Melbourne to the Netherlands 17-18 March 2022 We have finally arrived on Moondance and so here is a bit of a summary of our journey from Australia. At Melbourne Airport at 5:30 am with all our luggage. We booked our trip way back in November 2021. We got a very good deal on a flight with Japan Airlines (JAL) flying via Tokyo Narita, and Heksinki to Amsterdam. Total time was about 23 hours. But unfortunately about 3 weeks before our trip we heard that they cancelled our flight from Melbourne to Tokyo. After quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing we were able to get a route with JAL for the same price, which avoided us having to pay over 50% more for a last minute fare. The new fare however flew Qantas to Sydney (as all JAL flights from Melbourne were cancelled). Then to Tokyo Haneda, then a 7.5 hour layover before a flight to London. Then 4.5 hours wait before flying to Amsterdam on British Airways. All up it was going to be 40.5 hours travel. We were offered an option of catching a direct flight to Paris the next morning from Tokyo, but as the transit hotel at Haneda was closed due to COVID, and tourists weren't allowed into Japan yet, that wasn't a great option. We were lucky in the end that we stayed with the London option as JAL had to cancel all flights direct to continental Europe, as they needed to avoid Russian air space, however they could just reach London at the limit of their range. That meant our stopover in London was reduced to only 1.5 hours. The added complication was that my left foot had been progressively getting swollen and sore. The doctor had ordered an MRI which didn't show any damage to bone or tendons, but it just wasn't improving. In the end they did a cortisone injection into the plantar fascia hoping that that would help over time. I was also instructed to stay off it as much as possible. But I did too much and the foot got worse. So I ordered a wheelchair for our flights and started using a walking stick. Of course we left home just before 5 am to get to the airport 90 minutes in advance of our domestic flight with our 5 large suitcases, one small suitcase (with heavy books), one oversize luggage (fishing rods and gear) and our hand luggage. Michelle (Howard's daughter) was kind enough to drop us off. Melbourne was the only place they inspected the documents we needed for the Netherlands. In some cases it was the first time they'd ever seen the documents. We had some lovely views on the way to Sydney. I am happy to report that everything went very smoothly. No major delays. We were met by very helpful people with wheelchairs or buggies at each stop. We were able to get some sleep on each of the 2 long legs, and were well looked after in business class. We were also able to go into the lounges when waiting for flights, and I even had a shower in Tokyo which was very nice. The flight path from Tokyo was longer to avoid Russian airspace. I had specially asked for a window seat on the keft side of the plane in order to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights, but there was no show that night. We flew over Windsor Castle on the way in. In all the airports and flights face masks were mandatory. Most airports were fairly empty. But Heathrow was a zoo, with maybe 50% of the people bothering with masks. Coming from Australia it felt quite confronting. Flying over the channel I could see some of the shipping traffic, and an amazing offshore wind farm near the Netherlands. Finally at Schipol all our our luggage arrived which was logistically impressive. And the lady assigned to my wheel chair took us all the way to the hire car which was quite a long trip, and saved me from a long walk. And Howard expertly brought all our 5 pieces of luggage plus hand luggage on one trolley. From there we drove to Voorburg just outside of Den Haag, about 30 minutes away, to our hotel for the night. It was 45 hours since we had left home and we were glad to have a very pleasant place to stay. I choose Voorburg as it was close to the motorway for our journey on Saturday, and it seemed to be in a pleasant area with a nearby park. With my foot I was unable to walk in the park, but instead we sat out at a terrace with a drink until the sun went down, before heading back to the Hotel for a light meal and an early night. Voorburg On Saturday we drove to the boat, but you'll have to see the next blog post for that.
4 Comments
Diana Grant
21/3/2022 12:35:48 am
OMG what a trip. You are invincible! After such a long time what else could you do? War wasn't in the plan. Well done both of you ❤️ ❤️
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Polly
21/3/2022 01:31:40 am
Looks amazing already .
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PAM KERSHAW
21/3/2022 04:37:15 am
Hi you two. Very glad to read you've arrived safely! What a saga! But sorry to read about your foot Deb. Look forward to the next installment.
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Mark Poustie
21/3/2022 09:57:33 pm
Hi Deb & Howard
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