Príncipe Pío

We took the stopping train to Madrid, three times slower than the fastest service but a quarter of the price. I love the trains here. It's getting a ticket and getting on board where the problem lies. Our long journey home was smooth, with everything on time. The only hiccup was here, at Príncipe Pío, where we decided to get the train to the airport rather than Metro. The station is on three levels and we could see our train on the middle level, only a few yards away. But could we get to it? None of the barriers on our level would accept our ticket. There was no one around to offer assistance. We found the information desk, to be informed that we had to go up to the top level. Once again, none of the machines would accept our ticket, until eventually we were directed to a far corner, where some different machines were located. E was granted access but I still couldn't get through. Finally, assistance arrived and a gate was opened for me. We then had to find our way back down to the level from which we'd just come. It was mad. The train was gone by then, but the service was frequent enough not to cause anxiety - for me, at least! It meant I had some time to do some photography. There are so many wonderful angles.