The Happy Pilgrim : July 2015

Trains in Spain are amazing. People told me that before I travelled but I am impressed. I find they are reliable, fast, and clean and zoom across the countryside allowing me to have a rest and observe the landscape at the same time. I wouldn’t say trains are cheap but, in my very limited experience they are around the same price as buses and unless you are fortunate to score a great flight (like my flight from Barcelona to Bilbao only 68euros) then flights are about 15-25% more.

There is train etiquette; passengers are usually quiet (unless they are children and they are tired of course). The Spanish people tend to talk loudly and excitedly and if you don’t understand the language it can be mistaken for being confrontational (but it’s not). So, if you happen to be sitting next to people “chatting” it can be entertaining. I guess they don’t care if anyone overhears what they are saying. First class is a little different to “cattle class” but having travelled in both there’s not much difference except in first class you get nice food and little hand towels to “freshen up your hands and face”. The price is almost double (but my upgrade when I booked in Santiago only cost me 1euro for some reason!) It truly was an offer too good to refuse! I can’t work out if there is a carriage where you can buy food. There is a sign to the WC (toilet) and a sign with a wine glass (so I assume so) but no one in my carriage that has left and returned has any drinks with them. I brought snacks and I always carry a ration of water in my backpack. Water is now the drink of choice because all the soft drinks taste different here (except of tonic water). I have one a day or two if the bottle is small and it’s very hot!

The landscape has changed again; there are mountains in the distance and rolling hills with lots of olive trees, grape orchards, sunflowers and corn. The wheat is finished and I saw lots of hay bales in the fields. It's not surprising as the train whizzes through the villages and towns, that people are utilising their land to grow produce. From conversations with interested folk on the Camino, apparently Spain's agriculture hasn't been taken over by "big business" and it may well be still a reasonable way to make a living. I wouldn't know this for sure, having not had the opportunity to speak to any local farms. The land does appear to be well maintained with a focus on sustainability. It may be obvious to some that my Dad taught high school agriculture and I also studied it in senior years!

There is something to be said about sustainable farming and looking after the land. It is dry, but there must be water for parts of the year and there are various irrigation systems including channels and sprinklers. I am curious as to how the olives are harvested (i.e. by harvesters shaking the trees or wholly by hand). The man sitting next to me is very polite but doesn’t speak English. During these curious times where I have a smart question to ask I find myself wishing I had made more of an effort to learn Spanish…. (Something to work on for my next visit perhaps).

Today I saw two ancient castles among the unusual hills. They were in ruins but there they were, “just like that” as I was admiring the landscape. Spain has a very long history of battles and alliances, Kings and Queens and conquering the world. These little gems would not have been visible from a plane and they are remote and not accessible by road so I am pleased I took the train in Spain. Both trips have been between 5-6 hours in the day time so there is much to see. I haven’t been able to take it all in but I have been very fortunate to be a “sponge” to the experience.

The little screen at the front of my train carriage (next to the television) tells me the time, the next station and intermittently the temperature outside and the speed. This is quite novel and I didn’t actually notice this in first class earlier in the week! The temperature was quite hot today and near Madrid it was up to 38 degrees outside. The train has beautiful air conditioning and unless you are by the window on the sunny side of the train you are very comfortable. As we got closer to Barcelona the clouds came over and there is probably rain in parts of the region. It’s currently 31 degrees and I might put my shoes back on and roll my sleeves down because it’s quite cool. The speed varied throughout the trip but I noticed it was 303kms per hour at one point! Where the line is straight we pick up speed and when we approach towns it slows. There are people getting off and on and now for the last 90 minutes, the seat next to me is vacant.

Train rides also provided me with an opportunity to write my blog (and for that reason alone it’s a very good use of time). I have found this time useful when I traversed from north (Santiago de Compostela) to south (Malaga). Then across southern Spain from the western side to the eastern edge to Barcelona. I will spend five nights in Barcelona and then sadly my Spanish adventure will end.

My final stage is visiting Shelley and Keith in Doha on the way home. It will be extremely hot and some of the activities will be limited due to Ramadan but there are lots of fun things to do after the sun goes down. I am quite accustomed to eating late at night. Having said that the last two nights I have returned to my hotel after a big long day of walking and doing tourist things and instead of going out for dinner I have had a nice cool shower and gone to bed! The heat is quite draining and when lots of things don’t open until 10:00am there’s really not much one can do but start later. What a fabulous experience it has been so far.

Signing off for now.

The Happy Pilgrim / Tourist

Written on my way to Barcelona on Thursday 2nd July, updates on trains since being in Barcelona includes:

1. Ride on the Metro (pretty amazing)

2. Witnessed a minor scuffle with a pickpocket and two Japanese tourists and quick intervention from the guards

3. Got a bit lost a few times

4. Was assisted by helpful locals and lovely staff

5. Accordion player on the train (raising funds for the livelihood) good selection of songs

6. And dogs ride the Metro and regional trains (it's very funny to see them on the platform waiting for the train! Don't know if my Cymore would be so well behaved?!

The Happy Pilgrim

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