liars

our airbnb flat is on the 5th floor.  there are 17 or so steps to climb between each level so how come it's 104 to our front door?  ok, so the final two steps are actually down but, hello, this doesn't add up.  believe me, i count every one of these little buggers.

after a couple of days with estate agents it all becomes clear.  many of the old buildings in barcelona were designed to accommodate multiple generations of the same family plus their servants, all living under the same roof.  the first floor up, the principal, was the most lavishly appointed with high ceilings, ornate glasswork and large windows.  the matriarch/patriach lived here.  above that in descending order of importance within the family came sons' and daughters' families, grandchildren, mad aunties and homeless hangers on.  think the british royal family.  each floor had slightly lower ceilings and smaller windows, the servants occupied a shack on the roof which in today's estate agent speak is a "penthouse".  today with lifts retrofittted into the stairwells it is not obvious that the lower levels of the building were once the province of the owners with us hoi polloi destined to drag ourselves up the stairs.

one of the agents we've been talking to actually has offices in a restored palace (yes, really) which is breathtaking in it's opulence.  although airbnb does have some unusual offerings, our wee flat is not exactly palatial;  in fact at about 4 x 5.5 meters excluding the bathroom it's a bit tight, our kitchen at home might even be bigger!  we do have a large rooftop terrace though that affords us some breathing room and breathtaking views of the city.

back to the stairs though, and forgive me a bit of americana here.  in the united states storeys are counted from the ground up, enter from the street and you're on the first floor.  this is not of course how we brits do it but that small fact kinda spoils my story.  in barcelona though, enter from the street and you are in a no man's land.  up the stairs and you're on the "principal", up you go again and only then does one reach "el primero", the first floor.  so our fifth floor flat is actually on the 7th storey.

liars.