Holidays

Mellissa Kite writes in The Spectator this week of her hair-raising Easy Jet flight to Nice: having to queue for hours, the crushes as holiday-makers forced their way ahead to the plane.... etc. you don't have to tell me, I know all about it and it's horrible.
Last week in The Spectator a former editor of a newspaper described how he was arrested at the place where they run the detector over you for wondering vocally if they were looking for a bomb in his shoes. I won't describe everything that happened to him and his wife but again the whole experience was horrible. Apparently if you say the word "bomb" within an airport these days they'll come down on you like a ton of bricks. Not "I have a bomb in my suitcase" but merely "Are you looking for a bomb old boy? Ha, ha, ha."
I suppose it's understandable when you realise how edgy the airport staff have become as a result of our home-made jihadists' attempts to blow as many innocent people as they can to "kingdom come" - not paradise because that's already full of 'em and, anyway, you infidels are not allowed in.
My flying holidays are over. If I do go abroad in the future it will be by Eurostar, the only civilised way to travel. First class of course where you get comfy seats, newspapers to read and a glass of champagne as apperatif to the five course meal - with free wine or beer! You don't notice the journey, smooth and quiet; by the time you've put away the champagne and wine you're out the other side of the tunnel without being aware of having been in it.
Best way to go to Paris that I know - driving is too fraught with dangers and too tiring, coach trips are worse than self-driving I find.
I was sent a small brochure advertising three coach trips one of which was to the Costa Brava: they offered £40 off the £399 cost; also free drink from 11am to 11pm. For all of ten seconds I was tempted. I like the Costa Brava, I like to drink and the £40 off was an atractive offer..... Ten seconds, that's all. Ride right across England to Dover, get sea-sick crossing the pond (yes, I usually am), then the long drive across France to Spain, then the long drive to the Costa Brava.... I'd need more than a couple of their free drinks if I were to do that.
Anyway, I don't have a passport these days so that settles it. Ill get one when I can afford another 1st class Eurostar trip to the continent.