Through The Sky
In the end everything came together and we did catch that plane.
We’d had the tickets to France booked for a couple of months but given international travel’s current state of play that meant next to nothing. As the clock ticked down and the time drew near I found myself filled with a sense of incredulity. After a year of separation from all of our friends and family in the UK and Europe, the idea that we would soon be able to board a plane and get the hell out of dodge seemed just too strange a prospect to be entertained.
The levels of stress and worry that accompanied this year’s preparations were worse than any I can remember. I found myself unbearably concerned with every detail, be it vital or insignificant. Never before have we been bombarded by so much. With flights booked to Bordeaux via Madrid we read and reread the respective government websites fanatically to see the latest daily demands made of anyone sitting foot on their country’s soil. Which form must we have? Covid test and vaccination papers? Additional QR codes- who knows why? Which passport shall we travel on? Would we be able to all sit together on the plane? Would any food be served now given new covid protocols which appear to ensure your ticket will be as expensive as possible whilst being given as little as possible in return. Now that Uber has ceased to be a reliable option in Los Angeles how will we get to the airport? Will the planes be delayed, will we miss our connection…The list went on and on like train wheels running through my mind as I all but packed myself up into a suitcase; at least that way I’d avoid possible nightmarish scenes at immigration and passport control.
We finally took a luxury cab to the airport. Prompt and friendly, our driver whisked us through the Saturday traffic in a soothing cocoon of comfort. LAX was busier than last year, felt for a moment as if the world was getting back to normal. The shops were mostly opened and people, albeit masked and anonymous, bustled around as had been usual up until eighteen months ago. By the time we had passed through check in, security and boarded the aircraft, the world of worry we’d been in just fell away. Finally there was nothing to do but enjoy the flight. We flew with Iberia. Service was limited and the food was sparse but once we had settled in the flight was a pleasant one. Our experience last summer when flying from LAX to Heathrow had been rather disconcerting. The pilot, perhaps unduly shaken by the global situation, had exhibited some rather strange behaviour at the conclusion of the flight. This year I felt a calm sense of confidence emanating from cockpit and we navigated the terrain of the skies with ease.
Passing through a packed Madrid airport we were all struck by the swiftness of movement despite the seeming chaos. The staff in attendance were loud and quick in their directions but they were not careless. Unlike in the US where you can often feel battered and disrespected in such situations here we were plucked from the middle of a queue’s eternity and placed in a fast track situation because of our young daughter.
On our second flight to Bordeaux we trod amidst the clouds. The sky was clear and as we floated along above the vast kingdoms of water vapour I felt suddenly light and free. After twelve hours of long haul flying this short city hop was a mischievous gift. The bumps we experienced as we descended down through those vast domains of white cotton candy had me thinking of Bob and Rome but I was laughing rather than crying. The flight was not without drama, despite being of brief duration. As the second officer was summoned from the cockpit by the harassed stewardesses, busily trying to prevent two men from coming to blows behind us, I felt for these hardworking men and women who have kept going as their industry and livelihood are taken apart all around them.
We drove through the evening along the familiar French country roads and our journey approached its conclusion. As we inched nearer to our destination and the family that awaited us there I breathed deeply, those highlands feel pretty close right about now.
