‘Scripts, Skeletons & Scriptures: Writing About Writing in Yorkshire.

[Human]

Boarding commenced on time.

The Spirit of Australia:


Thankfully, I did indeed end up with two seats to myself:


About two and a half hours into the ten hour flight — exactly 30 minutes after I first asked myself, “Are we there yet?” — the thought occurred to me:

• Business class: you don’t mind how long the flight lasts.
• First class: you want the flight to last longer.
• Economy class: you wish the flight were shorter.

I mean, the flight was OK. The A330 was nice and modern, the cabin crew were efficient, it was a daytime flight, and I had two seats to myself on the right hand side of the plane. Also there was no-one seated behind me, which took the guilt (and shame) out of reclining.

And after that actually the flight seemed to go a lot more quickly. So really it could have been a lot worse.

Nevertheless there were a couple of quirks.

First, the meals and snacks were not exactly spread out.

Half an hour into the flight, the crew brought around a snack.


Less than half an hour later,, the main meal ("lunch") was served (this was at 11am, Sydney time).


Two and a half hours into the flight (12:30pm), the crew brought around another snack. Or was that dessert? It was, admittedly, yummy.



Five minutes later the drink cart also came by (it included spirits, but I just had a coffee and a Tim Tam).

So within two and a half hours of departing, two snacks and a full lunch had been served. Then there was nothing except water until 90 minutes before landing, when a "light dinner" was served:


Also there was no internet. Which was probably good for me. I finished reading this book which I needed to finish before Monday. Why? Because its author will be one of my tutor/mentors at the writing retreat.


Anyway, the flight did go quickly after that. I didn't sleep (surprising, given my 3am start), but I did recline my seat and rest to some Boccherini symphonies.

Everyone had closed their window shades, but I opened mine to enjoy the view as we crossed the Australian coastline (almost right over Darwin, in this case). I always enjoy watching crossing that coastline as you leave Australia.


The entertainment options were not bad at all. I generally just bring up the flight map and listen to music, but one of the albums available was Carole King's Tapestry.

If you have never listened to Tapestry, stop reading right now and listen to it. It's one of the greatest albums of all time.

If you have listened to it before, stop reading right now and listen to it again..

A couple of photos of our descent into Bangkok (there was a lot of cloud around so I couldn't get many):


Bangkok airport is big, but efficient enough...


And I was out the front probably within 30 minutes of landing.

So all in all, I survived my long-haul Economy class experience. Tomorrow I'm being driven to the airport at 4am for my 7am Finnair (operated by Finnair!) flight.

 

[Human]

I'm staying at the "At Residence Suvarnabhumi Hotel" near the airport; thanks @RB for suggesting this. I booked an airport transfer for THB400 (about A$20) return and the transfer was easy and seamless. The room itself costs about $61 for the night. Really can't complain about that; it's about a 10-minute drive to the airport.


I would normally go out for a walk, but I was too tired. I went downstairs to have a delicious dinner at the hotel's own restaurant. I had a Thai Iced Tea, the crispy chicken with cashews and vegetables, with rice, and a coconut sundae for dessert. All delicious.




Time for an early bed before my second pre-4am start in a row tomorrow.

 

[Human]

Up at 3:35am for my transfer from the airport. BKK is quite large airport. Check-in, as you’d expect, was quick and efficient and I was issued my boarding passes for HEL and CDG. I was also given an invitation to the Miracle Lounge.


But I'm an AFFer . “I can do better than that”, I thought slyly as I made my way to the Qatar lounge.

Nope.


So I thought I’d try the Cathay Lounge. It was closed too.


I made my way to the Miracle Lounge with my tail between my legs. It’s quiet-ish and the seats are comfortable. But the breakfast options were utterly underwhelming. This is the coffee, which I decided not to drink.




The Qatar lounge opens at 5:40am, 45 minutes before boarding. I’ll have a (much) better breakfast there.

 

[Human]

Well, I was right to wait for the Qatar Lounge to open. What a great lounge!!





I ordered French Toast from the a la carte menu. It did not disappoint.


The menu is here.

Boarding of my Finnair A350 commences in a few minutes.

 

[VPS]

Boarding commenced on time.

The Spirit of Australia:
View attachment 466164

Thankfully, I did indeed end up with two seats to myself:
View attachment 466165

About two and a half hours into the ten hour flight — exactly 30 minutes after I first asked myself, “Are we there yet?” — the thought occurred to me:

• Business class: you don’t mind how long the flight lasts.
• First class: you want the flight to last longer.
• Economy class: you wish the flight were shorter.

