So, the good news is that I got my Russian visa and I don’t have to go back via Barcelona if I don’t want to.
The bad news is, no BMW C1. Why? Because I’m incapable of lying, even to complete strangers. After I’d signed the paper work and everything was set for three days of freewheelin’ fun, the guy said “Now, go slowly, and remember, not too far from Madrid.” And I said, “I know, Toledo, Segovia, Cuenca…” (the first two are places he’d mentioned, the last one, only a teensy bit further away, was where I was really planning to go). He said, “No, Cuenca’s too far.” Now at this point, all I really needed to do was say, “Okay, sure,” leave and go to Cuenca anyway. But no, I had to argue. “Why? I don’t understand. It’s about the same distance. How come I can go from Madrid to Toledo 5 times but not Toledo to Cuenca once? It can’t be the kilometres…”. “The bike’s too small,” he says (it’s 200cc). “It’s a rental, it’ll break down.” “It’s too far for such a small bike,” (It’s gotta be about 100km.) I try to explain that Australian distances are much bigger and that I’ll be fine. He doesn’t care. He rips up the paperwork. End of story.
And I can’t afford a car. It’s okay. I’ll see the countryside next time.