Ok on my last post I promised to get back to you about the second day of our Cordoba trip. So as I said, The visit of the Mezquita was free from 8:30 to 9:30 am. Breakfast at the hotel was from 7 am to 10. So we thought great! Let's do breakfast at 7:30 and then go to visit for free.
THEN WHAT? Our friend was having issues with her legs, could not walk very far. We had been walking around the neighbourhood at least four time in circles the day before. We had our hotel till noon. ok so Ruth stayed in her room, so Jim and I went to the museum. Came back checked out found a great little restaurant. We sat there a while and got some free drinks again. Go figure! I think the fact that I always tries to communicate with locals it opens a few more doors, or at least bottles. LOL
Anyway we had to take the cab to the train station, parked ourselves in a coffee shop for 4 hours, 4 hours. The earlier train to Fuengirola was 12:30 we thought it would be tight (we did not know about the free visit) so we bought the 16:40 (4:40pm) trip from Cordoba to Malaga(1h10 minutes) transfer to Malaga-Fuengirola (40 minutes). Remember now we had been losing time since 9:30 am doing very little.
We finally hopped on the train no problem we get at the Malaga train station right on time approx. 6 pm we go to the Fuengirola platform. The overhead usually letting you know which train is coming in how many minutes was not working. Neither was the front of the uncoming train, announcing which one it is.
Notice the train map, two trains leave Malga on the same track. As we come down the stairs to catch the train, it is arriving and slowing down. So are happy to be there in time. Mind you that train runs every 20 minutes. We come in, easily find seats and relax. Just before the closing of the doors I notice that not everyone on the platform came in the the train, actually very little. I tell Jim about that and the train starts to move. The first station we stop at is calling for ''Victoria Kent'', which is the first station on route Malaga-Fuengirola, Jim breath easy ''knowing '' we are on the right track, literally. Next station which was quite a ways called for '' Los Pradas'' we realize we took the wrong train!
NO PROBLEMO! We get off at the next train station: Campanillas. Right away we go down the stairs cross to the other side under a heavily graffiti-ed tunnel. Looking around we can see a village, we are at the butt end of it. The clock is damaged, the office is boarded up. All we can hear is the sound of the wind. Now we should be on the right side for the next train to Malaga, how long do we have to wait for it by the way? Jim goes to look at the time sheet, he feels responsible for this whole thing. I see him knocking his head and say what looks like F...k over and over and I am thinking was that the last train of the day? No we only have to wait 2 hours for the next train. Thank goodness Ruth has some torrone in her purse (nuts in hard caramel). We try to make Jim feel better, it not your fault honey, we did not realize there was two trains on that line...etc.
As I am sitting on the uncomfortable bench, I notice that both side of the two tracks have the same sign: this way Alora (other end of the line) and this way Malaga(where we are going. I started thinking we were on the wrong side. Jim is saying how can it be we landed across, it has to be going back on the other side. On the side we were at there was only an info board and a metal box with a big i for info with a red button for communication in case of emergency. Well it didn't work. All this time we are worried about the bloody train passing by on the other side while we are watching it happen. The station is in an area of its own it could be a bad situation seeing all the broken items and the graffiti it does not feel too good. After about an hour a young girl come to wait for a train. Jim talked to her and found out we were on the wrong side of the track. Even though there is two tracks that train travels back and forth on the same track.
We cross the tracks again, I talk to her in my worst Spanish and I am re-informed we had the right side now. She is taking the train to Alora. She came back to see us before her train shows up and says that she is going to Alora but to stay put our train will come back soon. By this time a few more Spaniards showed up going to Malaga and confirmed to us again that we were on the right side of the track. Suddenly we see a guy show up on the other side of the track. he is looking at us across the way with a questionning look. Jim shouted at him: Are you going to Malaga?. He answered yes. Jim said to him you are on the wrong side of the tracks. Long story short he explained to us he did the same mistake as us but lucky enough to only have a half an hour between trains. Oh! he has been living in Malaga for 3 years now. Made JIm feel much better about himself. about 9pm we were safe and sound. Aventures!