you the upgrade? That is very cool. I dream of taking a flight like that. Sounds perfect and you ate your way across the skies. The photos are great.