The Flight to Barcelona

I was not looking forward to the nine hour flight from JFK to Barcelona. My expectation was that I'd be uncomfortable, seated next to a stranger with questionable hygiene and that sleeping would be nearly impossible.

Baggage and check-in passed quickly however and soon I found myself in the duty free shop buying a bottle of Campari. I returned to my gate with my duty free receipt and the call to board eventually came. I walked onto the plane and as I passed the generously sized business class seats my spirits dropped. I sat dejected at my cramped little window, but as the minutes passed, and then the cabin door was shut, a wave of triumph and relief came over me as I realized that no one would be sitting next to me! I laid back, pillowed up and played video games on a touch screen monitor for a few hours. A microwaved version of chicken carbonera was served (wasn't terrible) followed by 2 glassses of white wine.

I tried to sleep for a couple hours but only managed mediocre rest. I practiced my French with Rosetta Stone for another few hours and then breakfast was served. By that point we were flying just north of Madrid, and looking out the window I could see the dull orange glow of the city, its outlying suburbs. Above it was a clear starlit sky.

I packed up the laptop, drank a second coffee and buckled up for what turned out to be a cushion-soft landing. My compliments to Delta, for the price the flight was great.