The best laid plans

I was on the final countdown to flying out when unfortunately my mother died. I spent a week in New Zealand with my family, and rearranging flights and other bookings. It was a very emotional week, but I know my mother was happy I was going off on such a wonderful trip and I am sorry she will not be there for me to write letters to, and to show my photos when I get back.
After this experience, I will never use a travel agent again. I had to wait for their office to open after getting the news late on Thursday night. Then I had to wait all day on Friday for them to get back to me, and gave me no options for cheaper days. Fortunately I was able to rebook on another Singapore Airlines flight. I had a Spanair flight booked from Barcelona to Sevilla, and had paid extra to be able to change it, but finding the right phone number or email was extremely difficult. Mike got through to them eventually, but had to speak Spanish, and got no joy. So we had to book another more expensive flight. So, 2 days in Barcelona, one night in Sevilla then set off on the Via de la Plata to lots of small towns north. See how far I get in about 12 days.