The Road to Rome

Emirates Flight EK 531 getting ready at Cochin.
Departing at 10:30 AM and flying diagonally across the Arabian Sea she will be in Dubai in
4 1/2 hours.- 12 45 PM local time.





Generally Emirates flights are known for its punctuality. The push back happened a couple of minutes before the scheduled departure time. As usual I have booked a window seat online.
The International Terminal seen through the aircraft window.


Air borne.
കേരളം .
താഴെ പെരിയാര്‍ നദി



Not often we see a rainbow from above. Now see one, right in the middle of the Arabian sea. If you look closely you can see the full arch of a മഴവില്ല് across the white piece of cloud at the bottom of the photograph. If you try to zoom in on this picture to see it expect pixalation of the image. I have downsizes it to 40 KB to save on bandwidth.



You seldom get a cloudless flight and so the land below is most often invisible. Arabian peninsula is an exception to this rule.
Under the ever burning sun, the Arabian Sea gives way to sweltering desert. Here the coast line of Oman peninsula appears. The rest of the flight is over the barren desert and that separates Oman from the United Arab Emirates.

Landing approach to Dubai. The out skirts of the city appears under our wing.
The connecting Flight EK 95 to Rome is at 15:45 PM; enough time to go around for some window shopping, in the airport's sparkling duty- free kiosks, No other airport can beat the Dubai Duty Free. 'Fly Buy Dubai' is the slogan seen on all shopping bags. All expensive brands have set up shop here.

The goodies displayed are  tempting, but we are traveling with a thin purse.
Every time I am here, I particularly look to see what car is the offering for the days lucky draw. Today they have a Ferrari that can travel at 300 km/hour. But the lottery ticket will burn a big hole on the pocket.
" Even if we win, such cars cannot be used in the Nediyasala - Kolani roads", I tell my companion.
"How true" she nods and moves on to the next shop window.


Leaving Dubai.
In the haze, the towering needle of Burj Khaleefa, the tallest building in the world is blocked out. But in the horizon, the outlines of the Burj and other the tall structures appear like a mirage. You have to look very hard indeed.



Boeing 777 - 300 LR takes 6 hours to reach Leonardo Da Vanchi airport in Fumichino, out side Rome.
Here, as we approach the destination- at about 7 PM local time, on the console of my seat you can see the night catching up with the aircraft. The sunset in Rome in July is at about 8:30 - 09:00 PM.
In India, my home, it is night already.[ 10:30 PM]

Other readings:
GMT date : 28 JUL 2011
GMT Time : 4:10 PM
Altitude : 35999 feet
True Air speed : 554 mph
Ground speed : 526 mph
Distance to Destination :: 555 miles/ 888 kms
Time to Destination : 1 :11 hr.




A shot of the flight path.
From Dubai, over the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia to Egypt.
Passing over Cairo it enters Mediterranean, and crosses the southern tip of Italy, skirting the Italian coastline to land in Fumichino airport by the sea outside Rome.


Italian villages along the sea as the flight descends to land; one of which is Nettuna where Maria Gorothy -- now a saint - lived. We may go there.



Mouth of River Tiber, I presume.


Touch down in Fumichino.
Rome - Roma for Italians - is just 30 minutes by road.