Welcome to #CrossBorderRail Autumn 2023 Day 26, 26 Oct, Santiago de Compostela - Vigo-Urzaiz - Valença - Coimbra

Today I’m crossing these borders
Valenca do Minho 🇵🇹 - Tui 🇪🇸

Map of today’s route
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-political-tour-autumn-2023_933893#8/41.560/-8.646

Today’s Live Blog
https://crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/live-blog-autumn-2023-day-26/

Today’s intro video
https://urbanists.video/w/rzc5wMV481EQgrwz9QKviH

Regular posts will only start this afternoon though!

🥵 Got to #interreg2023

But damn cycling in Santiago on a rainy October morning is no fun

I hope the rain clears a bit before I have to go to Valença 🇵🇹 (cycling from Tui 🇪🇸) later!

No arguments with police this morning. Better than yesterday. I found a bike stand over on the other side of the car park 🎉

María Jesús Montero saying the EU needs to get back to the needs of its citizens

How about - errr - #CrossBorderRail at Spain’s borders? 🤔

(At least she’s a motivating speaker) #interreg2023

There’s this continuous and fluid relationship between Galicia and northern Portugal says Alfonso Rueda Valenzuela

So fluid you have two trains a day 🤷‍♂️ #CrossBorderRail

My #CrossBorderRail speech yesterday at #Interreg2023 is now on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvSAi4mBYYo

The camera position was a pain, but it is the sound you want. And it starts with a bit of a rant...

Wrapping up here at #Interreg2023

The people here - from the European Commission and national and regional authorities - are the people who can solve problems on the ground

The problem is the sour political context in which many of them have to work…

This is indeed pretty funny. Or tragic. Or a stupid waste of money. Or all of those.

Come out of the “wrong” door at Santiago de Compostela and you skip the bag scan on the platform.

No one stops you.

Security theatre, eh?