Travel day to Granada
5/24/24
On the train from Valencia to Granada with a stopover in Cordoba. It’s another long day on trains. We’re traveling through sparsely vegetated farmland all pale green and brown with an occasional rocky outcropping. I’m trying to compare the landscape to what I’ve seen the southwest US and it’s similar to some parts. It’s not quite desert, not quite prairie, but flat, flat.
Had a brief walk through the old city before leaving. Maybe a full day and two nights was enough, at least to get a feel for the place. We saw none of the neighborhoods though, just the old quarters and the beach.
As we near Cordoba the landscape turned quite hilly, though still arid, and the train traveled through narrow slices and tunnels through the hills on a single track. We passed a train waiting for its turn through the passage. Interesting ride. Now many hillsides are filled with olive trees and buildings seem to date back to the 19th century. And olive trees as far as the eye can see but no farm buildings in sight. I can only guess how they plant, maintain, harvest. If mot olive trees then something else. We saw nothing wild, all is cultivated with the hilly section shown here the rare exception.
Traveling by train increases the time spent people watching. In addition to the opportunities afforded by walking around, sitting in cafes and train stations there is the train itself. The last one offers the fewest but we have a particularly interesting looking fellow on board with us today. There’s the black leather cowboy boots and the Don Quixote facial hair-graying mustache and beard-coupled with shoulder length graying hair. Leather wrist bands and various rings on most of his fingers complete the look. The only outlying part of the ensemble is the frayed and faded jeans. Central casting, I found your man!
Security. Spain has TSA style baggage checkpoints at all the major train stations but not at the small town stations. So those terrorists need to know this. Get on at a small town. Fortunately the bike fits through the scanner belt.
Arrived in Granada after about 12 hours travel time. It’s around 11 PM and the streets and sidewalks are busy. It’s Friday night but I suspect that doesn’t make a difference. Staying in a very nice hotel in the heart of the old city-maybe our nicest one yet.
Granada
5/25/24
This trip started with a desire to see the Alhambra. It’s fascinated me for 50+ years ever since I saw a picture in history class. We saw that a bike route was being developed to travel along the Mediterranean starting in southern Spain. What a beautiful trip that would be, I thought, and, guess what, it would pass by Granada!
We started in northern Europe so we could catch the tulip season in the Netherlands. Otherwise we might have started the trip here a bit earlier in the Spring before it became too hot. Temperatures near 90 now.
An early morning walk didn’t disappoint. I strolled a bit uphill past the Alhambra and into a bit of the Albayzin, the old Moorish part of the city.
Ann Louise not feeling well (something she ate? I feel fine.) so I set out to explore. Went past the main cathedral (another one and I’m not interested) and then set off to follow the river through a very nice park. I climbed up into the old Jewish quarter with commanding views down into the rest of the city before returning to the old city. I had to turn on the GPS to find the hotel after wandering in the vicinity for a while. This time of year, near mid-day, it’s difficult to orient yourself in terms of north, south, etc. A rabbit’s warren of narrow, crooked streets adds more confusion.
Later in the day we took a small bus that loops up to the Alhambra and back. It gave Ann Louise a chance to see some of the old part of the city. It was also similar to an amusement park ride with the bus twisting through various small street barely squeaking by buildings and pedestrians while bouncing along rough cobble streets. For $1.40 it was a bargain.
Dinner was at a popular outdoor restaurant that, according to our guide book, “serves authentic Spanish food” including churros. What it failed to say was that churros are their only authentic food. At least they’re the only one worth eating. We ordered several items and only one, pizza, was tasty-barely. Service was good and friendly though. Throughout our trip I’ve marveled at the skill and hustle of the wait staff.
Granada day 2
5/26/24
We toured the Alhambra today and it was another one of those single destinations that were worth the trip to Europe. Where to start? Its place as as marking a turning point in world history? The architecture? The gardens? The hydraulic engineering? The views?
Upon arrival you go through a series of checkpoints where your identity is checked or tickets scanned Much of the grounds are free to roam but the Nasrid Palace requires a ticket, reserved well in advance. There’s a lot of walking and stair climbing. Fortunately much of paths are shaded and with a gentle breeze. The fortress was built on a hill strategically located to capture water from the nearby Sierra Nevada. Water is a feature throughout with various types of conduits leading to pools and fountains-and, in the past, public baths.
