train

Border collie on the train to Barcelona

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

Yesterday I finally made it up to Barcelona to meet a friend in Ciutadella Park.  I even managed to fit in a tango or 6 in the open air La Glorietta. I haven’t danced for months – it was lovely!
Bonnie came too and we travelled from Granollers Nord Canovelles to Arc de Triumf. It still surprises me that Granollers has three railway stations. From Canovelles you can go in the other direction to the mountains, to Vic and Puigcerda, something we’re planning to do soon.

This was Bonnies second time in Barcelona and only her third and forth journeys on a train. She wears the muzzle only when we are sitting in the carriage, to protect her really as most people don’t try to pat or touch dogs wearing restraints. She doesn’t like to be bothered by strangers.
As before, she was very good, very patient, very quiet and even snuggled up to a man on the next seat, letting him pat her and stroke her ears.
Here she is trying to get comfy and find the best position on a very wobbly and slow train to Barcelona

Guess Who Goes to Barcelona?

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

If you take the train that travels from Sant Celoni to Barcelona Airport, passing through both Granollers and Barcelona on the way, I challenge you to stay awake.  There must be sleeping gas or a sedative essential oil or an aroma of chamomile tea slowly released into the carriages to make everyone fall gradually asleep or at least go into a deep meditative state

I almost always start nodding off around Mollet and only wake up at Clot-Arago which is a blessing as I have to get off at the next stop, Passeig De Gracia.
Today though, I was in charge of one slightly nervous border collie who was making her first visit to the great city.  I had to stay alert. It was her first ever time on a train!
She wore the muzzle she had practised with on the ferry to the Isles of Scilly and perhaps because of the somnolent atmosphere in the carriage, she was very calm and happy for the whole journey.

After arriving in Barcelona we walked along Carrer Valencia all the way to my friends flat on Diagonal


Bonnie then led the way into the lift and we went up to the third floor.  She spent four hours being a model dog while we had lunch.   Afterwards we walked back down  C/Valencia and, totally in her stride now, when we reached Passeig de Gracia, she happily jumped up onto one of the Pere Falques seats to be photographed

We met another friend for a quick tapas in a bar called Cosmo on Enrique Granados then walked back to the train station to jump on the Sant Celoni train. This time it was much busier but she lay down with her head on her paws, only her pricked ears showing she was watching and noticing everything.
The woman opposite had put her bag down on the floor which I found worrying in case there was a peeing accident (it had been 5 hours since the last one due to a lack of grass in this area of Barcelona) but we arrived in Granollers without incident. People here are always telling me it is unlucky to put your bag on the ground but happily this superstition was proved wrong.
Bonnie is such a good companion and it was lovely to be walking with her down these familiar streets. The dog from Lamorna finally arriving in my favourite city!  I am so proud of her.

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There was only one problem that we need to work on.

Bonnie has always hated skateboards and unfortunately Enrique Granados is a pedestrian street with a lovely slope….for riding down again and again and again…. to the sound of hysterical barking which we now know she can do even through the muzzle!