December 31, 2009 – “Up in the Air”

My mother always told me to make a good first impression (well her and that stupid Head & Shoulders shampoo ad, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”), so I have always considered them pretty important. My first impression of Lufthansa was “Damn these Germans sure know how to run an airline!” (Of course flying business class didn’t hurt either).

Boarding the plane at O’Hare was like stepping into Disneyland for adults. I was greeted with champagne, some nice cheese and crackers and then seat for the next nine hours that reclined flat and included a delightful massage feature. Now a smarter man than I would have simply eaten and gone to sleep, but alas I am not that man. It was my first trip outside North America; yes I had left the country (several times) to visit Mexico, Canada and several Caribbean islands (face it, those places count too). Besides, it was New Years Eve and since I was headed east, I could celebrate pretty much every hour along the way.

Dinner was served on fine china with polished silverware, the wine selection was wonderful and the food was simply superlative, and for more than a moment I forgot what I was doing and where I was heading. After polishing of my second glass of a delicious Portuguese red wine along with dinner and dessert, I glanced out the window just in time to see the Labrador coast disappearing off in the distance. So as Canada slid into the rear view mirror I scrambled for a map to try to determine our flight route. (Yes, the pilot had announced it but I was too busy listening to my iPod, drinking and eating to have paid close attention.)

I found the Flight Progress feature on my personal entertainment center which when you think about it looks a lot like how Indiana Jones used to get around in the movies. And hey if flying around the world by line segment and red dots was good enough for Mr. Arc of the Covenant himself then it was fine by me too. This luxurious five star hotel in the sky was headed over the tip of Greenland (cool), then just south of Iceland, through over Scotland and on into Germany. Now this was exciting stuff!