Gardens are everywhere and are generally formal in design. Agricultural space was somewhat separate, outside the walls, but we did see some edible plants among the flowers. Ann Louise spied an olive tree and a fig tree. There are orange trees already bearing ripe fruit but it’s said they are not very good eating. Spectacular topiary abounds with the formal garden plots bordered by hedges that also define intricate maze-like paths.
I need to learn more about the Moorish development of their architectural forms. Structural needs don’t seem to drive the choices rather than a love of intricate geometry and Allah. Surfaces have mostly simple shapes-flat walls and ceilings, arches- but are extensively adorned with tile, carving, plaster. It’s the plaster that is so remarkable with its excruciatingly dense carving. Some elements, arches in particular, are even richly molded and given painted highlights. The craftsmanship is superb by any standard from any culture at any time.
Wonderfully composed views await you everywhere. Now, one thousand years ago the views to outside the walls are not the ones you see now but it’s clear the palace placed openings with views to the outside in mind. Otherwise, within those simple functional walls were created delightful views of gardens, courtyards, fountains.
The history of the Alhambra begs many “what if” questions. It was the last Moorish city on the Iberian peninsula. What if it resisted the Reconquista? What if it had been ransacked? Ferdinand and Isabella are among the most consequential figures in history, starting with finishing the Reconquista in 1492 by taking over Granada and the Alhambra without destruction thanks to the Nasrid ruler’s decision to spare it by agreeing to surrender without further fighting. Would Columbus have had Isabella’s attention and resources had the Nasrids held out a little longer? Spanish colonialism followed this date of 1492 with all its ramifications for much of the world as it now exists.
Food. Have I mentioned food? We’re on vacation/Espana time. Breakfast at 9. But I took a walk at 7:30. Then a late lunch, or very early dinner, at 3:30 at a lively place next door to the hotel. Would it be a repeat of last night? Thankfully, no. Food was delicious and you get the impression that you could close your eyes, point, and not be disappointed. Wait staff were, as usual, delightful.
Granada day 3
5/27/24
The big events are behind us and we don’t get lost as often now. Time to leave the bustling crowds. Ann Louise visited the giant sized cathedral and I rented a bike and took to the hills.
I walked past the cathedral previously and the entry facade was enough to deter me from visiting. Ann Louise can corroborate my first impression. Its scale is ludicrously super size with gold interiors galore. Chapels proliferated as if everyone who was anyone got a chapel. It seems to be a giant middle finger raised to defy and taunt the vanquished.
Following is yet another example, the palace of Charles V. It’s a Spanish Renaissance building and the facade looks like a Medici fortress from a hundred years earlier but super sized. The interior courtyard is something of a surprise. While I don’t get the impression that the design was intended to spite the Muslims I’ll just say it’s not a winner in my book.
Do I seem resentful? Let’s say disappointed. It’s as if the Beverly Hillbillies came to town and went on a building spree, like some rapacious developer with no sense of style or proportion.
My bike ride took me quickly out of the city past a few small towns and through a forest, past a lake, and up, up, up about 2000 feet above the city. Along the way I was frequently passed, sometimes scorched, by other cyclists. These were pretty serious road warriors. I saw many, many cyclists in both directions. Some were not the typical uber cyclist though. Some seemed to be less fit folks on mountain bikes cruising down the hills while I ascended. I wondered if they were on their return or if they were given a ride up so they could cruise down?
It was not the hardest climbing I’ve ever done but it was hot and long so I did stop here and there to give my legs a rest and take pictures. The return was almost all down hill, about 15 or 20 kilometers, with lots of turns. Quite fun and I was surprised by how steep it was. It didn’t appear to be so steep when I was going up.
And now for name dropping. Of the many cyclists passing me there was a group of 6 or so followed by a van. The van said, “team Astana”. I was passed by some pro riders! Imagine that. Later I saw a rider going up hill followed by a team car for Emerates. I was in rare company. When I returned the bike I asked about the route and, yes, it’s a regular training route for teams and Granada is a favorite area in Europe for training. Lots of high climbing. I feel like an interloper in Valhalla or Olympus.
