Day 27 - 28 Porto

Porto, Portugal

Date	10/14 - 16/19
Hostel/Albergue:	Albergue de Peregrinos do Porto @ 24 eu; 2 nights.

Time to come home

Eu nao falo portugues.        I don't speak Portuguese.

10/14/19

Rain, rain and more rain.

Stopped in a supermarket to treat myself to a new tooth brush. The simple things of life.

Signed up for an afternoon tour of Porto. Since it is going to be raining all day, might as well use the guided tours.

10/15/19

Woke up this morning to another pouring rain. I began to ask myself, how much do I want to do this some more. Yesterday the weather report was not bad, but it seriously deteriorated overnight.

As I was sitting at the breakfast table in the albergue, I realized I had done enough. Maybe if I was going to have good weather, I could have stuck it out. But I think in my heart, I was really ambivalent. And the rain just pushed it over the edge.

So I'm spending the day in Porto. I'm walking around during the morning, taking an afternoon guided tour and then we'll see about the evening.

But this time tomorrow, I will happily be returning to my loved ones.

Took the metro downtown for practice.

Walking to that famous bookstore but the line was huge to get in.

Walk down to the river, literally. Took a tram back up to the top of the hill. Walked across the Ponte Luis I bridge over the Rio Douro.

Had pizza in Jardim do Morro park while it poured cats and dogs.

Had chocolate cake and a latte, waiting for the tour to start

Notable memories

I've had so little time for thought and reflection on this hiking experience.

Walking the camino, I finally realized is about walking. True it's amazingly long distances, but it's walking.

Ireland and Switzerland were stone cold hiking experiences. I didn't have time to think and reflect because I had to keep watching where I was stepping to avoid injuring myself.

 It's a whole different mindset. On the Camino my thoughts could wander.

In Ireland and Switzerland letting my thoughts wander could have gotten me hurt seriously.

Only now one month later after starting it, do I realize this important distinction.

And perhaps that is why the entire vacation I've had an uneasy feeling in my belly that I was missing something. I was missing special people.

And the nature of the hiking experience didn't give me time to think of them. Only at night in the dormitories was I able to unwind and remember the joys back in Rochester. A good woman, amazing grandkids, a wonderful son and daughter-in-law and supportive family.

Sometimes the Camino is closer to home and doesn't need to be across the ocean.

Porto

Rio Douro

Walking around

Best chocolate cake in the world and a latte

Torre de Clérigos

Partly sunny, partly cloudy, not raining, really raining

Igreja Dos Clérigos

 Port tasting

Porto train station

Day 27 Bourg St Pierre, Switzerland to Porto, Portugal

From Bourg St Pierre, Switzerland to Porto, Portugal

Date	10/13/19
Bus/ Trains:	$70
Plane:	$250

07:15 Left Bourg St Pierre on time by bus. So odd again to be watching from a bus as I traverse my hike in reverse.
The thing I notice the most is how the road only does one thing in this mountain valley. It goes down, down and descends some more.
And I am reliving the incessant climb, climb and never ending ascents of the past three days.

07:45 In Orsiéres in order to transfer to my first of three trains of the morning. All I can say is on the bus ride down, I was overwhelmed by the descent. And I am stunned once again that I made those climbs over the past 3 days.

08:00 Arrived Sembrancher. Easy transfer to my second train of the trip to Geneva airport.

08:20 On the IR90 train to Geneva airport.
- left the Rhône valley's green fields and bordering mountains behind
- rolling along Lake Geneva's expansive, blue waters
- third time thru Lausanne, where my Switzerland experience began

10:10 Arrive Geneva airport.

11:30 Since I'm flying business class, I'm now in the Swiss air lounge. Free beer. ... And free food.

12:45 And my seat assignment is 1F. Am I in the first row? I'm liking this business class.
- fell asleep on the train and fell asleep hard in the airport. Could this be the body telling me that I've done way too much over the past 10 days?

13:40 Depart Geneva.

I'm in premium class. First one on the airplane. Loving it!

The first class bathrooms are twice the size of coach.

I took a nap. They served drinks and snacks. As soon as I woke up, one of the flight attendants came right over to get me my drink and snacks.

My luggage was marked priority so it was the first one on the carousel.

I may never fly coach again.

15:30 arrive Porto. Took metro light rail to Porto.

16:30 Arrive Albergue de Peregrinos do Porto

Notable memories

Raining like a son of a gun in Porto.

Checklists Prior to Leaving

Preparation Checklist

 1. Check expiration date on credit/debit cards.
 2. Check passport for expiration date.

 3. Verify any visa requirements. (Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland)
     Currently, US citizens can travel to Europe for up to 90 days without any sort of travel authorization. Starting with 2021, US citizens visiting parts of Europe will need authorization from the European Union. The European Travel Information and Authorization System, or ETIAS, will require "pre-travel screening for security and migration risks of travellers benefiting from visa-free access to the Schengen area."

      I plan to hike in Switzerland (requires entry to France and exit in Italy), Spain and Portugal. These countries are in the Schengen Area. Note that Great Britain and Ireland are NOT in the Schengen Area.

 4. Health Care: Medicare does not provide coverage outside of the U.S. Purchase travel insurance the provides for, at least, major medical, transportation while injured/sick and return of remains to U.S.

 5. Plane ticket. 

     Consider getting a TSA Global Entry Card to expedite processing on your return to the U.S. Can also be used for TSA Precheck within the U.S.

     Consider getting the TSA approved Mobile Passport app for your smart phone.

 6. Test out all your electronics, e.g. chargers, tablets, cables/cords. Bring equipment designed for your electronics. Have your power adapters available. Adapters differ among the U.S. Great Britain/Ireland and Spain/Portugal.  See pictures below.

Household Checklist

1. Mail

2. Pets

3. Plants

4. Auto

5. Bills

Basic HTML Table

		Comments
Spanish/Portuguese Power adapter
Great Britain/Ireland Power adapter

Thoughts on Destinations

Since I've started hiking the Camino de Santiago in 2014, I slowly broadened my interests in other trails.

In 2018, I flew from Santiago to Ireland for the Kerry Camino, and then to Portugal for the Camino Portugues (Central). If there was any takeaway from those experiences, it's that the world can be a camino.

So what's for 2019. Well, I'm still interested in Europe (altho' I can see that changing). I also have some unfinished business. 

Ireland: The Kerry Camino is a 3-day portion of the 7-day Dingle Peninsula Way. I have this yearning to return and complete the Dingle Way. Ireland was beautiful and the people amazing. I need to learn more.

Portugal: Hesitant in 2018, because I don't speak Portuguese, I headed to Porto regardless. I needn't have worried. This is a beautiful country with marvelous moments waiting to be discovered. I learned that people hike from Santiago to Fatimah. I've met people who've hiked the coastal route of the Camino Portugues. These options sound magical and are calling me.

Switzerland: Several months ago, I reached out to someone with whom I hiked for four or five days on the Via de La Plata in 2016. Jos and I made tentative arrangements for 2019 to spend about 10 days here. The Via Francigena passes thru Switzerland with five flat days for the first half and then five days crossing the Swiss Alps. Who could pass that up?

Spain: So much to do, so much to see. But I am called back to the mother country of Santiago de Campostela. There is the Camino Ingles, and a new extension that runs along the northern coast of Galicia from where the Norte end to where the Ingles begins. Sounds breathtaking.