The long trek that became longer!

 Tuesday 

1 October 

Day 93

3 to go

And here we are. The end of our European escape is rapidly coming to a close. We were up at 8am, showered and breakfast done. We finished the last minute pack of the very full bags, hung out with Chell and at 9.15am, we were out the door, packing our bags into the waiting Audi, saying goodbye and heading for T3 Heathrow. The drive was a little chaotic, due to morning traffic and the consistent rain. The driver went an odd way, which had Paul questioning the man, as to whether he knew we were going to Heathrow and not Luton. It was all good. 

At 10.30am, we were at the terminal and ready to check in. With our three bags sent through to the hold, we proceeded through security check and then were bamboozled by the terminal. We eventually worked out where we needed to be and found the Emirates Lounge. 

We found our selves seats by the large window, where we could watch the airline traffic come and go. Every time a plane landed, great plumes of water sprayed from behind the wheels. We helped ourselves to the lunch selection. We weren’t disappointed. I could have eaten for days. I also took advantage of the Moet on hand. 

We happily entertained our selves on our devices, waiting for the boarding call. I watched our plane arrive, the passengers disembark and all the behind the scenes things go on. As the plane was late, our boarding was pushed back, not getting the call until 2.15pm. The plane was fully booked. Apparently a flight had been cancelled last night, so many were added to our departure. 

We settled in to our middle seats in row D. Unfortunately we were separated by the large space required for the passengers’ feet behind us. 

Champagne in hand and the lunch menu delivered, I drooled over what I was going to indulge in. It wasn’t until 3.30pm that we were finally in the air. A little over an hour later than expected. I was thankful to be in the comfy seats and not squashed in to cattle on the lower deck. 

I read my book, wanting to finish it off, and when I was done we started on the inflight entertainment, choosing to watch the Fall Guy. Dinner was served at 5pm and it was as delicious as it read in the menu. 

With Fall Guy finished, I started on If. At 7pm, the captain came on board to let us know that they needed to divert, as the airspace’s over Iran and Iraq were closed. This meant they needed to locate a different airport; Istanbul, Athens or Cairo, to land at, refuel, make a decision on a different route and then proceed to Dubai. 

The plane was then prepared for an imminent and unforeseen landing. The captain was back on at 7.30pm, letting us know that we were diverting to Vienna instead. Unfortunately it meant back tracking on the route we had already traversed for the following two hours. 

Paul and I went for a walk to the back of the plane. The bar had been closed due to our change of plans. It was nice to be up and stretching for a bit. On the way back to my seat, I could see people watching the live news and it soon became apparent as to the reason behind our diversion, Iran had launched missiles at Israel. We wondered how this would effect our travel from here, but it was for Emirates to figure out. 

At 9.30pm, (10.30pm Vienna time), we landed at our new destination. I had spent the last hour watching Turtles All The Way Down. We received an email giving us a new flight from Dubai to Singapore, 7 hours later than the one scheduled. We would now arrive in Singapore at 9.45pm on Wednesday and not 3.30pm. Oh well, better safe than sorry. 

The captain was back on the PA, saying fuelling was underway and we should be away again in 45 minutes. It would be near midnight.