Adventures in Train Station Sitting

“Arrivals” in Spanish is “Llegadas.”

“Departures” in Spanish is “Salidas.”

These are two very different words. With two very different meanings. Being able to recognize the difference between these two words, and of course, their English translations is key. Some of us, however, have come to realize the importance difference between these two words when it was too late.

Take this example. Imagine a sunny day in northern Spain. Pretty much as north as you can get without being in France. You and your husband are waiting at the train station in Figueres, and you have bought a ticket for Barcelona.

So, here you are, ready to catch your train. You dutifully looked it up in the website the night before and know that it will be leaving the station “around 9:45.” Of course you didn’t write the exact information down last night. Pfft….Details, Schm-etails.

You still need to figure out what platform your train leaves from. Easy smeezy right? Just look on the LCD screen. It’s a small station so there is only one screen. And golly-gee, it’s flipping back and forth between screens of information. Those numbers flicker by so quickly…but you catch “BARCELONA-SANTS” and “ 9:48” and proudly announce to your husband that you should be on platform 3. All set!

You head to platform 3 and sit, basking in the Catalonian sun, waiting for your train.

Time passes slowly, and then you hear an announcement in Castillan/Spanish that sounds like this (at least this is what it sounds like if you don’t understand the majority of Castillan/Spanish. “Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, BARCELONA-SANTS, Blah, Blah, Blah, Platform 1.”

“Hmmm,” you think to yourself, “That train must be ARRIVING from BARCELONA-SANTS. I will continue to wait at Platform 3.”

People are getting off the train now.

You exchange nervous looks with your husband.

People are getting on the train now.

You both open your mouths about to say something. …then “WHOOOOOOSH,” the train is gone.

Simultaneously, you both wonder aloud if that was indeed your train, and upon further investigation, you discover that yes, it was your train, and that the screen with the flickering information? The screen you had been looking at was for arrivals, and the screen you should have been looking at was for departures. Those flickering screens of numbers and letters at train stations are important - get to know them. And if not?

Be prepared to spend an extra couple hours at a sunny train station.