Here we go again

I’m in Barcelona. I nearly didn’t make it. I pushed my luck a little too far this morning by trying to get two bags through the hand luggage x-ray machine. I tried to look innocent but the highly skilled bag pusher was having none of it. So, I marched back to the start again feeling like I’d hit a snake and was sent back to square one.

Then, when I got back in line, I realised I had just 15 minutes to find the plane. In a good, solid, and probably healthy non-British way I pushed in at the front, with my shoes in my hand ‘pilgrim’ like. Then I legged it to gate 14, dropping and kicking my mobile phone ahead of me and picking it up in a single-motion scoop as I negotiated a turn. Impressive for a man, and a smoker nonetheless, of my age.

But I’m here anyway. No idea where ‘here’ is although I had someone put a cross on my city map for me, but for taxi’s I hand over the hotel business card and hope for the best.

Can’t say I’ve seen much of Barcelona. Just a big road and the casino. The first looks dangerous, the second looks like any other casino. Bright in parts, dark in other, miserable through and through. Or is that just me?

But anyway, due to an administrative oversight on the part of the organisers, and the casino too, play doesn’t start until 5pm tomorrow. This means a 6am finish before we do it all again for three more days.

But enough of that. At least it leaves some time to look around. And walking out of the casino tonight in the wrong direction I hit a beach. That must be good. But either way right now I just want to get it over with. My head hurts. My chest hurts and I can’t work out how to close the automatic window blinds. I need food, drink, rest and only then might this ordeal seem manageable. Until then we’ll see how it goes.