[Gocamino] Transportation from Santiago to Lisbon

[C.C. Rush]

The book referred to by Jose Saramago is Journey to Portugal, 1st American
edition 2001.

Patricia Rush
Schenectady, NY
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eldor Pederson" <eopederson at msn.com>
To: <gocamino at oakapple.net>; "Brad Hubbard" <hubbard at wans.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 05, 2005 7:17 PM
Subject: Re: [Gocamino] Transportation from Santiago to Lisbon


There are several ways to get between Santiago and Lisboa overland via
either bus routes or rail connections. It used to be necessary to change
trains at the border, but check the RENFE website
(www.renfe.es<about:blank>) as there may now be through service. A little
knowledge of Portuguese is helpful if you plan a coastal bus trip as
connections between the smaller towns are by local companies.

>From north to south, there are a bunch of places worth stopping enroute.
Still in Spain, the town of Padron, ancient Iria Flavia, is where the stone
boat carrying the bones of St. James reputedly washed ashore. Pontevedra is
a medium sized city and reasonably pleasant. For no specific reason, I am
rather fond of Vigo, a city that is a little reminiscent of Bellingham, set
on the Rias Baixas, narrow fjords with offshore islands. There is not a lot
to see or do, but it is a pleasant small city.

Once into Portugal one would be hard pressed to do everything worth doing in
a month let alone just a week. For starters, there are lovely beaches along
the coast, and two cities on the must see list: Oporto (Porto, be
forewarned, if you go by train, the station is quite a distance from the
center, as it is in Lisboa). ), the largest with a dramatic site on the
Douro is a well-preserved old city, Portugal having been mostly spared the
various wars that damaged so many cities elsewhere in Europe, and Coimbra
the ancient university town. Other potential town stops include Viana do
Castelo, and the ever popular pilgrimage site at Fatima  between Coimbra and
Lisboa. As a trip out of Oporto, the wine country of the Douro Valley is
certainly worth seeing; the narrow terraces on which the grapes for port
wine are grown are most amazing. Close to Lisboa is the peninsula with
Sintra at its center, and no trip to Portugal is complete without seeing
that area. Lisboa itself is is a pleasant place to spend time, somewhat less
hectic than other European capitals but well-endowed with things to do,
great places to eat, etc. Its central area is a creation of the 18th
century, an immense set of earthquakes and tsunamis in 1755 having destroyed
much of it necessitating rebuilding (read Voltaire's Candide where the
earthquake and events following it are a major part of the story). The
resultant Pombaline Lisboa is a magnificent example of town planning and
late 18th century architecture, a center overlooked by the parts of the city
on the steep hills around the center reached by an absolutely amazing
variety of urban transportation choices. Lisboa also has a fantastic and
often overlooked museum in the Gulbenkian Foundation and between that museum
and the center one of the finest botanical gardens in the world. Before
leaving home, get a copy of (Nobel prize for literature winner) Jose
Saramago's book on his journey around his native Portugal (sorry I do not
have an exact citation at hand).

If you have other questions, contact me.


E. O. Pederson
Seattle, WA



  My wife and I will be walking the Camino this summer from SJPP.  Our
flight
  back to the US leaves from Lisbon about a week after we expect to arrive
in
  Santiago.  Does anyone have suggestions about getting to Lisbon by public
  transportation and getting to enjoy stops through Portugal along the way?
  Is there good bus transportation from Santiago along the coast of Portugal
  to Lisbon?

  Our trip through Portugal will be our opportunity to spend some time
  relaxing on the beach and to celebrate the completion of our journey.  Any
  suggestions of places we should see along the way?

  Brad & Sandra Hubbard
  Bellingham, Washington

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