Barcelona, we've finally arrived.
Our original flight was from Taipei to Barcelona via Dubai, but following the February 28 US-Israel strikes on Iran, the travel agency spent the past few days constantly coordinating alternatives. At one point, we thought we might have to cancel this double-marathon trip, but in the end, they managed to work out a way for us to get to Barcelona:
Flying from Taipei with a layover in Dubai, then on to the Spanish capital of Madrid, followed by a 3-hour high-speed train ride to Barcelona—it took over 25 hours in total. Exhausting as it was, we finally reached our destination, ready to run the Barcelona Marathon as planned on March 15 and sprint beneath the Sagrada Família.
At the same time, there were unexpected bonuses: the high-speed train stations in Madrid and Barcelona, and enjoying the Spanish countryside during the three-hour high-speed rail journey.
A big thank you to Teacher Fang and our tour leader Eric for their guidance. Overcoming hurdle after hurdle, they catered to every eager need of all 68 tour members across both Group A and Group B.
#We were truly bold—while travelers from other countries were doing everything they could to escape Dubai, we actually flew straight into Dubai before transferring to Madrid. When we walked out of the Madrid airport, we were surprised to see a massive crowd of people welcoming arrivals, likely relieved and celebrating that their fellow Spaniards had made it back safely from Dubai.
#The 3-hour, two-station Spanish high-speed rail ride was actually non-stop with no stops in between, so there was no sign of the infamous pickpocket gangs.
#Spanish high-speed rail speed: 193 km/h to 306 km/h, constantly speeding up and slowing down, and surprisingly arrived 10 minutes late—definitely room for improvement in service quality.
