Day 01 - Tuesday 9th April

Our flight today was with Qatar Airways and was due to leave in the evening at 9:15pm. One of the reasons we had booked the river cruise with APT this time was that they were offering a special price on business class tickets in both directions with Qatar.

Our niece, Georgia, would be living in our house while we were away so she could look after the house and the dog. When she arrived at 4:15pm, Milo went crazy with excitement. Suzy took her around the house giving her detailed instructions about the house and the dog.

Part of the deal with APT was a chauffeured trip to the airport with Hughes Limousines. The car (a Holden Statesman) arrived on time at 5:15pm. Despite the peak hour traffic, we had a good run and arrived at the international terminal at about 6pm.

The business class check-in queue was quite short and the customs clearance was quick. This gave us plenty of time at the Qantas business lounge to relax before the flight. The lounge wasn't crowded. Although there was a good choice of wines, beer and spirits, the choice of food was limited. Because we'd be having a meal on board, we didn't have much to eat.

The plane left about ten minutes late and we were on our way to Europe.

It was only a couple of years ago that we'd travelled to Europe. That time we had also flown with Qatar but it was in first class because they were the only seats we could find. Mind you, we had paid with points because we wouldn't have been about to afford it otherwise.

Of course, first class had been amazing. Business class this time was also very good. The seats were well laid out and roomy. We both had aisle seats next to each other in the middle of the aircraft. Both first and business class are upstairs in the A380.

During the flight, the service was excellent. They served us an excellent meal with wine. It was like fine dining at 30,000ft. They seemed to have plenty of staff on board.

Each of us had a large TV screen in front of us and there was an extensive choice of movies etc for entertainment on the flight. I watched two movies: Crazy Rich Asians and Mary Poppins Returns. Suzy watched several including Green Book which she said was very good.

Just like last time, we visited the bar after dinner. This is located behind business class. Suzy had a Cointreau while I had a port. We had already changed into the pyjamas that Qatar had supplied.

Staff made up our beds for us. The beds were flat and horizontal. So it was easy to doze off and have a good sleep.