The Ebro Story
14th May
Perth West Australia
Maisie and I planted the new rose in its big pot, at least I could help with this before I left. I was feeling a little guilty leaving her again for so long. We then drove to the airport for the check in at 12.30pm and booked in my baggage. I told them that they lost both my walking sticks last time,
"Please make sure that this one is not lost!!!."
They put three special labels on it, having stuck stickers all over the stick I then had to take it to another desk and that was to be the last I ever saw of it!!!
Well done the French airline!!!! The other walking staff is now modified and unscrews into three pieces and is in my rucksack. I had also wrapped my rucksack in cling foil this time. It got filthy last time and it helps you to know if it has been tampered with on the journey. We were up in the café upstairs by 12.50pm and had a nice lunch of pepperoni pizza and potato chip wedges with a yoghurt dip.
Saying goodbye to Maisie, I then I went through the barrier at 1.45pm for a 3.30pm departure due to the strict security measures! It was hard saying goodbye not knowing when I would be back! I was soon distracted as they decided I might be a risk and body searched me! OK free at last I went through to the lounge and found a camera shop and decided to look into buying a memory stick for my camera. I bought a new half a gig one for $40.
I looked out across the runway, it was a bright sunny afternoon, a bush fire sent columns of smoke high into the sky over by the coast.
I text Maisie about 2.20pm to say I’d had to have a body search! Chuckle, she said 'I bet you liked that – especially if it was a woman officer '. I text again at 3pm to say I was on board. A young lady passenger asked me to change seats so she could sit with a friend and I now sat with a Scottish lady and we chatted for much of the trip.
In Singapore I found the mobile phone wouldn't work after all the trouble we had gone through before I left with Phone company who had assured us it would! I had a long wait till 11pm but got my aisle seat j39, in the middle of the plane on one side. I took my pills trying to adjust slowly to the new time I will find in Barcelona. As normal it was an uncomfortable long flight to Paris. I arrived at 6.30am, here all was a bit of a mess, with a big crowd and no one to ask as to where or how to change to the different F terminal. I pushed through and eventually got the bus too F2 and I found gate F29 and caught the flight on to Barcelona at 8am.
Happy I now had a base, I chased about trying to buy the boots I wanted and after three different stores I decided that I had to buy something. I had found a pair the same make but a different model and one size smaller than the Spanish boots that had been so good but now needed replacing for the huge journey I was about to undertake. They seemed ok I decided, and they were cheap at 40E
My phone would still not work but I got a message to Maisie by email I think, just to say I was ok at 9.02pm.
I told her they had lost the B…. Staff again and I hoped to get it before I caught the train the next day to Tortosa.
the big guy and he was still playing the police officer letting go of a suspect. I, clasping my wallet, stuffed it into my trouser pocket and hurried round the corner, where I pulled it out and risked a glance into it. There was only 150E left and two Australian five dollar notes!!!! There's nothing I could do, they had gone and no one was in sight. 'Do what you came to do' I think to myself 'go see the Gaudí's building and hope you don't get beat up on the way back for that same Valencia street is the only way you know to get back to the damn room!!!!'
It was getting dark as I reached the building. I had seen it as a very young man, and now it looked much smaller than I remembered. Now, floodlit, it was very impressive and I wandered around trying to photograph it. Then headed back determined now to leave in the morning for Tortosa!
14th May
Perth West Australia
Maisie and I planted the new rose in its big pot, at least I could help with this before I left. I was feeling a little guilty leaving her again for so long. We then drove to the airport for the check in at 12.30pm and booked in my baggage. I told them that they lost both my walking sticks last time,
"Please make sure that this one is not lost!!!."
They put three special labels on it, having stuck stickers all over the stick I then had to take it to another desk and that was to be the last I ever saw of it!!!
Well done the French airline!!!! The other walking staff is now modified and unscrews into three pieces and is in my rucksack. I had also wrapped my rucksack in cling foil this time. It got filthy last time and it helps you to know if it has been tampered with on the journey. We were up in the café upstairs by 12.50pm and had a nice lunch of pepperoni pizza and potato chip wedges with a yoghurt dip.
