The REAL post

I'll try not to make this one of those blogs whose authors simply whine at the unfairness of this cruel world. I'll try...

My friend and I are preparing for a holiday in Spain in October. We bought our tickets a month and a half ago cos there was a special offer, and then quickly took up insurance coverage - just in case. Now, with 2 months to go the fun has begun - making real preparations for the trip. It's like preparing for Christmas, except you aren't setting yourself up for a fall on the actual day - you know, a home messed up after the celebrations, presents that don't live up to expectations.

We've more or less settled on our itinerary. These few years I've drawn up itis that are a bit looser - ie not the anal-retentive "9am we do this and this, 12noon we must lunch here and for how long" type of schedule. Just the name of a town, its attractions and what we can see on the way there, with options on where to have meals. But accommodations are a must most times - we don't want to find ourselves sleeping in a tiny rental car for the night!

Madrid accommodations are far far cheaper than Barcelona's - and with 2-1/2 months before we hit Gaudi city, the hotel we zeroed in on already has had rooms taken up! We will have to make concessions. Sigh.... We've got our wheels booked and at least a night's stay at a poshy parador that used to be a castle. I hope that's worth the splurge!