So, the day finally arrived. Friday 6th April (Good Friday) was not a holiday in France so we kept fingers and every thing crossed that there would be no snap strikes either on trains or planes. We left home at 8am and would arrive at CDG airport, Paris at 1pm. Our flight was due to take off at 4:05pm. As it turned out our flight was delayed by almost an hour. This was a cause of concern as we only had 90 minutes stopover to change planes at Doha, capital city of Qatar.
We had chosen Qatar Airline for our trip. Not the cheapest but a good reputation for a reasonable degree of comfort in economy class, plenty of leg room. The food on board was excellent and a refreshing drink was available whenever needed. Personal entertainment screens meant that we could watch a film or sleep whenever we wanted. We both watched Warhorse. Mick was reading the book at the time.
We made up some time en route but the timing was very tight when we arrived at Doha. We were resigned to the fact that, even if we made it in time for the transfer flight, our baggage might not join us. Finally we rushed to the boarding gate where it seemed that the staff were looking out for us. In fact we were not the last to arrive. Five businessmen joined us a few minutes later and a bus arrived to rush us to the plane where all other passengers were already on board. Take off was moments away. It was now 1am, 7th April, Doha time. A new international terminal is currently being built and it will be magnificent when finished.
The next flight was going to last more than 8 hours and it would be 2:40pm when we arrived in Shanghai, Saturday afternoon. We were served a meal after take off and then most people settled down to sleep for the duration. When we woke we really would have enjoyed a light breakfast but, as it was already after noon in Shanghai, we were served a full dinner. That was such a shame because so many people sent most of the meal back uneaten. Not really what we needed after a nights sleep and such a waste.
