by Wendy
Spending quality time in an airport like Heathrow isn’t difficult. There is so much to notice. It’s enormous, one of the busiest in the world, with plans to expand. Prepare to navigate crowds, queues, escalators, elevators and moving sidewalks to get where you need to go. 

There are intimidating luxury stores selling handbags that probably cost more than your flight, if not your entire trip. If I had a couple of hours to spare, I’d window shop and maybe pop in a few places I could afford. Boots drugstore, the souvenir place where everything is decorated with a British flag, or maybe check if Jo Malone sells rollerball perfume. But first, I’d make a beeline for Wonder Tree.

In the middle of all the airport chaos is the Wonder Tree World Food Cafe and Restaurant, an oasis of cheerful staff, reasonably priced and reasonably delicious food, and the comforting kitsch of a global diner that appeals to so many of us on the planet. It’s able to accommodate many flyers and it’s easy, which is what you really want in Heathrow. Order food, coffee, or a drink and sit for awhile contemplating the various characters and scenes zooming by.

You’ll see people from every walk of life and hear many different languages at Heathrow. I’ve encountered stern customs officers, funny customs officers, and airport staff eager to help you access the Heathrow Express. I’ve had a fellow traveler chase after me to return a cheap little charm that fell off my rolling suitcase.

There was an impressive security agent during a recent Heathrow visit. She was carefully reviewing bins of personal items. There were a few people ahead of me in line, and I observed how gently she spoke when searching a bag or examining an object. She called everyone “my love” or “my darling” and you could see the anxiety or anger disappear in the face of harried travelers. It was amazing the way a little kindness practically cast a spell of serenity in the middle of the annoying but necessary experience.

On our first trip to London, April and I flew into Gatwick late in the evening. Gatwick is not as big as Heathrow, but it was memorable because we stayed the entire the night there, probably as a way to economize funds. Airports have a different nocturnal ecosystem. We befriended Jean-Michel, a strange Frenchman who had quit his job at a English restaurant and was moving back to Paris. Or so he said. He had all kinds of luggage and carts overflowing with stuff. Jean-Michel plugged in his record player while we played cards at 3am. We listened to The Police and Doobie Brothers and Donald Fagan until Gatwick staff made him disconnect the music. While riding the train into London the next morning, he pretended like he did not speak English to try to avoid buying a ticket.

Sometimes I think I like hanging out in airports until I’m hanging out in airports. But I’ll never get tired of the sense of adventure they inspire. And no doubt, airports are fascinating microcosms of humanity. Paths intersect as travelers move through this transitory state on their way to or from somewhere else – sometimes at work or on holiday, sometimes on a significant trip and sometimes not. Everyone preoccupied with their own struggles and successes, yet essentially sharing the same journey.