El Dia Mas Largo *

We survived our truncated night at the Moxy and slept surprisingly well. It was a steady stroll to the airport which was already rammed at 4 a.m. After wasting a few minutes in the queue for the back end of the plane we spotted a fast moving queue for the privileged. Yes, dear readers, we are flying bloated plutocrat class yet again. This was due to a fortuitous spot of a price deal for KLM flights.

The fast track benefits that this confers are a real boon as both the regular check in and security queues are pretty bad. We sail through until D commits a schoolboy error by putting his phone on top of his tablet in the scanner tray. The queue of similar idiots is about a dozen people long so there is a wait until his cabin bag is cleared. There is time for a cup of tea and a breakfast bun in the lounge before our flight to Amsterdam is called at 05.20 (GMT).

The plane is quite full but the doors are closed and right on time we start to push back, then there is a bang and we roll forward slightly. After a short delay there is an announcement thst the connecting bar has broken. The plane is OK but the tug is damaged and we will have to wait for another one to arrive. The delay is about 15 minutes and then we are off and running. The forecast is that we will only be 5 minutes late in Amsterdam.

Once airborne we are offered drinks. Even for us it is a bit early and we opt for coffee which is served in really nice china mugs. This is followed up by a breakfast box, a bit heavy on carbohydrates but rather better than we expected. The cabin crew apologise for the delayed arrival of the wam cinammon buns but these have been put in the wrong oven by mistake. Really? Do these planes have more than one kind of oven? When it arrived the bun wasn't bad and we got two refills of the excellent coffee. Add in that we were able to stache some packets of crackers for unforeseen emergencies later in the trip and this second breakfast was voted a winner.

We had lost a few more minutes by the time that we landed in a very wet Holland. The captain had briefed that there would be a 15 minute drive to the terminal once we had landed and he wasn't wrong. It is over a decade since we flew in or out of Schipol and it seems to have expanded a bit.  The walk from Gate D22 to the Crown Lounge keeps us on target for today's step count. If we thought Edinburgh airport was busy, Schipol was a league up from that. The lounge really is packed and to start with we had to share a table, before finding a corner by the bar. D feels guilty about taking up a seat in the bar without a drink so forces down a complimentary Heineken. R gives him a look and sticks to water. After an hour or so it thins out a bit and we get a table with comfy seats. The breakfast counter is in full flow but neither of us feels up to a third one. 

Our flight to Costa Rica is due to board at 11.59 (10.59 GMT) and things go pretty much to plan. We have the middle pair at the back of Biz Class so we can see the back of everybody else's heads. The welcome glass of champagne is not a brand that we are familiar with but it is most acceptable. This actually feels like the start of our holiday/adventure. The elation is scarcely dented by the driver announcing that although we are ready to leave on time departing now would mean arriving at San Jose too early. To avoid having to fly circles over Central America we will stay on the ground at Schipol for 25 minutes. True to his word we depart exactly 25 minutes late. Once airborne we are offered aperitifs. The menu lists Negronis as the Cocktail of the Day but for some reason these are unavailable. We console ourselves with stonking hand poured measures of Dutch gin with tonic. And then it is lunchtime.

We realise that it is not hip to post lunch photos but we ain't hip and the salt & pepper clogs are just too cute to resist. The shrimps are a splendid starter and the rest of it is pretty good too but we won't bore you with the photos. By the time we finish eating our flight is well out over the Atlantic. On our previous trips to the New World via Amsterdam we had always been a bit peeved about flying over our house a few hours after leaving it. This time the route is a bit more southerly, flying over Manchester and just to the north of Dublin. With nine hours of flight remaining it is time to relax. R unwraps her blanket and takes advantage of the lie flat seat.

Regular readers will be aware of D's long running idea of how to relax on a long haul flight. After three episodes fatigue wins out and D has a couple of hours zs before watching the remaning three episodes. With a couple of hours to go the on screen map gets quite exciting as fly at 39000 feet over the Bahamas followed by Cuba and then the Cayman Islands. It is like playing Globle.

The last hour of the flight follows the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, followed by a westward swerve into San Jose. We land a little ahead of time at 17.10 local (23.10 GMT) and are the first people at the immigration desk. The man behind the counter is very cheery and welcomes us to Costa Rica. Having cleared immigration R is left to (wo)man the luggage trolley while D bags a SIM card for his phone. Not as cheap as India but infinitely less fuss. 

Back at the carousel R has one suitcase, which was one of the first delivered. D goes to queue for the ATM which turns out to be not working.  The second bag has still not arrived but a lady in a yellow tabard has. She has a list of bags that are stranded in Amsterdam including ours. D has to fill in a form that details our whereabouts for the next few days and is given a number to contact in the morning regarding purchase of essentials.

Our driver is waiting in the exit hall and, although he no habla ingles we communicate the need to stop at a cashpoint. This is executed successfully on the 20 minute ride to the Hotel Bougainvillea, our digs for two nights. This place looks good and the initial impression the reception staff make is excellent. We turn down the offer of a table in the restaurant as by now it is almost 02.00 GMT the next day. We just want our beds. Which turn out to be in a very nice room with a balcony but more of that tomorrow.

* Nothing to do with Donald Trump. It means "The longest day" (I hope)