The Alphabet trip : Plan for the worst and hope for the best!

[Flyfrequently]

Sunday in Porto:
The sun shone again with brilliant blue skies, so a day out on the Douro was in order.
First though, we did the Guindais Funicular with a 2 minute ride each way, up first, then down - perhaps I closed my eyes just a tad due to my "love" of heights!
A walk across the Ponte de D.Luis 1 to Vila Nova de Gaia and picked up the odd souvenir at the market stalls there for the grandchildren.
Having decided to come back to that side of the river for dinner and sunset, settled on the relatively short 50 minute Six Bridges Boat cruise.
Enjoyed going towards the mouth of the Douro and catching a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean and feeling it's fresh breeze.
Lovely to have dinner outside at Uve be Calem and watch the sun go down on another pleasant Porto day.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Last day in Porto: Part of the morning was taken up with getting an upgrade on our KLM flight from OPO to AMS.
Well, I snared one but Mr Flyfrequently didn't - must say, he took it rather well at the time as noted in the thread Travel Mistakes (pleased to say our early arrival at the airport the following day had that sorted and we were both in Row 1)

The rest of our last full day in Porto led us to Praca do Municipo where we took the obligatory photo of the Porto sign then sat under the shade of the trees by the Fonte dos Aliados people watching.

A leisurely stroll along Avineda Aliados took us to what was once the Imperial Cafe, an emblematic historic cafe in the 1930's. It was restored in the '90's and is now noted by some as the most beautiful Macca's in the world - a mix of the old and new.

Our evening was complete with a crescent moon and clear sky.

We stayed 6 nights in Porto, if you are not doing day trips and have other places to see, 3-4 nights would do, but we enjoyed every moment.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Wednesday had us up and early to get to  OPO airport to see if I could get Mr Flyfrequently into J.
 KLM flight left on time, even though the European business seat only gives you a shadow, the service and refreshments are worth the upgrade IMO.
All the KLM crew we have encountered have been very cheerful and chatty, interested to know where you are from and where you have been.
 AMS was overcast and cooler but a quick Uber to Haarlem had us settled in to our hotel by early afternoon. A short wander around the town before an early dinner at a beaut restaurant overlooking The Square, and not surprisingly called "The Square Food and Drinks".
Haarlem was just an overnighter before our 12 hour AMS to  HKG
Due to many schedule changes in the early days, decided to stagger our journey home and overnight in HKG as well. Mr Flyfrequently walking the Square.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Must add, the KLM staff were pro-active when they noticed me limp on board with my strapped ankle.
Offered then arranged for wheelchair and golf buggy assistance upon arrival at Schipol.
With a long haul AMS-HKG the following day, also arranged mobility assistance for our Schipol departure and arrival in HKG

 

[Flyfrequently]

Haarlem NL Thursday a.m.:
Haarlem turned on the rain, so we didn't wander the small quaint town but did observe every Dutch person we encountered was always cheerful, from hotel reception, taxi drivers, to restaurant airport, lounge and airline staff!

We were pleasantly surprised at check-in to have our bag tagged and checked through to  MEL even though we had 30+ hours in  HKG before  QF 30 home Saturday, so it was HLO

The Mobility Assistance set up at Schipol was excellent, ferried like the Queen on a golf buggy with Fast Track through Passport Control and Security - not that I recommend having a shabby ankle, but Mr Flyfrequently enjoyed the ride too!

Even though our  KLM 777-200 is 2-2-2 found it more comfortable than our  QF 330-300 home.

The presentation of early dinner, though no "salt n pepper clogs" this time, we did enjoy their menu offerings on every flight.

And the Delft Houses !

 

[Flyfrequently]

Friday: Our KLM AMS- HKG overnight flight went smoothly and arrived on time in HKG with my mobility assistance chariot waiting.
Straight through Passport Control and Security and very glad we didn't have to worry about collecting our bag.
Knowing taxis only take cash, finding the Uber pick up point even had my wheelchair helper baffled, eventually located at car park 4.
45 minutes later we arrived at our hotel.
Appreciated our early check-in at Hotel Grand Harbour Kowloon with great views over Victoria Harbour.
Took ourselves off for a walk in the fairly humid 31°.
Had a quick bite of noodles and wonton soup as Mr Flyfrequently had found  ABC Australia TV and he settled in to watch  AFL

No way was I going to miss the Symphony of Lights over Victoria Harbour, so I hobbled off and enjoyed the balmy evening and light show solo!!

