In life, you can't help but learn something everyday.  However, some things that you learn, you learn the hard way. 

A few weeks ago, Deanna had gone off one Saturday so it was just Aaron and I.  Aaron was excited that he was going to be able to spend the whole day, just he and daddy.  Since Deanna had the car, we were stuck walking or taking public transportation.  I asked Aaron where he wanted to go and I got the usual answer “McDonalds.”  So ok, it was his special day and they had his favorite toy that they were giving away in the happy meals, so I agreed.  Since Mickey-D’s isn’t within walking distance, we took the Tranvia of Parla.  (Parla is the city that we live in and the Tranvia is a scaled down type metro-rail system that circles around Parla.  See the picture).   So we were off to the Tranvia. 

When you purchase a ticket for the Tranvia, you can purchase a one-trip ticket or you can purchase a 10-trip ticket.  The 10-trip ticket is a little cheaper since you are buying in bulk.  I am the type who likes a deal so I usually purchase a 10-trip ticket, so I had a 10-trip ticket in my wallet that I had not used. 

Aaron and I boarded the Tranvia and we were off to McDonalds.  It was a nice day and a peaceful ride.  Once on the Tranvia, it doesn’t take long to arrive at your stop so with in 15 minutes we were at our stop.  On this particular day, however, just before our stop, one of the Tranvia officials came up to me and asked to see my ticket.  I said, “no problem” and handed it to him.  He looked at it and said, “This ticket is expired.”  I looked at him a little puzzled and said, “I didn’t know these tickets expired. This ticket still has the full amount of trips left.”  He said that the ticket was no good and that I was going to have to pay a fine.  I reiterated that I was from the United States (trying to play the dumb American routine) and that I had no idea that the tickets could expire.  He proceeded to point me to the clear instructions that are written on the side of the Tranvia and also at each stop, reiterating to me that I should pay more attention next time.  (whoever reads that stuff anyways, especially when it is in a different language.)  So he proceeded to write me a ticket.  He asked for my resident card that I didn’t have at the time, so he told me that I would have to pay the fine on the spot. The fine was 20 Euro or $26.00.  So, that day I learned that the tickets do expire and that by not reading instructions, a trip that should cost $1.30 actually costs $26.00.  

So Aaron and I got off the Tranvia and proceeded to our special destination, McDonalds, and I had to explain to my 6 year old son why Daddy just received a fine.