I was prepared for Hubby D to take a business trip to DC but when he suddenly insisted that I come along because he wanted me there, it was a surprise. It was a very wonderful but unexpected surprise.
Getting ready for 11 days in the States is something that takes a great deal of planning and preparation. D had my evenings in DC filled with dinners out with friends and special events. What to wear and what shoes to pack?
I know it sounds silly, but if you take the wrong things, you suffer. And, recently we have had several bad experiences with lost luggage so I would also need to pack a carry on case with enough for a couple of days in case our luggage did not make it to our destination with us.
Along with my own packing, I also needed to pack for Hubby D as he was spending long hours at work preparing for the meetings he had scheduled in DC.
Then there is the mental preparation. I must admit that I dread – really dread the 24 hours it takes to get from Bahrain back to DC. I had to pump myself up more than normal for this trip.
The few days I had to prepare for the trip were also filled with some planned (and fun) activities.
The President of AWA, DR asked my friend DW and myself to volunteer at the American Cultural Center. We spent a couple of fun hours “talking” with Bahrain people who are studying English and want to sharpen their language skills. I admit I had a great time and met some really interesting people.
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| The three of us with some of the students. |
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| DW took this funny shot while I was standing in a door way. She said, "We have been called to the principal's office." |
I had a shock when I peeled the sweet potatoes from India. They were white. I know this seems trivial, but it really shocked me that sweet potatoes would be anything but orange. However they tasted the same as regular American orange sweet potatoes. Have you ever seen white sweet potatoes?
So finally packed with all my planned outfits and the appropriate shoes (all you ladies understand how important that is), I was ready to head for the United States but there was one more planned activity.
We had been invited to the grand opening of the Bahrain Art Society’s Visions art show being held at the Ritz-Carlton. The opening was at 7PM and our plane left at 10:50.
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| The invitation was hand delivered to our flat. |
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| The art book for the event also featured some women photographers. This was an interesting photo. |
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| Hubby D took this photo of me with DW and Abbas Al Mousawi in front of his paintings. |
Finally off to the airport and our flight on Emirates Airlines. This was our first Emirates Experience. And, it was quite a lovely experience.
The first leg was to Dubai. Our flight was late leaving Bahrain and we were very nervous that we might miss our connection and that our luggage might not make it as well. The plane parked a long, long way from the terminal.
When we finally arrived at the terminal, we raced to the next gate. Thankfully we arrived just in time to walk down a long jet way to the A380 double decker plane. Our jet way ran on top and was one of two leading into the plane.
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| 2 jet ways leading to the plane. |
After documenting the unusual ramps, we entered the luxurious business class section of the plane.
I was so impressed that Hubby D had booked us in the business section and I knew immediately I was going to enjoy this 14-hour portion of out flight much more than ever before. I gave him a big hug and thanked him in advance. Life was good.
Our seats included a small “refreshment shelf” containing water, soda and glasses. It also had a long reclining seat and an entertainment system. Even the headphones were of high quality.
Before we began to taxi for takeoff, champagne and a dinner menu were delivered to my seat.
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| Burl wood seat and counters? Really? Yep! |
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| My flight bag (handed out by the very helpful crew) included perfume. |
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| Hubby D's bag had a box of perfumes and shaving cream. |
However, I was able to sleep about 5 hours before I decided to get up and explore the airplane.
The A380 business and first-class cabins share a really nice bar area. The bar was “manned” by Alison from Russia who offered me a range of cocktails and other treats. Somehow a martini at 5AM just did not seem right.
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| Our selfie at 5AM over Oslo. |
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| There were heated floors in the bar area. |
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| The view out the window. |
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| The big screen TV in the bar lounge area along with a buffet of sweets. |
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| Our flight was going over the area where BHB went on her honeymoon. |
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| This view comes from a camera mounted on top of the plane. |
Alison took a Polaroid picture of me behind the bar and even signed the picture for me. I don’t think I am the first “tourist” on the Emirates A380. Apparently there are many other travelers who have been impressed with the luxury of this aircraft.
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| Just like at a Disney ride, they had folders to put the photo inside so you have a reminder of your "experience" with Emirates. |
From business class to the second to the last row of the economy section – back into the real world.
I have to tell you, I loved the flight on Emirates. It was a luxurious experience and a lovely memory.
Thanks Hubby D. Good job.
I am actually looking forward to the flight back to Bahrain on another A380 with Emirates in a few days. I don’t think I am going to have to mentally prepare for the return trip quite as much as I have in the past.
Cheers,
Brenda
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