Prisoners or Revellers

“It’s not been like this since World War II,” said one of the other inmates.
I say inmate because we do feel a little imprisoned. Yes, the sun is lovely, but we can’t go too far away from base: we have to keep up to date with breaking news and goodness knows how long the money is going to last. Even though the airlines are now admitting they will have to pay – we have to pay upfront. There’s the some sort of cabin fever, too. Most people are suffering from a form of listlessness. What would be relaxation and recuperation 0n holiday becomes boredom and worry when you are in this situation.
I’m less bothered than a lot. I can do my work remotely and in fact am getting a whole lot of my novel completed whilst I’m here. Even I experience restlessness though. Once you get chatting to somebody it’s hard to stop and when you are in your room working, you’re wondering what gossip and news you are missing. And shouldn’t you be enjoying the sun? Isn’t this actually a bonus?
“There have not been so many people stranded at any one time since then,” my breakfast companion continues.
We’re joined later by a mother and daughter I’ve got to know over the last couple of days. They need to get to Jersey and may be flying to London on Wednesday. Then another lady who has been stuck at the airport for two days joined us. It’s her 71st birthday today. There will be cake later. She actually lives here and was on her way to meet her family in Paris.
We’re all constantly booking and rebooking our flights. The airlines are losing millions every day. Nobody, though, seems to mention what they are actually saving by not flying. Staff salaries will be a big part of their outgoings, though, and I guess they’re still paying staff.
The staff at this rather basic 2* hotel are really helpful and friendly. The food is not bad. We have fabulous sea and mountain views. There could be worse places to be stuck. The phone keeps ringing, though. More and more people keep arriving.

Stuck in Cyprus

So, volcanic ash has travelled form Iceland and covered the UK and much of Northern Europe. I’m in a 2-star hotel and goodness knows who is going to pay for it. Neither the airline nor the insurance seem to want to pay because it is “act of God”. The university that I work for have said they’ll pay, but some moral issues arise.
I’m having to eat out. I will be here for part of the weekend. Should I expect my employers to fund my weekend expenses? Or even the glass of wine I have with my meal in the evenings? Except, I wouldn’t be doing these things if I wasn’t stuck here. I’m not going overboard – but I’m not allowing myself to be too uncomfortable either.
The hotel is only 2*. The one I was in for the main part of my stay was 4*. There are visible differences, but nothing that actually makes me uncomfortable. And I have a superb view from my little terrace. The staff here are extremely helpful. We’re close to the airport too.
Here’s another issue. I actually had a day’s leave booked today. Do I still count myself on university business here? I’ve just spent about an hour looking at university emails. And I’m going to spend about four hours on my novel today. That in a sense is work anyway. But with that, when do I actually really stop?
I am so glad that I always have my work with me. The lap top is here. I have free Wi Fi. I feel in contact with my world. I’ll actually get quite a lot done but get quite a bit of leisure too. I feel less bored and insecure than some of the other people who are having to hang around.
And I’m more convinced than ever again that I would like to live in a Mediterranean country.