Despite Lund’s complaints, I can’t really fault Ryanair’s commitment to the Canaries. This Christmas, they’re offering three non-stop weekly frequencies from my UK city to LPA. With two more from Jet2.com, that makes it five. I imagine many of you would also be flying with these airlines.

At around four and a half hours from the UK, these are among the longest low-cost flights operated in Europe, and they surely aren’t the most comfortable. I often bring one of my Flemings, Forsyths, or Le Carrés with me to help pass the time quicker. While I can’t compete with the masters, I wrote Chapter 2 extra long precisely to offer that same level of escapism when you’ll most need it.

If you have a daytime flight and the weather forecast in Gran Canaria isn’t cloudy, choosing a starboard seat will likely give you the scenic views described in the novel. Just run your eyes along the GC1 motorway to catch a glimpse of the city, the airport, and the sandy south. You’ll probably spot Tenerife and the spectacular Teide far to the west and wonder if you chose the right island for your holidays. Only time will tell…

If your plane lands in the usual direction, you’ll be facing the military side of the airport—the Gando Air Base, named after the jutting Gando peninsula that marks the easternmost point of the island. We’ll revisit that location later in the story, but obviously, it’s not accessible to tourists.