I'm flying off to Germany!

So, I'm now on a British Airways 777 flight to Heathrow in business class! I have never traveled in other than coach, and I must say this is very different! It is not cramped at all, and has these interesting seats where you are side by side but facing each other. The seats are thankfully wide, so I don't feel cramped at all, and there are foot rests that are cushioned.

John has the window seat, but I'm all right with that. And really, it wouldn't make much difference, because you don't have to squeeze by anyone to get out. You get your own video screen and the beverages are in real glass wine and water glasses instead of plastic.

I am having a nice California Chardonnay (Marmesa Vineyards 2007) before dinner, which will go very well with the Asian-style grilled prawn with smoked aubergine purée and stuffed courgette roll with goat's cheese appetizers. After that will come s fresh salad with vinaigrette, and the main course will be sauteed salmon with fingerling potatoes, fava beans, morels, and horseradish sauce. I'm not certain whether I will have the vanilla panna cotta or the farmhouse cheddar and Wisconsin blue with carmelized onions for dessert, however.

Yes, I am sitting in the lap of luxury right now-- as far as plane flights go.

It does not really make up for saying goodbye to family and friends, though. I admit I cried a bit at home in the last hour before we left for the airport, and hugged the Alien Child hard. Even now I'm tearing up, writing this.

He almost didn't get a chance to see us off, as my father-in-law's car was very full with our luggage and couldn't accomodate anyone else than John and me. But my brother Dave also came to see us off, and offered Derek a ride, so all was well.

We sat in a restaurant for a bit and talked for a while, and the guys toasted our journey with some 15-year-old Glenfidditch. I'm not fond of scotch, so I just had some water.

Dave had the foresight to have his camera ready, so we took one last family picture. A very nice security gal offered to take a picture of us all, so Dave now has a picture with him in it as well, which I am sure he will email to us once we are settled in Germany, or at least have Internet access.

And so here I am, on my way to Heathrow. I've finished my very lovely dinner. For dessert I chose the cheddar and Scottish oat cake (Gerri, it was just as I imagined it would taste! Remember how I guessed during critique group how oat cake would taste in the first chapter or two of the Irish werewolf novel I'm writing? So gratifying to find that my imagination is so spot on). It was quite good and went well with the cheese.

It's 2:00 am Pacific time, and I've had a bit of sleep, but can't seem to get more. So I'm finishing up this post on my iPod Touch and will listen to some soothing music on same to see if that will do the trick.

Until next time!

Karen, world traveller