27 April 2009
The plan. Alarm at 5:30 AM. Leave the apartment at 6:00. Walk 20 min to the Passeig de Gracia station. Buy two tickets on the Renfe (train) to the airport. Catch a 6:33 train, arriving at the airport at 6:58. Check in for our 8:45 flight to Mallorca.
The reality. After waking at 4:30 AM, I doze off a half hour later and am in the middle of some vivid dreams when suddenly something jolts me into consciousness. Lights on. Look at the watch. Damn! “Ingrid, it’s 6:03. The alarm failed. We've got to get moving! Hurry!”
We’re out the apartment door at 6:11 and race down the street as fast as we could manage with our luggage in tow. We had 22 minutes to get to the station and on the train. Fortunately, we had scouted out the station the night before and I had even timed the 8-block walk, so I knew that a comfortable pace would get us there in 20 min. Unfortunately, we needed at least 5 min to buy our tickets and get to the platform. So we had to fly. Speed walking, we made it to the station in 15 min and to the platform with 3 min to spare! Phew!
The day has gone very nicely since this inauspicious beginning. We arrived at the Delta Hotel outside of Palma, Mallorca about 10:30, met up with our friends Alison (the trip leader) and Gabrielle, checked in, rented very nice bikes for the 12 days of our trip, and even got in a 42 km ride (which Alison led) in the local countryside.
More about Mallorca later, no doubt. The photos are all from this afternoon’s ride.
2 comments:
love your description of the morning's experiences.
a perfect RUN LOLA RUN!! experience.
also, i love the first picture with the ladies in three very vibrant and distinct colors
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