Madrid/Barcelona/Bern 2010-07-20
Well I woke at my usual 5:30 and started thinking exactly I was going to navigate the next several hundred miles. I had it pretty much figured out, but there were a lot of moving parts… pack everything, I should be good at this by now and I am pretty much, but it is so easy to forget something. The only causalities so far are my Athens visor and a towel that followed me from a hotel… I think they said on a bus when I got off… I have a new towel now and a pretty good tan…
So in order to get to where I am currently headed it takes this:
The 161 bus to macore station. The yellow metro line to Sol and the blue line to Ataco train station… don’t get that confused with the other train station. Many of the big cities have two. So I had to buy a ticket to Barcelona to make the train to Bern. When I get to Barcelona I arrive in Saints train station. I have to get to Franca train station to get my train to Bern. I think I can take them metro for 1e or a taxi for 15… we will see my mood when I arrive. I have over an hour and I already have the ticket… I might even walk. I have walked less than 500 miles in the heat so far, so I am due for a long walk… and it is ONLY 81 as opposed to the 99 it was in Madrid. Once in Franca station it should not be too hard to find my train. Like I said, I should be good at this by now… but I only have one pair of eyes and a horrible sense of direction. But I do have my phone!!! I have already put in the pertinent locations…
Ok, a little whines here about this really nice wicked (185 MPH) train. They played a move, Sherlock Holmes in fact. It is a very good movie… two bad things… one, no English… I miss English…. Second the guy next to me spent 20 minutes yelling into his cell phone. I finally told him to go to the dining car because I could not hear the movie that I could not understand!!! :> I could follow it because I had just seen it a while ago. The only English tv on in Madrid is news uggg! Btw it was hot in Madrid yesterday, and Boeing introduced the 787… my internet was not so good, AND that is the cable that I forgot. I will have to acquire one, but most places are wireless only so… my bad… AND most us sites won’t stream outside of the US… what up with that… I tried the Comcast site, where I am a member, but alas I was denied by my bad connection. I have not relaxed and watched tv for some time now…
The train to Bern is like nothing you have ever experienced before… unless you have been very poor with many, many children. With the bunks up there is no room for the luggage it is crowding us. I have a father, his son, and a Sweed who’s friends did not quite make the train. I met some more Ausi’s and this was their first train ride unfortunately they did not get their Europass stamped properly. After waiting for hours they were sent away and I am certain that they did not make the train. This train trip is already long. Fortunately I got some food and water as they said I should and will be fine. Also they take your passport when you get on and give it back when you wake up. I don’t like not having my passport.
More when I get to my hotel….