Day One (23/24 April) - SFO to MUC

Rush, Rush, Rush, try to sleep.

Like usual, only more so, the day was filled with quick errands, like getting a gift for Maria, and making a quick visit to Walgreens.  Since the flight left at 21:05, I was able to do a bunch of stuff before the flight left: laundry, changing the bed, reading, talking with Anna, and more.  Arthur picked me up at home, and ran me down to SFO, three hours early.  Luckily the sequester didn’t make things difficult, and flights were leaving on time.  A quick dinner at Andalé and then waiting at gate 99.

An uneventful flight, excepting for the seatmate – a cute German man, dark hair, buzz cut, incipient beard, and more than his share of arrogance. One quality that he did have (and you learn to fear this when you are in a window seat) is that he had a bladder of steel.  Not once did he get up to go to the bathroom.  You wait for these opportunities so that you can go.  I had to disturb him three times.  I have never felt so old in my life, as when he explained how to use the controls in the arm of the seat, and then advised me that using the earphones and listening to the movie was much better.  How was he to know that I sometimes just watch?  Skyfall was much better that way.  BTW, the food on Lufthansa is slipping. 

We got into Munich a few minutes early, although I caught the wrong Schnellbahn (S1) instead of S8, and spent a great deal of time visiting the suburbs of Munich.  The Marienplatz escalators were all out of service – such fun.  After check-in at the hotel, and so on, I went out to see a few sights.  There is lots of building going on, especially in the center of the city.  I do like it here – it seems like home to me.  I think that it has to do with the use of brick and stone.  Everything seems monumental and substantial – I suspect that attitude comes from living in San Francisco, the city of stucco and wood.

It is also nice being in a city where catholic Christianity is on display and not in a shameful way.  I know that European Christianity is having its problems, but here it is so much of the context as to be comforting.  Dinner at the Viktualienmarkt – It’s Spargelzeit and this evening it was spargel with Weiner schnitzel, parsleyed potatoes and some stilles wasser.  Wonderful.