Is there any better entertainment than air travel?

Everyone knows we visited London during our kids' spring break, as I've shared with you our woes with departing the city due to the volcanic ash cloud that continues to wreak havoc for Europe and beyond. I'm going to share with you some of the highlights of our trip, including the great fun we had simply people-watching in the airport. I submit to you that there's no better entertainment that hanging out in an airport, watching and listening to the people. Would you agree?

I'm always amazed at the clothing and shoe choices people make for air travel. For instance, shoes such as these were being worn by many women... How can these seriously be comfortable? I sat and watched many a woman walk past wearing heels this high or higher, and the slow, awkward pace at which they were walking led me to believe they were not comfortable at all. Why would one choose to wear something so impractical and uncomfortable?

My idea of comfort on an airplane looks a little more like this... Okay, relax! I don't really own a pair of shoes like this, although they do look mighty comfortable.

No, the shoe of choice for me would be something made by Clark's, my current favorite brand of shoewear. I really like slides, open or closed-toe, but will always opt for closed-toe when traveling by plane. I tend to get cold during flight, and I don't want my feet to freeze. I also don't want anyone to step on my feet while I'm wearing open-toed shoes. That's some definite pain! And really, I don't like looking at and/or smelling other people's toes, especially in an enclosed area like an airplane. We saw our fair share of people wearing flip-flops and they had the filthiest toes. One word ... GROSS!

And what is it with some women wearing their outfits from "Sluts R Us?" I wanted to cover my boys' (not to mention my husband's) eyes to shelter them from all the cleavage being shown in the airport. Come on ladies... keep your girls covered! There are young boys and their dads trying to avoid staring at you, and there are lots of women shooting daggers as well. Make life a little easier for all concerned, and leave some things to the imagination, for heaven's sake!

At the very beginning of our journey to London, we ate lunch in the Jerez Airport. We saw several birds flying around, occasionally perching on chairbacks and tables, and all I could think about was where they'd done their business. Can that be sanitary? Should there be birds flying about the eating establishment in the airport? I think not.

We saw a family running for all they were worth, and I'm assuming it was in order to prevent missing a flight. I couldn't help but think of the Home Alone movies where the McAllister family had to run to make their flights. We've been in a rush before, but I don't think we've ever been forced to sprint through an airport. I'm sure the people we saw running had no idea they were entertaining us, however, they most definitely were.

Airports (and airplanes) can generate more noise than UK fans during the NCAA Tournament. Do you know how noisy that is? We heard (and saw) parents yelling at their kids, babies crying, siblings fighting, passengers beating on their tray tables like they were drums, people talking so loudly on the plane that we could hear every single word of their conversation even while wearing ear plugs, etc. We also saw a man who continually sniffed. I wanted to go hand him a pack of travel tissues with a note attached that said, "For the love of God, go blow your nose!"

Yep, flying the friendly skies can make for great entertainment. Forget napping! Forget reading a book! Just look around you!