Atejade: 08.08.2023
We weren't sure if the handling for intercontinental flights would take a little longer, so we woke up at 3:40. Julius even started babbling shortly after 3:00. The three of us weren't as talkative at this time.
Quickly brushing teeth, repacking suitcases, and off we went to early morning Vienna. The train to the airport left at 4:50. Before that, we quickly bought a snack - breakfast was in the train.
Surprisingly, it wasn't very busy, even later at passport control and security checks there were only very manageable queues. That applied to Vienna as well as Frankfurt and San Francisco. Plus, we had a joker with Julius. As soon as even the shortest queue formed, we were immediately redirected to the 'Fast Lane' and got through quickly.
Therefore, our travel times were planned too pessimistically and we waited accordingly at the gates. Anita used the time to work quickly, while I wandered around electrical stores and the kids looked for some exercise in the playground.
Due to the strong winds in Vienna, only one runway was open, and we immediately incurred a 25-minute delay. Since we only had 60 minutes to transfer in Frankfurt, and the paths there are notoriously long, we ran as fast as our lungs could carry us upon arrival. Anita was also already halfway fit again. The controls went quickly and we made it to boarding 20 minutes before departure.
The plane was huge. Our seats were all the way in the back rows 45/46 and had nice seats in two 2-row seats with enough legroom to relax and sleep.
The 11h literally flew by and we alternated between eating, sleeping, looking out the window, and watching movies.
We were totally surprised by the beauty of Greenland from above. We were lucky that the clouds over Greenland and northern Canada briefly cleared and we were able to catch a glimpse of pack ice and glaciers from 10 km altitude. This sublime view of the no longer eternal ice was the most beautiful moment of the day for me.
We landed in San Francisco ahead of schedule and took the train (BART) from the airport to the city center.
However, this time we underestimated the walk from the exit station to the hotel. In the end, it was a good 4 km that we covered with full luggage up and down. This not uninteresting walk at 1 am our time really tired us out and we were glad to finally be at the hotel. The kids endured it without complaining. Each of them gets an ice cream cone for that.
On the way, we already took a look at Chinatown, the steep Lombard Street, and the cable cars.
Our hotel is located in the north of San Francisco, right on the coast, overlooking Alcatraz, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge and Fishermen's Wharf.
Before going to sleep, we had very good fish and chips and the kids built a small sandcastle.
By the way, the weather is similar to what we have right now, with about 22° C during the day and 13° C at night. Very pleasant for sightseeing and long walks with 100 kg of luggage 😉.
In the end, we fell into bed at 3:30, completely exhausted.