The Cost Of Being Directionally Challenged

Now the true test.  Can I get to my new location without google maps directing me?  For some reason the gps was not doing the step by step guide(i.e. audibly telling me to turn here then here).  It was doing it fine the past few days, but today I had to follow the blue dot. Have I mentioned that I am directionally challenged?  So without being told where to go I know that I am already set up for failure. That is exactly what happened. Sigh…

I was doing good following the dot until I got to where I thought I was supposed to be.  I arrived at a bus station, but it did not have the number that I needed. But, this is where the dot is telling me to be!  &#$*#&$!*&$#!!!! I look around for a kind soul to see if they can direct me. I asked this one lady and she was trying to send me back to where I came from 10 minutes ago.  So I went to the nearest building. It seems like no one knows their city. He also sent me in the wrong direction. As I was going in the wrong direction I see the bus that I needed.  It was on the opposite side of the street that I original stopped. Man! I had looked over there too, but couldn't see the signs. So I missed that bus.

Luckily, there was another one within 10 minutes.  This time it was a bit easier. Pay 1.40 euro to get off in two stops.  Can’t mess that up. But, upon exiting bus the challenge with the dot happened again.  This is the time I wish someone else was with me. Usually they are more capable of knowing their north from south smh…

With a lot of turning around and guessing the direction I finally ended up at the train station.  Sweet! Unfortunately, with missing the original bus it made me miss the first train. I go to the ticket counter and show my phone and point to my location.  He wasn’t to happy that I did not know spanish. I get it. I really want to learn. But, until that happens sign language and looking up through google how to say key words will have to surfice.  

Well everything was going great.  Got on the train and off we went. I text my husband how I made it with little incident.  Oh the foreshadowing! It is a little hard to explain how it all went wrong. So when I showed the ticket guy where I was going it showed Marid something something at the top. Which now of course I know is the direction the train was going. But, my ultimate location was Cordoba. That is how the ticket should have been booked. Instead it was booked for that Madrid location. The first stop was Cordoba. But, for some reason in my head I thought the next stop would be closer to my hotel. What I didn’t realise is that Madrid something something was the actually city. Two and half hours away!  How I switched this in my mind will forever make me anger. Not only did I ride all the way to Madrid, I had to buy another expensive ticket to get me back to Cordoba. I realize in the end it was my fault, but I thought they would be willing to help me out.  Nope! The customer service did not want to hear it. They said the ticket was already used and that was that. But, there was no other way. Of course it was used. There was no other stop. I had to ride the train the whole way. I know I am just used to customer service in the states.  They would have fixed it. I wasn’t trying to get over on them. They could clearly see I just arrived. It’s not like I went out for the day in Madrid then came back with this story. Nevertheless, it’s all on me in the end. I think if the ticket would have said Cordoba I would not have hesitated.  It was a very expensive lesson to learn. Sigh…

I left that morning at around 9:30 am. I did not get out of the train station until 6pm.  Pure madness. And of course it was raining. Way to set the mood. Since I am real last minute with booking accommodations I choose to stay at a hostel.  It was the cheapest deal that was close to all the attractions. I also hoped that it wouldn’t be that busy for January.  To my heart's desire I had the room to myself. Yes! As I was checking in the guy at the desk informed me that Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos was open until 8:30pm.  It just so happened that today was the free night. I am always down for free!  Plus, I thought with the rain no one would be there. Great for pictures ;-) It was approaching 7 pm.  So I threw my stuff in the room, took out my umbrella(I always travel with a small umbrella-you never know), and made my way.

Even though it was raining it was a very lovely walk.  There was hardly any people out and about. It made the city very enchanting.  This was probably my favorite part of the trip. I don’t usually get to stroll around streets at night for fear of you know being kidnapped/murdered/raped/robbed. But, I felt completely safe. I was able to take my time and really set up my shots. There was probably a total of 10 people milling around. I would say I wish it wasn’t raining, but it added so much drama.  I loved it.

Since it was so peaceful out I decided to walk all around the town.  Taking in all the major highlights. So although I had a huge blemish on the whole day, the rain was actually the best part of my day.  Through the rain I was given an amazing opportunity. Another blessing popped up as well. When I finally made my way back to the hostel I ended up chatting with a fellow traveler that was in the lobby.  We ended up talking for over an hour. It was a great way to end the night. In the end my day wasn’t completely ruined. My hope for tomorrow was that the city would keep enchanting me. Fingers crossed.

​