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.

One Week To Go

Getting  Anxious

Every camino starts differently. This one is producing very little in the way of nervousness ... dare I say, it is becoming routine. The only new aspect is the plan to hike in the Alps of Switzerland. The climbs look brutal, especially towards the end, but I do not fear the challenge. I merely wonder how difficult it will ultimately be.

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Travel Itinerary

Leave Rochester Sunday afteroon for a short flight to JFK. After a 2 hour layover, I board the Aer Lingus flight to Dublin. It's pretty simple. Once I'm in Dublin, I just have to arrange for transport (2 busses) from Dublin to Dingle, and then it's time to hike the Dingle Way.

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CheckLists

 1. Check expiration date on credit/debit cards. Done. New cards received.
 2. Notify banks of travel dates so cards aren't locked. Done.
 3. Flu shot. Done.
 4. Credentials arrived. Done

 5. Check passport for expiration date. Done.

 6. Verify any visa requirements. Done. All countries in Schengen Zone.

 7. Health Care / Travel Insurance. Done.

 8. Plane ticket / TSA Precheck. Done.

 9. Test out all your electronics. Done
10. Car insurance expiration date. Done.
11. Mail hold. Rental office will hold. Done.

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Notable memories

Two hours of kayaking on the Genesee River. Made it from center at Genesee Valley Park to the entrance to Little Black Creek park in Chili. Went under one bridge, but the second had too little clearance and was too long for me to not invoke a bit of claustrophobia.

Completed my Coast Guard Auxiliary Search and Rescue Boatcrew Qualification Exam. It was a glorious morning to be out on the water, running thru all the tasks required of a search and rescue boat crewman.

4 Days and Counting: Pretty much all is ready.
Last night Deb and I went to Fringe Fest for two shows. It was relaxing to let the mind wander. One show was cute. One show was awful. LOL. We both laughed about it afterwards.

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Training

	09/07 Kayaking on the Genesee River. Went out for two hours, but half way thru, I felt a twitch in the lower back. I guess I overdid the paddling.
	09/10 Coast Guard Auxiliary Boatcrew Qualification Exam. I know it's not Camino training, but everyone needs a break every once in a while.
	09/12 Joined the Genesee Valley Hiking Club for a 4 mile easy hike along Allen Creek in Penfield. Truth be told, I'm burned out on training. I want to get started.
	09/13 Went out with some hiking buddies for an approximate 5-mile hike in White Brook Nature Park and part of the Perinton Loop circuit. Kind of my final tune up hike. Because Saturday is a rest day.

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.