What I don't like ... and do like

1) Is going to the electricity agency (ie the firm that handles connections, and bill problems on behalf of Sevillana Endesa), clearly writing out the address I want bills sent to and not receiving them.

On the second visit, I discover that Ms Very Nice and Smiley but totally clueless, has added the Spanish postcode to my Gibraltar address, and neatly stuck Spain on the end of the address. No, dear. Gibraltar is NOT in Spain, however much Spain wants.

Hardly surprising I didn't receive the bills.

2) Sending an email to Sevillana Endesa to ask them to sort out the problem with receiving bills, and receiving an automated response that says 'You will receive a personalised response shortly.'

I don't know what their idea of 'shortly' is, but obviously it doesn't include within two weeks as I still haven't had a reply.

3) Going to the bar in the bus station for an omelette and chips, a beer and discovering the bill is 7.50€! At a rate of £1:1€ that is a pretty dear omelette and chips.

That last time I had it, it was a plata combinada and was really good value - I paid around 5€ for everything. This time, it was 4.75€ for the omelette and chips, 1.75 for a tubo of beer - AND - 1€ for a stale bit of bread. Since when did a stale bit of bread become an extra euro?


But what I do like is.....

1) Going to a different bar and when asking if a tapa contained fish or meat, the camarero said no. But then he decided to double-check with his colleague, who said he thought there were some tiny bits of fish in there.

2) Asking for some of those tiny grissini things - which apparently are called picos in Spanish - and being given a handful and could have had more, for no extra charge. A huge salad, picos, glass of white rioja for around 6.50€. Take note, bus station bar.

3) Waiting for the bus to La Linea, which had moved from the platform marked on my ticket to the next one down (always best to check the noticeboard) - and then being accosted by one of the bus company staff to tell us that the bus was actually at a different platform again.

Nice to know people have some responsibility and try and make sure you don't miss the bus.

And finally while everyone living in Spain is still moaning about the exchange rate - 1.02/1.03€ to the pound down Main Street the other day - Giblife is now no more expensive than Spain, and cheaper in a lot of respects.

The shelves in Morrisons in Gib seem to be depleted half the time, as so many of the cross-border workers are now shopping there instead of buying food in Spain, as their pounds go further in Gibraltar rather than exchanging them for euros and shopping in Spain.

But I still buy my veg from one of the local shops which tends to reflect Spanish seasons rather than British supermarket vegetables. Fresh peas £2.50-3.00 a kilo.