San Sebastian.

I'm staying here for a while. I like it. I like it lots. Safe cheap bed with free option. Good food. Good money.

If someone had asked a very specific question just One week ago I would have answered "Spain is a very diverse country in many ways, but you always know you're in Spain". Today the answer would be "Spain is a very diverse country in many ways, but you always know you're in Spain unless you're in Donastia/San Sebastian". This is NOT Spain. It is so NOT Spain. Very unique for many reasons. I definitely feel as though I've gone abroad, but I'm not totally sure where!

Donastia/San Sebastian

From here on referred to as Donastia, or San Sebastian depending on how the mood takes me. It's good. Two beautiful beaches. One with half decent breakers for surfer dudes. Great food. Beautiful surroundings and stunning sunsets over the Cantabrian sea, or Atlantic. Not entirely sure exactly where I am, or what sea I'm looking at. Many people here seem to speak hungarian though. That's a problem. I can barely understand Spanish.

Left my mates behind in Granada once again. Travelling alone takes a bit of adjusting to. Things have changed a bit in Granada. There is no longer a self-service laundrette. According to a local journalist I spoke to all 'street art' will be banned from June 6th. No jugglers, no miming, no human sculptures, no clowns, no music, no nothing and me out of a job! No doubt that is the local councils solution to fighting the ever increasing number of muggings. Public spaces for the public. They're our streets. We pay for them. Why the fuck can't we play the way we want in them?

No such problems here. I am enjoying a great deal so far. May even pluck up the courage to dive in alone on the sand-sculpture front. It's a bit scary.

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning.

Many people ask me if I've read Laurie Lee's book. I haven't. So, I've just ordered a copy. Someone yesterday past on a Laurie Lee tip about the number of coins to keep in your tips hat/box/mat. Apparently you can have to few, or to many. Not in my experience. Perhaps times have changed. To few certainly. People don't like to see a failure, they like to see a winner. I'm more of a 'success breeds success' theory believer. More coins means more drops. Bigger coins means bigger drops.

Back in Granada. Enjoying the city as ever. To many parties to avoid mind. Planning sand-sculptures in my mind. Three basic elements; sand, fire and water. A few basic principles also. Obviously, the sculpture has to be good. Bigger the better. I'm looking forward to finding a suitable beach on the north coast to build 'Island of a Thousand Wishes'. Plenty of things to go wrong. I'm a little apprehensive, but excited also. Still need a partner/assistant though.

Hoping to leave for San Sebastian on Monday. This is Granada mind. It is a people trap!

Lonliness...

I'm back from the mountains. A few days of beautiful solitude - just me and the animals and a hot bath under a cherry tree in a forest dominated by huge chestnuts. Bliss.

Someone I met in Valladolid asked me if I ever get lonely. I do. But, not in the way I expected, or the way you might imagine. I'm more than happy in my own company when I'm walking in the middle of nowhere. Being several Kilometers away from the next human being is a very nice thing. The times that I feel lonley are when I'm in a comfortable hotel room, in a stange city on a bust Friday night. Not knowing anyone, or where the most sociable bars are. Still struggling with my Spanish in a noisy, party environment. Plenty of people around, but no social contact. That's when the lonliness hits. However, this is Spain. One of the most open and sociable cultures I've ever known, so the lonliness is a rare thing.

A few days of beautiful solitude in the breathtaking mountains of Ancares national park. Bears, wolves, wild boar with baby wild boar boglets. Peregrin falcons! I've never wondered why so called before. The "wandering falcon".

A few days enjoying quality company also. A very nice break.

All change again. New plans. For logistical, work and officialdom reasons, I'm heading for Madrid to get a cheap bus back to Granada. A few days there to sort stuff out then I head to San Sebastian to start sand-sculpturing my way along the north coast to Santiago. Hopefully with someone to help me. May not always be possible to sand-sculpture so, I'll be sketching also at times. May recruit an assistant in Granada, or may meet someone on the road.

Granada bound. I'll be doing my best to avoid the very strange Granada magnet!

Leaving Leon.

