O Meu Diário de Coimbra

The King and the Good Hands People

Took the bullet train — it’s called the Alfa Pendular — from Coimbra to Porto, Portugal’s third largest city to its second (Lisbon is the largest). The train can reach up to speeds of 220 km/h (135 mph). To give you some idea how fast that is — I mean, I know you know how fast 135 mph is — a 9 mm Luger handgun bullet travels about 2,200 km/h (1,360 mph), so bullet train is a tad hyperbolic; but to be fair, a 9 mm Luger handgun bullet doesn’t come with free WiFi, reclining seats, and a beverage cart. There are other trains, in the CP - Comboios de Portugal rail system, too — InterRegional and Regional, and Urban — but the AP line is the one people brag about when they wonder why we don’t have such a travel option in America and/or just want to bitch about Amtrak. I sat behind two people, a perfect couple, equally gorgeous, who were drinking beer and watching videos of themselves where they were also drinking beer, and across from a guy who looked like Jean Reno yelling “Claro, Claro” (Of course, of course) into his earbuds.