TRAIN TO TRANQUILLITY

The landscape of Northern Spain alternates between mountainous countryside, bucolic hamlets, and scenic coastal towns. Pallavi Pasricha hops on board Costa Verde Express to savour the region's wonders and the good life.

- Pallavi Pasricha

Watching the countryside roll by as I pressed my nose excitedly to the train’s windowpane is something I recall doing as a five-year-old. Not much has changed since then. Even after 36 years, the thrill of watching the outdoors from a train is intact, but this time I am doing it in style, laying comfortably in a suite as I chug past lush meadows with cows grazing, narrow tunnels, and beaches on the Atlantic Coast in the north of Spain.

The luxury train Costa Verde Express by Renfe is my home for five nights. I had boarded the train in Bilbao for Santiago De Compostela, the Green Spain Route covers four autonomous regions—Basque, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia.

But my tryst with Spain began earlier, in one of its most popular cities, Barcelona. I spent time admiring the creations of famous Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi; I was completely mesmerised by his masterpiece—the majestic Sagrada Familia cathedral that has been under construction for more than 140 years. It will be completed by 2026, a date chosen to coincide with Gaudi’s 100th death anniversary. Standing in front of the massive structure, I wondered how Gaudi conceived this innovative and artistic design way back in the 19th century.

It is after three days of this kind of artistic inspiration—I stopped by other iconic structures built by Gaudi such as La Pedrera-Casa Milà, Casa Batllò, and Park Guell—that I head to Bilbao, the capital of the Basque region in northern Spain. I rush to the station as I am late, hoping the train tour has not begun without me. Thankfully, the shiny green Costa Verde Express is still on the platform. As I sip my coffee in one of the dining carriages done up in wood, it slowly sinks in that this is going to be my home for the next five days.