Kate, Allie, Barcelona: the unnecessary addition to the franchise
Last week in order to celebrate the ending of our jobs, my friend Kate flew in from Italy and we headed to spend some time in Portugal at Jose's parents' apartment. After a few days of sunning (or at least attempting to do so) at the beach right across the border with Spain, Jose and our friend Megan came to spend the night with us. We went out to eat and then to get a drink. This is where the real story begins:
Sitting in a bar outside on their patio facing the street which separated the town proper from the beach and further off the sea we ordered a drink and were chatting about mundane things, not at all ready for what was about to happen. After a day of sun and surf we were relaxed and unawares. Joking about how we were going to get home, I pointed out a horse and carriage labeled taxi. A hold over from earlier times, it was passing back and forth in front of the bars and restaurants waiting for a fare. The carriage, like most I see in Spain as well, was driven by an older man. After a quaint thought about romantic and probably better times, the carriage faded into the background as we had another drink and enjoyed each other's company. Offering to snap a photo of our friend, we were utterly distracted by her pose with a tropical drink complete with cut fruit and an umbrella. A perfect way to end a good trip.
It was in that exact second that a car without lights slammed into the back of the carriage right as it passed in front of the bar. The driver of the carriage went sailing through the air as the car careened across the street and up onto the curb before crashing through a small billboard sign, shattering class and coming to an abrupt stop braced against a light pole. The horse, still attached to the remnants of the carriage and without driver was spooked and whinnying. It started towards the bar as if to jump the divider until deciding better of it and taking off galloping into the night. All of this in a matter of seconds. One brutal wood splintering explosion followed by the screeching of tires and another more recognizable metallic crash. A scream. The clip clop of a horse escaping. Everyone staring dumbly at each other in shock until the reality of what had just happened was assimilated into our minds. A quick, "are you alright?" as we surveyed the scene. Broken pieces of carriage, wood, lamps, the smell of horse shit and the driver laying prone right outside the divider that miraculously kept us safe although it was not more than waist high. At this point the street was flooding with people. Some who had seen the accident, others who had only heard it. People on their cell phones, trying to comfor the diver and the two bystanders injured by flying debris. We knew we would be unable to help so we stayed put, waiting as the time ticked by, waiting to hear sirens, to see flashing lights. I was keeping track of the interminable time until the emergency crews arrived. Now there was a growing crowd that we observed from where we sat. Fairly calm, it was odd to see a group of men take off running all of the sudden. It wasn't until later that we discovered that the driver of the car had attempted to flee the scene. The ambulances and police finally arrived after what I considered an unreasonably long time. They loaded up the injured. Maybe it was shock and maybe it was just a reflection of my weakness for animals, but I couldn't stop wondering what had become of the horse? Where was it? Was it injured? The people involved seemed stable but the animal I had seen also slammed about, terrified and unable to shake its destroyed burden was somewhere out there. Eventually we made our way to our car and went home not wanting to be in the way and utterly exhausted. I don't know the outcome of this accident. All I know is that we were incredibly lucky to have walked away with nothing more than a somewhat incredible if not violent story to tell.
Sitting in a bar outside on their patio facing the street which separated the town proper from the beach and further off the sea we ordered a drink and were chatting about mundane things, not at all ready for what was about to happen. After a day of sun and surf we were relaxed and unawares. Joking about how we were going to get home, I pointed out a horse and carriage labeled taxi. A hold over from earlier times, it was passing back and forth in front of the bars and restaurants waiting for a fare. The carriage, like most I see in Spain as well, was driven by an older man. After a quaint thought about romantic and probably better times, the carriage faded into the background as we had another drink and enjoyed each other's company. Offering to snap a photo of our friend, we were utterly distracted by her pose with a tropical drink complete with cut fruit and an umbrella. A perfect way to end a good trip.
It was in that exact second that a car without lights slammed into the back of the carriage right as it passed in front of the bar. The driver of the carriage went sailing through the air as the car careened across the street and up onto the curb before crashing through a small billboard sign, shattering class and coming to an abrupt stop braced against a light pole. The horse, still attached to the remnants of the carriage and without driver was spooked and whinnying. It started towards the bar as if to jump the divider until deciding better of it and taking off galloping into the night. All of this in a matter of seconds. One brutal wood splintering explosion followed by the screeching of tires and another more recognizable metallic crash. A scream. The clip clop of a horse escaping. Everyone staring dumbly at each other in shock until the reality of what had just happened was assimilated into our minds. A quick, "are you alright?" as we surveyed the scene. Broken pieces of carriage, wood, lamps, the smell of horse shit and the driver laying prone right outside the divider that miraculously kept us safe although it was not more than waist high. At this point the street was flooding with people. Some who had seen the accident, others who had only heard it. People on their cell phones, trying to comfor the diver and the two bystanders injured by flying debris. We knew we would be unable to help so we stayed put, waiting as the time ticked by, waiting to hear sirens, to see flashing lights. I was keeping track of the interminable time until the emergency crews arrived. Now there was a growing crowd that we observed from where we sat. Fairly calm, it was odd to see a group of men take off running all of the sudden. It wasn't until later that we discovered that the driver of the car had attempted to flee the scene. The ambulances and police finally arrived after what I considered an unreasonably long time. They loaded up the injured. Maybe it was shock and maybe it was just a reflection of my weakness for animals, but I couldn't stop wondering what had become of the horse? Where was it? Was it injured? The people involved seemed stable but the animal I had seen also slammed about, terrified and unable to shake its destroyed burden was somewhere out there. Eventually we made our way to our car and went home not wanting to be in the way and utterly exhausted. I don't know the outcome of this accident. All I know is that we were incredibly lucky to have walked away with nothing more than a somewhat incredible if not violent story to tell.
Oh, my. God was watching over you.
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