The desert and the cross

 

If I there are two things that spring to mind when I think of Dubai and Spain, they are desert sands, and Catholic crosses. Separately, not together. I get both today.

It takes about half an hour to drive to the Dubai desert. There we meet hot sands, four wheel driving tracks and a whole lot of planted trees that are heavily irrigated in the hope they will one day provide some shade. Phillippa tellls me that families come here for picnics and barbecues. Teenagers also come to get some much needed privacy from their families, as the locals tend to live at home until married.

We walk a short distance to the peak of a sand dune and look out at what would have once been a barren landscape. In a few short decades this desert has been transformed into a city. We stand on the outskirts of that, it feels, rather than standing in a desert. I collect a handful of sand and stuff it in my pocket, hoping I will evade customs on my way home.

We stop further along to see some flamingos, elegant in the morning light, in a rare bit of water called a lake, but if reminds me more of the duck ponds we are used to back home inside man made structures like botanical gardens. On the way back we go camel spotting, and ironically find them when we are almost back in the city.

It’s time for me to pack up and head to the airport for the next leg of my journey, Madrid, Spain. Phillippa orders me a taxi and we say farewell for now, but it’s not too emotional as we will meet again in a few days in Rome, Italy. 

The next flight is much worse. I am surrounded by a school trip of about 100 15-16 year olds who are overly exuberant and changing seats every two minutes. It’s a battle to get through the 8 hour flight and I really feel for the cabin crew who are tripping over the students in the aisles but are clearly unable to say anything about it. I come very close to using my old teaching skills to reign them in, but prefer instead to zone out to yet more films, with teenagers practically sitting on me, and feel baffled by the inaction of their actual teachers who are figuratively ‘out to lunch’. They are clearly good kids, girls and boys, from wealthy families, but they were let down by not having any guidance about how to behave on a long haul flight. As a result the rest of us suffered.

As we fly in I get a glimpse of the land beyond the plane’s wingtip. There is a large white cross emblazoned in lights and etched into an incline (can’t call it a hill) on the edge of the airport like a Spanish Hollywood sign. Tears prick my eyes. I’m in Europe. Catholic Europe, and it’s nearly Easter, the most important time in the calendar.

It’s 8.20pm. The sun hasn’t set. Spain has just started its daylight savings time, just as New Zealand finished its own. I imagine the sun rising for my family back home as it sets for me, disembarking the plane and following the crowds to the customs and immigration desks. 

Everyone is completely disinterested in me (I realise this is probably a good thing at a passport office!). Nobody speaks a word of English. I stay close to an English speaking family and listen to what they are saying about the baggage collection. I follow them down floors of escalators and onto another airport train. Like the Dubai one, it speeds up and travels kms underground the airport. 

At last, with my tiny blue suitcase safe in my hands, I try to hail a taxi, but my lack of Spanish is a real barrier. After a few failed attempts I end up getting a friendly driver who goes out of his way to make sure I reach my destination. As it can’t be reached by car, he gets out of his taxi and walks me and my suitcase to the door. I am so grateful. Gracias! I say, my first positive connection with a true Spaniard.

I am welcomed by Tara and Nick in their boutique accommodation, the embassy, and shown my room. I’ll give more details later, but let’s say this is the sort of accommodation you would never find on Booking.com. Tara has great style and it’s evident in every room. We enjoy a short conversation before heading to bed. I sleep until 4.30am.