Category: The Journey

God, that was a long journey from Birmingham.  There were a couple of scary moments along the way.  There was a realistic possibility of not making the connection from Paris.  Suddenly Galleni coach station appeared in front of me.  Though I should not have worried, the coach from Madrid ended up leaving 45 minutes late.  Both delays were caused by passengers not having the correct paperwork.  This is frustrating as in both London and Paris passengers have to check-in.  I thought that the whole point of checking in was to ensure was to ensure that passengers had the correct documentation to travel.

Still, I finally arrived in to Madrid at 13:15 on 29/06.  After allowing myself 15 minutes to get familiar with my surroundings I made my way to the hostel.  Surprisingly that was easy enough and I checked into the hostel with ease too.  The big disappointment was being told that my room with a private bathroom had become a shared one.  Still, it is no hardship as they are of a good standard.

After a couple of hours rest I decided to venture outside to have a look of the surrounding area.  I had learnt my lesson of last year and Vienna when I just rushed out as soon as I arrived.  I felt this might have been a reason for my food poisoning as I did not allow my body any down time.  After a meal and some down time chilling out in the common area I just crashed out for the night.

More of my trip to Madrid to follow.

Stay safe, stay healthy and keep on smiling.

Steve

My trip to Madrid started at 02:00 on 28 June. The reason it started so early was so I could make the first coach. To get to Madrid would mean travelling on three coaches.  The first coach would leave Birmingham at 03:00 for London.  The coach for Paris would leave London at 08:00.  I will then have to catch the coach to Madrid at 18:00.  I finally arrived into Madrid at 13:15 the following day.

The question you maybe asking is why the coach?  It is quicker to fly to Madrid.  I concede that this is true and I do like flying but I also enjoy travelling by coach.  I will be honest with you all, I work for a coach company and I do get perks travelling on the coach.  However, I do know people who work for the same company who would not be seen dead on a coach.

Why do I enjoy travelling by coach?

I strangely enjoy the coach because I find it to be more relaxing than flying.

You get the chance to know your fellow passengers during comfort breaks.  Some of the stories you hear are fascinating.

You get to see the scenery, some of the views I saw on the way to Madrid were truly stunning.

Tips for coach travel.

Bring along entertainment meant.  For the journey to Madrid I took my kindle, iPad, iPod classic and iPhone. Having something to view or listen or read will make the journey seem quicker.

Use the comfort breaks – by European law coach drivers have to stop every four to five hours. This is your chance to stretch your legs, replenish supplies, use the bathroom.

Sleep when you can.  One of the biggest drawbacks with coach travel is trying to get to sleep.  I find that I can only sleep when I feel tired.  This may mean lots of short bouts of sleep rather than forcing yourself to sleep at night.

Finally, when you reach your hostel just wind down for the rest of the day.  If you have spent nearly thirty hours on the coach the last thing you should do is rush around and see the sights.  You will be too tired to appreciate anything.  It is best to have a sleep and take it easy for the rest of the day.

Until the next time, say safe, stay healthy and sleep on smiling.

Steve