And a word about bicycling in the city. No bike lanes and I didn’t see bike paths. Lots of bicycles and they travel the streets among the motor cycles, cars, work trucks, buses, and pedestrians on most streets. Some busy roads maybe not so much because they’re very crowded. It seems to work with everyone paying attention.
Finished the day with another delicious meal at the restaurant next door. It may be the first place we’ve tried more than once, entertaining too, watching our waiter circulate through all his tables, arranging the utensils and menus. He was efficiently and perpetually in motion.
Segovia day 1
6/1/24
Had a special late lunch/dinner yesterday at 4 PM. We ate at a restaurant recommended by our host. Apparently it closes in late afternoon and the available item on their menu was their specialty roast baby pig. So why not? This is the trademark dish for this region. It was a lot of meat and fed both of us. That was it for the day and it was very good.
Walked through the aqueduct that runs through the city. Another stupendous engineering feat. While it no longer carries water from the nearby river it could.
On to Madrid today. We are just going to get a brief taste of the city and visit two museums, the Prado and a modern art museum that features Picasso’s Guernica. We’ll try to do a little stroll but we’re at our limit for intense city experiences now after Paris, Prague, Barcelona, etc. Segovia feels like a small town and that’s fine by us for the remaining two days. And so we limited ourselves to the Prado and went to the royal botanical garden instead. Ann Louise was willing to walk some more if it’s a garden and I/we have reached our limit for museums. The Prado is massive and not as interesting as its size would suggest. The layout is convoluted and the paintings-it’s 95% paintings-are dominated by religious themes, mythology, and portraits of royalty. It created a kind of wallpaper effect where the paintings all sort of coalesce as wall decor.
We had some time left before our bus back to Segovia so we looked for a place to sit and have some food. After two misses, kitchen closed at one and totally ignored at a second, we hit pay dirt at the third. Really good food and the biggest and tastiest calzone ever.
Much cooler here after Sevilla. Took a brief walk this morning and saw some balloons rising in the cool morning air.
Segovia day 2
6/2/24
Unless you carry a steamer trunk full of clothes and/or traveling for a short time you have to find a laundry. We’re traveling for 2 months and we carry clothes to last a week. That means we’ll be doing laundry many times and, unless you stay with some friends with laundry machines or your lodging has some, you have to find a self service laundry-lavanderia in Spain.
Since we travel by train we have to walk so we’re looking for one close by. Every one so far has been close by. They are also small with maybe two or three machines each for washing and drying. Try to find times that are not busy.
The first facility was very convenient, taking a credit card as well as coins. Since then every one has required coins. Not a problem. They have a change machine but you need small denomination bills, no 20 or 50 euro bills. Unfortunately, perversely, ATMs here favor those large 20 or 50s. Hotels have made change for us, thankfully. Coins and 5 euro notes do the trick as long as the change machine works to supply the rest of the coins. Today the change machine isn’t working. Stuck. I need more coins.
It’s early on a Sunday morning. Where to get change? Any stores open? Yes! Next door is a pastry shop and I’m hungry. I buy a pastry, he makes change, and we chat for a bit, in English too. It’s already a nice day.
Laundry done and bike assembled we started riding to explore a portion of the city. We quickly
started up hill on cobble stone streets and stopped at the Alkazar. It’s a very romantic building in a stunning setting high above a valley. And storks! There was a nest in the Alcazar. Storks are common here and they build these giant nests like eagles do.
From there we decided to try a footpath. It was quiet and shady as we coasted slightly down into that valley below the Alcazar we had just visited. Then it was a long gradual climb back into the city on the road.
Mission accomplished. We had just made a quick tour of the old city. True to our current eating schedule we had our first food at mid-day. Breakfasts are a challenge. While our room has a small kitchen we haven’t found a market for food because we’re limited by walking distance and it’s the weekend with stores closed. Local establishments offer a limited selection concentrated on pastry. I want cereal or peanut butter on bread. Not to be.
Dinner was very nice, for me at least, with lamb and frites. We both shared a nice salad. Ann Louise had prawns. She didn’t expect it to be prepared in this way-basically boiled. I tried one and it wasn’t very good, certainly not worth the effort to peel them. One hit, one miss.
Weather here has been very nice. Sunny, of course, but not too hot. And the evenings are cool, dropping into the 50s.
