|
  | |  |
Old Age Pension
Entry 148 of 164 | show all | print this entry |
|
We head next to Zaragoza, the place chosen to host Expo 2008, according to the bus stop posters and television adverts. Public transport restrictions coupled with the fact that Cadaqués is little more than a fishing village, mean that we have to travel through Barcelona. A ticketing system that must be based on the British model of public transport extortion, means that we just arrive in time to miss one train that would have cost us 20€ and have to wait 2 hours for one that costs us 57€. In return for this though, we get to travel on Spain´s answer to France´s TGV, Japan´s Bullet Train and England´s ... well Flying Scotsman, I guess. The AVE as it´s known around these parts is being linked to points all across the country at the moment and it was certainly a novelty to get on a train that is clean, new and that travels around 300kph. All this was good preparation for our arrival at what must be one of the nicest, newest train stations we´ve visited. All spick and span, its gleaming efficiency and strangely trampless concourse are a testament to how the preparations for the Expo are going.
In Zaragoza, people speak proper (Castellano) Spanish, so Virg feels more at home and as we walk through the streets looking for accommodation she even makes a few friends as helpful folk bombard us with directions. Finally we settle on an historic (old) Posada (sort of Spanish Pension type thing). The reception fills with a multi-ethnic, though slightly South American-biased group of construction workers, collectively bringing to mind, for some reason, The Village People. Virg tries to negotiate with the recalcitrant bloke behind reception whilst he keeps breaking off mid-sentence to hand out keys or TV remote controls to our fellow guests. Of course this is proper Spain now where men are men and women are...not. If I were doing the negotiating the guy would at the very least apologise. Not with Virg though, and as my Spanish is still somewhere between week 3 and 4 of the ´Become fluent as a Native in 3 Months´ book that I´ve been carting around for the last few months, I take on the role of grinning idiot whilst Virg seethes. Eventually we agree a price, walk up the grand old staircase and open the door to our not quite so grand, but just as old room. It briefly comprises: 3 single beds, one TV wall bracket (sin TV) and 4 lights sharing 3 dim lightbulbs. The bathroom has a tiled floor, that bares an unfortunate resemblance to the bloodstained cell floors of the S21 prison in Cambodia and all in all it certainly has character. We try to go to sleep to the sound of the Village People in the room next door drinking, shouting and (clearly) showing off that they have a TV in their room. In the morning, I´m in the shower when Virg fuses the electricity in the whole building by switching a light on. We dress by torchlight, bringing back memories of Laos.
A&Vx
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries from Spain and Canary Islands or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
52 votes 
