I generally prefer to approach being awake at 3:30 am from the other direction, i.e. staying up late instead of getting up early.
This, however, is the price I must pay for having my flight to Europe arrive in the evening, so that I can go straight to my hotel and straight to sleep, avoiding jetlag as a result. It's worth it.
Some background info on what MAVIS is, from Astronomy Australia Ltd's blog: https://astronomyaustralia.org.au/blog/news/mavis-a-bold-leap-in-australian-led-astronomy-and-adaptive-optics/
Coffee, croissant & comfy chair secured.
Complying with my personal rule to never line up to board a long haul flight hungry, thirsty or in need of the loo because it can be up to a few hours until you'll be able to do anything about those needs on board.
The first leg of the journey has been much nicer than expected.
The flight from Sydney to Dubai was only about 1/3 full, and consequently I ended up with a row of three seats all to myself. It was great to be able to lie down for a bit, and have plenty of elbow room, storage and tray table space.
Totally by chance the director of the AAO was sitting across the aisle from me, with a row to himself. This was fortunate for a number of reasons, not least because he signed me into the Emirates business class lounge as his guest when we got to Dubai. I've now got a little over an hour to relax with a snack and a bit of champagne.
Journey to the MAVIS Final Design Review complete.
The second flight was full so no extra room this time, but it was a mere 6 hours 20 minutes (8 hours shorter than the first flight) so that was fine.
I stepped off the plane at 9 pm local time, and was checked into my hotel in Forschungszentrum Garching (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_Garching) by about 10 pm. The rooms in the Stellaris Apartment Hotel are certainly a step up from the Ibis in Garching-Hochbrück that I stayed in for the MAVIS Preliminary Design Review. Decent price too, €675 for 6 nights, including breakfast.
Anthony Horton
JonnyB