I think she was just looking for reassurance. No harm in that.

Atocha station may also be out of commission for awhile, so best to check ahead if anyone is traveling on the AVE train.

On the www.renfe.es website, there are updates as to which trains are running and not running. As of now, looks like trains out of Atocha are not running. (not surprised)

Forgive me for going slightly off topic, but I was struck by the number in your party--22 including you, right? How do you keep that large a group together? Do you all stay at the same hotel? Eat meals together? This must require incredible planning. Take your mind off the terror for a moment and tell us about how you do this. Thanks. I'm amazed.

As a future visitor to Madrid, I'm also concerned in light of the tragic events. But think of it this way: if we were to change our travel plans and not visit Spain, the tourism in Spain would decrease and their economy would suffer to some degree (as we all saw from the aftermath of 9/11). So, I say go to Madrid, enjoy yourself and show support for our Spanish friends during this difficult time.

For Julie

Thank you for asking; I'd be more than happy to share this with you.

I've been doing this for several years with my neighbors. I grew up in the hotel business and I'm also a chef/cookbook author so I guess the whole travel/food industry is in my bones!

How I do this is very planned. I take about a full year to plan. As a group we decide where to go; many of the places we've been to, my husband and I have been before, so we are familiar with the places. Sometimes, we have not been ourselves.

I usually work with a Virtuoso travel agent. Virtuoso is a consortium of upscale travel agents. I have worked with several and find them to be excellent and they help me to coordinate everything with ease.

But I really work with them and make alot of the decisions myself. Before I even work with someone I spend several months investigating the locale myself. I review hundreds of hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc. I sometimes visit the location myself the year before. I use this board alot to get recommendations and some of the best things we have done have come from suggestions on this board. So I come very well prepared to the agent with my own ideas and requests. It is never a problem. I am quite thorough and detailed oriented. I keep incredibly detailed notes and we have always had trips that are so much fun. It's alot of work, but I love my friends so much that it is just part of the wonderful relationship we have with each other!!!

We all do stay at the same hotel and have about half of our dinners together. Even though we love each other as friends and neighbors, let's say we want to keep it that way and realize we need time apart!

We have combinations of organized touring together and then free time. We are all well traveled so we are all on the same page about alot of things.

For the past four years something always happens either on the day of the trip or right prior.

For a Paris trip, it snowed in DC onthe day we had to leave and we had to change airports and planes and flew out much later than expected. For a Tuscany trip it was right after 9/11. Last year we went to Vienna the day the war broke out and now this year Madrid had a terrible tragedy.

I did need reassurance from all of you even though I travel alot. Nothing wrong with that.

Thanks for asking!

By the way, I only do this with my friends, I am in no way in the travel business and I am not soliciting anything.

I visited Spain for the first time 23 days after 9/11. I'll never forget the outpouring of sympathy from the spanish people. They were so kind and sorry for the tragedy the USA had suffered. I fell in love with Spain and will actually be returning (ironically) for the 6th time in 22 days. I do not hesitate to go. I hope that I can return the kindness that was given to me.

Well, I work in an office beside the highway from Barajas airport to Madrid.

I can tell you that we've seen lots of ambulances and police cars, but the traffic in the afternoon was quiet good - I cross all the city to rich my home from east to west.

A few minutes ago, a Renfe spokesman, told that train activity will be resumed slowly -one or two days- from Atocha, but other major train stations are just working perfectly, but with little delays by now.

Thanks to all of you who are sending condolences.

I have a weekend trip planned to Extremadura the weekend after next. At this point, I certainly plan to go and I will also continue to plan for another trip later this year.

I agree with those that say Spain will be the safest place in Europe. No doubt, the police and army will be on high alert and suspected terrorists will be rounded up. If it an Al-Q attack, then we may expect others in the UK and Italy in the following months.

My heart bleeds for the Spanish people.

We are also going to Spain Easter week and have decided to go knowing about today's situation. I'm glad you asked the question. I came to the site today to do the same thing! Thanks for asking first.

Yeah, I have come to my office, today Friday.

The train traffic is resumed, but in Atocha is still suspended. A colleague of mine used to go through Atocha and he has told me that local trains (cercanias) do not stop in Atocha, but the AVE and other ones are working yet. The affected trains were still in the same place as yesterday: very impresive!

