Leaving Cape Town

There was a soccer match last night at the huge arena not too far from us. After the match ended, the traffic was like Los Angeles rush hour—gridlocked! It took at least two hours for things to return to normal. 

We’re leaving Cape Town at a good time, as rain is expected for the next two days. And wow, did it pour last night! The wind howled all night long, too!

This morning, we took an Uber to the airport and are now checked in for our first flight—a 9.5-hour journey to Dubai. We enjoyed a very nice breakfast and relaxed in the Emirates Lounge, which is quite nice. After a three-hour layover in Dubai, we’ll continue on with a 7.5-hour flight to Barcelona. 

Our flight left Cape Town right on time and the onboard service is amazing! Lunch was delicious. I forgot to snap a photo of the appetizer course, here’s a description,

It also included a mixed green salad and warm garlic bread.

The main course was outstanding—shrimp in a red coconut curry sauce served with basmati rice, steamed carrots, and broccoli. 

We were both far too full for dessert.

For wine, Debbie chose a South African Syrah, while I went with a French Bordeaux. Both were excellent.

Time for a nap now! 

We made it to Dubai at 1:15 a.m. local time. We have a two-hour layover before our 7.5-hour flight to Barcelona, arriving at 8:30 a.m. Barcelona time (Dubai is two hours ahead of Spain). We’re going to be tired puppies by the time we finally reach our hotel! Fortunately, we have a guaranteed noon check-in—hopefully our room will be ready a bit earlier.

Our flight from Cape Town was on a 777-300, but for our flight to Barcelona, we’re on a 777-200. This plane is quite different from the 300—there’s no First Class, and we’re seated in row 2. The seat configuration has also been completely changed. One of the flight attendants mentioned that the entire Business Class section was recently refurbished.

Debbie trying to hide!

There’s a glass-enclosed shelf stocked with Evian water bottles, a rack for magazines and newspapers, and a side cabinet with Perrier, nuts, and jelly beans. 

The seats are plush leather; we’ll see how they are for sleeping because we are sooo tired!