Happiness Is A Row To Yourself

It's always sad to say goodbye to the family, but it was time to head back to Australia.  I had been sweating the weight of my checked bag most of Friday afternoon as it and my backpack were packed full of items I had purchased over the last three weeks.  The moment of truth came when I checked in for my flights and I was one kilogram under my 23kg limit!  Success!

San Francisco International Airport is one of the better airports to kill time at.  Besides free wi-fi access SFO always has interesting little exhibitions, such as the America's Cup 1851-1937 display currently in the international terminal, as well as public art.  I discovered the gates had these great large art pieces above them as I was walking around so I took pictures of a few that caught my eye.  It's a pleasant distraction while you are waiting to board your plane.

Once again I flew Air New Zealand from San Francisco to Auckland and then to Melbourne.  The travel Gods were smiling on me as I got a whole row to myself for the SF-Auckland leg.  This meant I was able to lie down to get some sleep (although we did have a fair bit of turbulence during the sleeping hours).  After the usual downtime at Auckland Airport and watching yet another sunrise there, I was back on a very full plane to Melbourne that ended up being a half an hour longer than scheduled due to a strong headwind.  As always I was able to watch a few movies during my extensive time in the air: "The Butler," "Enough Said," "One Direction: This Is Us," "Blackfish" and "Blue Jasmine."

I zipped through customs and baggage claim fairly quickly and then caught a taxi home.  Melbourne's typically erratic weather has been in full effect this afternoon- sunshine, strong winds, a little rain and clear skies again.  Now to try and get some sleep so I'm not a total jet-lagged zombie tomorrow at work.