Santiago to Porto

 

The weather gods had smiled on me during my walk. Not once did I have to don my rain gear. This morning, however, it was pouring.

I had booked a ticket to Porto Airport using the Trainline app, train to Vigo, and then bus to the airport.

A tip for anyone travelling out of Santiago by train. Had I arrived at what I thought was a comfortable 15 minutes early I would’ve missed it. It took me that long to get through the security queue. Strangely, though, I didn’t notice any security at the intermediate stops. I won’t make the obvious comment.

I chatted with a couple of Aussies from Sydney in the queue. It was good to speak Oz again. It was “Bugger this” and Bugger that” and “We would’ve been buggered if we hadn’t got here early.” They had walked from Porto as part of an organized tour. Would you do it again? I asked. No way. Too tired at the end of the day to bloody see anything.

Bilingualism is important in Galicia. On the screen in the railway coach it said:

Próxima estación Padron

Próxima estación Padron

I arrived at Vigo Guixar. And then I missed the bloody bus! I had assumed that it would be waiting at the train station, and it was, but not the one I arrived at. The bus station was next to Vigo Vialia station, across town. I had 20 minutes to make the connection, and saw the bus pulling away as I arrived. I should have looked more carefully at my ticket, but even so, had I run out of one station to get a taxi to the other, I would have been lucky to make it. That’s tip number 2. Check your ticket carefully.

But there was another bus at 5:30 pm, which I caught, and I’m now a guest at the Oporto Airport and Business Hotel. Very nice room and not too expensive. Tomorrow I will go into Porto.