My Camino Angel💜

[Caligal]

After walking the CF, Pamplona - Ponferrada i wanted to take the train to Porto to do the CP. I started the 1st leg toward Tui, it was magnificent! I misunderstood the conductor who I thought said last stop, so I got off at said stop walked out of the station and said “where am I?” I asked 2 women one who spoke English said “Vigo” how far to tui? “Far about 40km” how can i get there? “ the bus” ok where is the bus station? “Far” ok i’ll take a taxi to bus, but who knows how often the bus runs. By then its late afternoon and i have booked a bed in Valenca across the river from Tui. Im trying to figure out what am I going to do. The young woman comes and tells me her Mom is in Vigo dropping her off to take the train to Santiago and then she is going back home to TUI!!! and she will take me!!!! An hour later she drops me off at the bridge in Tui and I walk across into Spain into Valenca and my stay at Hostel Bulwark ( my favorite hostel) Thus proving there truly are Camino Angels, mine were Carmen and Moonsie

 

[Anniesantiago]

That was so nice!

I once got on a train to Sahagun (I thought) and ended up in Vigo! lol!
The fellow at customer service there said many pilgrims make this mistake.
For me, it was a matter of asking a helpful station employee where to stand.
She said, "Stand here. The doors will open in front of you."
I did.
The train came.
It was 3 minutes early.
I thought, "Cool!"
The doors opened.
I got on.
Unfortunately, I got on the train to Vigo which left 3 minutes before the train to Sahagun!
I realized it the minute the train began going in the opposite direction!
Hahah! It was quite an adventure!

Beware!
Those Spanish trains are ON TIME!

 

[naplesdon]

There are some regional (non-TGV) trains in France that you can board and easily find a seat. You sit there very fat, dumb and happy thanking your lucky stars that you found a primo seats. Unfortunately you may not have looked at the ultimate destination of your car. Then you arrive at a station (Dax is one of them on the way to Bordeaux) when they split the train into two with one headed east and one headed south, finding you are headed to Pau.

 

[Davey Boyd]

I once arrived one afternoon in Santander by ferry from the UK. I booked into an albergue for a clean up and a nap, because my bus to Bayonne was leaving from the bus station at about 1.30am, a long overnight trip. (I was planning on walking the Camino Baztanes). I left the albergue about 1am, which was literally at the bus station and waited for my bus. And waited. The place was deserted.

Unknown to me the main bus station is underground. I found this out in the morning. So I sat there, in the street at a bus stop from 1am until the first bar opened in the morning. Staring at the albergue in front of me that I had just locked myself out of. No camino Angel for me!

In the morning I just caught the first bus to somewhere I knew. Hello Pamplona!

Davey