On Monday I experienced Spanish CHAOS! This was the first time in over ten years that snow had actually fallen in the city of Barcelona. There had been the occasional snow flake to hit the ground in the last few years, but never snow like this.
My day started off pretty normally. The alarm went off at 7am. I hit the snooze button at five or six times before crawling out of bed to start yet another busy week. On my way to the kitchen and to a much needed cup of coffee I noticed a rather strange looking rain passing the window. Thinking it was left-over "sleep" in my eyes; I gave them a good rub and moved closer to the window. WTF!! It's snowing! I had heard that if it were to be snow in Barcelona, Sant Cugat would be the place to get it. After taking a few photos I made my way off to work. Everything was running smoothly and by the time I reached work, there was no longer any sign of snow.
Monday progressed at its usual sluggish pace. At around noon the first hints of snowfall was evident. By 3pm this had developed into a full blown blizzard (by Barcelona standards anyway). By 4.30pm most of the staff had headed for home and by 5pm, those attempting to drive uphill were only sliding back down. I finally left the office at 7pm after Spanish classes and headed for the Metro.
By now I had received a call from Steve to inform me that the train home had been cancelled until further notice and that all roads to Sant Cugat were closed. (Steve had decided against driving home earlier in the day)
There was nothing else one could do but to find a warm pub and wait until further notice. After a good few warm-up drinks and a bite to eat we found our way back to the station. The trains were scheduled to depart for Sant Cugat at midnight - another half hour away. We boarded the train and waited for departure as the train slowly filled up. Midnight came and went. At about 1am one of the train personnel informed us that the trains to Sant Cugat had now been cancelled for the night. We were told to catch a train to another station, Sarria, and from there we would be taken by bus to Sant Cugat.
Off we went on our merry way to Sarria. We arrived at Sarria station at 1.30am and joined the other 400 odd people waiting for a bus to Sant Cugat, and the other 300 or so waiting for a bus going elsewhere. After waiting around for a good hour (and 4 bus loads of passengers) we boarded a bus to Sant Cugat, finally arriving home at 3am, tired, but glad to have finally made it home!
By Tuesday morning, things had not improved much. The trains between Sant Cugat and Barcelona were still not functional.
A quick call to the office, and I spent the rest of the day working from home.
It is quite amazing what a little snow can do to a city when not prepared for such an event.
I’m sure this day will be spoken about for some time to come.
Until, next time.
