European countries are well known for their efficient train networks, which zip you from point to point comfortably and easily. Everything about the process, from buying tickets to finding your track to getting your seat is designed to be a breeze.
Except, apparently, in Spain. Today, after making my fourth attempt at purchasing train tickets, I gave up.
I tried twice to buy using my Visa card and received errors each time. Interestingly, the errors were different. Unhelpfully, the errors were in Spanish, and error text somehow never came up in any of my Spanish classes.
I tried again using B's American Express card. This time, I didn't receive an error--after I clicked Comprar (the "English" version of the site throws in the occasional Spanish, just in case you forget and think you are buying tickets for, say, Germany), I simply returned to their home page. No confirmation, no email--I assumed the transaction didn't go through. B called AmEx, which said it probably didn't, but maybe check back tomorrow.
Eh-heh.
Today I called the train company in Spain and used legitimate Spanish (Buenos dias--se habla ingles?), only to find out that I had called the customer assistance line, which could not sell me tickets. They did say that American-based credit cards simply don't work, and I might have to buy the tickets from the station when I get to Spain.
Did I mention that there are discounts if you buy early? There are 3 classes of fares--web, which comes in at 44 euros/person; estrella, which is 65 euros; and standard, which is well over 100 euros per person. If I waited till we arrived in Spain, all of the discount fares would be gone, and we'd be paying nearly $300 to take a three-hour train ride.
In fact, since the tickets for our travel date went on sale (just this week, the date of my first attempt), the web fares were gone. So even if I were able to successfully buy tickets, we'd be paying 130 euros, which is around $170--and that's a lot of money.
It's an especially large amount when you consider how cheap budget airlines are. On a whim, I checked the prices for our date, and we could both fly for under 70 euros--and a plane ride is 1/3 the time of a train ride.
I love the romantic idea of a train ride through the Spanish countryside, but not at those outrageous prices, and not for the hassle that comes with them. Today I booked us on a plane instead.
I am slightly concerned about the baggage allowance, but I booked on the airline that is part of the Star Alliance, so we should be given some sort of extra allowance thanks to B's status. And anyway, knowing that we are under a weight constraint should inspire us to pack (and shop) lightly.
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