How an overnighter became a trip through Spain
I could have flown to Alicante in two hours. I took the train instead, and the plan lasted until Sevilla.
Mid April 2026
How a simple plan derailed in the most predictable way possible.
The plan: visit my friend Laszlo in Altea and get some skin-work done. A normal person flies. I looked at a map and thought trains would be fun. Uber to Tavira, bus to Sevilla, sleep, train to Madrid, train to Alicante, somehow on to Benidorm.
Then a friend from Pomar Coliving turned out to be in Sevilla at the same time, and I pestered her into letting me crash on her couch. A two-day trip turned into a bit more.
Sevilla got four nights instead of one. Semana Santa was fine — the kind of fine where you nod respectfully and Google it under the table. The city was brilliant: proper tapas culture, the best food in Triana, a running route across every bridge, and El Rinconcillo, Spain’s oldest pub, with a bar for people who look like they lost a fight with a washing machine.
Every fast train goes through Madrid, so I “had” to stop there too. Between Sevilla and Madrid, Spain is forests, wetlands and green hills. Madrid itself is mostly hills, which I discovered by walking between stations with luggage.
Then Benidorm: about 7,000 residents and half a million tourists. A theme park without rides. Stay once, so you know why you’ll pay extra to avoid it next time. The beach is lovely before 7 in the morning. At 7:01, Northern Europe arrives.