2009-09-21 41 1
| Mon 21 Sep 2009 in 41,1: 41.2813320, 1.9599025 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox |
Contents
Location
Edge of Castelldefels [Google Street Map]
Planning
I will seeing Sagrada Familia this evening, so i will be heading out shortly so I am back in reasonable time.
Will catch train from Sants-Estacion to the airport, then walk the rest of the way. (7-8 km maybe?) Route: Carratera a Viladecans, cross under c-32 at Carrer d'Isaac Peral, Carrer Industria, then up Avinguda 303 --Xore 09:30, 21 September 2009 (UTC)
Participants
Expedition
Headin' on out
I left the hotel we were staying in at around 12:40, catching the Metro from Placea del Centre to Sants-Estacion, which is one of the major transit hubs in Barcelona. After a few failed attempts to purchase a train ticket to the airport, I realized the machine didn't take 20e bills (durr). I approached a few vendors in the station to try to make change, but they wouldn't take my money. Finally, I figured out from a guy at an information kiosk that there was a money changing machine, which spat out 20e worth of coins. I managed to buy my ticket and after a couple false leads, found my way down to platform 9, and got on the train that showed up a few minutes later. I was headed west out of town, and the time was now 13:42
As i watched, the city gave way to coastline, which worried me a bit, because I knew the train didn't go along the coast to get the airport. Uh-oh. The ticket validator guy came down the aisle checking tickets and informed me (I assume) that I was on the wrong drain (bleh). The one I wanted to get on left around 14:16 or so. Luckily he didn't fine me for getting on an express train that took me 6 zones out of town. At 14:10, my train pulled into station, my GPS said I was about 30km further west than i wanted to be. I wandered into the station and found a guy who spoke english who told me i'd have to wait for 1.5h to for a train that would take me to the airport. I studied the train schedule, and the map, and figured i probably wanted the next train back instead, which, about 2 minutes before it took off, he called out that yes, i should probably take that train. I didn't need to be convinced, and ran for it.
This train, however, hit every stop on the way back. This turned out in my favour, since there was a stop right in the neighborhood of the hashpoint. Had I noticed this in the first place, I could have saved myself a lot of grief. I alternated between watching my GPS count down to a more reasonable location, fretted about being fined for being on the wrong train with the wrong ticket, and watching the Mediterranean drift by on my right. It was clear blue, extending to the horizon, with wispy white clouds that seemed to keep off the worst of the heat. Or maybe that was just the trains air conditioning.
In the neighborhood
I got off the train at the local station, about 1.65km from the hashpoint, much better than the 7-8km i could have expected for getting off at the airport. I made my way to a small park where I stopped and ate a banana I had brought along, then made my way north, west, as the land gradually sloped up and became steeper. I passed through a large sandy playground, past some construction and an elementary school, trying to avoid getting lost because my hand-drawn maps of how to get there from the airport were useless. Finally I started seeing streets I recognized the names of, an turned towards the hashpoint with confidence.
At around 675m to the hashpoint, I realized that Wump, my trusted geohashing companion, had elected to remain at the hotel. I felt a little lonely, but continued on nevertheless.
At the hashpoint
Around 4-5m from the road at the top of steep incline, I reached the hashpoint, under a tree. The time was now 15:50, and I had successfully gotten to the hashpoint before 4pm. I waited around, ate an apple, and took pictures. A kitty walked down the sidewalk, and I saw a large dog take a crap in the bushes.
Going back
Nobody else showed up, so at around 16:10, i walked back to the station, caught the 16:40 train back to Sants-Estacion, and listened to an old man play the violin quite pleasantly on the way home.
I reached the station, caught the L5 transfer, and caught up with the rest of my group in the museum at [Sagrada Familia]
Unfortunately, my eee pc's card reader won't read my camera properly, so I won't be able to post photos until I get home. Sorry :S
--Xore 19:17, 21 September 2009 (UTC)
