Will y Christina, Barcelona

Week 44

Published on 2010-07-09 04:02:00

ChristinaWith the weather being so lovely, we've been spending a lot of time at the beach. Some people are right at home in the sea: they run up and jump in with all the energy of David Hasselhoff and they emerge, unruffled, like models in Dolce & Gabbana perfume adverts. Sadly, I am not one of these people. My approach is less carefree, more careful. On the rare occasions I do venture for a paddle, it's a right pantomime. I tentatively walk to the water's edge and dip a foot in to determine

Published on 2010-06-25 14:45:00

WillOn Wednesday night, we joined thousands of other people on the beach for El Noche de San Juan, the enormous party Catalonia (along with lots of other places) holds to celebrate the summer solstice. Anyone trying to get some shut-eye on El Noche de San Juan would be advised to try another country; not only is it a huge party – much bigger than New Year’s Eve – it is also the night of fireworks.     I absolutely love the fifth of November. Fireworks and bonfires look

Week 40

Published on 2010-06-22 05:38:00

ChristinaI have sad news: it seems that I am now too old to deal with the consequences of a night out and must resign myself to a lifetime of afternoon naps and BBC antique programmes. Where once a hangover was cured by a bacon sandwich and a can of Coke, now it drags on for days where I'm confined to my bed like a Victorian damsel, swooning as Will wafts smelling salts at me. Or fetches me a bucket. I have just emerged from a three-day, pastis, absinthe and kebab-fuelled hangover. This looks qu

Weeks 38-39

Published on 2010-06-22 05:04:00

We apologise, again, for not updating the blog. We have dropped the ball. Then we have picked the ball up and then dropped it again, repeatedly, until the ball became bruised and traumatised. The ball is now in care, where it will stay until it stops taking drugs and acting all mental. Not only have we not EDIT updated our blog not often enough, but there have been compliiants that our writing is become sloppy, too. What started as a noble endaevour has been repeatedly placed on the EDIT backbur

Week 37

Published on 2010-06-04 09:17:00

Will: Those of you who read the blog often will know that there’s a trainer shop downstairs from us that plays hip-hop, reggae and R&B, loudly, from 11am until 9pm. Here’s one they’ve been playing recently. I can write the lyrics out in full, because the same words are repeated all the way through:Something about you girl that turn me onOh, something about you girl that turn me onYeah yeah yeah yeah, turn me onYou turn me o-o-o-o-n, o-o-o-o-nI'd say they play this five or six time

Weeks 33-35 (normal service to resume with another post tomorrow!)

Published on 2010-06-03 06:26:00

Christina:(written Week 34)Last Sunday, I said goodbye to Will for a few days when he drove to Marseilles for a work assignment. As much as I like my own company, I knew I was ready for his return when I actually enjoyed a 20-minute phone conversation with an employee from a mobile phone company.Mobile phone lady: How are you today, Christina?Me: Fine thanks. How are you?Mobile phone lady: Good, thank you. How's your day going? Me: Er ... yes, very well thanks.  Will was due back on Thursda

Week 32

Published on 2010-05-07 11:13:00

Will:  A few years ago I lived on a small alley off Shepherd’s Bush Road. There was a park nearby, which enjoyed a enviable location between a large police station and an extremely cheap off-license. This park was a must-visit destination for Gentlemen of Leisure who, having checked out of their accommodation at the police station, would head straight for Best Wine and then the park, the nearest spot where one could hold the sort of impromptu liquid-based picnic that these chaps seem to e

Week 31

Published on 2010-04-30 09:18:00

WillI have always had a pretty low opinion of coach drivers. They are the losers of the HGV fraternity: not man enough to drive a lorry, not free-spirited enough to take to the open road as a trucker. But now, they have gone too far. As we approached the car park, it was immediately clear that we would not be spending Sunday at the beach. Where once the Astra had stood alone, surveying the sea like a green sage, row upon row of coaches waited, their fat, sweaty pilots staring dumbly into the mid

Week 30

Published on 2010-04-23 10:54:00

Christina:This week I had my first taste of pintxos, snacks on cocktail sticks which originate from the Basque region of northern Spain ('pintxo' means 'spike' in Euskara, the language of the Basque people). They usually come in the form of slices of bread topped with chorizo, ham or cheese, and the one I had was like an exotic sausage roll, if you can imagine such a thing. Pintxos are usually left on platters at the bar, you ask for a plate and then help yourself - a bit like a wedding buffet e

Week 29

Published on 2010-04-18 08:30:00

Will:This week, a warning: cyber criminals are everywhere. Give them a chance, and they’ll gain access to your computer and invade your privacy. I found out the hard way when, this week, it happened to me.             When you think of a cyber criminal you probably imagine a lone male, a geek turned to the dark side, surrounded by screens in a darkened room. You never suspect the enemy could be nearby, perhaps even in your own home.