Moving Right Along

I have very little to report today since I spent almost the entire day parked in bus and train seats. And no pictures, either, since this morning I returned the cell phone I purchased yesterday. The new phone was supposed to be wifi enabled, but the wifi (which they pronounce WHIFFee here) didn't work. First thing this morning, before catching my bus, I brought it back to the store and showed the problem to the shopkeeper, who had been so helpful and patient with me yesterday while I asked all of my stupid and incredulous questions ('No initiation fee?!? Seriously?!?! What about the monthly contract? There ISN'T one?!?! You mean I only have to pay for minutes that I ACTUALLY USE?!?!? No way!!! ....' God I love Europe sometimes.)

Anyway, the shop owner and his techs tried unsuccessfully to fix the phone and when we all agreed that it wasn't working, he gave me my money back without the slightest bit of complaint or hassle. This is actually kind of cool: the way things had been going in Barcelona up to that point, I expected him to refuse to budge on a refund and insist that I mail in the phone for repairs, knowing that I'd be leaving Barcelona soon and basically would have had no recourse towards him. Instead, the store owner couldn't have been kinder about it. I could tell it disappointed him to void the sale since it was kind of a pricy phone, but he never hesitated, even though it would have been so, so easy for him to press his advantage.

While one of the techs was working on the phone, I noticed a beautiful Arabic wall hanging in the store owner's office, calligraphy of the word "Allah," so I'm assuming that the gentleman who owned the store was Muslim. I've read and heard on many occasions about the emphasis in Islam on hospitality and treating travelers well. He certainly demonstrated those values where I was concerned, and I was so grateful for it. My faith in humanity took a bit of a beating in Barcelona, but at the moment I most needed reassurance, I found somebody who treated me honestly and fairly when it would have been easy--and in his financial interest--to do the opposite. I really hope that his good turn for me comes back to him in good karma or whatever cosmic currency exists.

In any case, I finished at the cell store at about ten minutes to eleven, and my bus to Madrid was set to depart at 11:30, and it's about a 20 minute walk back to my hostel to pick up my stuff and then another 10 to the bus station. The crowds were so dense that even just walking on the sidewalk was slow. I heard the cathedral bells tolling 11 and I was nowhere near my hostel, nowhere near my stuff, and nowhere near the bus station. What worried me was that my bus trip was set to be followed by a commuter train trip to Toledo, the last one of the night, arriving at 10:30 pm. If I missed the 8 hour bus trip to Madrid and had to wait for the next bus, I might miss the train, and I might not make to to my hostel for the night. And all the decent hostels in Madrid are booked solid on Friday nights. Lateness would be very bad. As soon as the crowds thinned, I started sprinting. And I hate running. I made it back to my hostel, grabbed my stuff, and kept running with three months worth of luggage on my back. This is why I packed light!!! I knew it was past 11:30 when i arrived, breathless, hot and sticky, and totally disorganized. But the bus hadn't departed, so I pitched my backpack into the hold, yanked a bottle of water out of a nearby vending machine and raced to my seat, probably clopping a few heads and shoulders with my camera bag and shoulder bag as I barreled up the aisle. I'm afraid that today I was That Passenger, the one who shows up late, completely discombobulated, probably a little stinky, disheveled, with too much stuff, and who needs too much time to get seated. Oh well. At least I made it here.

Toledo is gorgeous. I can't wait to post pictures of it! Hopefully tomorrow I'll be back in cell and camera phone service so you can see what I mean. Big day tomorrow. Good night!