We arrived at one of the biggest train stations in Barcelona, if not the biggest. As we were walking through to the metro side, I wondered to myself When is the last train back to Sitges? I didn’t see anything remotely helpful… not even the word Sitges… on any of the reader boards we passed. So I posed my question aloud. All I got then was a brief lecture on planning. I walked away from that and marched up to a desk touting in English that it was the place for brief questions. The answer to my first brief question Do you speak English? was not really. Not a promising start. So I plowed ahead and asked when the last train is to Sitges. Platform 9. What time? platform 9. is free. Is not helpful. I was beyond mad. I pointed angrily at my wrist WHAT TIME? platform 9.
I gave up on the information desk and walked over to an automated ticket machine. I figured I’d just try to buy the last ticket to Sitges. It didn’t have Sitges in as a destination. Some woman who’s part of a force of helpers tried to offer assistance. All she offered was more frustration; she had no clue what we were trying to accomplish.
Finally we just left the train station and figured that we were too tired to be out late enough for the trains to have stopped running anyway.
What a fine welcome to Barcelona.