Well, the flat in which I found myself was not the one which had been featured in the pages. It turned out that the host had moved. She did not notify airbnb either, as their reminders of the forthcoming stay kept arriving still with the old, indeed sunny picture, and the old address.

There was thus no way for me to see where I was going to stay, and no time to look for alternatives, as I realised two weeks before the trip.

If I had known that the room would be tiny, the host working from home, that for the shower there would be a wee cabin without a door, only a shower curtain, that there would be no kettle in the house, and the first thing my host would be telling me that 'it is very very clean, so here is the mop, this is how to use it, use it if you need, and then put it back here; if you boil water (in a sauce pan), clean everything and tidy it away, as there are several of us here', and if indeed I had known that there would more people staying in the same falt - I would not have booked this flat.

Further, from my correspondence SIlvia knew that I was in Barcelona for a conference - so she emailed me asking to confirm my stay 'as soon as possible, as there were more people, travelling for the same conference, who had approached her, but she would honour our agreement since I was the first'. Now, 90 per cent of the people attending the conference were from the University of Barcelona, the remaining few could not all have desired this one flat, not to mention that for conferences, people very rarely stay in airbnb accommodation. For me, this was the first time, I was thinking along the lines of a cultural experience.

She was not happy with me arriving when i did, because she had mixed up the time of the arrival, but nonetheless let me know that 'she had been waiting and waiting', and somehow this was my fault. She helped me with my suitcase, then wondered why I needed 'such a heavy suitcase for just a few days'.

The sound of the traffic kept me awake all night.

I had to move the next day, the money has been lost - but I am grateful for the links to the principal attractions in Barcelona which Silvia had sent. They have been most useful.

I would also like to add that the kitchen which is featured in the pictures accompanying the description of the flat in the airbnb pages IS NOT THE KITCHEN IN THE ACTUAL FLAT!! In the flat, it is a tiny, cupboard-sized space, with NO KETTLE, leave alone other equipment (FEATURED IN THE PICTURES).