Thursday and Friday
Thursday, well we are off home tommorrow an lots to o today. last minute shopping, fags a nd booze to purchase, washing and ironing to cach up with, so not a lot of travelling or adventures today, just a visit to the tobacconist to get supplies for the next few months or so, but as prices are rising almost to UK levels they are not such a bargain these days, then off to the Supermarket to get some "own brand" cheap boxes of rosé thet we have puchase whilst we have been over here, €0.63 per litre and very nice drinkable stuff it is too, we will probably get a few litres to take home, the only problem is weight in the suitcases,. we are not very big wine drinkers, but this stuff was very nice and drinkable Most of the day we have been washing and ironing our stuff that has been wrn and thrown at the bottom of the warrobe ! then it`s paking the cases and early to bed. The weather is on the change now, mi afternoon and it is starting to blow up a bit and cloud over, looks like there is some rough weather on the way tonight.
well it did get rough during the night torrential rain, thuner and lightening, but we missed it as we were sound asleep.
Friday up early and out of the hotel before breakfast, for the walk down to the railway station, lukily we were there early as the train was 10 minutes ahead of the advertised schedule, we boarded and were on our way, by the time we had travelle three or four stops the train was getting very full with commuters and younsters on their way to work and college by the time we had got halfway to Barcelona the carriage was really crowde, but as we started getting closer to the city, so the train began to become less croweded, eventually we got to Barcelona Sans where we had to change trains for the airport, after a 10 minute wait we boarded the airport train near the front and of we went again, we were entertaine on the way by a couple of buskers playing jazz on a trumpet with a young lady supplying the vocals, quite goo they were too, when we arrive at te airport station we were supprise at how many other travellers were on boar, we waited on the platform whilst they all rushed past, were ha plenty of time, we joined on the end of the line leaving the platform,them heading for the departure lounge, a mad crush, we headed for the station buffet where we got ourselves breakfast of cafe con leche and boccadillo con becon i queso (white coffee and cheese and bacon butty). when we had finnised we headed for the departures and check in, what a difference from Manchester, no queue at the check in desk, just put bags on the conveyer, collect boarding passes and of through security to lounge and gate 50, took us quite Aa while to get there, and had 25 mins ofr so before our flight was called, I had disposed of the last of my euros purchasing a couple of bottles of iced lemon tea and 2 packets of crisps, over 12 euros, not cheap. on to the flight the weather had caused delays in departures and there was a queue of planes waiting to take off. It took us nearly half an hour taxi-ing around El Prat Airport runways, eventualy airborn and a pleasant flight back to Manchester, cloudy all the way except when we flew over guernsey, which was basking in sunshine, I was miffed that I could not get a photo out of the window, but we were almost directly above the rock, and the angle was all wrong for the camera. We got to Manchester and having made up most of the time we had lost and were put into a holding pattern for nearly half an hour, so all the time we made up was lost, we eventualy landed and made our way to the border control desk, there were only 2 officials on duty bloody, Cameron`s cuts, and joined one of the queues, when we got near to the front there was a sign informing us that "this queue, chippe passports only " Buggrit! we haven`t got those new chippe ones, so we had to go th join the other queue at the back, another 20minutes wait, a border control lady came out of a door way and looked at the length of and said something to the effect of "shit, look at these queues!, I will have to do something about this" and started walking toward the kiosks, she spotted me with my walking pole(reduced to stick size) and says " come with me Sir", so I grab `er upstairs and follow her, thinking "Hello, I don`t like the feel of this, what has she picked on be for " thought of body searches and other unthinkable things crossing my mind, the lady leads me to a kiosk with no queue, "there you go sir, this is for disabled people" Oh I love my walking pole, we get to the desk and the border control lady say to the girl in the kiosk, "We are going to have to sound the fire alarm and clear the hall in a mo, the smoke alarm is going off in the loos, some bugger has been smoking " "Wasn`t me" I says to the officer, "but I am gagging for a fag" "nor me " she replies, "but I will be getting one soon when the alarm goes off. You had better quick grab your bags and get out before it does", so we did. and we were the first off our flight to get our bags, we got out the terminal and I had a smoke,during which time the taxi driver phoned me to ask where we were, outside by the meeting point I told him, ok he says be with you in five, sure enough he was, then a pleasant drive home and WOW the house is still in good order, fridge and freezer stockred up. the Boys have done well whilst we have been away, not the usual mess we have got used to coming home to. It has been a great holiday, but it is good to be home, see the dog and cat oh and of course the lads, we have missed them.