I will keep on sending some information for you.

hmm my friend and I are leaving next Thursday for Madrid. Can't wait.

What happened is horrible and we pray for those who have lost their lives. We're not going to cancel the trip because then we'd be giving in to the terrorists and also practically speaking anything can happen anytime, especially nowadays. So we're going to take precautions as much as two young women can and be safe and try to enjoy all that beautiful Spain has to offer us.

This morning on BBC even some of the Cernacias (commuter trains) had resumed into Atocha. Obviously some of the tracks were closed. The national and high-speed trains (AVE, Talgo 2000 etc.) were functioning as normal in and out of Atocha. The explosions were out on the tracks, not so much in the main part of the station.

Tripgirl. Thanks for the response on how you plan for a group of 20+. I'm still in awe. Just curious. Did yu have cars when you took your trip to Tuscany. Where did you stay that accommodated such a large group. I would assume that needing a place that big cuts down on some of the charm--no cute little B&Bs, etc. Nonethless it must be quite a trip. Means you have so many people to share your travel pix and memories with meaningfully.

Questions like yours make me laugh. You have a far, far better chance of being killed in a road accident than by a terrorist bomb and that applies anyhere in the world. This is not hyperbole, it's plain fact. Fears such as your are absolutely absurd.

Platzer, fear has nothing to do with a spreadsheet. For that matter, many decisions we make, for good or ill (including the one to get married) have little to do with logic.

Tripgirl, I see nothing wrong with asking for a little reassurance. Remember, even when there have been no incidents at all, many people get pre-trip jitters. Once your plane takes off, you'll be too busy to worry.

For Platzer:

The reason why I posted this in the first place even though I have traveled alot, this is first time I am going somewhere where something actually happened there very close to departure.
Today I am all calmed down and the reasonable and rational side of me has thought this through. Somehow going to Italy after 9/11 I had no thoughts at that yr as nothing actually happened in Italy and going to Vienna when war broke out last yr, again, I had no thoughts. But this time was a little different and I thank each an every one of you who just gave me your voice of reason. You have to realize too, that I am responsible for a group. So I have to ally any fears they might have to. Fortunately, we all can think clear today and everyone is just fine with going.

And Platzer, if you lost someone in 9/11 as I did, you'd be a little nicer.
Maybe you did too, so if you did , I'm sorry.

I live in 5-7 minutes from the Pentagon as I mentioned earlier. Naturally I could not just get up and move. I was safe. But I know our convention bureau had alot of cancellations in 2001 and I don't blame anyone who cancelled. If I would have had access to any of those people, I could have told them it was safe, but who's to blame them for running a bit scared. When a place is not your home, you have a tendency to worry alot more. I know I could go out and get killed on our infamous Washington Beltway today, but I needed to post this question to see what others might think. And thank god for Fodorites!

And I know all about chances: my husband was a math major. God bless him, but you know he can guess the odds so many things, so I live with statistics rolling off that man's tongue everyday!

I just spoke with my agent who spoke with everyone we are dealing with for the trip and they are all fine.

Last night the group got together and we had a tapas dinner and said a prayer for Spain.

And for Julie: I try to book us in historic hotels and inns, no Marriott's etc. It also depends on the trip.

Say a little prayer for Spain today.

"And Platzer, if you lost someone in 9/11 as I did, you'd be a little nicer."

I don't see what that has to do with being rational. I lost a relative in a car crash. What am I going to do - give up driving? Having fear is one thing. Giving way to irrationality is another. In fact, Spain is probably the ideal place to go right now. With all the nervous Nelly's cancelling trips, you'll get great deals and be trated like royalty. You've lucked out! Your timing couldn't be better.

Just wanted to add my support & best wishes to those who are travelling to Madrid & of course to those affected in the city itself.

Jim

tripgirl--I flew to NYC 14 days after 9/11 and lots of people told me that they would have been scared to do so. I thought I was probably safer on an airline than at any other time and it was true--there was a group of 12 Coast Guards on the plane with me on their way to NYC to do guard duty. I have been in London during IRA bombing campaigns also. I would not travel into an area that was actively unstable, i.e. Haiti, but I would not change my travel plans because there might be a random act of violence. Good for you and your group for not giving into fear.