We had a two and a half hour lay-over in Atlanta. Layovers of this duration are usually welcome for several reasons.
1. No rush. No running through the airport to make that flight. I saw several people in a running-pinch yesterday.
2. No worries that your luggage won't make it to your next flight.
3. Airports can be relaxing places. If it's a large airport, exploration is possible. Many airports have made art galleries in their halls, tunnels, and concourses. Often, airports are international people-watching places. People are often the best art.
4. Airports have free wi-fi, which has made them work stations, communication enclaves, and places to catch up on emails, writing, bill paying. That we now carry our files, our photos, our documents with us, we are like turtles and our home and work offices are our shells. What was once wasted travel time is valuable down time.
5. We are anonymous in airports. This can be nice.
6. Airports are 10,000 step knock-outs.
In the Atlanta airport, concourses A, B, C, D, E, F and T, are connected by long underground tunnels. When rushing, a subway system wisks you to your gate, but with the extra time, we got to explore and exercise.
''Let's keep walking to concourse T,'' I said to Tony.
''It's the commuter gates. There's nothing to see.''
''But we've never been to concourse T. We don't know what's there."
Tony agrees to walk to concourse T. We still have two hours to kill. Or enjoy.
In our short walk, we visit Zimbabwe. Or rather, an art exhibit from Zimbabwe.
The stone sculptures were beautiful representations of life, family, mother love, and the indomitable human spirit.
I shed unexpected tears in an unexpected place.
7. Airports have become places of beauty.
~~~A friend who sees my photos reports that he too cried in an airport this week --over the artwork.
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