To Live And Die In The Airport Lounge

Back from Madrid and saw basically nothing of the city at all which really pissed me off.

I spent more time yesterday wandering around airport terminals spending money that I don't have on non necessary items and rather outstanding cocktails.

During all this wandering and non essential shopping I realised that ironically for someone who hates flying and does not do it ever, for non work travel I seem to spend an inordinate amount of my time either in tin tubes or bloody airports usually a lot longer in the later.

Yesterday I was in the coolest terminal building I've ever been in, Barajas Terminal 4, it was like something out of Bond movie,  all shiny chrome and glass and underground trains.

I never find these places pleasant because at the back of my mind there is always the realisation that in the near future I am going to be flying. If, as was the case yesterday, there are no work colleagues to meet or meetings to attend at the other end I find a bar or back in the good old days go to the business lounge and proceed to get pished. Yesterday, however I found myself just walking about looking at nothing in particular and having a not so disagreeable time.

Then it was on the plane to London and Terminal 5, where the contrast couldn't have been more marked, crowed, noisy and frantic.  I have heard people raving about Terminal 5 but it's nothing special. I did have possible the best Bloody Mary I've ever had there but that was about it.

Anyway, by the time I rolled off the plane at Glasgow I was feeling no pain and the resentment of having to spend part of my weekend in a meeting and then travelling had nearly disappeared. Then it was through arrivals to be met by L shaking her head as it was apparent that I was more than half gassed.

My Teenage Stride - To Live And Die In The Airport Lounge.