A Beautiful Series of Mistakes

By Megan

This is a tale of 'woe' that turned into 'awe':  We are still in Catalunya for now and we will begin at the notorious RENFE train station, early on a Saturday morning.  I was headed to Lleida with two friends on a day trip, and carried with me my camera, journal, and swimsuit (I have no idea why I carried that particular piece of clothing, but just wait and see how handy it comes in later).

Photo by Alejandro Gamboa

After all three of us had our tickets in hand, we ran for the train, but were confused as to which train was supposed to take us to our destination.  A near drunken, bear-hug attack by two rude men rushed me into hopping on the next train that came my way, carrying my two helpless male companions with me.
Thirty minutes later, we figure out that we were on the right line, but headed in the opposite direction, so we got off and took a coffee while waiting for the next through train to Lleida.  Okay, so now our day trip was getting longer than expected, but hey, noon instead of nine didn't feel too bad.  I thought we would have plenty of time to explore the city before heading back to Barcelona; no big deal.

Waiting at the train station- a common scene

But it just couldn't be that easy- Around 11.30, our train stopped in Manresa, and the conductor informed us that it was the end of the line, and that everyone had to get off and wait for the next train to Lleida, which was schedule for late that afternoon.  We laughed, although at this point each of us was secretly annoyed with the Spanish transit system.  A march up the hill into the charmingly sleepy city, lead us to the stunning St. Ignatius church, complete with stunning views of the valley below.

Art of St. Ignatius- Photo by Alejandro Gamboa

The market was open and completely worth the inconvenience of the train:  The local cheese and dried goods were as authentic as it gets, and made this vegetarian so thrilled.  A few cheeses, a loaf of bread, and some dried fruit later, and we were enjoying our provisioned picnic while watching children chase pigeons, and each other, around a rather muslim influenced neighborhood.
After some more waiting in a sun-drenched, tree lined walk way, we finally caught the very slow train into Lleida.  Eight hours after we thought we would be there, we finally stepped foot into the city.  It was immediately decided that we would need to stay overnight, so we found a hostel downtown, rented a room for less than 20 euro a piece, and bought toothpaste and a bar of soap to split.

Plaza in Manresa

We explored the city and happened upon a celebration of sorts where I saw my first of many 'gigantes' (giant puppets manipulated by a person who hides underneath the figure's skirt)- later in the year, I ran a race in Barcelona where several teams took rotations running while wearing the gigante puppets, but I digress.

'Gigantes' of Lleida

An elevator took us up a tower that landed us in Lleida's famous Castillo de Gardeny, which boasts panoramic views of the city, and we got to thinking how we could best spend our next day.  One of my travel buds suggested a visit to the ever-so-seemingly-close national forest, and the enthusiastic information lady at the inauspicious RENFE station reinforced our decision saying the trip was a breeze.
Forgetting that it was Sunday- important because most everything closes down on Sunday in parts of Spain- we cheerily jumped on the several hour train ride.  With the boys sound asleep, the train rolled through a valley, maneuvering itself beside a system of stunningly clear blue lakes.  And it just kept getting more and more beautiful, and inspiring until finally I woke the boys and suggested we demand the train to stop and jump in the water.  Just a suggestion.
We arrived in the tiny town of Pobla Segur and realized that everything was closed- you couldn't even find a place to serve you coffee.  Where was that bus the information lady seemed so excited about?  How on earth were we going to get to the national forest?  A conversation with the amused police helped us realize that getting to the forest wasn't going to happen, but that we could catch a bus back to Barcelona later that afternoon.

The much anticipated swim

I finally had an excuse for the bathing suit; so I dragged the guys along with me, and hiked back towards the water, through plenty of grass and mud.  All would not be lost!  I threw off my dress (suit on underneath) and ran into the water.  The mud appreciated the gaps between my toes and I enjoyed the chillness of the scene.  And as I kept walking further and further in, I realized that the water didn't get much more deep than my thighs, even after I was several hundred feet from shore.  Swimming was a far off joke- more like walking in a giant puddle.

Clearly, this trip had it out for us from the start.  Train problems, faulty information, and now a lake that was more confusing than disappointing.

Reluctantly, the three of us trudged back to town through farm land and caught the bus.  Even though nothing had gone the was we thought, it had all been perfectly wondrous.  And yeah, I would do it again, maybe even on purpose this time.

Next Week:  The Five People You'll Meet in Barcelona