In transit in Madrid

8pm Friday Madrid

I have just witnessed an extraordinary army of Spanish Railways personnel preparing a train for the next sector of its journey. In theory, the train from Malaga to Barcelona is a direct service; in practice, transit passengers stay on board while the yellow-clad army whizz through, leaving everything spotless for the next bit of the journey. That even means turning all the seats around to face the direction of travel – causing great confusion to an elderly Spanish gentleman and two German students who hadn’t a clue what was going on. Luckily I was able to translate and nobody ended up sitting the wrong way round.

Checking in for the train is just one reason why I favour rail travel. Your bags are scanned in the flash of an eye, check in is done politely and efficiently and the transit from platform to the smiling welcome of the hostess at the carriage door must take all of 2 minutes. How nice it is not to have the stress of a typical airport check in!

The journey to Madrid, at speeds of up to 300 Km´s an hour, just flashed by. The newest AVE (High speed train), has such good soundproofing, the journey is almost silent. Apart, that is, from chattering Spaniards. Boy, how they love to chat.

The standard of catering was disappointing. I later learn that the advertised dinner is to be served between Madrid and Zaragoza. For the two and a half hour journey to Madrid, RENFE managed only a pitifully tiny sandwich, a beer and a cup of coffee. Even the gin and tonic didn’t come round till late in the journey, which seemed a bit odd.

Now my almost private train is filling up with all sorts of new folk. It’s Friday evening, Madrid is heading for the seaside for the weekend and even First Class is packed.

The enormity of it sets in...

Thursday 31 July 10am

(Click on box above for map of route)

One of my colleagues at work heard me talking about my trip. I mentioned some of the places I was going; Paris, Warsaw, Prague, Berlin. But it was not until I produced the map of my journey that he could grasp the enormity of it. I must confess that, until I had plotted the actual route, neither had I!

The complexity of it means that, apart from slotting information into folders, I will not actually do the destination research until I am on the train heading towartds the city. Otherwise, to be honest, one city becomes like another. I have enough trouble trying to remember where I have been or what tram went where, without it all becoming jumbled up in my brain.

The downside of this approach is, of course, that I may well forget to take something. This evening, when the packing gets sorted, maybe I will begin to realise.......

Preparation

Wednesday July 30

For three months now, I have been preparing for the trip I have been planning to do for many years.

Pictured at Malaga Station before the trip


It's a rail journey round Europe.

On paper, it all sounds very easy, but it's been like a military operation trying to plan it.

But the last bits of information are here from the various tourist boards, almost all the train journeys have been booked and the Thomas Cook rail map and timetables already look very well thumbed indeed.

A day at work tomorrow, then the, as always, last minute panic to decide what will have to stay at home and what I will absolutely NEED on my travels.

A kettle, absolutely! A jacket, hopefully not. Passport.

Oh my god!