Train from Barcelona to Madrid-

My initial reaction is that there's rather a lot of unexceptional scenery along that route, especially as you get closer to Madrid. The major city along the way is Zaragoza; it's also the only stop, so I don't honestly know what other towns you'll pass near. Unfortunately, even after looking at Google Maps I'm not sure which side of the train would be best for getting glimpse of a Zaragoza; I just can't follow the tracks well enough. I don't remember any view from the station itself.

Surely someone who knows something will show up here soon.

Newbie....but interested. Wife and I are looking at Barcelona to Porto by rail then bus/coach to Baiona to pick up last stage of pilgrimage to Santiago.
We're seniors so walking 250Km is not a valid choice.LOL
We are presently gathering other travelers experiences on rail and bus/coach in Portugal and Spain. By the way Raildudes used to be a couple of Germans who were very trustworthy and thorough. I guess they have now moved on. We definitely want day time travel to actually see some of Spain.

Hello! From Barcelona to Madrid I would sit on the left side. The AVE initially snakes its way along the Costa Dorada until Tarragona, so the left side will give a good view of the coastline. After the AVE turns inland to the badlands of Aragon, as Acraven mentions above, it becomes rather dull after about 15 minutes...