Puerta de Atocha, 14 May, 12:15 PM.
The main train station for Madrid was, prior to the 2004 terrorist attacks, a model of efficiency and ease. The whole place ran like a giant-sized subway station, with automatic ticket kiosks, little security, and turnstiles as the only real form of ticket control. Now, the place is a bit more locked down. Anything more than local commuter tickets have to be bought online or in person in the hot and crowded ticket office. There is a lot more security, including luggage x-rays. Despite the high profile of the security, their attention to detail seems desultory at best. I think large quantities of not-so-useful security are worse than fewer attentive guards. At any rate, this is a picture of the new tower on the train station (replacing the bombed out section), taken from inside, right before I boarded my train for Toledo.
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