The Rain in Spain

It was pouring when I landed in Barcelona but I passed up the line of taxis at the airport because, dammit, I was going to use the Metro to get to my hotel. Only tourists use cabs. Of course, the fact that I was hauling a 65-pound suitcase and had no umbrella made no difference. Nor did I care it was midnight. I was a devil-may-care world traveler.

Of course, the train wasn't running because of renovations on the tracks. But that was ok because they had a bus. The friendly man in the information booth who spoke very little English told me to get off the bus at Sants train station and catch the Metro from there.

I should have been immediately suspicious when the bus stopped at Sants train station and nobody but me got off. And only after the bus pulled away did I notice the entrance to the station was closed for the night. So much for the man in the information booth.

Did I mention it was raining? Because it was raining a lot.

So there I stood, in a quiet part of town, completely lost, at 1 am, in the rain. I wasn't feeling quiet as devil-may-care at that point. "Well," I thought to myself, "I'll just hail a cab." Even though only tourists take cabs, I was willing at that point to make an exception.

Well, it turns out, strangely enough, that not a lot of cabs come by a closed train station. Did I mention it was raining?

As I stood there I noticed a group of presumably Spanish youths congregated in front of a closed store. As I watched, they proceeded to set the store's awning on fire and run away. So now, I was not only standing in the rain with a 65 pound suitcase, but I looked like I had just committed arson. If a cab didn't come by, at least I'd get picked up by the cops.

But then, like an answered prayer, came a taxi. I waved my arm frantically as it drove past and splashed me. Ah, it was full. Then another. Also full. Then another. You get the picture.

At last, I saw an empty cab. I waved my arm and he pulled up. "Hotel Adagio," I said. He looked me up and down and saw immediately I was a man in need of help. Lost in a strange part of town, in the rain, hauling a huge suitcase, he was ready to assist.

"Fifty Euros," he said.

Well, apparently we weren't going to be using the meter that evening.

"Yes, fine, yes," I said. I knew I was getting cheated but I was so wet I didn't care.

Of course, the next day I found out that cab ride should have cost me 5 Euros. It was a true-life demonstration of the law of supply and demand.