It's too late to find out what I've forgotten

The downhill flight takes 9 hours.

Timetables are confusing at the best of times. British Airways confused me so much that I could not tell whether they listed the check-in time or the departure time. Indian Railways (the world's largest network) are updated easily in some areas, where the departure times are written in chalk on a blackboard. Unsurprisingly, German schedules are written in a standardised 3-column format: Departure times are on the left side, arrival times on the right-hand side and the station names in the centre column. I suspect everything is updated in real time on your mobile: in Germany, everything is properly organised - no surprise there! I must get back to Germany for a short break this year; just to relish a super-organised society. 

Having accepted the mantle of senior status when booking my flights, I registered for "Assistance" to get me to the right Lounge, right Gate and right Flight. Assistance is one of the best freebies of global travel, offering a helpful hand in addition to early boarding. 

I then decided that with so many hours separating London and Bangalore through the night, I would upgrade and pay the extra to book in the World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) cabin. I am 6ft 2in - and -  enough said ! The seats are wider and there's 38 inches of leg-room instead of the usual 31 in "cattle-class"  (I'll delete that phrase, rather than risk missing out on BA's usual generosity with drinks.)

"Economy Plus" is a bit of an oxymoron really, as my flights are now almost twice the initial cost, but - as I keep reminding myself - I have done too much travel down the back of the plane, and I was pleased with my decision. Everything was upgraded and it make a long-haul flight much more bearable. 

I was still wondering why it was that the flight from London to Bangalore was 2 hours shorted thatn the return. Then I looked at the map in the back of the seat in front of me, and immediately realised from the map of the Earth as a globe; South to North is downhill.







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