Valencia to NYC via Madrid (Blackout!)
On Monday morning, we said a wistful goodbye to Valencia and boarded a train to Madrid, where we would overnight near the airport and fly to New York City the next morning.
It was an easy, uneventful two-hour train ride. The landscape in central Spain was a mix of farms, forests, and rolling hills. It was hard to take photos because we were sitting between windows. I thought there would not be much to write about. Boy, was I wrong!
The Tunnel
As we approached Atocha Station at about 12:40pm, the train slowed, then came to a stop. We were deep underground, with no station in sight. At first we were told it was an electrical problem in the station. Then we learned that the power was out across all of Spain. The third update came: the power was out in Spain, Portugal and France. Oh wow, this was serious! Crew members handed out bottled water and paper plates (for use as fans).
Finally, about 90 minutes after we had stopped, we were told to collect our bags and exit the train. We stepped over a large gap between the train and the side of the tunnel, and then walked, single file, in the narrow space alongside the train. There were crew members at intervals with flashlights, but we had to use our phones to see our way. When we reached the front of the train, we stepped down onto the tracks and walked in the wide area between the rails, careful not to trip on the grated openings every few meters. We walked about 500 meters along the tracks to a nondescript door, where we exited the tunnel and climbed several flights of stairs. With great relief, we stepped out into the bright sunshine.
The Walk
Outside Atocha Station, it was chaos. Traffic signals were not working, so pedestrians and cars were gridlocked. The hotel we had booked was near the airport, ten miles away. We decided to walk away from the crowds and traffic and look for a taxi.
We couldn’t use our maps apps without cellular service, but we remembered the area somewhat from our visit to Madrid last February. There were many others like us, walking with their luggage. Some restaurants were still serving outdoor tables; others had closed. People lined up at convenience stores, buying water and snacks.
We walked for nearly a mile and a half, which was harder than it sounds, since we were carrying our backpacks and the midafternoon sun was strong. But there were no taxis, and we couldn’t call an Uber. It was time to formulate another plan.
The First Hotel
Then we got lucky. I needed a bathroom, so we stopped at the JW Marriott Hotel. To our relief, the hotel had a generator and wifi! We parked ourselves on a sofa in the lobby, checked the news on our phones, and had lunch. There was no way to recharge our phones, but we were able to relax, refuel, and review our options.
The hotel staff were really nice. We considered spending the night at the JW instead of near the airport, but the nightly rate was €700+, way outside our budget. We decided it would be better to spend the night near the airport anyway, and we needed to get there before sunset. Our rideshare apps, Uber and FreeNow, could not locate any drivers. We had limited cash (just my emergency €20 bill) for a taxi, even if we miraculously found one. The best option was to take the bus. Steve found the route (it is one of his superpowers), and we left the comfortable oasis of the JW Marriott and set forth on the next part of our journey.
The Bus Rides
We waited for the bus on a street that was oddly deserted because it had been blocked off by police. Would the bus still come? Eventually, it did. Our ApplePay didn’t work (no surprise), but the driver waved us onboard. The big roundabouts at Plaza de Cibeles and Puerta de Alcalá were gridlocked. Throngs of people waited at bus stops. Others picnicked on the grass near Retiro Park - not a bad way to pass the time during a blackout.
We disembarked and walked a few blocks to the busy Avenida de América bus station to catch our connection. The “dock” for our bus was two levels underground. The driver on the second bus wouldn't let us board without paying, and wouldn’t accept my €20 bill. Thankfully, a kind passenger gave me two €10 bills in exchange, and we were able to pay our fares. The bus sped along the busy highway, stopping only when people requested it. We were a split second late in pressing the buzzer, so missed our stop! We disembarked at the next stop and walked back the way we came. There was a nicely paved sidewalk along the highway, and we saw some wildlife: a large rabbit and a large rat.
After walking half a mile or so, we reached our hotel. It had taken two hours to complete a bus trip that would normally take 45 minutes, but given the circumstances, we felt fortunate. The sun was setting. We had made it!
The Second Hotel
The Marriott Auditorium hotel was huge, and they had a generator. We gratefully helped ourselves to some bottled water, and a friendly desk clerk checked us in and told us that one restaurant was open, with a buffet. The hotel had an open atrium where one could look down at the lobby from the upper floors. As we walked to our room, we saw a huge line at the reception desk. It was a busload of people who had been stranded at the airport. We had beaten the rush! We hurried down to the buffet and managed to beat the rush once again. The food was fine, and despite the crowds there was plenty of it. There were bottles of crianza on the tables, a nice touch. We were joined by a friendly Iranian couple from Chicago whose flight home had been canceled, and the four of us had a nice chat over dinner.
By 10pm, we were worn out and ready for bed. There was no electricity in our room, so we brushed our teeth by the light of our phones. It felt a bit like camping. We plugged our phones into our laptops to recharge and turned in. I was reading an e-book on my Kindle when I noticed some light coming in the window. The streetlights were on! Sure enough, the power had been restored in our room as well. It was around 11:30pm, eleven hours after our train had come to a stop outside Atocha Station.
The Flight
As for the final leg of our journey, I’m happy to report that there is not much to report. On Tuesday morning, we had electricity and hot water for our showers! We took the free hotel shuttle to the Madrid Airport, passed through security without incident, and relaxed in the Neptune Lounge until it was time to board our plane. The flight was smooth and arrived at JFK ahead of schedule. By the time we arrived at our hotel in Midtown Manhattan, our home for the next five days, it was as if our Madrid Blackout Adventure had never happened. Well, except for the minor aches and pains from walking four miles with my backpack.
Thoughts
In retrospect, we were lucky to have already reached Madrid when the power outage struck. It would have been very different if we had been stuck in Valencia or worse, midway between. Steve and I were together, and we could pool our brainpower and resources to navigate the situation. Overall, we fared well, and I’m grateful.
We did many things right: we planned to arrive in Madrid the day before our flight, we packed light, I had a hat and sunscreen, we went to a known hotel chain for support. We’ll be taking some steps to ensure we’re better prepared for future mishaps on travel days: download offline maps and bus routes (or bring paper ones), carry some emergency cash in small bills, bring food and water (that last one is tough because we travel so light).
The people in Madrid handled the situation really well. Everyone on the train remained calm and helped one another through the tunnel and up the stairs. Gridlocked drivers were patient and didn’t honk their horns. The staff at both hotels were great (kudos to Marriott).
Two days later, the cause of the blackout across Spain and Portugal is still a mystery.
