BCN

Barcelona airport, and four hours to wait for flight.

I love people watching, trying to guess nationalities, sleuthing for clues as to the story that each one carries with them, seeing the signs of affection,disdain,distaste ,outright hostility and the mismatch between people.

Spot the greasy haired guy in the wife beater t-shirt and the elegant beauty in primrose yellow dress with matching accessories. What on earth binds them together? If in fact they are together at all ! Was it just a holiday that seemed a good idea at the time? Now she can't wait to get away.

The Iranian family of husband, wife, three kids and a granny either MIL or Mum, He obsessed with gadgets, frantically trying to re-charge his tablet and sporting very expensive headphones, the children obsessively demanded snacks, drinks, amusement, the wife packing and repacking hand luggage and Granny bemused, smiles to herself and mutters under her breath.

The Glaswegian guy in the rangers top, with a large white wife, who wants to indulge in a public display of affection but he is having none of it and brushes her aside like an annoying insect, and like an annoying insect she perseveres, until it appears he threatens to thump her, when she retreats and takes her revenge by swallowing handfuls of chocolate drops.

And the police ,swooping from one end of the terminal to another,resplendent in crisp uniforms and as proud as any hussar as they manoevure their Segways in a graceful ballet of self conscious bravado. Todays equivalent of the mounted guard?

Super models, harassed mums, pretty boys, Dutch girls, hippy chicks, immaculate Italian business men in Armani with beautiful leather briefcases, all life is here.

Ryanair finally deigns to allow us to board the cattle truck, treats us to a barrage of sales talk, ensures we can't nod off and deposits us gracelessly, we are supposed to be thankful to be passengers of one of the most punctual airlines with the lowest fares in Europe. I am thankful to be on the ground.

I would tell you of the horrors of immigration control but no photographs allowed.