a much missed view

wonder | wander | women are reunited! For the first time in several years, London HQ set off across the Atlantic for US HQ. Which meant several days of COVID testing setup and many other hoops to jump through before we even set foot on the plane.

leaving the green and grey flats of England

We wonder how many other travellers felt this excited when in the air at last, after two years of closed ports and travel restrictions and fear of spreading or catching disease. 

When we looked out the window and saw the morning sun catch the fluffy clouds unrolling below us - below us! - we almost cried at the familiar sight. 

Familiar, but last seen in May 2019...more than two years. To think we would miss it that much in two years!

Maybe it's because the cloud expanse reminds us of that other great vista we miss even more, and have spent longer without: the sea.

The blue and white waves made me think of surf and familiar horizons.

Or maybe I just really missed flying. The preparations for flying are a pain: the documents, the long queues, the tedious rites of check-in and security and boarding. But once in the seat looking out, you can enjoy a view matched by no vacation spot in the world.

It's fun to check the in-flight tracker to see exactly where you are and try to match the digital map to what you see outside.

Coming in from the sea we're able to experience New York not as an overwhelming city of millions, but as an archipelago, a little cluster of islands very much like our home.

Through the haze we can catch the approach of the ever changing (but somehow still famous) skyline of Manhattan. Broadway tunes and TV show jingles start playing in our minds. Someone on the plane whistles Frank Sinatra.

The plane will land, the pilot will make a little joke, everyone will get up far too soon to get their luggage and have to be reminded to sit down again. Your loved ones are waiting with hugs saved up over years. Savour your last few moments in the air and look forward to next time.

As Bugs Bunny says, Bon voyage!