Tuesday, January 13, 2009

JANUARY 10, 2009 - SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

JANUARY 10, 2009 (2/130) - SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

We awoke to a beautiful sunrise over the bay. It highlights the International Orange of the Golden Gate Bridge and sprays the puffy clouds with a pink light as it rises. Going down to breakfast, we find ourselves to be the only ones in the dining room of this wonderful hotel. It must be strictly a business hotel.

After breakfast, we walk to the ferry terminal and catch the 10:40AM ferry to Sausalito. The winds are mild and, though cool, we are able to sit out on deck and watch the harbor scene go by without dirty glass ruining the view. It is a 30 minute trip. By the time we walk down to the marina and back, lunch is in order. We cat the Winship Restaurant as it opens and we both have a bread bowl of clam chowder. The 12:45PM return ferry is just loading as we arrive and we are back at the ferry terminal at 1:20PM.

We return to the hotel, pack, check out and arrive at the airport shortly after 4:00PM. Check-in and security clearance go smoothly and our Business Class ticket gets us access to the United Airlines lounge where we wait until our New Zealand Air flight #NZ0007 begins boarding at 6:15PM for its 7:00PM departure for Auckland.

We are treated to the new "lay flat" seat-beds and they are a significant improvement over the old chair style lounger beds. The service is very good and dinner is most tasty and accompanied by three glasses of good wine. By 10:00PM, the cabin is beginning to settle down for the night and we join the process.

The twelve hour flight to Auckland is very smooth. The moon is one day past full and the pilots must have a spectacular view of the moonlit clouds over the ocean. Every time I look out of my little window I am enthralled with the view so it must be something to see it out of the front windows in a 180 degree arc.

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