a plop and a fizz

Do you remember this quite popular Alka Selzer commercial from forty years back? (Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is!) Yes? Well, I can’t say that I am plopping white tablets into a glass of water right now, but I am plopping down on a white bed at a hotel that, basic as it is, still provides a welcoming glass of fizzy Cava.



Oh, it was a singularly uncomplicated trip. There was that tight transfer in Amsterdam, but the last flight was then delayed and so we were fine. The delay was due to storms rumbling through Barcelona. The western part of Europe has been without rain for nearly three months. Finally, today Spain and France get the rain. I am happy for them. Between e.coli scares and the drought, farmers have had a brutal season.

So, we are in Barcelona. First, at the airport with the quitest and shiniest spaces imaginable.



Then on the metro, to the city itself. Oh my, it feels abruptly different from where I now live!

Perhaps the most difficult part of the trip was the walk from the metro station to the hotel. We trusted directions. They were wrong. We made a large loop around the area (a residential one)...





...and could not find our street. This is not a big deal if you’re just toting your backpack or carryon. But we are also carrying equipment.

Momentarily lost in Barcelona, with a slender suitcase, two backpacks and a portable canoe (and paddles of course).

The plop and the fizz now feel very very lovely.