Greetings from Portugal, nice video coverage of the Intercity route. The car ramp at Faro has unfortunately not been used for many years. Long ago there used to be a direct Porto-Faro autotrain service, called the Comboio Azul (lit. "Blue Train"), used often by seasonal workers who didn't want to do the tiresome journey south by car. With the expansion of motorways, cross-country travel by car became a lot less painful, and with waining demand CP eventually axed the loss-making service.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thanks very much for that extra information. Very much appreciated 👍 And thank you for watching and for your kind words 👍

The car loading ramp was used by the "Comboio Azul" it allowed people to load their cars in Porto and unload them in Faro, interestingly it didn't pass in Lisboa.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

6 күн бұрын

Excellent. Thanks for the extra information and thanks too for watching 👍

That Canopy of 'Metal Trees' was excellent, some of the scenery was epic as well. Brilliant Video Johnny.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thanks Simon 👍

I'm impressed how well researchead your videos are!

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for that. I like to find a few things to say as I go along! Best wishes to you 👍

Delightful. This brought back fond memories of my own rail journeys in Portugal. A beautiful country and I kept the blinds open all the way!

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Well as i said before... this trip was in part down to your example of how lovely Portugal is! Thanks again for the inspiration 👍

@Timstravels01

2 ай бұрын

@@JohnnyHooverTravels cheers mate. 👍

Enjoyed this video very interesting, never been to Portugal, very nice,😊

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

I had only previously been to the Algarve so i was very pleased to discover a bit more of the country! Thanks for watching 👍

Another very enjoyable video. We did part of this route last year when we went from Lisbon to Setúbal. I always like going to Oriente station as I’m a big fan of Calatrava, we were at Bilbao Airport recently which is his typical light and airy style with some interesting features.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

Ай бұрын

Thanks so much for watching another. Do check this one out Beautiful stations and lovely countryside | Through Belgium and the Netherlands from Huy to Arnhem kzread.info/dash/bejne/hqaJvKSvhbfRmbg.html If you like a bit of Calatrava 😀

Good afternoon Johnny, excellent journey, and totally agree with you such good value for money, and not much difference in price between first and second class. I loved the retro look in the cafe bar as well as the scenery, at least travelling at a slower speed, you can appreciate the beautiful scenery and landscapes. I did so enjoy all your videos from Portugal, thank you 😊

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Oh thank you so much for saying thosew nice things. I really appreciate it. I had a lovely (if short) week in Portugal. A taster for me to make sure I return I think. Best wishes to you and thank you for watching 👍

Nice journey, Johnny! Thanks for take us along.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

no problem you are very welcome. Thanks for coming along 👍

Scenery so green at this time of year rather than the baked brown colour a bit later in the year!

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Yes indeed. I worry that the summer is going to quite tough in Spain and Portugal. Thanks for watching 👍

Thank you so much loved the video the train ride looked very good it great to see the different locomotives take care Paul in Kent

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thanks Paul. I really enjoyed the ride so I'm pleased you enjoyed coming along. I am going to Switzerland tomorrow, so i think you can expect some more good train window views on the channel soon 😃

As soon as you showed us the platform canopy, I thought, palm trees. It`s very elegant. And how odd of tourists not appreciating all that marvellous scenery - there`s a lot of lovely viewing for that well priced rail ticket... We`ve enjoyed Portugal, thank you :)

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Yes, palm trees most definitely. 🌴 Thank you - it was a lovely getaway with silly cheap flights and Interrail. 😁

@barvdw

2 ай бұрын

probably most passengers aren't tourists, though, but Portuguese who make the voyage fairly often. You can get a bit desensitised after a while to even the most beautiful scenery.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

@@barvdw these were definitely tourists as they all had North American accents! But yes, I appreciate that you don't look so much if you have travelled a line many times 👍

Fantastic video. i just discovered you yesterday and subscribed. i love Portugal and Portugal's trains. i did Porto all the way to faro on the AP once. PS. i would love to see you come to the US and do some videos on the long-distance trains with a sleeper car. that would be quality content.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for the kind words and for subscribing. I don't have any plans to come to the US any time soon as there's a lot of places in Europe that are still on my list. However this might change if i decide i really should go over and watch some NFL live 😉

Buenísimo video ❤

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thank you, that is very nice of you. And thank you too for watching 👍

Fantastic video. Great job.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thank you. That is lovely of you to say. And thank you so much for watching 👍

I DID think Oriente station was quite impressive when I was there, but it's also a bit impractical - at platform level anyway. It was rainy and windy and that beautiful roof offers absolutely NO protection from the weather. If you're there again, do walk through the shopping centre the other way, down to the river estuary. There is a waterside walk with great views of the Ponte Vasco de Gama, some artwork, an arena, a marina and even a cable-car you can ride out over the water.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Ah yes. I can very much see what you mean wrt the roof. Thanks for the advice for next time I'm in the area 👍 And thanks too for watching 👍

Well done... great video!

