I can go again!

Yay, it’s finally time to hit the road again. Heading south now, because those who know me are aware: there’s always something to experience, but I have two strict conditions: I want it not too cold and not too hot. That’s why I spent from May until the beginning of September in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and now I’m heading south to Portugal. On to the GR22, a hiking trail of about 600 km through twelve historic villages and towns in central Portugal. Culture and nature, la Grande Rota das Aldeias Históricas.

A bit more suffering

But first, a long journey awaits me. 30 hours from door to door. Taking the train from Alkmaar to Amsterdam, then the FlixBus to Paris, and subsequently another FlixBus to Guarda in Portugal. It’s becoming a tradition: my father and aunt bike with me to the station, where they wave me off. The long sit can begin.

Rest in the bus during the night

And it’s a long one, but this time I’m lucky that it’s very quiet on the bus during the night stretch. Two seats for myself, so I can switch positions a bit and lie down. In the early morning, just in time for withdrawal symptoms, we stop for coffee, so that was well arranged too. However, it does get much busier on the bus afterwards, and due to a faulty bus, we all have to transfer to another bus. A whole hassle, getting all the luggage out and back in, but fortunately, we don’t lose too much time. It’s just hot, and we’re packed in like sardines in a can.

One hour time difference

Exactly at 16:15 local time, I finally arrive in Guarda. I hadn’t accounted for the time difference. I thought the journey would take 29 hours, but because of the one hour time difference, I end up arriving only after 30 hours. Silly.

Historic old town

I’m strolling through the historic old town, but I will quickly move on to the youth hostel, where I have booked a bed including breakfast. I definitely deserve that after this exhausting effort. I’m quite worn out, but it could have been much worse and I will visit Guarda again. Time to rest now and be refreshed again tomorrow.

Accommodation: Guarda