Saying goodbye to Maisie, I then I went through the barrier at 1.45pm for a 3.30pm departure due to the strict security measures! It was hard saying goodbye not knowing when I would be back! I was soon distracted as they decided I might be a risk and body searched me! OK free at last I went through to the lounge and found a camera shop and decided to look into buying a memory stick for my camera. I bought a new half a gig one for $40.
I looked out across the runway, it was a bright sunny afternoon, a bush fire sent columns of smoke high into the sky over by the coast.
I text Maisie about 2.20pm to say I’d had to have a body search! Chuckle, she said 'I bet you liked that – especially if it was a woman officer '. I text again at 3pm to say I was on board. A young lady passenger asked me to change seats so she could sit with a friend and I now sat with a Scottish lady and we chatted for much of the trip.In Singapore I found the mobile phone wouldn't work after all the trouble we had gone through before I left with Phone company who had assured us it would! I had a long wait till 11pm but got my aisle seat j39, in the middle of the plane on one side. I took my pills trying to adjust slowly to the new time I will find in Barcelona. As normal it was an uncomfortable long flight to Paris. I arrived at 6.30am, here all was a bit of a mess, with a big crowd and no one to ask as to where or how to change to the different F terminal. I pushed through and eventually got the bus too F2 and I found gate F29 and caught the flight on to Barcelona at 8am.
15/05/07 Barcelona
Here I took a chance as I left the airport that is about fifteen kilometres from the city centre, and took a bus there. I paid on the bus eventually as the ticket machine would not work. A man did his best to help me in tying to get a ticket and he was even prepared to pay for me as I had no small change!!!! I got off at the Central. Just outside the below ground tourist office, a tout told me of a hostel and I took his card and took another chance and walked to it past the Gaudí Apartments and here was taken to a different building where I was given a room for 20E.Happy I now had a base, I chased about trying to buy the boots I wanted and after three different stores I decided that I had to buy something. I had found a pair the same make but a different model and one size smaller than the Spanish boots that had been so good but now needed replacing for the huge journey I was about to undertake. They seemed ok I decided, and they were cheap at 40E
My phone would still not work but I got a message to Maisie by email I think, just to say I was ok at 9.02pm.
I told her they had lost the B…. Staff again and I hoped to get it before I caught the train the next day to Tortosa.
I also said how I had seen Gaudí's apartments as I walked to my room and hoped to see a bit more of the city later and the next morning
.
I walked into the city again and looked at the Cathedral then set off to see the Gaudí's masterpiece. On the way a man came out of a side street and stopped me and asked where he was in broken English. Two men grabbed me from behind. I knew the game but it was hopeless as they said they were police. On instinct I had grabbed onto my wallet in my pocket but one-man pulled my hand out and there was little I could do. They made a play at asking the first man who had accosted me to show them his wallet and they looked at the notes. They turned now on me and the first guy ran off. I almost got away with it as there was not much in the front compartment of my wallet. The smaller man was releasing his grip when the big guy spotted the zip. Now the big man started to act rough. I saw my entire precious Euros go into his hand and he made a play at looking at serial numbers. I was still being held by the smaller guy, but I made a grab for the money. The big guy deliberately dropped the lot. He then tried to scatter them with his boot. I was fast, and praying I don’t get hit on the head as I ducked down and grabbed all I could get hold of and stuffed them back in the wallet. The big bloke had been off balance but now picked up the rest and seemed to put it back in the wallet that was still in my left hand. I now found I was free and thinking I had saved the day, hurriedly distanced myself. I could only see 
.
the big guy and he was still playing the police officer letting go of a suspect. I, clasping my wallet, stuffed it into my trouser pocket and hurried round the corner, where I pulled it out and risked a glance into it. There was only 150E left and two Australian five dollar notes!!!! There's nothing I could do, they had gone and no one was in sight. 'Do what you came to do' I think to myself 'go see the Gaudí's building and hope you don't get beat up on the way back for that same Valencia street is the only way you know to get back to the damn room!!!!' It was getting dark as I reached the building. I had seen it as a very young man, and now it looked much smaller than I remembered. Now, floodlit, it was very impressive and I wandered around trying to photograph it. Then headed back determined now to leave in the morning for Tortosa!
