Tortosa

[MariaV]

Hi all! I have decided on Spain for my next year -- first six months will be Tortosa (took a crazy amount of choosing and researching and deciding and changing my mind sixteen zillion times!) and the six after that I have no idea. Maybe the rain forest D) of Oviedo or perhaps closer to Portugal. I chose Spain because I want to expand my wine and olive oil website to be across-Euro-borders rather than just Hungary, and want to write about both Spain and Portugal.

ANYway...is anyone in that area? Right now I'm just basically figuring out my best options for getting there from transport-infrastructure-less Pécs with two large and heavy suitcases (10 bottles of irreplaceable, no longer made, wines are kinda heavy but I worry about freaky baggage handlers at airports). I have a new friend in Tortosa (actually an expat who makes olive oil and who will be my first interview for there!) who is helping me out once I get there and getting from BCN to Tortosa.

Since I know so many of you are not only experienced travelers but also are familiar with my in-between countries, I was giong to cross-post but I'll ask here also. What I'm looking at is: train (or hopefully a ride from someone here to whom I'll pay gas) to Zagreb, GoOpti (or blabla car maybe if I can) to Venice, train to Genoa and the boat to BCN. Reasoning is that a simple flight from Budapest (a three-hour train ride from me or three hours by bus/transport) to BCN is limited to arrival times of 22:30 to 01:00 (never mind the outrageous charges for two large suitcases, so will be expensive), overnight in BCN which is spendy. OR I could break up my through-Italy trip to a night somewhere that won't cost too much (as close to Genoa I suppose as possible since the boat will be either 13:00 or 17:00 depending on the day).

Thoughts? This move is planned for two weeks from now!

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Maria
Just a little concerned about the number of changes of train, that typically involves getting both of those suitcases off the train, along the platform, down the steps (typically about 40 in Italy?), along to the next platform and then back up those steps (there may be lifts to help) and then onto the new train. If they change the platform (as sometimes happens) you'll be unhappy.

Flying at least cuts down on this, plus you'll be able to use a trolley. Using polystyrene inserts to a suitcase will defeat the rough treatment by the airport handlers, although I travel with a full length rucksack & use bubble wrap and have had no breakages, so it's maybe not as bad as you fear. Depending on which direction the wines / olive oil are traveling, you could pack one suitcase inside the other to save baggage charges on the leg without the bottles (I do that now with two identical rucksacks).

Doing a quick look at flights, it appears there is a direct flight from Budapest to Barcelona (Wizzair) arriving at 08:45 (2h 40m) and not crazy expensive. Ok this then means a late train to Budapest and wait at the airport for a few hours (or overnight accommodation). Also worth checking flights to Valencia.

I don't say this easily, because flying is a de-humanising process these days, especially if flying with Ryanair and some other budget airlines.
Breaking the journey to go by train / coach certainly has appeal, but it's those suitcases that make me feel it would end up being a very painful journey.

regards
Ian

 

[MariaV]

Hi Ian! Yeah I know it's a pain...I actually did pretty much the exact trip getting here last summer, though I started in Lecco (changed in Milan and then changed in Venice to Trieste where a Facebook friend met me and hung with me for a couple hours waiting on the GoOpti van to Zagreb--then I stayed overnight, got a train to Gye-something, changed train to Pécs.....and I'm complaining about one possibly two train changes this time?! And that time the suitcases were heavier 'cause they had 10 liters of olive oil......... I don't remember the station change Venice-Trieste honestly, if there were stairs. I could reserve a porter? Fortunately GoOpti has rides to both Trieste and Venice so I could choose the furthest. Didn't Milan have elevators? I have bubblewrap and clothes around my wine....I still worry

I was thinking maybe a cheap overnight in Venice? I should be able to get to Genoa port in plenty of time Saturday. Don't we have any STers (sorry, that would be SEers now!) in Venice or maybe Milan who'd like to have dinner perhaps Friday night? And this way I slow travel it, can work on the train....

I've tried on rome2rio for every combination....Budapest or Zagreb start. I could do Zagreb-BCN leaving at around 10:00 and that necessitates a previous overnight in Zagreb. In checking Wizzair and CroatiaAir and Vueling and even RyanAir, I'm getting hit with really high baggage charges.

Have I mentioned how I hate being in such a horrible transport-infrastructure city?!

EDITED AFTER RESEARCH....GoOpti comfy van/car thing only takes max 5 hours Zagreb-Venice, no hauling my bags myself until I get myself onto the train (I remember the drivers taking my bags for me from the van across the street and into the hotel in zagreb last year) and only costs like 35 euro. A cheap overnight stay in Venice perhaps? Timing-wise I may be able to go ahead and get the train to Milan, but I think overnight in Milan would be more expensive.

Okay I'm off to go drink wine at my wine bar...

 

[Ian Sutton]

As a lateral thought - Maybe talk a friend into a 'road trip' where you share the driving! I'm surprised that it's less than I thought - Google say just under 19 hours driving, so with two of you, you could fit 2 (or more) overnight stays in en-route and still fit in a little sightseeing. The beauty of this is not having to move the luggage at all and it's door to door.

In reality, this probably only makes sense if 10 bottles was a compromise vs. weight, and given the chance 40-50 bottles of wine and olive oil you'd find it very easy to fill 3-4 cases.

 

[MariaV]

Nice thought I never renewed my license, though, once it expired after I got to Europe. Just never really found a reason to because I could get everywhere I wanted with alternate modes. Didn't want a car anymore, the hassle, maintenance, insurance!

But it is times like these that I wish I did because then I'd rent a car And then I could've gotten all of the wines I wanted from here. I limited myself to the 10-12 because of transporting them.

Croatia is doing track work on a small 10km stretch outside of Zagreb....oh wonderful, it means they will take you off the train, you get on a bus, go 10km, get off the bus and back on the train........from 1-30 July. Argh! Last night I asked my somm friend and another guy to start checking with all their friends as to who would like to do a short driving trip to Zagreb or Maribor.

I've decided to overnight it in Venice as a good friend is leaving to go back to the states after....15?...years here and her household goods are being packed up the 13th for her move on the 22nd and the gov't is reimbursing her lodging so she'll get a hotel overnight in Venice and we can spend a pleasant evening.