A Saturday morning in Barcelona. Early spring sunshine has brought out the crowds in the Placa de Catalunya and there are long queues for the tourist buses. So we (Mrs Rumbling Nappa and I) decide to walk a bit. Up the Passeig de Gracia to Gaudi's extraordinary Casa Batllo and then through quiet commercial and residential streets, heading for the mind-blowing La Sagrada Familia (above).
Our perfect Gaudi-filled morning is briefly interrupted by an errant cup of milky coffee which appears to have been thrown absent-mindedly from a window above us. It has plastered our clothing and has stained the Rumbling Nappa's new pair of trousers in a way that might suggest rampant incontinence. Fortunately help is at hand. A kindly local steps out of a doorway and offers assistance. The gentleman ushers us into the foyer of the building and produces bottled water and paper napkins. He even helps with the removal of some of the stains on our backs and clothing before hurrying off, having asked us to ensure that the soiled napkins and empty water bottle are placed in the recycling bins outside the building.
Having cleaned ourselves up it is onward to La Sagrada where we rejoin the tourist hordes. Then we return by metro to our hotel on La Rambla, stopping briefly to inspect the extraodinary street theatre that is an essential part of that world-famous street.
Hair washed and trousers changed it is back on the tourist trail. Indeed it is mid-afternoon before the Rambling Nappa reaches for his wallet (securely chained to his belt as a precaution against pickpockets), only to find that his wad of euro notes (some two hundred pounds in value) has been carefully extracted.
It takes a while to figure out how the money had been removed from inside the wallet. The moral of the story is that if you visit Barcelona, just be on your guard if you are splashed by an errant cup of coffee. The kindly gentleman helping you to clear up the mess might just be working to a different agenda.
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