Why Yes, I WILL Have a Sundae at 30k Feet
Ok so I’m going to geek out a little here, just bear with me… Our trip to Athens included flying in business class for the first time ever. What an experience!
I have been collecting miles and points quite strategically for quite a while now in preparation for our travels. This practice varies between a hobby at best and an obsessive compulsion [MUST. GET. POINTS.] at worst. I probably know more than one should EVER know about playing this game. Actually, why am I still writing this when there are points out there that need a earnin’!?
Hold up. Whoah boy. Easy now…
We planned our longest leg of travel first to get it out of the way and work backwards from Greece. Our rationale was that we would still be fresh early on and we could look forward to easier travel days as our trip progressed. We also threw in a kicker; we’d use points (and $11.20) to book business class so that we could hit the ground running once in Athens!
In order to get the flight we wanted, we’d have to leave from Chicago. No biggie, we got there easily on American Airlines out of Austin. Now we were positioned for the flight we booked with points on United!
With tickets in hand and backpacks strapped on, we made our way to the departure lounge. Pictures really don’t do it justice; it was like a beautiful hotel lobby with food basically everywhere. Ravenous from our morning flight, we sat down to a nice complimentary lunch complete with signature cocktails.
We still had a few hours left so we moved to another part of the lounge. Juliette refreshed with a shower while “hobo Gabe” opted for another whisky instead. We snacked on more food from the buffet while we waited. At last it was time for our flight!
At 5pm we boarded a 777-200 for the best flight of our lives! As you can see in the pictures below, we had quite a good time goofing off in the reclining seats before takeoff!
After about an hour in the air the flight attendants started our five course meal. First was a starter of salad, then a smoked duck dish that tasted like bacon (my favorite!). Then came the main course followed by a cheese plate and port wine. Lastly, the FAs wrapped up dinner with ice cream!
Now full to the brim with food, we cozied up in our lie flat seats and slept for the next five hours. Note: it is kind of weird sleeping around a cabin full of strangers.
At an hour left to go in our flight, we were awakened from our slumber to the sound of more food being prepared. The flight attendants still had to feed us breakfast! At least it consisted of healthy fruit and cereal to help us get energized for the remaining part of our travel day. We still had short flight and connections in Brussels and then Frankfurt before landing in Athens.
All in all a very memorable flight!
GP