FAMILY'S FIRST TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT
36,000 feet above the Atlantic and Conor and I were on top of the world. The gate agent at Luftansa in Boston had taken good care of us and with only three empty seats on the plane, she worked enough magic that Valerie moved into a middle seat one row away while Conor got her seat for no additional cost. This meant we got to use our car infant seat to wedge into the cramped quarters of the economy class at seat 19A. The 25-year old sitting in the seat directly in front of Conor was the only loser in the equation. Not because Conor cried because he didn’t. He slept soundly from take-off until an hour before landing. But because the seats were so cramped, the guy couldn’t recline his seat even one inch. He eventually stopped looking back in frustration and fell asleep.
Cleverly, Valerie had booked a flight that didn’t leave Boston until 10;20pm. This was two hours after Conor’s bedtime and sure enough, he was fast asleep for takeoff. And as we landed, I gave him a bottle of milk to ease the pressure in his ears and he flew like a champ. Within no time, we had switched from plane to train and was on our way to Kassel, Germany. Flying with my son has always been a fear of mine but after today, I have to say that it was relaxing and even fun. The flight attendants and even fellow travelers are much nicer and gives us all something to talk about. - See more at: http://dadsdecoded.com/blog/index_files/archive-may-2012.html#sthash.6jL33UpS.dpuf
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GERMANY TO IRELAND - BATTLE OF THE BEERS
Left Germany this morning after a week of great sightseeing, company, food and of course, great beer. Each town has its own breweries and the local restaurants serve the local beer. So after 5 days of local PIls, Helles and Dunkels, we left Germany for Ireland. By 1pm I couldn’t stand to wait any longer and when my wife’s father asked me if I wanted a Guinness, I think I answered a little too fast, “Yes.” My son was just as mesmerized at the black gold as I was. We admired its iconic black color and white foam for about 30 seconds then opted for a taste. I don’t which beer I like better. And really, do I have to choose? No, when in Germany do as the Germans. And when in Ireland, do as the Irish. They’re both delicious. And so I leave the toast of, “Prost” in Germany and switch to “Slainte” now that I’m in Ireland. Both mean, “To good health!”
FLYING WITH OUR 11-MONTH OLD IS PLEASURE
Is having a kid supposed to be so much fun or have I just lost my marbles? I remember when I was afraid to fly with my family the first time. Screaming babies who rattle my nerves and those around me was a complete waste of energy thinking about. Conor is now 11 months old and a blast to be around. Our 2 1/2 hour flight from New Orleans to Boston was really a pleasure. Seeing my son look out the window of a plane traveling 37,000 feet above the Earth was like being a kid all over again myself. And when he'd get tired of playing and come over and crawl on me like he's a little monkey just makes me laugh. And makes me proud to be a dad.