Cordoba, 13th June

13th June 1999 Sunday 2330hrs. Hostel Cordoba. Without Hat
I’m now in a better mood than I was ½ an hour ago. Today Mum rang in the morning to the hostel in Algeciras (where we stayed last night, by the way) and was a bit tearful because she was thinking of us feeling off-colour, and she was upset because we’ve been away for almost a month now. That, whilst touching, really threw me – hearing Mum being weepy on the phone – my homesickness is ever present below the surface, ready to bubble up when called. To top that, in the rush off the train, I left my panama hat, to which I had grown incredibly attached to as a part of our travels and something that made me feel more 'me' out of the hundreds of backpackers we see.
Just as the Canadians need their maple leaf flags on their packs to distinguish themselves from the Americans, my hat was a more subtle (or not so subtle) way of declaring my differential in personality or whatever. I just know I'm really pissed off to have lost it and that I've given my address, phone no. and email address to every station could be handed in to, along with a verbal description if not picture.

I'm a bit more chirpy now 'cos I've spoken to Dave, and had a bit of a grumble, and he's had a bit of a 'You lucky bastard' at me. I guess over the last few days of seemingly non-stop northern rush, I’ve lost the ‘We’re on holiday’ spring in my step.

We’re now a lot better than we were, and for the first time since Imlil we’ve both eaten a fair bit today, if only Pringles, Pistachios, Twinkies and Principe biscuits. We’re debating having breakfast tomorrow. Pleeeease!