Monday morning dawned extremely early in the Ferreira household! We were up at 4.30 am and at the airport by 5.30 for checkin. Thinking we were early for the flight which only left at 8am, we were a little surprised at the number of equally early risers, but did not really think much further than that. How much more surprised we were then, to find our flight already boarding when we got to the departure lounge. On checking with one of the ground crew we discovered that our e-tickets had a typing error on them and that we were scheduled for a 7am take-off and not 8am as we had thought. Talk about skidding in at the last moment.....!
Once settled however, our trip was good. LTU Airlines provided us with the most leg room we have ever had in economy class, and being a day time flight, there was none of that dreadful 'trying-to-get-comfortable-so we -can-sleep' nonsense. Instead we enjoyed looking out of the windows at the earth below. Over the Peninsula and up the West Coast the weather was brilliantly clear. Namibia, too, was interesting with the Etosha Pan providing a spectacular sight for sheer vastness. I don't think either of us had realised just how large an area it covers. Shortly after that, we started to fly over cloud which obscured everything, and we had to turn to our books for entertainment, until we reached Libya, where we noticed clumps of large black circles scattered around the desert. They looked just like the irrigation circles that one sometimes sees in South Africa, but to be seen from 39000 feet up, they must have been huge. Once on the ground again and with access to the Internet, we looked up 'Black circles in the desert' and discovered that they were, indeed irrigation circles and are each about .8km across, so they are huge.
Just after that we started flying over a dust storm which lasted all the way to the Mediterranean, which was cloudy and after that we saw very little until shortly before we landed. I can recommend a daylight flight.
Pieter met us in Dusseldorf and together we drove the hour and a half route back to Oss. We had a spectacular sunset while we drove, which is apparently quite unusual.
The next day we went by train to Amsterdam to collect our van. It was coolish when we left, but simple freezing by the time we got to Amsterdam. Inside the offices of the campervan company it was deliciously warm and toasty but when we were taken out to inspect the van and be given our last-minute instructions on how everything works, it had started to drizzle and was very cold indeed. At last we were given the all clear and let loose on the road. Thank heavens for a heater in the cab, and a son who is used to driving in Holland! We couldn't have done without either.
Since then the van has been parked down at the boatyard as there really is no space here, and we have made odd trips back and forth to put things into it. I think it is going to suit us really well, as it has a spacious layout and lots of storage space. Tomorrow we need to pack all our clothes into it; get the last of the necessary supplies in and gird up our loins for the trip across to Maastricht where we will spend two nights with the Worthingtons before starting off in earnest.
Once settled however, our trip was good. LTU Airlines provided us with the most leg room we have ever had in economy class, and being a day time flight, there was none of that dreadful 'trying-to-get-comfortable-so we -can-sleep' nonsense. Instead we enjoyed looking out of the windows at the earth below. Over the Peninsula and up the West Coast the weather was brilliantly clear. Namibia, too, was interesting with the Etosha Pan providing a spectacular sight for sheer vastness. I don't think either of us had realised just how large an area it covers. Shortly after that, we started to fly over cloud which obscured everything, and we had to turn to our books for entertainment, until we reached Libya, where we noticed clumps of large black circles scattered around the desert. They looked just like the irrigation circles that one sometimes sees in South Africa, but to be seen from 39000 feet up, they must have been huge. Once on the ground again and with access to the Internet, we looked up 'Black circles in the desert' and discovered that they were, indeed irrigation circles and are each about .8km across, so they are huge.
Just after that we started flying over a dust storm which lasted all the way to the Mediterranean, which was cloudy and after that we saw very little until shortly before we landed. I can recommend a daylight flight.
Pieter met us in Dusseldorf and together we drove the hour and a half route back to Oss. We had a spectacular sunset while we drove, which is apparently quite unusual.
The next day we went by train to Amsterdam to collect our van. It was coolish when we left, but simple freezing by the time we got to Amsterdam. Inside the offices of the campervan company it was deliciously warm and toasty but when we were taken out to inspect the van and be given our last-minute instructions on how everything works, it had started to drizzle and was very cold indeed. At last we were given the all clear and let loose on the road. Thank heavens for a heater in the cab, and a son who is used to driving in Holland! We couldn't have done without either.
Since then the van has been parked down at the boatyard as there really is no space here, and we have made odd trips back and forth to put things into it. I think it is going to suit us really well, as it has a spacious layout and lots of storage space. Tomorrow we need to pack all our clothes into it; get the last of the necessary supplies in and gird up our loins for the trip across to Maastricht where we will spend two nights with the Worthingtons before starting off in earnest.
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