So I did a thing…

Saturday 11 Feb 2023 

So I did a thing….during my almost-four hour layover at Schiphol, I decided to “just check” the KLM app to see if there were any Business Class seats left open.  I’d bandied about the idea of upgrading several weeks ago in an utter panic over flying this long in tight quarters with other people, but the price tag was pretty outrageous (nearly $5k) and it only got higher and doubled as the travel dates approached.  Well, my travel angel was smiling down on me and I got the upgrade to Business Class for $600.  So it’ll be almost 9 hours to Nairobi not jammed in with everyone else, stretched out, lying flat and maybe arriving not so beat up.  I’m in row 1 on a window.  There is still someone next to me, but about 3 feet away rather than playing a spirited game of armchair wrestling with them the entire flight.  Phew.

It is really cool though, Business Class on KLM has its own entrance to the plane, so coming down the bridge way, there’s rows 1-9 enter here and everyone else, keep on going.  I’m so damn happy.

The layover at Schiphol wasn’t so bad otherwise.  It is a long walk between gates, but with a stop for pancakes and then at the Rijksmuseum’s airport location (nice 19th century landscape exhibition), I killed the time just fine.

The route we followed went south down over Austria and the Alps and then directly down over the eastern coast of the Adriatic, over Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Greece.  It was bumpy over the Alps and again crossing a jet stream over Egypt.  I dozed as we crossed the Mediterranean but was fighting sleep so I could finish a book.

My first meal here in Business Class was pretty good.  A selection of Dutch cheeses to start.  Then a set of appetizers: bean and pepper salad, a quinoa salad and a green salad with tomato.  The main was a vegetarian stroganoff over rice with beets, onion and something green I surmise may have been chopped peas but I’m not sure.  I skipped dessert in favor of a G&T with Damrak gin.  When in Rome (or a Dutch plane), drink their gin.  I actually liked the gin, will have to try to find it at home.

In the day of endless meals, we had yet another just before landing, a really good vegetarian Marsala samosa and a chocolate pudding cake.  I needed something solid since I started the antimalarial with that meal.

Good thing I deplaned first, since my VIP meet and greet was a bust (they wouldn’t let someone like me into the diplomat line…go figure) so it took close to an hour to get through immigration and another 20 to get my money and get to the hotel.  At least I was among the first in line for immigration, image if I’d been way back!  Bed at midnight and up at 5:45 for an early flight to Laikipia.  Now, Sunday morning (I think) I’m tired but ready to go.

Possibly off the grid now for a few days.  Safari njema!