There was something of a last-minute hitch, in the form of a slight emergency at work - which I found out about via my mobile's connection to my work email. But it didn't delay me, and I made the train I had intended to, to Clapham.. which wasn't delayed.. and I made the train I had intended to, to Gatwick. Now, some confusion arose from the constant announcements about the train splitting, and to make sure you were in the correct part. And from the indicator board, I got the impression that I should be in the front half - and there I was, at the last carriage. So I sprinted forward, and then worried for most of the rest of the journey whether I was in the right bit. As it turned out, the split didn't even happen until after Gatwick - which should have been made clearer, earlier. Anyway, all's well that ends well, as I got there.
By the time I got to the airport - and had a very long queue through security - the flight was already boarding. So much for going to the toilet.. so much for getting breakfast. At least I had an aisle seat.. I couldn't believe how long it took for the seatbelt sign to go off, but when it did, I made a dash for the toilet. And got back just as the trolley had passed my seat. Bless him, the steward noticed me and asked me whether I'd like anything, and so my breakfast consisted of a ham & cheese melt and a small bottle of white. Which were both very welcome.. and let me reiterate how potent alcohol is at high altitudes.
It's hot, Hot, HOT in Barcelona. You could feel it the minute we got off the plane. Passport control wasn't a problem - I now know there's a chip on my passport, so I could go through the automated check if I wanted, but the regular queue was moving so swiftly that I decided to stay there, rather than risking confusion at the machines. And so I was in the main terminal building, searching for where to buy a T-10. I'd done my homework, and knew this was the best value for me, since I didn't intend to do that much travelling - just a 10-journey ticket, discounted over the regular price.
I searched.. I found the tourist office, walked to the end, thought the ticket vendor might be outside, and did find the actual bus stop that way. But you can't buy special tickets on the bus itself, so back in I went, finally joining the queue for tourist information. In a hotter environment than I've been used to. Before too long, I was asking the friendly girl where to buy a T-10. And she was telling me to go all the way back to the end, up the stairs and across the bridge to the railway station.
Boy, I'm glad I checked - I'd definitely have doubted myself otherwise. And holy ****, that bridge was hot! No aircon - just a few open windows. The air felt familiar - I'd forgotten that Spanish heat. It's been too long. The broken escalators (in both directions) at the other end provided some fitness training, and I ended up queueing at the ticket machines. Where it was very easy to buy a T-10: 1-zone by default, which is all you need unless you're planning to go cross-country. Even the airport is in Zone 1.
Back across the sweltering bridge, and I was now ready to go to the bus stop. I knew I needed the 46, which runs straight into town along the Avinguda de la Granvía, which my hotel -the AC Hotel Soms by Marriott - was just off of. I'd just missed one, so joined the queue - at least there was a nice breeze. When it finally came, it was fairly packed, and there were a lot of us joining. Now, I'd watched what the guy in front of me did with his T-10.. and was fairly sure I'd done the same. So it was a surprise when the machine flashed red and gave an angry beep. The (Catalán) message said something about it being invalid. But there was such a crowd.. and I didn't want to hold them up.. and the driver didn't notice.. so I kind of got a journey for free. Really, I don't know what happened with it..
I stood, so as to be on the right hand side, where the hotel would be - I had looked it up on Streetview, so was fairly confident I'd recognise it. The driver whipped us along at a fair pace - it meant I was practically toppled off my feet whenever we went around a bend, but it also meant that I got to my stop in about 20 minutes, beating the Google Maps estimate. Interestingly, Google Maps and the official bus route website disagreed on the stop names - both agreed that the bus would pass through Placa de Europa, and it was the second stop after that - but I was curious to see who would win on stop names. The winner was.. Google Maps! Mind you, as I saw us speed past my hotel, I figured the stop before (Física) would have done me better. But never mind.
It was good to get off the bus - but I was now out in the sweltering heat and sun. Fortunately, I was under five minutes' walk away. The hotel is more tall than wide, built around a central lift shaft, and inside it's dark and cool. Which is good, as it took some time to check me in. My room was blissfully tempting - unfortunately, you have to pay to access WiFi in your room, so I had to come back down to the (24-hour) bar to get it for free. CNN is on the telly, with the sound down, and there's a selection of Spanish newspapers. They have these dinky little electronic devices on the tables, with a button you can press to call the waiter, another to pay the bill, another to cancel. But I thought I'd head out to eat.
It was around 6, and I was starving. Headed off in a likely direction - spotted the path I need to take to the concert tomorrow, but was too hungry to follow it, although I was tempted. I passed a bakery (breakfast! They charge at this hotel, and it's never worth it) and a small supermarket (snacks!). And when I passed the second closed restaurant, it occurred to me that I was too damn early to eat - it'd be early anywhere, but here they don't typically go out to eat until 10pm. So I headed back, thinking I'd tide myself over with something from the supermarket. But then I passed a bar that was serving burgers - and thought one would be nice - and then I got sense, and realised that the hotel also serves burgers. 24 hours! So I came back.
I settled myself with my laptop, and pressed the waiter call button. He came at the second time of asking. I ordered a burger - but they also have a few tapas, and I ordered the ham & cheese croquettes, which I love. And a glass of wine (one-size):
The croquettes were absolutely delicious! But they were huge, and there were lots of them, and I hadn't finished by the time my burger arrived. What the hey, I moved the two remaining onto that plate (well, slab). The burger itself - 100% beef - was fine, if a bit lacking in taste, but the accompanying cheese was gorgeous. The wine was only €2.90 a glass, so I had two. And finished with a chocolate fondant. And decadently charged it to my room.
Honestly, I'm exhausted, and rather glad I don't have a ticket for tonight's concert. Roll on tomorrow's though - and I'm dying to see the route there - I can walk in half an hour. Oh, and there's a massive shopping centre just down the road if I get the urge. Handily, I'm here for the last two concerts too, on Friday and Saturday, so I'll know the drill.
Meantime, I fly back on Wednesday, and am headed to People, Places and Things at the National on Thursday. Good job I booked early - apparently they're completely sold out now. The London Dramatic Arts group is off there on Saturday, so we can compare notes! On Friday, I'm here for the last two U2 concerts in Spain this year..
On Monday, I'm back with the Crick Crack Storytelling Club, in the Soho Theatre again, for an interesting-sounding evening called The Heart of a Hero, apparently with an Egyptian storyteller. And on Tuesday, I'm back with the World Music Meetup, for Varlden's Band, in Rich Mix. Long time no see this group!
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