Segovia day 3
6/3/24
Our first bike ride in the countryside outside a city. Most of the cities we’ve visited are too large to truly get outside the city and visit some of the towns. Segovia offered the opportunity but with a catch. Hills.
We found a suggested route on one of our bike apps. Seems that tourist bureaus don’t have bike maps or routes in local areas. That’s been taken over by touring companies and you need to join a tour. True, there’s the Euro Velo network but that’s for long point to point touring. With some navigating uncertainty we completed a very scenic tour through the countryside south of Segovia that passed through several towns and tiny villages. It had hills, those twisty switchback filled types. Some were down and tested the brakes but most were up, testing the legs. Being a loop (what goes up must come down) the remaining downhill heading back to the city were long and gentle. There was a lovely undulating stretch along a high plateau or ridge that included views of storks and a pause for a herd of cattle crossing the road. Stopped at a bar in a classically small village, Navas de Riofrio, and we both had beers. I have easily doubled my lifetime beer consumption on this trip.
Late in the day a minor panic. Seems we don’t have confirmed seats for tomorrow’s train and, in Spain, you can’t book on line. You see, we have a Eurail Pass but that doesn’t get you on a particular train. Aaaannd you have to book before the day you travel. That tripped us up previously and we had to change our plans and reservations. We had dinner reservations in 90 minutes but we have to go to the train station ticket office now. Oh well. I suppose dinner is out. We got on a bus to the train station. Great. Is the ticket office open? It’s nearly 7 PM. Yes it is. Will we get seats? Yes! To top it off we get a cab directly to the restaurant, saving us a hike up hill, and arrive with 5 minutes to spare- exactly as planned.
Dinner was very good too. Our last meal in Spain.
Travel Amboise to Lyon
6/9/24
One last walk around the neighborhood before we leave. I could spend quite a while wandering around on a bike. A bit like back in Durham USA, most traffic seems to concentrate in certain streets leaving various streets and passageways fairly vehicle free.
On the train now and things are going smoothly. Trains on time and we didn’t have to carry the bags very far. We have one less bag too after shipping clothes ahead yesterday. But, of course, luggage setup on the train is, in the words of click and clack, “unencumbered by the thought process”. Overhead storage is a weak gesture with narrow shelves big enough for a hat or sweater. That means the available slots are filled with all sizes and shapes of luggage leaving limited space left for larger items. It doesn’t help, either, when people are careless and lazy about how they deposit their bags. I have, on occasion, shifted bags to more appropriate slots. Right now the bike is in a vacant wheelchair space, and not the first time. Here’s some of the woefully inadequate storage space. You could these for commuter cars rather than long distance ones.
On the Rhone River Bike Trail from Lyon
6/10/24
We’re following the Rhone river bicycle route, leaving Lyon and heading down river to our rental in a small village north of Avignon.
The route in Lyon looked to be ridiculously convoluted and the guidebook suggested taking the train to the next large town. Sounds like a plan so we called for a taxi. One hour later still no taxi. Missed our train but at least got to the station via Uber. Having missed that train it turned out that trains were stopped for a while for work on the tracks so shuttle buses instead. So a late start. Then we lost our map and cue sheet.
A combination of Google maps and following signs got us going. The route is well signed-mostly. There were a couple of times when the signs were crooked or ambiguous causing mild backtracking.
The route is paved and goes through pleasant landscape and towns. Staying in a conveniently located small hotel in a river town.
On the Rhone River Bike Trail -Day 2
6/11/24
Back on the trail next day. We have our map and a better feel for the route. It’s well signed, paved, and with only an occasional twisty maneuver needed to keep on the trail. We passed through many orchards today, apricot, cherry, peach, as well as vineyards. Lots of cyclists are going in both directions. Some are out for a ride but many are loaded for touring. Now we are in a larger city, Valence. It’s the self described gateway to the south of France. The Rhone has been joined by two other rivers by now and it’s even larger. We can also see mountains. To the east they appear to be the French Alps and west must be the Massif Central. No mountain climbing for us as we stay in the river valley.
On the Rhone River Bike Trail – Day 3
6/12/24
Day 3 on the Rhone river trail started out so nice with a lovely trail and no hiccups for the first half. After a pleasant lunch we headed out of a town that had been destroyed in 1944 by Allied bombing. One survivor was a Roman bridge still intact and still used 2,000 years later.
