Yesterday we woke up in Madrid worried and fretful. Now I hear there were extra trains and chartered busses but the only information we were getting was that all the trains, busses and rental cars were sold out. We packed and left the hotel early to go to the train station to try to get to Sevilla.

Before we left the room I said, “we ARE getting to Sevilla today.” I was hell bent that we would get on a train or a bus or SOMETHING.

We didn’t even get to the train station. We got into St. Augustine’s cab.

As soon as we got in and told him we were going to the train station he shook his head and said No Tickets. They had just reported it on the news. Bus? No Tickets. Nada. I asked my mom to ask him, how much for a taxi? Mom said, no that is impossible. But she asked and Augustine said 400 Euro. We sat for a second absorbing that information. Then he said he would do it for 350 Euro. Let’s go, we said.

We took a taxi from Madrid to Sevilla! 520 kilometers, five hours. After we subtract the refund from the train and the money we would have spent on an additional night at a Madrid hotel, we ended up paying around 75 Euro each for a taxi to take us across Spain. St. Augustine spent ten hours getting there and back. What a guy.

So now we are here in beautiful Sevilla. It is warm and sunny, and it is the first day of Semana Santa. The church bells have been ringing like crazy and the processions will start soon. It is so lovely here my heart hurts. Friday seems light years away.

Last night, we went to the El Arenal flamenco show, recommended by Doru and Colleen K. We were seated front center – I almost got taken out by a flying skirt. It was colorful and passionate and we couldn’t wipe the grins off our faces.

Thanks for all the comments here… The train incident was a frightening and surreal experience. The knowledge that we could have been on a train and… well, let’s just say I’m not going to worry about too much ice cream any more.

This place is glorious.

We are back in Madrid. Today, we got on our train and there was a delay, due to security reasons. Well the security reason was a bomb somewhere on the tracks. We were on the train for five hours. After three hours most people left but we found ourselves on the train with a group of about 15 Spaniards who refused to leave and also told us we could not leave. (Essentially.) The reason being if we get off the train we will never get to Sevilla. The police came and negotiators and it was totally bizarre. The passengers were refusing to leave and it was a big scene with much loud discussion by all parties at the same time. Eventually there was no hope and we got off the train and into Atocha station where all the people from all the trains were stranded too. One customer service person told us we could get on any train (assuming there will be a train) with our used ticket. Another told us no way. So, we are in Madrid. We don’t know when we can get to Sevilla because it is holy week and every train is sold out. This is why the Spainiards would not leave the train, because they are pretty sure there will be no way to get to Sevilla for awhile.

We did not know about the severity of the bomb scare and how close we were to being on a bombed train until we got to the hotel. It was on CNN… the bomb was on our track and there was a 12 o’clock train, and then us (the 1 o’clock.) So, even though this has been a hellish and freakish day we are just happy that we are not in a worse place right now.

Onward. We are going to go and eat some fried seafood and try to chill out a bit.

Question: How do you totally bore 175 Thirteen Year Olds?
Answer: Put them in a room full of El Grecos.

Here we are in Toledo. It is like Venice without canals or street signs. Impossible to navigate! Yesterday we got very lost. Today we saw most of the sights. We are the only tourists besides 1500 French adolescents on school trips. Mon Dieu! Walking down the tiny street you will suddenly come to a wall of kids. It rained more this morning than it does in a whole year in San Diego, and some of these kids reminded me of myself at thirteen with the really long flared pants soaking wet to the knee and the scraggly long hair.

Last night we went to a wine bar that was in the Rick Steves book (got it in a trade for my own book and actually it has come in pretty handy here) run by a guy with a really long name which I will post in my trip report. We got there at eight and he was telling us he only serves two to four people a night. We are thinking now, he only makes a profit on two to four people a night, because while we were there we had three glasses of wine each PLUS cheese, sausage, pate, olives… he kept putting stuff out, then he poured us each a half glass of cava and the total bill was 11 Euro! And there were at least eight other people there including a guy who kind of looked like Peter Sellers who was staring at us. I will write the details of this bar later, because it was a special little place and the proprietor was very passionate (he said he goes out every day all over Spain to inspect the grapes, all for US, he was sort of dramatic). We bought a bottle of wine that we tried there for 14 Euro, that we will enjoy in Sevilla.

We are going to the Parador after I finish here to check out the view from across the river and tomorrow we head to Sevilla. I am praying for heat and sun because it has rained every day since we got here and I am a sun worshipper.

Tonight Miss Jaen is going to be on TV, to tell her side of the “Miss Espana contest was fixed” story. Later I will write about the Reality Show “Il Castillo” where Spanish TV Fortune Tellers get questioned by members of the clergy and a lady with a fucshia feather hat.