Angel and I took the overnight Elipsos train from Paris to Barcelona. The recommended arrival time to Gare Austerlitz train station in Paris is at least ½ hour before the train departs. We were anal and since we’ve never taken it before, we ended up at the train station at 6:30pm… when our train wasn’t due to depart until 8:30pm! We factored in rush hour, forgetting that it was Saturday (duh!). The train schedule is not posted until 20 minutes before departure for each train, so we decided to have a last Parisienne bistro experience at Café Austerlitz. Overpriced and not worth it! Well, it was worth it in the sense that we got to sit in a nice restaurant for 1½ hour I guess. We ordered a prix-fixe of steak tartare
and duck terrine.
I had been looking at a supermarket selling refrigerated packaged steak tartare. That’s crazy, I thought, for 5 euros only? Well, now I know why! I swear Café Austerlitz just took that supermarket packet and dumped it on a plate! The tartare was tasteless until we seasoned it ourselves.
When the train finally arrived, there was a mad rush for lining up. Getting onto the train is a whole experience in and of itself. You go through “security” which is really nothing but a metal detector. They don’t even check your luggage! We had to find the coach we were assigned, then the bedding numbers we were assigned. There were people who couldn’t find their box, and tried to get off… except that the train’s hallway can barely fit one person in the whole way!
The train room is incredibly small! I originally reserved a two-person bedroom, but those were sold out, so I was offered a 4 person compartment reserved for just the two of us
Angel complained about car sickness the whole way to Barcelona! The bedding looked suspicious and the bathroom smelled, so we “roughed” it by not changing out of our street clothes and not washing our face. :T Yuck! I had to climb up the seats to get to the electric plug
Upon arriving at Barcelona, and taking the short taxi ride to the hotel, we were supposed to meet up with our parents at the Starbucks around the corner. Long story short, we ended up sitting at Starbucks for 3 hours! I thought we’d have 2 whole days to explore this city, but it ended up being more like 1½ . It turns out the Barcelona airport was closed and US outbound flights were not allowed to fly in due to a new volcanic eruption up in Iceland. But of course Angel and I didn’t know that, so we were sitting there anxiously wondering for 3 hours where they were! We finally ended up deciding to try checking in to our hotel without them (the reservation is under my dad’s name). But lo and behold, we were standing in line waiting to check-in, and our parents come rushing by! They had taken the Aerobus from the airport to the hotel (our hotel is in a REALLY good location; near the Ramblas and the Aerobus stop). The Aerobus shuttle only stops in 2 locations, and Placa de Cataluyna is one of them. It is cheaper if you buy a round-trip ticket but the bus driver didn’t know English, so my parents ended up paying the more expensive one-way fare. At least it’s cheaper than taking a taxi! (25 euros from Terminal 2, 30 euros from Terminal 1, I believe) I’m just glad they made it here safe and healthy! The couple checking in before us said they were from Canada and their flight was delayed more than 24 hours! So their 4 day vacation became a 2½ day vacation instead… after flying all the way from Canada too! ;(
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