What do most people coming to Barcelona do? Walk down La Rambla? Visit the shops? Take in the history? Or if you’re younger that us old pensioners take in the hectic nightlife. That’s the sort of thing we expected to be doing, well not the night life, Christine insists on being in bed by 10.30pm, beauty sleep is important in the struggle to stay at 51. Not that she needs the sleep of course, I am still surprised that she moved the over 50 bracket last birthday.


So what have we learned about Barcelona in the two trips we have made this year? Well you may remember on our first trip Christine fell down stairs which as well as damaging the wine rack at the bottom of the stairs landed her at the casualty unit getting stitches and treatment. So we found out then the where-a-bouts of doctors, chemists, hospitals etc which has stood us in good stead for this trip, I have spent three days of this week in bed with, I assume, an extremely bad viral infection. I have no idea what a viral infection is but it sounds better than a heavy cold. Anyway the least us men get is flu and if that’s what it was is was a very bad case of it.


Alex has once again been down the chemist trying to explain symptoms and bring whatever was required to help me change my routine of either being in the bedroom or the bathroom. That’s probably too much detail really, I’ll change the subject.




Let’s get back to Christine, a little slip on the stairs again caused some slight bruising to the bum but nothing serious so while I am desperately ill in bed she decides on a day trip to Barcelona. Can you believe it? I am in bed with who knows what, suffering all kinds of aches and pains and what does she do? Goes to Barcelona for a days shopping that’s all.


She is off to do some serious shopping this time, the Black Book has been filled in, the shops listed, the timetable worked out, it’s brilliant she is a convert to project management via the Black Book. The list is ticked off, passport and driving license for identification, purse with cash and credit and debit cards, mobile phone, Ipod for relaxing music on the hair-raising 30 minute bus ride, camera to take some shots for the Blog plus all the essentials like lippy, eye make up, sun glasses and what ever else is the four inches of assorted junk at the bottom of a ladies handbag. All items ticked and off they go.


I of course am now struggling to deal with my various ailments alone. Knocking on the floor for another cup of tea brings no response, I have been abandoned.


So straight off the bus in Barcelona and naturally the first stop is the usual coffee shop, Christine puts her handbag on the chair turns round to take off her jacket off and her handbags gone. Within thirty seconds of going in the coffee shop, she hasn’t even sat down yet and her handbags gone. Christine is of course extremely upset and the only good thing is that Alex is with her.


Serious note. I wonder how difficult things would have been if she had been by herself. A lady alone in a foreign city, unable to talk the language now left with nothing, no phone, no cash, no identification, what does she do? She can’t even make a phone call. Cities need to address this issue.




But as I say fortunately Alex was with her who is now trying to add the location of the central police station in Barcelona to her list of places to visit along with the British Embassy and the local police station in Castelldefels. An emergency passport is needed along with the essential of new lipstick and eye liner, the shopping trip is abandoned and some five hours later after queues at the police station and the embassy a very quiet and upset Christine arrives home. I do point out that it hasn’t all been all easy for me who in a poor state of health had to sit on the phone and cancel the credit cards and store cards.


Later that evening as Christine is sitting with Amber curled up on her knee and with Joe sitting next to her saying the sort of sympathetic things that maybe I should have said earlier I can tell she is beginning to get over the shock. She makes the comment that nobody got hurt, we are all OK and we have travel insurance. Everything can be replaced.


As we drink another glass of wine Christine is remembering all the things that were in her handbag and is making another list in what appears to be a temporary Black Book, as the list grows I am sure she is beginning to look forward to what will be a very big shopping spree. I think I’d better warn the insurance company.