Round The World and other travels

As I settled into 1A, it didn't take long to work out that the F cabin was going to be completely full and in BA's version of the 747 nose cone, this means 14 people. The sleeper suit, BAg and a nicely presented aromatherapy sleep-aid were handed out on the ground. I changed into my sleeper suit and then had a glass of apple juice and some macadamia nuts while waiting for departure. With boarding from the lounge not starting until 1555, it was no great surprise when a delay was announced. Apparently, this was caused by a cabin crew member who had taken ill and who would have to be left behind, along with her bags.

We eventually pushed back at 1628 and made our way out to runway 28L. There couldn't have been much of a wind, because I could see planes taking off in all directions! We took to the sunny skies at 1654 and there was the usual striking moment of relative quiet when the front wheel was lifted. As we made our U-turn, over-flying the Golden Gate bridge in the process, there were some amazing views of both the bridge and the city, but of course I was on the wrong side of the aircraft to get a proper look, and the seat belt signs were still on.

As the cabin service got underway (from the back!), I had a couple of glasses of Champagne and some canapés before dinner. The menu was as follows :-

I had the Thai crab cakes with a glass of the Montrachet, followed by a delicious steak and a glass of the Merlot. As I was ordering my cheese, I checked with the cabin crew that it would be OK to invite Mark to join me on my buddy seat for a drink. I wandered back through Club World, where it was lights-out already, and into WT+, where my fellow-FTer and Salzburg Do-er jumped at the chance to sample a spell in the F cabin. He had a glass of the Sancerre and some ice water and macadamia nuts while I ate my cheese, then we both had a cup of the blackcurrant tea. The crew even offered Mark some cheese, which was above and beyond the call of duty. As the lights started to go out, he made his way back to WT+.

The crew made up my bed while I went to brush my teeth and soon I was settling down for a few hours' sleep. I had asked to be woken up for breakfast, but in the event managed to do so myself about half and hour before the service started again. I changed back into my normal clothes in order to avoid the rush for the washrooms that would surely come later. The breakfast menu was as follows :-