I mean, the flight was OK. The A330 was nice and modern, the cabin crew were efficient, it was a daytime flight, and I had two seats to myself on the right hand side of the plane. Also there was no-one seated behind me, which took the guilt (and shame) out of reclining.

And after that actually the flight seemed to go a lot more quickly. So really it could have been a lot worse.

Nevertheless there were a couple of quirks.

First, the meals and snacks were not exactly spread out.

Half an hour into the flight, the crew brought around a snack.
View attachment 466166

Less than half an hour later,, the main meal ("lunch") was served (this was at 11am, Sydney time).
View attachment 466167

Two and a half hours into the flight (12:30pm), the crew brought around another snack. Or was that dessert? It was, admittedly, yummy.
View attachment 466168


Five minutes later the drink cart also came by (it included spirits, but I just had a coffee and a Tim Tam).

So within two and a half hours of departing, two snacks and a full lunch had been served. Then there was nothing except water until 90 minutes before landing, when a "light dinner" was served:
View attachment 466169

Also there was no internet. Which was probably good for me. I finished reading this book which I needed to finish before Monday. Why? Because its author will be one of my tutor/mentors at the writing retreat.
View attachment 466170

Anyway, the flight did go quickly after that. I didn't sleep (surprising, given my 3am start), but I did recline my seat and rest to some Boccherini symphonies.

Everyone had closed their window shades, but I opened mine to enjoy the view as we crossed the Australian coastline (almost right over Darwin, in this case). I always enjoy watching crossing that coastline as you leave Australia.
View attachment 466171

The entertainment options were not bad at all. I generally just bring up the flight map and listen to music, but one of the albums available was Carole King's Tapestry.

If you have never listened to Tapestry, stop reading right now and listen to it. It's one of the greatest albums of all time.

If you have listened to it before, stop reading right now and listen to it again..

A couple of photos of our descent into Bangkok (there was a lot of cloud around so I couldn't get many):
View attachment 466173View attachment 466174

Bangkok airport is big, but efficient enough...
View attachment 466175View attachment 466176View attachment 466177

And I was out the front probably within 30 minutes of landing.

So all in all, I survived my long-haul Economy class experience. Tomorrow I'm being driven to the airport at 4am for my 7am Finnair (operated by Finnair!) flight.

Ah Tapestry. I remember playing that over and over again.

Saw her in concert with James Taylor about 20 Years ago and she was fantastic

 

[Human]

I want to write a little more about the Qatar lounge, as my earlier post was necessarily hurried.

It was the best Business class lounge I’ve been to. In fact, the quality of the food was the same as, and the level of service exceeded, the three First Class lounges I’ve been to: namely, The Private Room in Singapore, the JAL First Lounge in Haneda, and the SoHo Lounge in New York JFK (which admittedly is more a Oneworld Emerald lounge than a true First lounge).

Yes, I’ve been to other Business class lounges where the range of food available was much more extensive – the SilverKris Lounge in SIN, the Al Mourjan Lounges in DOH and, especially, the Turkish Airlines Lounge in IST – but the quality of the food at the Bangkok Qatar Lounge was amazing: it was fresh, tasty, and well-presented. As most of us know, usually you’d hold off eating too much in the Lounge because you know that the quality of the food onboard will be better. There, it was the other way around. I ate in the knowledge that it would be all downhill from there!

Finally, because of its small size, the staff-to-passenger ratio at Bangkok was better than any other lounge I’ve been to by far. While I was eating I was checked at my table several times, and there was even a friendly greeting by the staff at the entrance to the toilet!

Are all the Qatar outstation lounges like this? Certainly the hospitality of the Thai staff was next level.

 

[Human]

It felt that I had to leave the Qatar Lounge prematurely, and certainly I could have spent a lot longer than 35 minutes there. But it was time to board. There was a bit of a hold-up at the gate, but we boarded soon enough and the flight departed on time.

I had allocated myself seat 11A, in the smaller of the two Business class cabins. After boarding I had my first real view of the famous Finnair Business class seat:


Before I write about it more specifically, here’s the one-word TL;DR summary: SPACE.

It has by far the most room of any Business class seat I’ve had, with the obvious but rarely-available exception of Singapore Airlines’ long-haul A350 and 777 bulkhead seats. There’s plenty of storage space, plenty of room to spread out, plenty of room to stretch and plenty of room to sleep.

As you know, the seat doesn’t recline. I was expecting that that would be annoying. It’s not. (Well, not yet, anyway). On this seat one does not recline; one lounges. Lounging is not reclining and reclining is not lounging. But for me it’s difficult to determine which is better; they’re just different.