It was not to last. On the way out of town I saw multiple direction signs pointing toward a route and, rashly it seems, followed them. The trail started to climb. That’s odd, I thought, the route was supposed to be level. I’m sure we’ll head back down toward the river, I figured, and we did descend, for a bit, only to start climbing again. Then we stopped, checked our location, and realized we were on another trail and had to turn back. We did get some nice pictures from up high though.
Back in our lunch stop town we tried to figure out the correct route and, after turning around, and around, Ann Louise found a sign pointing us in the right direction. I didn’t see the sign and actually doubled back to see it for myself. It was there and she was right and will not let me forget it.
If only our troubles were behind us The route, although generally quite nice, was slow with many turns and bridge crossings, including a makeshift unsigned detour to get on the last bridge, and a slow loop around a massive nuclear power plant.
Our destination was a small city, Montélimar, that required working our way with the help of Google maps which couldn’t make up its mind. A 15 minute ride turned into almost an hour. Ten hours after starting the day we were eating dinner.
You come to expect the trail signs to show the way. We have a paper map and we’ve never been comfortable using a mobile app to guide us turn by turn. Maybe it’s time to embrace them, but not Google. Even the paper map wasn’t completely cogent with incorrect street names, not to mention there are usually no street names on road signs. The turns in the route are so numerous you spend most of your time and attention reading instead of seeing the scenery. It’s a problem with this kind of riding and means you can’t really travel very far in a day.
All that said, the riding is generally very pleasant and interesting. It helps that we’ve had sunny skies and mild temperatures plus a tail wind every day so far.
On the Rhone River Bike Trail – Day 4
6/13/24
Once again, smooth going this morning as we crisscrossed back and forth over the river. We left the river after lunch and we looked at several Google Maps routes. When will we learn. All were the same length, which is a little odd in retrospect. We picked the “best route” and started off on what purportedly would be a 90 minute ride. Some hill climbing was forecast and that was to be expected since we were heading inland.
After a few kilometers we were beginning to learn why all the routes were the same length. Google was making it up out of whole cloth, sending us arbitrarily cross country on make believe roads. We started going down narrow paved lanes (OK) but then they turned to gravel (not great) and then dirt (WTF). By now we were pretty committed having gone far enough to be reluctant to turn back. Maybe we should have but we’ll never know.
The first clue was a muddy patch. Then rocks appeared and we dismounted. Well, maybe the next “road” will be a genuine one. Not to be. The next “road” was even worse as the rocks got larger and the up and down slopes got steeper. Was there an end to this? About 2 hours later there was-a paved road.
It was a relief-for a while. The next “road” curated for us was another dirt path so we decided to improvise our own route. This eventually panned out, staying on real roads. Very few roads go to this town. We went many kilometers farther, making a giant loop to get here which included a pretty steep 4 kilometer climb. Ann Louise was totally wasted and I wasn’t far behind by journey’s end. Ten hours on the road with a couple of those wondering if some hikers several months from now would find our corpses back in a forest. I am trying to think of a fitting response to Google and their diabolically malicious bike mapping algorithm.
We are done riding and we’re resting in our absolutely gorgeous rental. Sometimes the worst days on a bike have the best endings. The last photo is a Google “bike route”.
Family time
6/14/24
This is the last week of our trip and our longest stay in one place. We rented a house in the town of - get ready - Saint Andre d’Olerargues. I will try to get a proper pronunciation. While some languages seem to have a deficit of vowels the French language has vowels and consonants, for that matter, to spare.
We’re joined by our two daughters and their families. That makes eight total. They live in different countries and don’t see each other too often. The two cousins are close in age. I’m thinking of our cousins who are close in age to me and each of my brothers and sister. When growing up we would see them on occasion and it was always a treat as most of our relatives lived far from us. A beautiful place in the French countryside seems like an especially nice gathering spot. The next 5 or 6 days will tell.
A little rain in the morning led to clearing and a drive with Adrienne, Michel, and the two boys to the Haribo candy museum (pretty fun) and then to see Pont du Gard, the fabulous Roman aqueduct that crossed a river to deliver water to the city of Nimes. This was more fun but not as much for the boys.
