If getting there is half the fun...

Jeff before take off
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Mom and Dad's Limo service (they are the best!) picked us up to start our journey. The cat, as usual, pretended to be sad that we were leaving, but by the time I closed the door she was engrossed with one of her toys and could care less that we were leaving her.

There was a line for general check in at Luftansa, but we were able to skip all that and head straight for the red carpet of the First Class check in line. We were helped by a very nice gate agent and provided chocolate mints by another. Yummy! Even though we know our way around the airport, we took the escort to security, who whisked us through the priority line (the regular line was quite long) and found us the shortest line for x-ray and metal dectors.

Preflight refreshments
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Once in the gate area, we headed upstairs for the British Airways lounge, which appears to serve all the international carriers. A very nice agent got us different seats for our next flight (we hadn't noticed that we were no longer sitting together) and pointed us towards the First Class lounge. The general lounge is a big open area with many couches and a few computer terminals. I didn't walk through it, so I am not sure what kind of refreshment selection they have. There is one shower for the entire lounge (which of course we didn't need) and a nice set of bathrooms, complete with Elemis products.

Seattle from the air
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The refreshement selection in the First Class lounge was good, with soft drinks, juice, and coffee (they have a fancy machine) being self serve and bar drinks available from an attendant who comes through on a regular basis. The snacks included Walker's Shortbread cookies (a huge favorite of mine) and white cheddar popcorn. We skipped bar drinks for now, chosing to wait for the plane. They had complimentary internet too. The First Class lounge is smaller, with one computer, one small table, and a number of couches and chairs. Lots of power plugs for laptops everywhere too. Unfortunatly, we can't quite see the gate, but we did see our plane taxi towards it.

Presentation is everything when it comes to food!
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When they were ready for us to board, an escort came to collect the four of us that were in the First Class cabin today (there are 8 seats total). She collected our boarding passes in the lounge and wisked us past all the lines and onto the plane. Our flight attendant promptly appeared with nuts and champange and handed out PJs, socks, slippers, and toilety kits. This is the first flight that we have gotten PJs on and the first time that they have had different tolietry kits for men and women. I haven't had a chance to look through Jeff's yet to see what is different, but mine had facial cream and facial wash along with the usual toothpaste, brush, earplugs and sleep masks.

Appetizer
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Dinner was a multi course affair with an amazing wine selection. Jeff said that the caviar was good and I enjoyed the beef tenderlion for an entree. I ate to much and drank to much (perhaps I didn't need ALL the desert choices) and then settled in to sleep. The seats folded flat and level and came with a down pillow and a nice sized blanket. Sadly, I only slept about 3 hours before waking up. As soon as a flight attendant noticed that I was awake, they checked on me regularly and kept changing out my bottle of water for a full one. The seats have a bit of a hidden water bottle holder that is much easier to access once you have folded your seat down.

In case you forget where you are
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In flight enertainment is with indiviual screens, which are controled by touch. Much easier than trying to navigate on a complex remote! I watched "The Proposal" (which I thought was a little "The Devil Wears Prada" mixed with "Taming of the Shrew") and "Hangover" (Insanely funny, but a bit of stupid humor).

Breakfast was yogurt, cereal, scrambled eggs, cheese, and cold cuts. We haven't been to Germany in so long that I have forgotten how the Germans love cold cuts for breakfast! The sunrise was beautiful and the views of Frankfurt were very nice on approach.

Sunrise over Norway
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Upon departing the plane, we headed to the First Class Terminal (yes, that is Terminal), but that will be continued tomorrow...