Other features: a very basic amenity kit (earplugs, toothbrush & toothpaste, eye mask). The Jetstar Business Class amenity kit is better. Having said that, the eye mask is very large and effective.

The entertainment selection isn’t great, in my opinion. At least they have Sibelius. I’m currently listening to an album called Älä pelkää elämää from a band called “Haloo Helsinki!” (or should that be the other way around? No idea, really…) simply because I feel I should be listening to something Finnish.

At least there’s a tail camera.


Immediately after boarding I was offered a drink. Being before 7am, I chose the blueberry juice over champagne.


After takeoff I was offered a “smoothie”. No elaboration was given, but I definitely tasted strawberry and mango. In any case it was very nice.


Breakfast came around about 45 minutes after takeoff. I chose the scrambled eggs. As I suspected, it was a step down from the Qatar Lounge. It was OK, though, but it didn’t come with salt & pepper which I had to ask for specifically. When the salt & pepper did come, it was in those annoying little paper square thingys that come with economy class (and Virgin business class!) meals.


After that the cabin lights were dimmed: slightly weird, given it was about 9am Bangkok time. Mind you, that was 3am Helsinki time so that was maybe the method in their madness. In any case, I didn’t mind as I thought there was a decent chance that I’d sleep. A member of the cabin crew offered to make my bed for me.


Over the next two or so hours I slept sporadically. It was nice having the space to spread out and stretch.

The toilet at the front of the front cabin has a window. Lovely.


After a couple of hours I realised that I wouldn’t be able to sleep any more so I sat up, with the seat still in bed mode, extended the tray table and got out my laptop. As a Business class passenger I get one hour of free internet which I’m using now!

 

[drron]

And early tomorrow morning we get to taste the QR BKK lounge,
Of course JQ J meals come with the small rectangular salt and pepper sachets. I was expecting that though.

 

[Human]

And early tomorrow morning we get to taste the QR BKK lounge,
Of course JQ J meals come with the small rectangular salt and pepper sachets. I was expecting that though.

Sorry we missed each other by a day! I don't know if you're into sweet breakfasts, but the french toast was really a treat!

 

[Human]

Everyone had their windowshades down, but I did manage to sneak in some pretty spectacular views of, I think, Afghanistan...


Here's the menu:


The main meal was served about three hours before landing. I had pre-ordered the Massaman Beef. Again, it was quite OK without being spectacular. Note the quite small quantity of beef. The appetisers and main course were once again all served on one tray. I had a 2023 Pinot Noir which seemed OK to me, but what do I know?

.
I had the "Lemon custart tart" for dessert, which was essentially a lemon meringue pie. It was quite nice.


By that stage we were well and truly in Europe and approaching Helsinki. I could see from the flight map how being unable to travel over Russian airspace had made a difference to our route.


Some photos of our descent into HEL...




So... some reflections on my first Finnair Business class flight:

The hard product was up there with the best I've flown. The fact that I could lounge, rather than recline, didn't end up being a negative at all and it was a perfectly comfortable flight. I think I'd still marginally choose Qatar Q-Suites, for their privacy and other features, and Singapore Airlines bulkhead seats for their even greater space. But it's a very close call. I was happy that I was able to experience what everyone else has been talking about!

The soft product wasn't bad, but it was nowhere near the best I've experienced either. Again, Qatar is the clear leader here for its food, its presentation, and its dine-on-demand. Singapore Airlines, at its best, is a close second. I'm not that experienced a Business class flyer (never flown JAL Business, never flown United Business, never flown ANA Business, etc, etc) and at the end of the day I'm not all that fussy (largely because my palette is quite unsophisticated compared with some...). But certainly offering everything on one tray on a long-haul Business class flight isn't amazingly impressive ... and how hard could it be to provide passengers with salt and pepper without them having to ask for it?

The bottom line, though, is that I'd gladly fly Finnair Business again. And I'll be forever grateful that there was Award availability one month before the flight!

 

[Human]

As I write this I'm in the middle of my 5-and-a-half-hour transit in HEL. My flight to Paris is later tonight on a Finnair Embraer E190.

I don't have any photos of my arrival at HEL due to the fact that it was about 10pm in Melbourne and my focus was on talking to my wife before she went to bed. I have to say, though, that I was happy to be clearing EU/Schengen Immigration somewhere other than Paris, which can be a bit of a nightmare sometimes. The queue in Helsinki was about five minutes, and I can say with some confidence that it would have been several times that long in CDG.

