> Across Europe <

SFO -> MUC

uhr-Oma

Arthurhaus Ritt

Zell Am Sea

Moßhammer

Salzburg

Klamme

falconry

> London <

> Munich <

Airborne again! Rose, Isaac, and I are on our way to Austria, for a multi-generational family vacation, and to London, to recuperate from the multi-generational family vacation. Isaac will - for the first time - meet his great-grandmother.

Unusual for a departure day, we got to bed early and slept in. Oh sure, there was the last minute things to pack, and notes to leave for the house- and cat-sitters, but I got a chance to shower before being driven to the airport by my mother-in-law, Marion. I'm a little worried about leaving Bleu; he's used to having a lot of familial interaction.

San Francisco International Airport, SFO, was pretty quiet. I guess it's a few weeks into the tourist season, just past the initial flood of folks leaving (and arriving). We arrived early, about two hours before departure, mostly to get bulkhead seats for the baby bassinet. I was told that these seats aren't assigned until departure day, but was surprised to find out that we'd already been given them. Suitcases checked in, we bade farewell to Marion and proceeded to wander around the terminals, looking at the museum displays. We saw toys from the last hundred and fifty years. Another exhibit was about beauty, and had the wigs used by geishas, etc. I think it's worth going to the airport just for the unusual exhibits.

We wound up with three bags for the three of us. Most of the volume is Isaac's; baby food, diapers, clothing, and a few toys, a play mat, and a small picture book. We each brought some layers of clothes, gifts, and toiletries. Rose and I each have a carry-on backpack. Mine's the geek bag - PowerBook, digital camera, analog camera, reading material - and hers is the baby backpack - diapers, change of clothing, and food for the flight. I bought Neal Stevenson's latest book, Cryptonicon, for the flight.

We boarded, took off, deployed the bassinet, and settled in. Isaac immediately took to his new space.

It also seemed a good place in which to play.

When all else fails, chew on The Bear, currently the favorite toy.

Pose with Papa...

Mama and Papa share a quiet moment, a rarity with an infant/toddler.

Quality sleep time means being with the Mama.

The ten-hour flight passes quickly. We take the polar route and fly high into the arctic. We're shown three movies: something about a big monkey (seems to be a major lemon, thankfully missed), Office Space (funny, but wait until it's out on video), and A Bug's Life (pleasant, great for kids, but pales in comparison to Antz). My sister Felicia and her husband Adam are waiting for us on the other side of German Customs; they've arrived a few hours earlier. We jump into the rented VW and head southward on the autobahn, past Salzburg, exiting at Bishofen, into the foothills toward Mühlbach am Hochkönig, and then right in town, up the winding switchbacks to the alpingasthaus Bergheimat.

Next, Isaac meets his great-grandmother.