Lufthansa is the right choice. Although I missed being upgraded to Business class by two minutes, the chairs are good enough to enjoy the trip to San Francisco. It is also nice to have a direct flight, which cuts down the travel time considerably.
On the flight are a couple of french people with PowerBooks but we are not sure wether they have the same destination as we do.
I met some folks from Apple Germany on the plane. Holger and Andreas managed to get hold of the front seats. Lots of space for the legs. The others are flying Business class anyways.
Peter is studying the immigrations forms. Are you, or have you ever been a member of a terrorist group? Well Peter, bad luck. Now you have to drop your pants. :-)
They are showing The Talented Mr. Ripley. Blimey, I brought the book. Now I can watch the movie AND read the book at the same time. I am opting for sleep instead.
The entertainment center is a mixture of ultra modern computer equipment and ancient video technology. "They tried a digital system but it interfered with the navigations, so they have to keep the analog VHS for now." explains the purser who now needs a degree in computer science to serve some drinks.
I am seated between a couple of italian-american brothers who tell me that there father is in front in business class. "But that is ok", they say, "his trip has been paid for by Lufthansa whereas we had to pay ourselves." If you get your flight for free, then at least it should be comfortable.
The route leads very high up north. Arctic ice can be seen outside the window. The pilot promises a spectacular view from San Francisco when we get there.
The cockpit of a 747-400 is a cool thing. Three levels of computer access.
A phantastic view.
What is missing is a computer game so that the pilots don¥t die boring themselves to death. Every now and then they have to enter a new altitude or bearing information.
Come to think of it, maybe a 747 is a giant computer game?
Ever weblogged at 30,000 feet? I have no online connection, of course, so I type the text to upload later.
The purser hinted that VERY famous people where on board in the first class. I must have walked right past them on my way to take the cockpit pictures, but it was too dark to see anything.
Peter¥s friend Paul is meeting us at the airport with a convertible. The right car for this day. He tells us that Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi where on our flight. He¥s seen them exit just before us. Imagine! I was as close as a meter to them and ddn¥t even know it...
Paul gives us a tour with his convertible. Coming over the hill at his home, we catch our first view of the San Francisco Skyline.
If I¥d live in Silicon Valley, I¥d soon have to join Smoothies Adicitives Anonymous. I vow not to have more than one a day. Oh well, I guess I¥ll live only once...
In the evening we go to Mission Dolores. California at its best.
The church itself seems spartanic compared to european churches, but it certainly has a special ambiente.
At night, the mission district is a very colorful place. We have mexican food at a place that looks very run down but is nevertheless packed. That means there is good food.
Paul has a nice appartment and after 23 hours of fun, I fall asleep exhausted.