I just knew it: “lefties” have no time for fools and fancy dress, as they proved on Shrove Tuesday, when they opted to take a look round my construction site rather than join in the traditional carnival fun. They held their party meeting at the airport, out in the fresh site air rather than enclosed in a stuffy office – that’s certainly different. Ant’s honour, I took them on a guided tour of the site. Who better, after all, as I am on first-name terms with every little hummock here? Yet it was not so much the Brandenburg sandhills that impressed my visitors yesterday, but a hole in the ground. A really gigantic one, at that: 400 metres long and 60 metres wide. Before long, there will be a station there. Senator for Economics Harald Wolf praised the airport as being an “employment engine”. Unsurprisingly, bearing in mind that the building of the BBI will create up to 40,000 new jobs.

When I look back now I come over all nostalgic: this place looked like a wasteland just six months ago. Today, there’s excavation work going on all around. If you would like to take a look at the work in progress on the new airport for yourself, try the panoramic view from the Infotower – it really is magnificent. You do have to book if you want to visit the Infotower, though. The number to ring is: 030/6091 2250.

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