Come on ride the train

The Burgos tourist train chugging along.

I don’t know if this is exactly what Quad City DJs had in mind when they created the song “C’mon Ride the Train” back in the mid-1990s.  It’s the Burgos “choo choo” tourist train and, for a small fee, it will take you to the most important monuments in the city of Burgos for your sightseeing pleasure. 

I still remember the first time I saw this unique creation creeping along the streets of Burgos at a whopping 5 miles per hour.  I was just walking along the sidewalk — minding my own business — when I suddenly looked up and my eyes laid upon it for the first time, a thing of beauty: the choo choo train.  You know, it’s not every day that you see a motorized, wheeled train chugging down the street, obeying traffic rules, and generally running without a train track; thus, my first reaction was to chuckle a little.  After the initial chuckle, I looked inside the train and saw all the tourists — cameras in hand – comfortably seated in the “passenger compartment” and I chuckled a bit more. 

Obviously, after seeing the tourist train, I just had to ride it.  A few days after the initial “sighting,” I got together a group of my friends and we had at it.  The ride lasted about 45 minutes and it passed by all the most historic places in Burgos.  The train came complete with an overhead loudspeaker which explained all aspects of the ride to the passengers: where the train was headed, what we were currently passing, etc.  To my surprise, the ride wasn’t that bad.  Of course, I don’t know if I’d rely on the Burgos tourist train to get me to Madrid (I suppose Renfe is better for that), but I guess it isn’t bad if you’re a tourist who wants to see the most important parts of the city. 

I love Spain.  What other country has choo choo trains running down the middle of busy city streets? 

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com