LH511

Boarding our Boeing 747-8 “Saarland”, it felt almost like Christmas which was a bit funny since last time I had the privilege of flying on the upper deck of the Queen of the Skies was in 2008 when I was given a surprise upgrade to business class as a Christmas present by Singapore Airlines.

Having walked up the stairs and gotten seated in 84A and 84C respectively, Anna and I were handed a glass of “Avionic” which is Lufthansa’s new inflight cocktail that aims to “usher in a new golden age of travel”. Despite that the cabin attendant suggested that the taste was reminiscent of Gummibärchen and I have read mixed reviews on the Internet, I must say that we both appreciated it.

Unfortunately, once we were ready to push back, a passenger aboard had a medical issue which delayed our departure for more than an hour as his luggage had to be offloaded for security reasons. Considering the 13-hour flight time covering more than eleven thousand kilometres, it is of course always better to be safe than sorry as there are not that many diversion airports over the Atlantic.

After adding some extra fuel, we eventually departed Buenos Aires at 6 pm and set course towards the northeast, first flying over Uruguay and then Brazil, a country that always surprises me with its vast dimensions. For starters, we had sea bass with roasted pumpkin and a glass of Grüner Veltliner, followed by grilled Argentinian rib-eye steak, corn farofa and another remarkable Malbec, this time an “Ultra” from the high-altitude vineyards in the Uco Valley. Topping up with cheese and port, I was certainly a happy bunny when I eventually turned my seat into a bed and fell asleep, still flying over the interior of Brazil.

Waking up just off the coast of Galicia, I felt well rested, and ready for the breakfast that was served once we crossed into the Bay of Biscay. Though clearly not the most modern product out there, I would give Lufthansa high marks for this flight, and I will be sad to see the 747 retire even if I never again will get the chance to fly it, at least not in this way.