We passed through check-in with very little waiting time, just enough for last-minute calls to family & the ‘do we need this in hand-luggage?’ checks. I had been to Malta a few months before and flew from the same terminal so the layout was pretty familiar, especially the directions to the nearest bar! Heathrow was not too busy – plenty of time for wandering around and making last-minute purchases such as money-clips and disposable cameras.

At about an hour before the potential boarding time it was announced that due to dense fog in Amsterdam our plane was delayed by what eventually became 3½ hours. Having exhausted most of the potential activities in the terminal we sat down and read, I watched the planes taking off and landing – something I never tire of. We arrived in Amsterdam with just enough time to make our connecting flight though were rather confused whilst running though the airport chasing a flight to Johannesburg rather than Cape Town. We boarded safely and waited for some time for another delayed plane so that a few more passengers could make their connection.

The flight was long and arduous, neither of us slept for more than a couple of hours but were suitably entertained by the in-flight movies, Rush Hour 2 and Legally Blonde, as well as a documentary about Ewan McGregor in the rainforest with Ray Mears. During the flight we were well-attended to by the stewards and stewardesses who worked consistently hard throughout the journey.