I'm off for a break in the mountains tomorrow. I'll be 'off radar' for a few days at least. Some people may see this a bit of a long holiday, but it is work. Enjoyable work, but work with long hours. Physically hard and mentally tough at times. I need a break, so I'm going to take one.

Thank you Leon. That was better than last time (without the snow). Great weather for the last few days. Fab May Day fiesta on Friday. Many, many friendly people. Tonight I'm off to the birthday party of the owner of the hotel I'm staying in. A rare invite - hotels are usually desperate to see me leave! Fellow pilgrims wanting a short stay in Leon and a break from the albergue scene check out Hotel Reina on Calle Puerta de la Reina. Lovelly people. Clean, comfortable. Simple, but from just €17/night for a single room for a night. Very nice place for that price.

And, I may have collected some nice work close by for later in the summer. I may be back sooner than planned.

I love Leon.

Oh, and thanks to you again :) Friendly people make cities so much nicer to visit.

Grey Days & Form Filling.

It's a little bit wet here. I don't care.

How to get permission to sketch on the streets in Leon:

1. Go to the townhall and queue for a 'solicitu' form.
2. Fill in said form.
3. Queue at the correct desk to get the correct stamp.
4. Walk 2KM to the out of town Policia Local building.
5. Get lost in corridors searching for the correct office.
6. Find office and annoy duty police man with his extra bit of work (he obviously hates form filling as much as me).
7. Wait whilst he completes a new form.
8. Wait whilst he takes it to another office for some reason?
9. Wait whilst he takes it to another office to get it stamped.
10. Go and sketch. Yay!
11. Smash head against brick wall when policia local tell you this isn't the plaza you asked permission for.
12. Go through whole process again hoping policia local won't think your wasting their time by being a total plonker and give you permission for the right plaza.

I also have a bit of a chesty cold. Doing my best to ignore all swine flu scare stories.

I'm off to walk to the out of town police station in the rain.

Leon :)

It's as good as I remembered and just as cold and windy as I forgot. Strange how memory can be so selective. But, I love this city. It is seriously the friendliest place I've ever visited. A few hoops to jump through to get permission to work Plaza Mayor, but I got permission and a blind eye to my photocopy ID.

There's a house in the mountains. It's an absolute ruin. No services. However, it could come for just €5,000

Not even I would be that mad. Would I?

Leon.

I'm here again. The city is just as good the second time around. I love it here. It's just as windy as the first time and rain is threatening, but do I care?

People to meet, work to be done means a break from pilgrimage. From here I head into the hills in about a weeks time. Then I will go back to Burgos to start walking again. Money and officialdom to sort out, plus some quality time with some quality people.

Talking of quality people; I owe someone here something big time. If you're still reading here and still in that shop you have a date you're not allowed to refuse :) You have absolutely no idea how much your kindness was appreciated last time!

Leon. Already done it. Have connections. Know the score. Sorted with a safe bed. I really hope the weather doesn't spoil to much. I'd like to finally make enough for a trip to Madrid to get a new passport.

Totally Sparked Out in Valladolid.

I am a complete mushed up mess of a party after party after party of a person. Pissing out of my arse and I'm pretty sure my brains are a bleeding :D Nice!

Fun city. Really fun.

Time to move on. I don't quite have the necessary budget for a passport replacement trip to Madrid. So, one final morning on the streets here tomorrow to clear stock and then I head straight to Leon for work.

Valladolid is up there in my top 6 list of favourite Spanish cities. It's not immediate, but it grows and grows and grows on you. I've met loads of good people and had a great time.

Valladolid. It's Growing On Me.

It would grow on anyone. This is a fabulous city.

Has to be said; there is a bit of a... erm... 'Conservative' undercurrent. Strange thing with cities like this (and London) is that the counter culture has to be better, louder and bolder to survive. Hasn't taken me long to find it and I've already met many cool people here. I'm loving it despite the expensive bed. I'm making enough to keep my head above water and getting invited to party after party. Thank you to the very nice people who invited me to their party last night. That was a quality night.

