We hit the pinchos bars in Calle Laurel

Sunday 15 September
Another admin day today with a leisurely breakfast of scrambled eggs in our apartment and updating the blog after some sarcastic comments from family – really! As the storm clouds gather and the thunder bellows, we head off at 12h for the bars and pinchos  We find many, including the famous ones in the old town and Flashy manages to order wine, coffee and pinchos in Spanish. Well, the waiters smiled and delivered the correct order, so something's working.

By now it is raining and not mainly on the plain as the song goes. We are forced to take cover in a bar and as you just can't stand there looking silly, we order more vino tinto and pinchos. It's hard work, but we endure. Home at 4pm as the bars shut for a siesta and a feed. They will reopen at 8pm and trade into the wee hours. We may be sleeping. Not quite sated  yet, we cook up a Spanish chorizo sausage, garlic and tomato pasta and try the 0.90€ vino that we brought at the corner store because, you guessed it, just like France all the Mercados are shut on Sundays! Hmmmm there's a reason for the price!

Sundays are obviously family days and there are no shortage of little bars in our neighbourhood and these are bustling with activity and frequently overlooking the playgrounds located at the base of the apartment blocks. Even at 10.00pm at night there are still babies and children all joining in the fun – Lady P wonders how they manage to get up for school in the morning. At the other end of the spectrum whilst the blokes are all in the bars watching sport, the women, particularly the well dressed elderly are gathered on all the park benches and pavement seats solving the world’s problems.