It was the worst flight in my life! Usually, I really don't notice flights, I just fall asleep before the plane takes off and wake up when the plane wheels touch the ground at landing. This time was different though. Of course, given all the snow storms passing through Europe, I shouldn't complain and rather feel lucky that I could even fly out... But it was simply terrible, so although I do feel lucky, I'll complain anyways.
There was no first-class upgrade available. The Rome-Dublin plane was delayed 2 hours (of course, when everybody was already inside, that's the best), and we almost didn't make it for the connection. Then the Dublin-NYC flights was delayed 2 hours as well, and again, when everybody was inside; why the hell do they do this, not enough room in the terminal? My exit seat that I paid $10 for (because on Aer Lingus you have to pay for selecting your seats online) was the most uncomfortable seat ever. Being an exit one it did offer a lot of leg room, but… it was right by the "kitchen" area, so I spent the entire flight in the ding-dong of trays and non-stop chit-chat among flight attendants. Apparently, they have A LOT to discuss, I tell you. On top of everything, I couldn't make use of the empty seat right next to me, because the seat divider couldn't be raised. And I had always thought that crying babies are the worst evil on the plane. You live you learn. And the connection in Dublin is a whole separate story…
Dublin airport is very strange. I kid you not, I walked 35 minutes non-stop to make my connection. The signs for the gates are there from minute one of your journey and you get this false hope that you will be at your destination in a second, but then… there are just no gates whatsoever. There are no stairs either, so you just walk straight, all the time, walk-walk-walk. The airport doesn't even seem that huge. I wonder if they did it on purpose, as some kind of existential training. A lot happens to you in your journey to the gate.
You don't think about it much in the beginning – just follow the sign with your gate number. But when you don't see any gates after 10 minutes, you start wondering if you are walking in the right direction and double-check the signs. At minute 15 you try to find a "you are here" map to gauge where the hell you really are. At minute 20 you start paying attention to the fellow-walkers: do people around you move at the same pace? Do they look as lost and confused as you feel or are you the only one whose psyche gets so easily affected by a seemingly pointless journey? In other words, you wake up, you start looking at the terminal around you consciously.
Suddenly, every little detail becomes important as you decipher the walk. A myriad of questions swarm in your head: haven't you already passed this store before? If this is truly the first time, how come it is exactly the same as the one you remember seeing 10 minutes ago? Why do we need so many stores in the airport anyway? Why do we need so many stores outside the airport? How have we become so consumerist as people? Nowadays, everything seems to be treated as a consumer item. How do you balance the natural liking for eating well and dressing well with the no-less-natural desire to be a conscious human-being, attentive and loving and helpful to the world around them… Where the hell is this stupid gate???
Nothing in life makes sense, really. Why do people work so much, for example? There are so many studies and articles about workaholism being almost as bad as alcoholism, for many this subject has become work in itself, yet it doesn't seem to effect any change. In the contemporary society people find it perfectly normal to say, "Oh, I cannot make it to our date tonight, because I have to stay late at work". And you expect the person on the other end of this conversation to nod understandingly and say, "Oh sure, don't worry, we'll reschedule it for another time". Now imagine if somebody tells you, "Darling, I cannot make our date tonight, because I'm half-way through my bottle of bourbon and I just feel like I need to finish it tonight". Exactly! Oh come on, where IS the gate??? I've been walking for 30 minutes already! This is plain ridiculous! Who has built this stupid airport?
The whole experience is pretty surreal. A whole array of feelings pass through you during this journey: from taking things for granted, to being lost and confused, to questioning your senses, to frustration, to blind rage, to – finally – acceptance of the Universe just the way it is… Now that I think about it, everybody should probably make it a point to fly through Dublin at least once in their lifetime.
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