A night of performance art in a small flat in Plaza San Juan. Excellent music, poetry, animation and general entertainment from a lovely bunch from Spain, Italy, the States, Brasil and me representing (cough, cough) Wales! For my part I sketched each act until I'd downed far to much red wine. Then, for my main act I decided to introduce John Cooper Clark's best known to a new generation. I did the bloody version because I think it works better and I couldn't come up with a better explanation as to why I left the UK.

Another night, another party. Having fun here big time :)

I like Valladolid lots!

Thank You 20 Minutes :)

Permission granted. Yay!

I doubt very much if it would have happened without the article in this morning's free sheet. When I walked into the relevant authority office, all the women knew who I was. Very helpful. A bit of rule bending and I have a pitch to work until Sunday - right through peinte holiday weekend.

Valladolid is actually an interesting city. Waste no more time and get to work. See what my pitch is like.

Pledge to Donate to Charity?

Well, a man can only keep asking!

http://www.sponsorformsonline.co.uk/TheLostPhotographer.asp

Palencia Y Valladolid.

Another diversion!

Very strange few days. Palencia first; nice little city. If you're into your architecture, it's a little box of absolute gems. It also has a huge Jebus sculpture and a severe lack of diversity.

I had my phone charger stolen. Been trying to replace it for days now. Apparently, my phone is to old. 12 months old. An antique obviously, so please direct me to the classic mobile devices collectors shop for a poxy €2 worth of wire and bits. Not a fucking chance. I need a new mobile. I am suffering txt withdrawal big time.

The cheap hostals in Palencia didn't like me. Ended up paying €30 a night for a reasonable room.

Valladolid. Arrived. Sketched. Went in search of cheap accommodation. Found a very poor pension for €18/night. Very poor, but it will do for now. Booked in. Paid up. Went for meal. Came back at around midnight to sleep only to find my bag and paintings in reception with a 'you can't stay here'. WTF NOT! I've paid. We have an agreement. I went a bit mental. Has to be said, but eventually left without twating the fucking cunt big time with a a refund and small compensation payment

In search of another hostal. I followed advice from a taxi driver to a cheap hostal. Was not fucking cheap and it was not fucking good. Tired as fuck, I booked in. €30/night for the pokiest little closet I have ever paid for. No window. No ventalation. Just a bed in a poky box. Oh! And, a tray of munchies. No doubt they'll be for all the card toting suckers to pay extortionate rates for. Sure enough, a minute later reception knocked on the door to take them all away. "Sorry, the manager says if you don't have money I have to take them away" :D FFS! He didn't just take the snacks away, he took all the industrial sized arse wipe out of the bogs! Obviously thought I was going to walk away with that also! Besides the fact I just paid €30 for a fucking shitty little box for the night, the being treated like shit is also a bit crap. Fuck off Hostal Lima - you are arse wipe.

Valladolid. I can make money here police permitting. I have a feature in tomorrows 20 Minute free sheet. Possible local TV spot and another local rag feature. All lined-up as from tomorrow ready for the peunte holiday weekend. But, my website is down. My mobile don't work. Policia Local want a licence that may be possible, or may not - who knows? I have a few big expenses ahead of me.

For the first time since getting robbed, I'm missing my ID and plastic. Missed an important online payment with no cards and cheap hostals are reassured with formal ID as deposit. I'm on a mad dash to Madrid to get all formal again.

New phone = €50
New Passport = €200
New Boots = €50
Absess in my right gum = Could be very, very expensive :(

Lots of unexpected costs suddenly come my way. Hopefully, so do the tourists, but I'm noticing a distinct crisis effect in these parts.

Staying here for a week. Valladolid is a but of a weekend escape for people in Madrid. It has a beach. A city in the middle of northern Spain with a beach! I remain hopeful.

Panic! Help! Aaaargh! ETC!

Can anyone here help me? In return I will send a very nice sketch by post to anywhere in the world.

Due to someone else's curious cock-up and circumstances beyond my control and the theft of my bag in Barcelona I have just a couple of days to get 20 UK Quids into my PayPal account to make a critical online payment.

20 quid buys a sketch that is selling for far more usually, but I desperately want to get money to PayPal and don't want to 'cheat' by asking mates. Well, I may have to, but I'd like this to work instead.

