The gift shop at Toulouse airport sells rugby balls. In fact it sells a variety of rugby paraphernalia including 'rugby fashion'. Looking at the clothing on offer Angus decides these two words are a contradiction in terms.
At the gate 80% of the passengers refuse to sit. They prefer to stand in the unairconditioned heat. Why do people do this? Nerves ? Are they bothered they'll miss the flight ? Or perhaps they're fearful someone will take their allocated seat ? More probably they want to get on early to secure space for the wheelie bags. The airline has imposed a boarding by seat row system ( 1 - 5 ) which means those in category 5 have to stand forever. They block the gate and glare at those called on before them.
At Paddington station a group of young Lebanese have opened up a stall selling Baklavas and olives in the middle of the station forecourt. They maintain a constant and hopeful banter with any young ladies passing by. Their sales patter tends towards the humorous but politically incorrect.
The folks at the high tech company are very young. They work in what appears to be an enormous Starbucks filled with wooden tables and sofas. Not a desk to be seen. The young women are all in brightly coloured dresses, white socks and running shoes. The young men all have trousers that stop three inches above the ankle. Angus feels like telling them they'll catch a chill if they don't dress properly. The young men sport beards. Angus is of a generation that thinks beards should only be worn by submariners returning after a long patrol at sea. Two of the young women are breast feeding - to the evident disinterest of everyone else. The babies are very small. The delivery to desk period can only be a couple of weeks. There is a sort of creche where toddlers are cared for. From time to time a toddler, or a group of them, will escape before being picked up and returned to the creche. Angus makes the mistake of thinking 1) the audience will be bored 2) disinterested and 3) probably have a superficial understanding of world affairs. He is wrong on 2) and 3) and they are polite enough to hide signs of 1). I expect to be asked about Iran and Taiwan but spend most of the time talking about human rights and climate change ( not subjects men in dark suits usually wish to linger over ).
On my bedroom wall in the hotel a minimalist puppy etching. Most hotel art is dire. This has a quiet appeal.
First thing in the morning back off to Heathrow for the flight to Toulouse. Coffee at a cafe which has its door covered in fresh flowers. This seems to be a thing in London.
In the airline lounge a man brings out a small electric fan. He clips it to the handle of his bag then plugs it into a wall socket. You have to wonder why anyone would pack an electric fan in their luggage but then you realize he's cool and the rest of us are suffering in an unairconditioned airline lounge in a muggy London summer.
On being reunited Bob exudes happiness. The quiet all consuming satisfaction of a family fellow who has found a wandering sheep.
13 comments:
What a nice post, on many fronts! Polite and thoughtful audience, beautiful cafe, happy Bob. Thinking back to yesterday's discussion regarding appropriate attire, it sounds as though there was from the start no possibility you might just blend in.
I so enjoy your snippets of events and people just being people.
Might you consider a scenario in which the young techie types could discuss human rights and climate change with the men in dark suits? It might shake them up some, and result in a bit of overall benefit.
Excellent idea from Emm above about the dark suits mixing with the bearded youngsters. The female members of the tech crowd could certainly teach the more traditional corporate types a thing or two about sensible footwear!
You can buy little fans that plug into a USB which would be more useful when traveling.
I like the flowers round the door thing but wonder if you were to be bothered by bees. one wonders at the expense as well. They must be selling a lot of coffee.
Pons must be pleased to have you home.
It's all about the Generation Gap, Angus !
Oh dear, what were the young women in bright dresses and running shoes, preparing to run from (or to?) !
Hari OM
I, too, have oft pondered the whole queueing thing at airports. Never an issue for me these days, as have to avail myself of the airport assistance wheelchair. Godsend! YAM xx
Small note re the puppy without his bottom in the frame. I have a print of a Leonardo drawing of an elephant and some of it's trunk is out of frame. Why? is it cuter?
Those folks sound like a refreshing change of pace. I love the fact that the babes were there, wish it had been so when we were rearing kids. No AC at the airport? Never heard of such a thing, tho while in Austin TX airport there was no potable water when we visited last fall...no coffee or tea and a cancelled flight b/c the cockpit fire extinguisher wasn't charged. Took them all day to fly one in. Coffee would have helped, people were in freak mode. Got home at 2am & vowed never again. :-)
I've only run into one non-air-conditioned airport, in Seoul in July at maximum heat and humidity season. Even just changing flights it was pretty miserable. The man with the fan has an excellent idea. The tired, stressed traveling public is bad enough without adding hot and sweaty to the mix.
I'm pleasantly surprised at the tiny nursing babes and in-house nursery at the tech company, although I'm a bit surprised that in a country where lengthy maternity leaves are actually paid for, not just barely tolerated, I have to wonder why the young mothers would subject themselves to being back at work so soon. I probably would do the same thing in their (comfortable) shoes today, however, although it never occurred to me that it might be possible until reading your post just now; it makes perfect sense with tiny babes that just sleep all day when they're not eating. But I can tell my age lately by how much and how fast the times have been changing.... !
The high tech companies really do cater to the "young" crowd. I've read that Google employees can choose from cafes serving Indian food to smoothies. And they can take a nap, and bring their dogs to work and have fitness classes. How do they get work done?
Guess the mothers have decided that in the work-life balance being in an environment that they enjoy , provides them support and is safe and supportive for the child is a good idea. They have the option of working from home on flexitime but the majority prefer to come into work and be surrounded by people .
Guess when there are so many distractions around they manage to filter out the noise and focus on the job in hand. Wouldn't work for me. Must be a generational thing.
London airport has huge glass windows and no ( or ineffective ) aircon. Built in recognition that for 10 months of the year it's too chill to need it. Why Toulouse should build an airport with huge glass windows when the temperature is above 30 degrees for four or five months of the year is less understandable.
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