Me before the flight. You don’t want to see me after. Think hair akimbo, bags under eyes, and attire in complete disarray.

I have just arrived in Spain after a seeming eternity on the plane. An eternity punctuated by:

1. One bad film (“Mia madre”), one so-so film (“Love and friendship”), one excellent film (“El clan”), and one unfinished film (“The dressmaker”- and it stopped just as the romance was starting!)
2. The achievement of a very complex ninja move whereby, in my desperation to use the toilet and not wake the people beside me, I used the armrests to climb over their reposing forms
3. Too much unappetising food. But that’s a given. I always find it amusing when people complain about airline food. Umm, hello! It’s not a Michelin star dining experience…
4. Some pretty amazing views. I took these photos as we left Dubai:

I am now sitting in (I hate to admit it) Starbucks, making use of their powerpoint, after a rather eventful Metro trip, punctuated by some buskers who put on a show in the carriage:

This was the first, and I’m guessing not the last, time that I used my “Sorry, my Spanish is very bad” excuse to avoid “getting caught up in the action”, so to speak.