8. Amsterdam to Calgary via KLM business class
After landing in Amsterdam we made our way back to the Crown Lounge. With a 5-hour layover I started to get angsty mostly because I can't sleep well on a plane and it was starting to catch up with me after two flights. I was also feeling grimy and immediately used the little electronic kiosk to book a shower. I chose a time and it sent me a QR code to my phone that would activate a few minutes before my scheduled time. I headed off to the shower and opened the door with my code. It was a quaint little bathroom with all the amenities you could need. Fifteen minutes later I exited feeling refreshed but still tired.
I was about to head over to the area where you can book a sleeping room but I noticed many people just sleeping in their chairs or on the sofas. The sleeping rooms can be booked for between 1 and 6 hours but they're not all that cheap and I only really needed a two hour nap. I'm not one to sleep in public, but we found a small little nook and I lay down for a few hours. I felt self-aware because I'm always afraid of being accused of classless behavior, but luckily I was out of sight and woke up refreshed a bit later. After a glass of bubbles and a small snack, we headed over to our gate to board our A330 back to Calgary.
The mist was starting to lift and we headed to the runway for a smooth takeoff.
After taking off I was wondering if we would fly over England a little, but the flight path turned almost due North. I was quite taken back by it as if we were going to fly over the North Pole. While flying over the sea I was quite impressed with the number of sea-based windmill generators I saw. Someone has certainly been busy with renewable energy here.
I was really excited to perhaps fly over Greenland and see something interesting, and flying due North strongly hinted at a more 'northerly' route back to Canada.
We had such a great crew on this flight. It was a duo of veteran male attendants who took great pride in their jobs and who had a great sense of humor. There were tons of jokes and they were always there to top up your drink or ask if you wanted more food. They were really exemplary. One looked like Santa Claus... he'll be a hit in December.
I took the cheese this time and asked if they had a Negroni cocktail in stock. On all our previous flights they said they had supply issues, but not on this one! So they opened the bottle for us... and dear god, I did not enjoy this drink at all. I don't know what I was expecting. It was super strong and made me scrunch up my face with each sip. I decided to switch to wine but being polite, I downed the Negroni as quickly as possible with gentlemanly dignity.
Dutch Solt shrimps on a pickled tomato with a crumb of dried onion, with green olives and a drop of wasabi mayonnaise.
Tasting of delicacies ~ rice Thai chicken with sweet basil, Chu-Chee cod and mixed vegetables with a glass of Weingut Heinrich Naked Red 2018.
Petit grand dessert of cappuccino ganache, caramel crumb cake and sticky toffee tartelette with a glass of Baileys.
The meal was really good again and I still enjoy the KLM presentation. By now I was inebriated - I had ingested too much over too little time, and reclined my seat and slept for a few hours. I didn't struggle to sleep at all. Upon awakening I was disappointed to see that Greenland was dark and I couldn't see anything, but after watching a movie I noticed that the sun was coming up and I managed to get a few glorious shots. It was beautiful and endless ice for miles and miles.
Soon we hit the coast of Canada, which of course means you still have to fly for several hours to get to the west side. The next meal service started and I ate the hamburger again, although I was still quite full from the original meal.
Just a Coke Zero please... no more alcohol!
Soon we reached Alberta and started our descent. We chose another two houses as mementos and stored them away. Alberta had been nicely gripped by winter while we were away, but Canada is best friends with the season so it doesn't take much.
After doing a few turns we landed neatly on the runway. Unfortunately we had a 9-hour layover before our next flight on our regional carrier, so we booked a room at the Marriott that is inside the terminal. With a runway view it was great lying on the bed and watching planes taxi and takeoff.
The view from our room
After a small dinner we headed to the gate and despite another delay we eventually boarded and got home after 35 hours of travel. It had been delightful and not arduous, and it completed a stunning vacation to South Africa.