JOSS GOES BUSINESS CLASS

– MY FIRST EXPERIENCE UP IN THE AIR –

Alright guys, call me a snob. So I was in Singapore for a week, which was exciting enough, and when I rolled out of the plane I had to go straight to the book presentation of Project Prep. So you understand, I rolled from one excitement to another. Now my colleague Janneke, from the book, also found it quite exciting and she didn't want me to give a presentation there with huge circles under my eyes after a thirteen-hour flight, so she had given me a surprise upgrade to business class. AN UPGRADE. BUSINESS CLASS.

So suddenly I wasn't worried about the weight of my suitcase anymore, because you can check in two suitcases and two carry-on bags. I was a bit bummed that I heard it just beforehand (otherwise I would have definitely stuffed my suitcase full of all kinds of Asian souvenirs, if only because I could), but it certainly gave a nice feeling.

I had to get used to it. When I was waiting in the Sky Lounge and grabbed a glass, I asked where I could pay. Pay. The lady chuckled to herself. When I went to board, I was still standing in the long line, while I could have taken the side-way for priority guests. I clearly need to get used to it. But after all that nonsense, I decided to just do everything and tackle it because I had to make my first experience BC truly memorable.

So yes, before we took off I had already downed two glasses of champagne. Furthermore, I was fighting against sleep (by now it felt like half past 5 at night for me) to catch some of the dinner, watch the movie on the big screen, and receive the travel set from Viktor & Rolf. The business class experience had begun. Of course, it also included my thousands of selfies, much to the dismay of my fellow BC travelers, because I had to capture all of this. Fortunately, the flight attendants found it great fun and even took some pictures of me.

That dinner; I could choose between beef and prawns. Something I was really looking forward to and I was rubbing my hands together because I knew that the rest of my fellow travelers behind the curtain weren't getting that at all. My table was set with linen, the napkin was tied around my neck, and everything was served to me beautifully. A dinner for Mrs. Bijl, as I was addressed, made me a worthy BC princess. Especially when I ate everything from porcelain plates and with the silver cutlery from Marcel Wanders. And normally I already love airplane food (yes, I know), but now it tasted truly heavenly. After dinner came the dessert and I finished with a cup of tea. You understand that I wanted to experience the whole star dinner until the end.

After the necessary champagne, the delicious dessert, and two movies, I took the blanket and pillow out of plastic and pressed the available buttons to settle into a divine bed and I also put on the sleep mask from Viktor and Rolf on my nose. Seriously, the bed can go completely flat, the blanket is prime, and the pillow is made of real feathers. You understand that I slept like a princess and only woke up eight hours later.

Oh, and after that nap it wasn't over yet. No, my table was set again with linen and a gigantic breakfast was served. It was just shy of a walking dinner. Fresh fruit, fresh smoothies, soft rolls. Of course, again with silver cutlery. I had my breakfast cleared away a bit earlier so I could take some Instagram-worthy photos of the cutlery on my linen backdrop. Another smiling flight attendant. Probably out of pride, because she thought it was all quite nice that I was enjoying her treats.

Alright, I'm going to wrap this up. Because my flight is also almost over. And it was good, you must have understood that by now. But that flight was complete when the last tray came by and I got to choose a KLM house. Oh, so fun! With the photos and the house, I'm now bombarding everyone because I want to share my enthusiasm so much. And it was the intention that I would roll out of that plane well-rested, but the result is actually far from that. I'm still bouncing with excitement. So Janneke, whether you did well, I wonder.