Getting back to Vigo!

Here we are back in the land of the eucalyptus trees. Oh, I know they are not native to Galicia but our bus had barely left Porto and we started seeing little woodlets. I think one term for them is "stands" of trees. Why such a weird term? Anyway, here we are, back in Galicia. The sun shone on our arrival but we did get some rain later. Just a little! 

I heard a radio report in the taxi from the bus station, all about the cost of repairing the damage from the storms that have hit Galicia. Presumably the same ones as hit the UK. Quite a lot of ports have been hard hit and will need financial help to put things right. Here in Vigo, there is a back street carpark that always has a large puddle in the middle of it, unless there have been weeks and weeks without rain. Even in summer, it is often a puddly place. Today the puddle is a lake! Almost the whole carpark is full of water! So it's not just Saddleworth that has been getting a soaking. 

At Porto airport, we discovered that the number of bus services providing transport from the airport to a variety of places has double, at least. It might have tripled. Unfortunately they are of no use to us as they only seem to go to places like Braga and Viana del Castelo. Nice places, no doubt, but not where we want to end up. 

 Our bus, the Autna service, was almost half an hour late. Had we known, we might have treated ourselves to a second breakfast while we waited. And to think that we had been concerned that we might miss it. This was because Easyjet insisted on putting my suitcase into the hold. Because of fog during our journey to Manchester airport, we were on the last minute. As we approached the gate, I could hear the employees discussing how many bags had gone through already. When it got to me, mine was syphoned off to go in the hold. It's years since I have had to wait for luggage at the carousel. 

But all was well: I retrieved my suitcase, we caught the somewhat belated bus and finally arrived in Vigo in the early afternoon. Some five or six hours later we feel as though we have had a full day. Food shopping. Making a late lunch. Recharging our pay as you go Spanish phones. Ditto the dongle for the computer. Good news there: because of a special promotion we get double the amount of internet access for the usual price! 

Sometimes things just work out right! All we need now is a bit more sunshine!