On the evening of June 23rd, Catalonians and many many tourists celebrate midsummer. Despite it being almost the shortest night of the year for me it felt like the longest. As a committed stick-in-the-mud I was trying to sleep and the noise from the music and what seemed to be non-stop bangers being let off all night prevented sleep for most of the night.
The next day, Tuesday, I took a train into Barcelona with the intention of doing some shopping. Only when I got there did I discover that the cunning Catalonians have tagged on another holiday (this time to mark the birth of St John the Baptist) so that they could rest after the revelries of the night before. This meant that all the shops were closed. Apart from restaurants and cafes. A wasted trip. Even a trip to McDonald's failed to lift my spirits. Never mind, such is life.
It is the time of the year for French Air Traffic Controllers to go on strike again and cause chaos all over Europe. I have read that they have been joined now by the Belgian Air Traffic Controllers. I hope both sets of employers capitulate soon, as they do every year, otherwise my flight back to Stansted on Saturday will be in jeopardy. I could face a long train journey up through Spain and France and through the Chunnel. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
For a video clip I thought perhaps Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé singing Barcelona. Enjoy!
The next day, Tuesday, I took a train into Barcelona with the intention of doing some shopping. Only when I got there did I discover that the cunning Catalonians have tagged on another holiday (this time to mark the birth of St John the Baptist) so that they could rest after the revelries of the night before. This meant that all the shops were closed. Apart from restaurants and cafes. A wasted trip. Even a trip to McDonald's failed to lift my spirits. Never mind, such is life.
It is the time of the year for French Air Traffic Controllers to go on strike again and cause chaos all over Europe. I have read that they have been joined now by the Belgian Air Traffic Controllers. I hope both sets of employers capitulate soon, as they do every year, otherwise my flight back to Stansted on Saturday will be in jeopardy. I could face a long train journey up through Spain and France and through the Chunnel. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
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