Last night I didn’t mention the flight back. I noted on Thursday I really like that moment when you break from the clouds and see your destination unfold before you. It’s not just new or foreign places that still manage to give me a buzz as we come into land. There has been little cloud cover as we flew from Rome. I saw snow-covered mountain tops and mile upon mile of French farmland. There was, however, a little cloud as London came closer and then at around 6.30 last night we came in over London from the East. We broke cloud cover into lovely bright sunlight glinting from the Thames flood barrier looking particularly sunning from above. Nearby was the Dome which, despite all the bad press it’s received, looks amazing when viewed from above. I had great fun trying to spot the Greenwich Observatory and follow the roads to the Greenwich tunnel leading across to Docklands. Coming back down the river we flew by Tower Bridge and then banked to see the London Eye and Westminster before heading West. I had never before appreciated the long snake-like roof of the Eurostar terminal at Waterloo station. It really does stand out. It’s always at this point that I try to follow the winding tracks from Waterloo, Vauxhall to Clapham and heading South towards my home. Of course, I tend to lose it quickly – especially if I notice Victoria station as I start to do the same thing from there too. Eventually the plane making its final approach and I follow the M4 past the Glaxo SmithKlein headquarters and see Sky Television, the Gillette Tower and the large Isleworth branch of Tesco before we really start to see the hangers of Heathrow and the large British Airways buildings. London is a very different place when viewed from above. I love it!
On this day…
- 2004: Eurovision 2004