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Published: April 19th 2007
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Qantas 747-400
All the way to Sydney Thursday April 19
After returning the car, we returned to the Sheraton for some final packing, and we checked out of the hotel and caught the shuttle to the airport. Boy, did we have some luggage, and in hindsight there were some things we didn’t need to bring along, but hey, we made it, and that’s the main thing. Arriving at check in, we were told that the computers were down, but after about 15minutes wait they were up and running again. We were given our boarding passes and told to take our bags to the 1st class line at the TSA security check.
There we encountered Miss Power Trip, who wasn’t going to take any lip from us, and told us which line she wanted us to go in. Paul told her that we were told by check in to come to this line, but she was adamant that we had to take our bags through security in the other line. After sorting all that out, we went through the general security check, and made our way to the American Airlines Admirals Club lounge.
We were given a card to enter First Class section of the
Admirals Club
American Airlines 1st Class Lounge Lounge and then had our boarding pass screened. These girls were very thorough, one man even tried to sneak in and he was chased all the way through the lounge and escorted out again!
The lounge was adequate but not as nice as Qantas, Cathay Pacific or British Airways lounges. Soon it was time to make our way to the boarding gate, where our majestic Qantas Boeing 7474-400 was waiting. After boarding, the crew introduced themselves, and offered us champagne, a bowl of almonds and another of olives, and our sleeper suits and amenity kits. This was the first time we had seen the new Qantas First Class amenity items, that had only been introduced a two weeks before. The new Sleeper suits and Men’s Amenity kits have been designed by Akira Isogawa, and the Ladies Amenity kits by Collette Dinnigan. The new suits are very smart, in grey with a Mustard yellow trim, but the men’s amenity kit is a lot smaller than the old Oroton design, and really is not very practical.
The 1st class cabin was full today, with the exception of one seat. Two families were in the cabin, both with seven-year-old daughters. There
Bloody Mary & Canapes
A great start to a good flight was a single passenger travelling next to one girl, and when her mother asked if he would swap so that they could sit together, he said no, and this appeared to be his attitude throughout the flight. After take off Paul offered her his seat to the Mother, so then they could sit opposite each other, and this created a big change of seats by several people, and eventually the two girls sat together and everyone was happy with the exception of the grumpy man who by this stage no doubt felt very silly.
We were told that the menus were not loaded on board today, so the crew would come around and explain each meal service in detail to us. This created a lot more work for the crew, but they were all very friendly and relaxed, and nothing seemed to be a problem for them.
After take off, we were offered aperitifs with canapés. Paul chose a Bloody Mary, and Jeff another glass of the Charles Heidsieck ‘Blanc des Millenaires’ 1995. These were accompanied by a Roasted tomato and Pesto tartlet, and a Rare Roast Beef and Crème Fraiche on toasted sourdough. We both chose
the Pea and Zucchini Soup with Basil Crostini to follow, then a mixed salad with Yoghurt dressing. For main course, a fillet of Seared Sea Bass with a Prawn butter served on braised peas and cabbage. To accompany our main courses, we both chose the Cullen Sauvignon Blanc Semillon.
A small plate of assorted cheeses with fruit bread and crackers was next. Next, this was followed by the ‘Assiette’ tasting plate of desserts. Today there was a Cheesecake, a slice of Orange Almond flan, and macerated Strawberries. Tea for Jeff and Coffee for Paul followed, with Macaroons and Chocolates. Paul enjoyed the De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2003 with his dessert.
After this huge meal, we both felt a little sleepy, but continued with movie watching and reading, trying to keep ourselves awake as long as possible to avoid getting jetlag on arrival in Sydney.
The flight time was 14.5 hours, but the time went relatively quickly, and although we both dozed a little, we managed not to sleep too much. The crew offered snacks throughout the flight, Paul choosing a bowl of Chicken, Lemon and Orzo Soup with Gremolata, and Jeff a Veal Schnitzel Burger
Soup
Spicy Lentil and Chick Pea soup with Coleslaw.
After several hours of movies viewing and resting. The crew offered us a light dinner prior to arrival. This started with appetisers of Barbequed Duck and herbs served on a Chinese soupspoon, and tiny Salmon fish cakes. Next was a spicy Tomato soup with noodles and Parmesan. For main course Jeff chose the Sicilian Style Beef fillet with Braised Eggplant, Red Capsicum Salsa, Potatoes and Tomatoes, and Paul chose Slow cooked Duck Confit in Red Wine with baby Carrots and Potatoes Gratin. We both chose a Henschke ‘Julius’ Riesling to accompany our dinner. Dessert was a rich Ricotta pudding with apricots and toasted almonds.
All too soon the Captain advised us that we were about to commence or descent into Sydney. After changing out of our sleeper suits and freshening up, the crew came around to say goodbye, and wish us a welcome home. After arrival we had a wait to clear Immigration as several flights had arrived at once, and after collecting our luggage we had another wait to clear Customs, as they were X raying everyone’s bags tonight. We were soon on our way home, excited about seeing Max and Marta and about seeing
Louisa and her puppies tomorrow.
It’s no doubt that we had a totally amazing trip. We were so fortunate to have everything go so smoothly, even when there were some problems. We visited some wonderful exotic cities, stayed in luxurious hotels and ate superb food. Our flights were really enjoyable, and we met up with some old and some new friends along the way. We have memories of the last 5 weeks that will stay with us forever. We feel so fortunate to have done this trip, and can truly suggest travelling to people who want to broaden their horizons and experience some of what the world has
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griffin
non-member comment
love this
i am an aircraft enthusiast.however i am still taking flight lessons.ilove the big jets.