Surely I´ve got something better to do than write a blog when I´m sitting under the Spanish sun drinking a sangria? Well I only have an annoyingly leaden sky overhead, together with a cup of bowl lossening coffee. Still, it´s good to be here.

Maybe it´s because I can only understand one in every thousand words, but the Spanish don´t seem to agonise over everything like we Brits do (or ´guiris´ to use the Spanish slang). I was in a sauna without the correct footwear on (indeed any footwear) and one of the guy´s who worked there  simply pointed out that I´d broken one of the sauna´s cardinal rules, before directing me to the sauna to spread my guiri germs.

It´s quite liberating to be treated with a vague sense of tolerant disgust.

I got the train from Barcelona to Bilbao. I tried to sleep, only to be woken by the sensation of my head banging against the train window. My head lolled and crashed in this fashion for 5 hours. I´m glad I couldn´t really sleep though, as the journey gave me an exciting new view of Spain. I could see why Sergo Leoni made his spagetti westerns here, as it really is like the Wild West in some parts, even when dusted with snow. The central-eastern Spanish landscape is pretty barren, with forgotten cities occasionally sliding into view. Every few hours Tatty Old Spain gets a glimpse of a high speed train from Shiny New Spain .

The trains are so good, I don´t understand why they´re so empty. Big seats which could be first class in the UK. Free headphones for all so you can watch a dubbed American movie about break dancing. I saw a gnarled old berret wearing Basque man sitting next to his gnarled old wife whilst watching New York kids break dance – eating a stinky cured ham bocadillos – all set against the backdrop of snowy Spainsh mountains.

Even though the Spanish seem to have embraced capitalism with open arms, the old ways are still rooted in everyone and everything. These traditions are mostly centred on food. The entire nation is obsessed with breakfast, lunch, merienda, dinner – and squeezing in as many pinchos as possible in between. Not surprising really, as the food often tastes so good. Even as a vegetarian, there´s plenty to eat. The potato omellette being my personal favourite.