30 October 2019: Seville to Madrid by Train (1 mile-923 total)

I rode 1 mile to the Santa Justa train station via the Seville bike lanes, then packed the bike in the case, about 45 minutes. I didn't draw many spectators this time, then watched downloaded Amazon Prime videos while I waited. I have now finished both 6-episode seasons of Fleabag, prompted by it's Emmy awards. Well done, worth watching.

Upon arrival, I investigated how to get to Madrid's Barajas Airport for a 6 am flight. Results:
  • My flight is out of T2. The train arrives at T4.
  • Train service to the airport, the C1 line, begins at 5:30 am and takes 25 minutes.
  • Taxi's have a fixed airport fare of 30 euros. I have one scheduled, thanks to the helpful check-in clerk. 
  • I finally got with it and downloaded the Uber and Lyft apps. Uber is available; Lyft—not yet. 
  • My pick up is 3 am, the cab ride is 20-30 minutes, perhaps longer with traffic. Should not be much traffic at 3 am, but who knows? 
The airlines' on-line recommendations are to allow 3 hours before departure (Delta) or 2 hours (Virgin) before international flights. Often when I get to the airport that early for morning departures, nothing is open—check-in, security, nothing. Still, better early than missing the flight. So, settle logistics issues first.

A light rain shower began about as soon as I completed my travel arrangements. Tomorrow is forecast as sunny, so I plan to unpack the bike, explore Madrid by bike for the 2nd time, then repack carefully and rebalance the weight to stay under 50# for the bike case. Fortunately, ample space in my room.

Dog of the Day

Like cars, high speed trains also have a bug problem.

My train has arrived. Once I located the Atocha station exits and Maps could figure out where I was, it was a 5 minute walk/drag to my hotel.  


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