Spain

I knew it wouldn´t be easy but I had forgotten how the Spanish love red tape and beauracracy.
We have been looking for a flat ior ´piso´ on the internet for about a week and our spanish friends have made a lot of calls for us ... but it seems difficult to find a place for 2 or 3 months - much easier for 2 or 3 nights or a whole year. We still have to pay half a month´s commission. We eventually found an agent that deals in temporary leases and they showed us a piso very near the Sagrada Familia - It is a very famous cathedral still being built (started in 1882) by the architect Gaudi.

So the location is semi- central, very built up and European feel, the price is at the top of our range but still possible. However, the agents keep thinking up new papers we need to present and difficulties. They raised the price 10 euros/ wk too, and we have to pay double deposit as well as an enormous commission. By tomorrow maybe we will have enough money available and also satisfied all they can think of. I think we would all just like to unpack by this stage.

Francisco and Anita have put us up for 4 days. It has been great to have a base and people with local knowledge. They live in an apartment just to the south of Barcelona - it is light and airy. The little girls are very cute and most of the times are good friends until about an hour before bedtime. ´Happy Hour´as Anita calls it! They were shy for the first day but now they talk to us all the time. We can only understand half of it though - I´m sure they think we are really stupid spanish people when we don´t give the right answers.

Francisco and Anita helped us buy 2 mobile phones today and have given us lots of advice with places to see, timetables, phone number and general information which take visitors and especillay toursit a long time to work out. The phones are just for spain so we can keep in touch with each other and Max can have a little independence and freedom without getting lost forever. Max bought some sunglasses and a t-shirt so he look like a local now.

The time difference has not been any trouble at all coming this direction - it feels like compulsory sleeping-in each day. The biggest difference we are all finding are the times of the meals. Breakfast is about 10.30, lunch- the main meal is about 4.00pm and then a light evening meal at 9.30ish. I cooked today - fish, rice and salad - I thin they liked it.

Yesterday we went to the centre of Barcelona to the old quarter which is a warren of narrow winding streets and old buildings. It was fascinating. On Sundays people gather at the front of the cathedral and do a tradional dance. Anyone can form a cirlce and others join in if they know the steps. There is a live band which is with loud clarinet type instruments .... but some people can sleep anywhere.

(Fortunately we didn´t see or meet any pick-pockets.)

We wandered around the area and walked along the Ramblas - the famous walking street. It is very touristy but interesting. There were a lot of people and buskers everywhere - we saw some very good musicians, statues, mimes, jugglers, opera singers - just about everything you could imagine.

We began to look for a room or hostel for the next few days, and got some prices to compare - it all seems pricey. The big search will begin in earnest tomorrow. Hope it all works out.

We have been here for one sleep so far and i must say it was a lovely sleep. We really don´t seem to be suffering jet lag AT ALL (cross fingers)- probably because we travelled 12 1/2hours in the night so managed to sleep somehow, except for poor Max - he got airsick and was up every 20 mins for the big night trip. He was really ready to sleep the night we got here.

We had our first and only travelling disaster (almost)on arrival in Barcelona. On disembarking we were sort of at the front of the queue and just followed the signs to baggage collection.(instead of following people) and ended up in a different baggage collection area. The only way we could get to the one where our bags were was to go outside completely and then enter again as if fly off again. Needless to say there was a lot of security checking and hand gestures and ticket waving - but we managed to get our luggage finally and leave. Apart from that adventure it was a very good, on time and bearable trip a bit long but I think we were so bouyed up we managed it all in good humour.

We saw an Easter Procession yesterday with the full statue carrying in the streets, people dressed in Klu Klux Klan-like costumes and snare drum bands.