BILBAO TO BARCELONA

Prohibited

About three hours into the train ride, through no fault of the conductor, he was closing the door as we were about to leave a train station, when I was taking a photo. I got the back of his head and a small piece of the object which I was photographing. He didn't have to be, but he seemed apologetic.

To make up for it, he promised me a very interesting site at the next station. When we pulled into the next station, he pointed to the prize: a sleek, old, Italian train. It had that modern design for speed, seemed to have been in an accident and was permanently placed at the station, on the adjoining track that ends there.

I didn't get to find out what was so interesting about this train, but I proceeded to take about nine or so photos from different angles. I liked them a lot. As I angled to take a head-on shot, an official approached me and said : "No, no. Es prohibido."

He said he was told to tell me that it was prohibited to take photos of the train but wouldn't explain why a train in plain view for how many years now was not to be photographed. As if the Italians didn't know it was there. It is not as if it was the Elgin Marbles, safely esconced in the British Museum, stolen from Greece how many years now.

He stood there as I went back, back, back, back and saw that I deleted them all. One, of another train, I said was graffiti and he said I could keep that.

So I will not be able to share this top secret of the Spanish government with you. Sorry!

Patrick Barry Barr