Twas a long walk from the First-Class Lounge to the gate for the Warsaw flight – and my worst fears were realized. The dreaded haul all your crap down the stairs, get on a bus, drive 20 minutes to some remote stand, and climb back up the stairs.
In my case, it was a little more surreal since I’m flying in First-Class. First, they called all the Coach Passengers, specifically asking Business and First wait in the lounge. Then they called all the Business Class passengers, leaving just ME in the boarding area, fortunately with two agents. And waiting and waiting (while I could have been drinking champagne on board). I was hoping they’d send a Porsche or Mercedes for me – but sadly, it was just a seriously pimped out transport bus:
Yep – just for me. And then the stairs:
But soon, there was a little 2008 Dom Perignon:
And then there is the seat, or shall I say, throne:
They brought around traditional tea and dates:
And before we start the real meal service, there are a couple of “powered” accessories in my suite. The mini-bar:
And the closing doors to the suite:
Started with an espresso martini, since it was morning:
Before moving onto the caviar starter with a little more of the Dom Perignon:
There was a HUGH menu of “on-demand” food items for the six-hour flight – but to be honest, I was still stuffed from all the lounge food. After taking a nap, ordered the Duck Foie Gras:
With a lovely French Burgundy:
If I got peckish during the flight – there was the basket of snacks they left in my suite, plus more in the galley.
The menu had three full pages of canapes, mains, starters, an entire page for the Cheese Board. I really should have thrown up in Dubai so I could start fresh. Next time!
Immigration and customs in Poland was very smooth (though, as usual, a long walk). Show my passport and vaccine card, they didn’t even want my passenger locator form since it was tied into my passport number.
Finally found where the Uber pickup area it was, and I was off to the hotel.
Whew!
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About the walnut chest… It looks refreshed and self-possessed again, very nice, tho in the photos it looks lighter than I remember; perhaps a trick of the light.
I beg to differ about the count and disclosure of the hidey=holes — all seven were divulged before it left my house, and none were unknown to me. You just got to them first, and with more dexterity. So there.
But it looks quite at home in your bedroom, tho I’m not sure I agree that the change in drawer pulls is an improvement. I too found the white ceramic ones jarring, tho I’m sure Papa had a precedent for using them. He did it on my little cherry chest, too. It certainly affects the formality of tone of the piece… on the cherry chest the white knobs sort of make it ‘ok to use this’ vs ‘don’t touch this!’ and I actually like them. But on the walnut chest-folly, no. A foolish choice.
I didn’t realize that darker wood was ebony. Cool. I doubt his reason for using the ebony was as calculated as you think; he needed pieces of equal strength, and probably had to remake the drawer after finishing the body — the ebony was a seat-o-pants choice that worked for the reasons you say, but was hardly chosen by following that thought process. I can much more easily envision Papa squatting in front of the finished chest body aftre he put on the top, holding a drawer in his hands that now won’t fit in the slot with the top open, either sucking meditatively on his teeth, or whistling to himself if he was within sight of a solution and liked it, or simply turning the drawer in his hands while he contemplates the self-inflicted problem that has now become glaringly obvious, occasionally whispering bitterly “sonofabitch, sonofabitch.” Unlikely to be the mindset for contemplating Moh’s Scale of Hardness.
Anyway, I’m glad it’s happy, and I’m glad you talked with Ray about it. I assume he also read your post about it an saw the photos. If he didn’t, he should. But up to him.
Hugs!! When are you coming down to Oly to sit with me in the front yard for a while again??