I’m now settled into the hustle and bustle of a port city 🏢 Fortunately, Santander is not too big in city terms and certainly more tame than Madrid was!

I’ve about a week here. The week is so I can acquire a PCR test, obtain the results and book the ferry ⛴️ A test result provides me with 72 hours to get on the ferry with a caveat the result is negative, otherwise, I’m back to square one!

Meantime, I found a new craze. Some kind of Spanish bowls (Bolos Tres Tablones) A mix between green bowling and a skittle ally 🎳 But taken very very seriously. The pitch or alley is located amongst the rising buildings just outside my Pension (guest) house. In between my alcohol (1 can of light beer … small!) induced viewing 🍺 I’d go off for a mornings cycle beforehand. Mainly around the airport and harbour areas. Along with a morning foot trot to the enormous Decathlon store. Decathlon is an obligatory visit anywhere.

The search for a PCR test represented something else. First, was a queue of people 🧑‍🤝‍🧑🧑‍🤝‍🧑🧑‍🤝‍🧑🧑‍🤝‍🧑 outside a medical practitioner. Eventually getting inside to the most dreadful receptionist you could ever have the miss pleasure to meet. Clearly she took great exception to my limited ie. non existent Spanish. Then to top her off I asked through Google translate that she (please) write down the details … she lost it throwing a pen and paper at me! All she got from me was obstinate politeness. Merely made her worse … I didn’t go back …

Eventually, I found through the web (magic) somewhere I could pay and then the details of the testing lab would be sent to me. Evidently, I’m also thinking I’ll never see my euros again 💸💸💸 But it did look kosher after searching out some reviews. Considering how hard it’s here to find an address I had to recce the day before otherwise I’d be delayed the next day. Good thing too. Took for ever to find a building amongst many other buildings 🏛️🏛️ with no signs. Then a similar issue in the said building. Test day and the two ladies 👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️were dressed for what looked like a critical operation and not just a throat and nasal swab 👃

Result came through by email the next day. I could book the ferry and apply for the UK arrival form to say where I would be heading too. At least now I could relax as most of the palaver was out of the way … FFS!