The GPS-like screen on the seat-back in front of me shows that our airplane is about to pass to the south of Dublin (6:55 is Milan time; I've already converted) and then make shore on the west coast of France, with a sweep just south of Paris. Looks like we'll go over the French Alps just south of Bern in about an hour. We're at 33,000 feet and it looks like a 25,000+ foot cloud deck below us; there's a half moon to the south of us (out my right window) lighting the top of that deck. The screen says we're just over 2 hours out of MIlano.
Trying to get the day started right here by simultaneously titrating up the Diet Coke and Ritalin; the attendent was a little puzzled that I didn't need cups or ice for these room temp Diet Cokes. Some things can't be explained.
Man, Atlanta Hartsfield airport is loud and busy! We landed at the A gate and were departing from the E gate. Lucky they do those little train things or we'd have had to cut our lunch at TGIFridays short. Lots of young men and women in uniform headed for parts unknown - BJ and I felt ourselves hoping they were all going HOME. Our country doesn't need to waste anymore kids overseas to scratch W's "war president" itch.
Wow, flying east is nice! Light sky and cloud deck to the east of us has turned pink. IF I wanted to crawl over BJ to take down my camera bag from the overhead, and IF these windows weren't scratched and streaked, and IF the flight weren't a bit bumpy at present, I'd snap a photo at present and see how it came out. Early morning at 33,000 feet is always pretty. According to the GPS thing, our outside temperature is -59°F with a speed (wind) of 525 miles per hour - would someone calculate the wind-chill factor for that? (Hmmph, short break while I checked to see if there was any software on board that would do that: nope!) Beth, I'm counting on you to give me a number here!
The aforementioned GPS thing also has movies and tv and music and games available on it. I believe that I was awakened this morning by a gamer feverishly punching the touch screen on my seat back. Hope he won, cause he wasted a perfectly good Ambien in my system. No worries - pre 7:00 a.m. blogging is a good thing. This is about the time I normally sit and drink Diet Coke and watch my cats (who I hope both had a dandy evening at the Traveling Tails Hotel & Spa) start the day. Hmmmph, otra vez, been waiting for more Diet Coke for 10 minutes, now; let's get our service shoes on, Delta folks!
Full daylight outside now, and I thought the cloud deck was breaking up so that we could see France, but no luck. We'll be entering French airspace in the Bordeaux country and then hopping the French Alps for northern Italy. Clear skies would really make for an entertaining flight.
The skies are beginning to clear a bit as we hit the French coast. We're passing between "La Rochelle" and "Montpelier" and some impressive bays. The outside air temp is cooling off to -72°F, guess the water kept it warmed up. Multiple jets tracking around us and leaving spectacular contrails.
The landscape toward Lyon, France is beautiful. Rolling green hills, wide valley, and then the French Alps are upon us - rising out of low cloud cover and still snow capped.
With the Alps behind us, we start out descent into Milan. Plenty of farmland. Time to put everything into its fully upright and locked position.