After doing some shopping of some cute, but tasteful, Finnish souvenirs for my abovementioned wife, I headed upstairs to the Finnair Lounge. Sadly, unlike its non-Schengen counterpart, the Schengen Area Finnair Lounge does not have a sauna! And it's quite crowded -- particularly the food area -- so I don't have many photos. But it's a perfectly good "domestic" lounge with lots of different seating areas, even if it could be a little larger.




One of the drinks on tap is a "Gin & Grapefruit" drink which I just had to try. It was very nice!


Later on I'll have a shower and a light dinner before my flight. If I don't post about that tonight, I'm not sure when my next post will be -- there's no internet on Finnair E190s and I'll be arriving in Paris quite late; my priority will be sleep rather than posting...

Then I have quite an early start tomorrow and a very full day. I'm looking forward to it though -- I'm going back to the Louvre for the first time in over 3 years.

You might have worked out what the "skeletons" are in this TR title. If not, Saturday's the day!

 

[RooFlyer]

Are all the Qatar outstation lounges like this?

Pretty much. The Singapore business lounge I would equate to 1st class lounges with almost every other airline.

Unlimited supply of fresh squeezed orange juice is a godsend in the middle of an international itinerary

 

[Human]

Unlimited supply of fresh squeezed orange juice is a godsend in the middle of an international itinerary

A truer word has never been spoken!!

 

[Human]

Jumping back in with one more post because the Finnair Lounge has emptied right out. So I’ve been able to take a few more photos.



So now that the Lounge has emptied somewhat, in true teacher fashion I’m upping its grade from a B to an A-minus!

 

[FlyingFiona]

So now that the Lounge has emptied somewhat, in true teacher fashion I’m upping its grade from a B to an A-minus!

I had the same experience of the Shengen lounge as you and would also rate it the same way. Once the bulk of people left and it quietened down (people talked really loudly around me in what I would have thought was an obvious quiet area) I really liked it. I visited the non-S lounge on my return home and didn't like it at all. Too open for me and the showers didn't have a soundtrack of little birds being played .

 

[Human]

Too open for me and the showers didn't have a soundtrack of little birds being played .

I did very much like the sound of the birdsong in the shower. It took me a couple of minutes to realise that it was a recording of birdsongs and not actual birds!

Naturally, this reminds me that Finland's second most important classical music composer after Sibelius was Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016) whose most famous piece was probably Cantus Arcticus, which was written for symphony orchestra and which incorporates recordings of birds. Believe it or not, once I realised what was going on in the shower, my weird brain did go "Finland... birdsong... Rautavaara"!

I'll have to go back and listen to Cantus Arcticus again now...

 

[Human]

My first experience of Euro-Business was on an 18-year-old Finnair Embraer E190. My guess is that the cabin hasn’t been updated in those 18 years. On this flight Business consisted of one row. I was in seat 1F. Three of the four seats in the row were occupied. That’s right – Finnair’s Embraer Business class doesn’t even come with an empty seat guarantee. Happily, of the three Business class passengers, I was the one who did have an empty seat next to me (and no, the people across the aisle from me in 1A and 1C were not travelling as a couple). At least I had plenty of legroom. Note the shower curtain on the far right of this photo.


The pre-departure beverage…


The view over Helsinki soon after taking off…


The pre-dinner snack…


And the meal, which I’d pre-ordered: a spinach and ricotta ravioli which was actually very nice.


Dessert was a genuinely yummy warm cinnamon bun.


On the E190 there was no internet and no seat-back or streaming entertainment. I was needing sleep by that stage, but felt guilty about reclining into the Economy class passengers immediately behind me. I did have an inflatable neck pillow in my carry-on which I’d brought, and not used, for the Economy class flight to Bangkok. Ironically I did use it for this Business class flight, and it did help me to have a bit of a snooze.

Anyway. Nothing else to report about this flight, other than to say that I’d book it again for no other reason than it gave me Lounge access (with birdsong) during my 6-hour layover in Helsinki. In the end, that’s what made Euro-Business worth it. And the dedicated toilet up the front, which was fiercely guarded for the Business class passengers by the cabin crew.

We arrived in Paris about 10 minutes early and were all loaded onto a bus from the remote gate. We soon arrived at Terminal 2B and our luggage was at the carousel within about 5 minutes after that, considerably quicker than expected.

My sister and her husband then collected me to the airport and drove me to their place where I had a good night's sleep before being woken by my alarm for an early-ish start.

 

[Human]

Chapter 2: An Antipodean in Paris.