 

[Flyfrequently]

Saturday : Our Alphabet Trip is coming to a close.
Spent the morning at the rooftop pool watching the world go by.
We had checked in for QF30 online and by early afternoon took a taxi with crazy "Uncle" who thought nothing of doing 140 kmh in his red Toyota Crown along N Lantau Highway!

Possibly a travel mistake here;
I had booked mobility assistance online with Qantas and email said get to the airport early - we were too early it seems and had to wait 2 hours for Qantas counter J to be staffed.
Even then, wheelchair was not available until 2 hours before our flight.

With Mr Flyfrequently itching to get to the Lounge to watch Carlton (lose) on TV, I took one for the team and hobbled through Passport Control and Security.
Fortunately the Lounge is relatively close by at gate 6, just a short walk and up the escalator.

My efforts at a "lounge crawl " were severely hampered by my shabby foot and only managed to go next door to The Deck, which I found to be quite underwhelming.

The Qantas Lounge is impressive, bright and fresh. It was empty upon arrival at 4 pm but filled up quickly with QF128 pax.

We were looked after very well by the staff, Jennifer in particular who kindly kept me "hydrated" !
I suspect there may have been a few WP/ P1 as they were getting a personalised guided tour by the Lounge Manager.

We were happy to sit back and just relax.
The plate of the day, beef in black pepper sauce, and a simple meal of rice, char sui and choy did the trick and of course dessert was a must try
Having read some AFF reviews of onboard meals, very glad we ate in the Lounge.

Promptly my chariot arrived at 8.30 pm and off to gate 27.
Boarding was on time and departed only a few minutes late.
We waved good bye to our new found Sydney friends still in the Lounge, they had a significant delay, not even sure QF128 left that night.

After  CX and  KLM , sad to say I was disappointed with  QF.
 PDB
PJ's and that is about it.

My gift to CSM was warmly received and the cabin crew ( bar one, our FA) came around to say thankyou.
I can only surmise she was keen to get home and put us all to bed.
Arrived on time, chariot ready, bag took awhile but happy to see it come off the carousel as we parted company at Schipol some 56 hours earlier!

(And again thanks @RooFlyer for your tips!)

 

[drron]

Really enjoyed the TR. Good itinerary,wonderful photos and a good story to go with them. Thanks for your effort.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Really enjoyed the TR. Good itinerary,wonderful photos and a good story to go with them. Thanks for your effort.

Thanks @drron there will be a post script later!

 

[Flyfrequently]

Time to wrap up this TR.
Arrived home safely on time last week to beautiful Melbourne weather.
First thing Monday had an appointment with GP.
My shabby foot now has a diagnosis with an Xray confirming a fractured 5th metatarsal.
Tuesday,  CAM boot ( moonboot) for the next few weeks.
Yesterday, I saw an orthopaedic surgeon mate who reassured me that I did all the right things and glad I was able to enjoy my "trip"!

Thank you for coming along with us on the Alphabet Trip, so named for CR J MEL- HKG - AMS - LIS- OPO - AMS - HKG - MEL on CX, KLM & QF.
I had not intended to have  ED,  GP and Xray in the mix!

The irony is, I tripped and now have alphabet exercises to do for my shabby foot to heal

 

[VPS]

Thanks for a great TR - Portugal part bringing back great memories.

 

[RooFlyer]

A very enjoyable TR. Many thanks for putting it together.

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks very much for an enjoyable trip report.

 

[Scash]

Thank you for a wonderful TR. We are hopefully heading that way next year and you have given me some fantastic ideas. All the best with your rehabilitation.

 

[Seat0B]

thanks for the armchair travel - really enjoyed reading about your trip. Sorry to hear about your foot though, and wishing you a speedy and complete recovery.

 

[bPeteb]

Great report Flyfrequently. What an ending!

 

[Flyfrequently]

Great report Flyfrequently. What an ending!

Wasn't really "match fit" in the end @bPeteb !

 

[Flyfrequently]

thanks for the armchair travel - really enjoyed reading about your trip. Sorry to hear about your foot though, and wishing you a speedy and complete recovery.

Thank you, foot is really only a minor inconvenience, boot should be off in a few weeks.
Hope things are going as well as they can at present for you @Seat0B

 

[Seat0B]

Thank you, foot is really only a minor inconvenience, boot should be off in a few weeks.
Hope things are going as well as they can at present for you @Seat0B

thanks, I'm going quite well. It's frustrating and boring, and if that's the worst of it, I will get through!