Necessary Characteristics of Life in Spain - Part 1

If you are considering moving to Spain (or any other foreign country) I have decided there are at least two required characteristics..... 1) the ability to laugh at yourself and 2) strong legs.   If in doubt, read on - if the next two stories don't convince you of that.... then you might need to laugh a little more.

Monday I needed to go to Madrid and it was also my language tutor day.  My tutor lives between me and Madrid so I offered to go to her house instead of her come to mine (allowed me to get to Madrid quicker).  She called and gave me bus directions and I felt prepared.  I was slightly worried about getting off the bus at the right stop, but had practiced the language needed to ask the driver to help me and had even looked at google map street view for the bus stop location so that I would know exactly where I was going.... however the problem wasn't on the end of getting off the bus - it was at the beginning - getting on the bus.

It should take about 40 minutes to get to her house, so I left at about 9:15 (needed to be there at 10:30).  All along, I thought if I get to her town early, I'll just stop for coffee first.  Uh, should maybe have thought about lunch instead. 

Apparently (uh, duh!) you should read all 3 numerals on the bus numbers at a bus stop.  I needed bus 223 - but went to our common bus stop where I knew for sure there was a green bus (green buses cross communities, red buses stay in your town - this will be important again in a minute).  I knew it started with 22, so of course it would be 223 - uh no - after standing there for about 5 mintues I decided to read the sign just to double check - it was a bus stop for 227 - uh oh!  But where was the 223 bus stop?

So, I walked back to the apartment and grabbed the bus map.  I found bus 223's route and looked for the closest bus stop - or so I thought.  I grabbed another local bus and took it to where I expected to catch bus 227 now - however, those bus colors were now important.  On the bus map there are dots where all the bus stops are.  I found a dot (but was red, and remember I need a green bus) along the 223 route and walked to it (about a 5 minute walk), and although I am a slow learner I do learn, so I immediately read the sign and there were no green #s - relooked at map to double check and found that the stop only had red dots - apparently if you want a green bus you need a green dot on the map.

So, searching the map for the nearest green dot along 223's route, I discover it is about a 15 minute walk back the other direction.... ugh!  Off I go and pray all along the way I don't see a 223 bus pass me -

Well, God answered that prayer, but I didn't pray quite specific enough because as I turned the corner to the bus station (where all buses that are going to Madrid originate) I see the #s 223 on the back of a bus and I begin to sigh in relief, until I realize that bus is moving..... out of the station and on the way to Madrid, without me.

It is now 10:30 - yes, an hour and fifteen minutes later and I am still in my town, so I call my tutor, tell her I'll be a little late (this bus only runs every 30 minutes... so maybe a little more late than a "little"), go into a coffee shop and grab a cup of coffee and a chocolate neopolitan (because chocolate always makes laughing a little easier) and stand firmly at the bus stop pole with my eyes glued in the direction the bus will be coming.

Finally the bus comes, I get on, find the right stop and arrive at tutoring - unfortunately it was now 11:30 - it only took 2 hours and 15 minutes to get to her house.... at least she had hot tea to warm me up (did I forget to mention it was about 35 degrees and raining this whole time?) and we had a great language lesson.

What did I tell you - you definitely need to be able to laugh at yourself and have strong legs - the day would have been a total waste without those two characteristics.....

Wait until tomorrow's post - you'll get to laugh about an entire pig's shoulder and me.