I had a much-needed 7 hours’ sleep, but I would have had even more if I had not been woken up by my alarm at 8am. One thing I’ve discovered about visiting the Louvre (and, for that matter any popular museum or gallery … have I ever mentioned that I’m a museum junkie?): it’s best to get there early. So after a traditional French breakfast of baguette and croissants from the bakery across the road, I headed out onto the streets of Paris for the first time since 2022.


The Metro line I’m staying near is the same line as the Louvre is on, making getting there very simple and easy.


I love this place. I make no apologies for visiting almost every time I’m in Paris! As I mentioned in a previous TR, I first visited in 2002 out of duty; seven hours later I walked out an art-lover. It was one of the most beautiful and transformative days of my life.



I arrived at about 9:30am, giving me a little bit of time before my tour. I had booked a 10:30am English-language tour called “Another Louvre”. It’s described thus: "Enjoy a visit away from the crowds and discover the lesser-known treasures and stunning settings of 'another Louvre.'" Having been to the Louvre before, I was keen to do a tour of some of the “lesser known” and off-the-beaten-track masterpieces.

But before then I had one important order of business. I walked past this…


And past the (already) massive throng attempting to get a view of this….



Hello old friend.

It was such a thrill to see this painting again in the flesh. It’s currently in one of the large halls, in a roomful of great masterpieces.


But I only had eyes for this masterpiece.. Obviously I have photos and books containing this picture, but seeing it once again full-size, in the flesh, made me see some things in it that I’d never really thought about before. Something that it’s difficult to get from photos is that Vigee Le Brun’s eyes are not looking straight out of the painting; it’s more like they’re staring into the distance as she’s immersed in her thoughts of love for her daughter. Her daughter, by contrast, has the security and confidence to be looking straight at the observer; her eyes seem to follow you wherever you’re standing in relation to the picture.

I spent several minutes there before I needed to go to my tour. Then I came back to it again later in the day before I left.

 

[Human]

Tours at the Louvre are very cheap (this one cost about EUR 10, from memory) and well-organised. I’d been instructed to meet at the Group Reception area, where I swapped my drivers licence for a set of headphones and portable amp. I was then told to go upstairs and meet my guide in Room 8. The Louvre conducts several different tours in 4 different languages. On this tour there were six people plus the guide.


The tour guide arrived, introduced himself and told us that the tour would be focussing on the museum’s Richelieu Wing. This is indeed the wing of the Louvre which is less popular and less-well-frequented and, indeed, I could not remember spending much time there myself. So I was very happy when we heard that that’s where we would be spending the next couple of hours.

The first stop was a series of sculptures commissioned by and for Louis XIV. Most of these sculptures were originally built for the Chateau de Marly, Louis’ residence before he moved to Versailles, his smaller retreat compared to Versailles. “Triumphalistic” would be an accurate term for them; they are attempted to be monuments to Louis’ grandeur and magnificence. The tour guide did point out that of Louis XIV’s 72-year reign, France was at war for 40 of them and the experience of living as a subject of the King could not in any way be described as either “grand” or “magnificent”.




These shackled sculptures symbolise nations which Louis’ armies had conquered.



The next stop was The Hammurabi Code from the 1700s BC. This Code, inscribed in Cuneiform on the stone, is the oldest known example of codified law.



We then spent quite a bit of time looking at these large stone Assyrian artefacts, including ones from Khorsabad in Mesopotamia. Most are from the second and third Millenia BC.

Note the lack of visitors in these galleries!


This is a statue of a dignitary in Mesopotamia from about 2350BC; the glazed look in his eyes and the dazed, vaguely pleased look on his face is because he’d just seen a vision of a god!


We were then taken to a part of the Louvre that I genuinely didn’t know existed. It’s the Louvre Couture exhibition, featuring clothes by very famous 20th-century designers, placed in the “Napoleon Apartments”, the rooms used by the Emperor Napoleon III in the second half of the 19th Century.






This is one of the Emperor’s actual thrones.

 

[Human]

The tour was nearing its end but there were a few more stops. First, Rembrandts. Lots of Rembrandts – a roomful of them, in fact. I’d visited a roomful of Rembrandts earlier this year at the Met in NYC and reflected on how blessed I am to have been able to visit the Met and the Louvre in the space of 8 months.




This painting is particularly brilliant and powerful; I’ll let the information plaque explain why.



The final stop on the tour was at the Louvre’s only Vermeer (it has two, but one is currently on loan to another museum). This is an example of why museum/gallery tours can be so helpful – this was a tiny painting, less than 20cm high and wide, and I’d never have been able to find it or even to know about it if it weren’t for the tour guide pointing it out.


That was the end of the tour, which I’d very much enjoyed and appreciated. It was well worth the money and time.