One of the places that has made the biggest impression on me in recent years is Canfranc. Ever since I first saw its station in a Christmas commercial, many years ago, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to stand in that spot. A building like that seemed unreal to me, more like something out of a Disney film than a train station hidden in the middle of the Aragonese Pyrenees. That’s why, when I finally found myself in front of it after so many years, I experienced one of the most emotional and intense moments I can remember. In fact, it was so intense that, caught up in the excitement, I made the classic beginner’s mistake in analog photography: I opened the camera without rewinding the roll… and I didn’t care! I was so happy that losing all those photos didn’t bother me in the slightest.
Maybe this all sounds a bit exaggerated, but let me remind you, you’re reading the words of a train and railway station geek. Wandering around the area again and again, taking all the photos I wanted without worrying about wasting film, or sitting down for a coffee at the station’s restaurant, with its Art Deco decor and rich historical references, was something truly unforgettable. In fact, as soon as I left the place, I began to feel a deep sense of longing, or as we Galicians say, morriña, something that’s never happened to me anywhere else.
Naturally, you’d expect me to share a photo of the station today, given how important the visit to Canfranc was for me. But I struggle to find an image that truly captures, even just partially, the feelings I experienced there. So instead, I’ve chosen a photo that shows only a train and a father taking a picture of his son. It feels like the most appropriate one, because it depicts the birth of a memory that child will likely carry with him for life. At some point, he’ll remember the day his father lifted him onto the steps of an old train in Canfranc and took a picture he still treasures dearly. Though it’s a different kind of memory, my visit to Canfranc is one of those moments I’ll never forget, and just like that boy, whenever I think back to that day, a quiet wave of emotion will wash over me.