Leave a message here if you want an original, beautiful sketch for 20 quid. Please. Thanks.

This Weeks Duty Policia Local and Me Don't Get Along.

So I'm off. Can't grumble despite the weather. Burgos is a beautiful city full of very friendly people. Met loads of good people. Any pilgrim passing through would do well to take a menu of the day at Atelier de Cocina on Calle de Jesus de Maria Ordoño - just a 1 minute walk of track on your way into town. Seriously good food and very good people. Tuesdays menu of the day is just €8 for 3 courses plus drink and coffee. Take your choice from wild mushroom and mountain cheese pealla, or pasta, or stuffed green pepper, or salad to start followed by steak and chips, or steamed red pepper stuffed with mince and rice, or fish of the day. Highly reccomend the apple pie for pudding. All washed down with a bottle of Rioja and finished with coffee for just €8! And, it is quality food with quality service. Why do people go for fast food?

Special day for me today. Long time since he died, but I still take time to consider all my father taught me on his birthday. So, small (or, possibly large) scotch and cuban for me this evening. Tomorrow I walk.

Less said about this weeks policia local the better, but: FUCKING FACIST CUNTS HAVEN'T YOU GOT ANY CRIMINALS TO CHASE, OR WORK TO DO? POLICE LIKE YOU DO NOTHING TO SERVE THE PUBLIC GOOD. PEDANTIC, LAZY FUCKWITS.

OK. I feel better now. Most of them are more than alright, but the point scoring pedantic twats are not the sort I like. Why the fuck can't I paint a public scene in a public space? Why?

Snow!

This can't be right. It's the middle of April. I'm in Spain. Apparently it is expected to snow here on Friday. Not even Three weeks ago I made the mistake of jumping into a river the sun was so hot. Body warmer was dumped long ago. I have new summer hiking gear and now they say it's going to snow.

I have a bit more work here that can be completed indoors. And, I've bought a nice big green umbrella to do a 360 degree Burgos, Plaza Mayor sketch on.

The local Dia supermarket has cheap coats for €9.

The Weather Forecast :(

Oh noes! Expensive rains cometh everywhere.

I have Two commissions to complete here in Burgos and would really like to collect payment before leaving. Just a little shy of my target. On the other hand, if I hang around and can't work, I lose money.

May just walk on through the rain in my nice, new, shiney, professional pilgrims nylon cape, or may stay and try my luck with a couple of 360 degree panoramic umbrellas. I know I tried this before with little success in Leon last year, but I was actually offered a fair amount of cash for that umbrella before I lost it. It is raining everywhere (again). Pointless trying to avoid it. Dry pitches here at least. Have work to finish. Or, just go for a long 10 day hike in the rain and the wind to Leon?

I'll sleep on it.

Fame in Burgos!

Thank you very, very, very much!

What a very nice feature. It will undoubtedly help my cause a great deal. Full page spread in the local edition of El Mundo (Correo de Burgos). Extremely well written also. You have a rare journalistic talent. May it take you where ever you want it to take you.

¡Muchas gracias!

Burgos is being more than good to me. I'm loving every minute here despite the rain.

Sunshine!

Yay! The sun is back.

Burgos is being unbelievably good to me. I have free bed. I have a free 3 course meal whenever I want. I have no hassle from police. No reason why I shouldn't comfortably save enough to get me all the way to Santiago.

Tourist season has started. It can only get easier from here on in.

What am I saying? Asking for trouble. I should be out selling now, but it's a lovelly evening and I'm a lazy fuck who would really like to make a few more social contacts here. Incredibly friendly city. Typically Spanish with it's chilled, laid back attitude.

I'm off to watch the carousel again. Seriously considering building one at some point in the future.

Another Wet Semana Santa?

It's wet, it's cold and the forecast doesn't look to good. Last year in Granada was close to a total washout. I'm not going to complain mind. At least I'm in a city with plenty of dry pitches to work. Plan is to churn out lots of small sketches of the cathedral to sell at the weekend. I have a free bed. Should still be able to save cash to get to Leon despite the rain.