As usual I was singled out for a detailed and humiliating search by the security officials at Charles de Gaulle Airport. Not that I was unduly worried as I had taken the elementary precaution of stashing all incriminating or compromising drugs in my wife's hand luggage. The flight in one of Emirates' fleet of A380s ( a bit of a safety hazard apparently) could not have been more pleasant, but they might care to review their sponsorship of Arsenal Football Club. One sour note: we only had one meal instead of the pwomised two.
We arrived at Dubai's Terminal 3, specially reserved for Emirates and the largest building in the world, our visit coinciding with the International Shopping Festival ("Shopping at its Best", "Where Today Meets Tomorrow").
I learnt at least one interesting fact while I was there. As everyone knows, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest manmade structure in the world, well over twice the height of the Eiffel Tower. But did you know that at one time Lincoln Cathedral had the distinction of being the tallest building in the world?
Pretty soon it was time to come home. The inward flight passed off uneventfully, though once again I had occasion to admire the way the pilot on touchdown wrestled manfully with his unwieldy beast to prevent it from careering off the runway. The soothing music came on straightaway and the stewardess admonished us not to take off our seat belts until the aircraft came to an "utter stop". I wouldn't have dreamt of it.
It was nice to be back in a third-world country after the excesses of Dubai. If the M25 is, in Chris Rea's words, the Highway to Hell, then the RER link from the airport to Paris must qualify as the Railway from Hell. I cannot believe that the Queen's State Visit to the French capital followed a similar route, unless it was in a specially sealed train like the one used to transport Lenin from Germany to the Finland Station.
We arrived at Dubai's Terminal 3, specially reserved for Emirates and the largest building in the world, our visit coinciding with the International Shopping Festival ("Shopping at its Best", "Where Today Meets Tomorrow").
I learnt at least one interesting fact while I was there. As everyone knows, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest manmade structure in the world, well over twice the height of the Eiffel Tower. But did you know that at one time Lincoln Cathedral had the distinction of being the tallest building in the world?
Pretty soon it was time to come home. The inward flight passed off uneventfully, though once again I had occasion to admire the way the pilot on touchdown wrestled manfully with his unwieldy beast to prevent it from careering off the runway. The soothing music came on straightaway and the stewardess admonished us not to take off our seat belts until the aircraft came to an "utter stop". I wouldn't have dreamt of it.
It was nice to be back in a third-world country after the excesses of Dubai. If the M25 is, in Chris Rea's words, the Highway to Hell, then the RER link from the airport to Paris must qualify as the Railway from Hell. I cannot believe that the Queen's State Visit to the French capital followed a similar route, unless it was in a specially sealed train like the one used to transport Lenin from Germany to the Finland Station.
Greetings Barnaby
ReplyDeleteNice that you're back.
Your sense of humour is great - or is it all true?
It's all true, Jerry. Well, most of it!
DeleteMany of us wonder this, Maytrees!
ReplyDelete