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After 22 hours of that particular misery known as international
economy class air travel, I am finally home. That's just aircraft
time, not counting all the time wasted in airports.

As usual, I have tried to avoid sleeping while flying, So I didn't
sleep from rising at 6.00am Monday (local time) in Barcelona till
midnight Tuesday (local time) in Sydney. I didn't feel too bad
yesterday but fairly tired today. Trying to revert to normal timing
as quickly as possible.

I will miss Spain, such as scenes like the attached photo (San Millan)
but it is great to be back. Thanks to all who have read this blog and
especially to all who have posted comments.

Cheers
John

Cobla Popular

Performers dedicated to that Catalan sound!

A couple of observations on Barcelona. Firstly, coffee in the tourist
and fancy restaurants seems to be made for tourist tastes. The only
place to get a decent coffee is to go to one of the small, local and
typically spanish bars (it's also a lot cheaper!).

Have also found that my poor Spanish (Castillian Spanish) is less
welcome here than elsewhere in Spain. Catalan is the local language
although most people know Castillian. It seems to be FAR more
acceptable for me to just use English.

I've found myself totally ignored when I use the phrases that have
served me quite well up till now. Serves me right, I guess, for my
poor language skills.

That said, it's still polite and acceptable to use the Spanish
greetings and farewells, and helps to know Spanish numbers.

My extended stay in Barcelona was unintended and forced on me by the
unavailability of an earlier flight home. I do love the place but
it's more fun with company.

Cheers
John

Last Day in Spain (for now!)

The first part of today was spent dodging heavy downpours and looking
around Barcelona.

The highlight was a free concert of 'Cobla Popular', traditional
Catalan music. The orchestra was quite small but interesting in a
very idiosyncratic way. At one point, the conductor (who was seated
with the orchestra and also played a type of recorder) took an
extended phone call on his mobile, while continuing to keep time!

The performers used a variety of local instruments and had an unusual
but lively and entertaining sound. They attracted a large audience.
The performance ended when another sudden deluge sent both performers
and audience scurrying for shelter.

I must say that I am looking forward to getting out of all this rain.

Now I have settled back in my room to watch the Brazilian GP. Will
Hamilton get his world championship?

Cheers
John

Barcelona - Day 3

Another damp day. Oh well! The forecast is for a change tomorrow, it
will still be wet but a bit colder.

Started the day with breakfast at Taverna del Bisbe, where Gen and I
had a most enjoyable dinner one night. Breakfast was good but the
coffee was only just OK.

After a bit of a walk in the rain (I'm wearing the full waterproof
outfit today!) I went to an exhibition of Dali artworks. He certainly
worked hard at being an eccentric!

Wandered some more as the sun came out for a while. Then joined the
crowd watching some bomberos (firemen) scale the outside of an inner
city building. They did it the old way, going from balconey to
balconey using a ladder they took with them as they ascended.

Didn't work out the reason for their efforts. There was no smoke or
sign of fire.

Cheers
John