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thanks! And thanks too for watching 👍

Excellent video Johnny. Never used Lisbon oriente but definitely want to now, pretty inspiring architecture. I can't understand the blinds thing also, just one moment looking at the beautiful countryside and backdrop of the blue beats three hours watching of netflix or whatever! Great stuff. Kevin

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thanks Kevin. Do go and stand in the station. It is very interesting space indeed. I suppose i was a little harsh on them all as the low winter sun was coming in on their side. However, i was already taken aback by how much luggage many of them had. I always judge that people with a lot of luggage gain their pleasure from the time they spend at the destination rather than the time they spend travelling... to each their own

@barvdw

2 ай бұрын

It's January, temperatures are still fairly reasonable, but at the height of Summer, it can get hot and the sun can be relentless. Not sure the windows are tinted, as they are in some other countries, either. Plus, I assume most people are Portuguese who make this trip fairly often, so they are used to it.

Another great video meneer Stofzuiger. I live in Zuid-Limburg, NL and I visit Liége frequently. Señor Calatrano's work always impresses me. Did you know the new three country Arriva service from Liège to Aachen via Maastricht starts on 9 June? The Arriva Stadler FLIRTSs will be compliant with the three different voltage systems: 3kV DC (BE), 1 5kV DC (NL) and 15kV AC (DE). American football practice? You dark horse!

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info about the new service. I shall add it to my list! I've been playing for Exeter Falcons flag American football for six years. I really love it! There's lots of teams in NL too. Best wishes to you 👍

Looked like you had have a pleasent time in Portugal. One thing what I found out was bad with Oriente Railway station was that you could not find and places to sit while waiting for your train

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

That is a very good point. 👍

Thank you for this. I am on the Shinkansen in April. Tokyo to Osaka.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Oh now that sounds quite exciting! One day I'm sure i will ride the Shinkansen on the channel, but i will need a few more views before that becomes a reality! Thanks for watching and have a great time 👍

I didn't think food options were very good when I was there 2 years ago. But still the station looks amazing. All those food stals lets it feel like a market inside a train station

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

I had my lunch in food hall of the shopping centre. I suspect many others do too 🤷‍♂️ Thanks for watching another 👍

Excellent video! I have done the journey in 2007 from do Sodre to Caiscais and walked back along to Estoril. I also took the train (most of the way) to visit Sinatra up in the hills. I have also visited Oriente station. It is stunning at night. I have come across a lot of Calatrava's works throughout Europe. I am not aware of any of his stuff in the UK. Perhaps he is regarded as too outlandish for British tastes.

@brianmctighe

2 ай бұрын

Sintra not Sinatra. Predictive text. 😅😅

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for that. I really enjoyed the walk and would have gone further if I'd had the time. Sintra (or Sinatra as my predictive text also calls it) is somewhere I'd also like to go, but time was not on my side this time in Lisbon. I don't think the Calatrava team has ever done anything in the UK. I did have a look at their website to see what other projects they have done. There's so good pictures on there! Thanks for watching 👍

Great Video Johnny

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Thanks Paul. And thanks of course for watching too 👍

For the Liege Calatrava station, Calatrava insisted heavily on a special WHITE and not too grey concrete, which sets it apart from the precursor station in Lisbon.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Yes i love the white at Liège. Although i still love a bit of bare grey concrete too. Thanks for watching 👍

Great stuff, cheers. Oriente really is something, isn't it? 😎

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Yes it is. And i think it is wearing pretty well given that it is now 26 years old.

Have you been to the other two Calatrano stations Johnny? 1983: Stadelhofen Station, Zürich, CH 1989: Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, Lyon, FR?

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

No. But i was looking at the Zurich one on Google Street view only yesterday!

@drgwdrgw

2 ай бұрын

When I got off the PATH train at WTC/Lower Manhattan I was definitely in Calatrava-land.

Interesting! Oreinte is too fanciful for me. Form needs to follow function. if it does then there there is honesty of purpose. eg Kings Cross or Glasgow Central. I preferred Liege.

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Fair enough. I think the main parts of Oriente do follow the function, but others have said that the palm tree canopy is not good at keeping either the sun off or the rain and wind at bay. Still. It looks nice... Thanks for sticking along with all this stuff. You been watching it for about two years now Colin. Thank you 👍

@colinriley123

2 ай бұрын

Sticking along is not the way to put it. Yours is my favorite train channel by a mile.@@JohnnyHooverTravels

Interesting the train announcements in English. You wouldn’t get the same announcements in Spanish or French between London and say Oxford or Bath!

@JohnnyHooverTravels

2 ай бұрын

Indeed not. However in the UK's defence, it just so happens that English has become the common second language of Europe. Makes me wonder that, apart from Eurostar are there any services in the UK that have announcements in a foreign language? Btw i would not count TfW. Whilst they announce in two languages, neither could be termed foreign. Thanks for watching! 👍

@barvdw

2 ай бұрын

@@JohnnyHooverTravels I believe I read that some of the boat trains used to be announced in French as well (perhaps even Dutch when going from Harwich to Hoek van Holland), but I am not sure, as I am just a bit too young as to have experienced these, Eurostar was already there when I came of age.

@GabrielsReviews

2 ай бұрын

@@JohnnyHooverTravels GX does but only between Victoria and Gatwick Airport

@John-qq8he

2 ай бұрын

Last time I travelled Málaga/Madrid ( on Iryo ) announcements were made in English.

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