Heading home
6/19/24
We are looking forward to heading home. Our brains are at the saturation point with all the sights, experiences, people, and trains we’ve collected in the past two months.
The bike is packed in its bag ready to be transferred to the luggage cases for the flight home. It’s been a mixed blessing having the bike with us. It’s been the best way to see places by bicycle, in our case together on the tandem bike. The bike is with us at all times. That means carrying it onto trains and through train stations, which was no fun. It’s also a folding bike with small wheels and that makes it less than ideal when riding on rough roads or trails. We had a few of those. My conclusion; I wouldn’t do the bicycling this way again, schlepping the bike from place to place. It’s wonderful to be able to pack the bike in airplane friendly checked luggage. In the future I would unpack the bike at our destination and start riding and don’t stop until finished with the trip.
We stayed overnight in Paris before flying home. Heavy traffic this morning but the taxi still brought us to the airport two hours before takeoff. You need all of that, with umpteen security gates, long walks to, first, checking in lines then to your departure area where you disgorge practically all your belongings onto a tray stopping just shy of disrobing. I’m thankful for courteous and efficient personnel. Other than those kind people I would avoid flying anywhere if there was any alternative.
The appeal of bicycle touring is the slow pace that allows you to see and appreciate a place while being less dependent on other forces like traffic, transport schedules, security checks. It’s you and a good map and just avoid wrong turns.
We are approaching our destination, Philadelphia PA. There’s a 6 hour time difference so we’re chasing the sunlight and we arrive in the late afternoon but it’s evening back where we left. We’re flying in a very large plane, 9 seats across, above cloud cover. So where is the sunshine? It’s completely dark in the cabin because the windows are darkened. I suppose they think it will help our bio rhythm with artificial nightfall. Not that we can sleep. Curiouser and curiouser.
Back in the USA’. It’s interesting speaking and listening in one language instead of three or four. Not that we did much of that, linguistically challenged as we are, but we knew a few words in each language. Sometimes I found myself answering in Spanish when I was then in France.
SOME THOUGHTS
Eating in Europe
I like lots of different food although some not so much. As expected we have had some very good meals and little bites. That would be breakfasts which are generally light. Your meal schedule can be a little skewed when traveling. Some days you skip a meal or simply eat at different times. Here in Spain the schedule shift is more pronounced. Breakfast at 8 or 9 is not too different. Lunch at 3? Dinner at 10? Last night I passed by a family eating at 10 with a child about 10 years old. When’s bedtime?
We have had three very memorable meals. One in Antwerp prepared by our friend Etienne at his home. The second was in Otterloo Netherlands and a third in Barcelona. Bread and pastry seem to be excellent wherever we’ve been. The Czechs favor rye for their bread and that’s OK by me.
And to drink there’s usually good beer but don’t take my word for it because I don’t drink. I’ve had a beer in every country as I think I owe it to myself to try them. And I’ve finished everyone so that says something. Some wine too. But orange juice! Here in Spain they serve freshly squeezed juice and it is so good I’d be tempted to come here just for that. The machine is a show in itself. Oranges are tossed into a hopper. Then a single orange is dropped, sliced in half, each half squeezed. The juice drips into a pitcher from which it’s poured into your glass.
So, my list of places that are singularly worth the trip are Notre Dame, Prague, Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Alhambra in Granada, and Orange juice in Spain. Stay tuned for more.
Besides the food there are some other factors that make eating here pleasing and interesting. Outdoor dining is one. Lots of people-watching. The waiters are remarkably efficient and hard working. And if you like straws in your drinks this place is for you. Hot tea is one of the few exceptions. Try to find milk? I haven’t had any since the Netherlands. None to be found in any of the small groceries or small eateries. Maybe I’ll find some in our last country, France.
Speaking of things to ingest, smoking is still very popular here, I’m sad to say. Every country. It seems that women are the ones we see the most and it’s especially sad to see young ones smoking knowing what it will do to them over time. Maybe they’ll quit. Maybe.
Add another memorable meal to the list. Not only was the food excellent at the restaurant in Madrid; Ann Louise had a very tasty meal as did I. Mine stands out as the tastiest and largest Calzone ever.
Museums
Hits and misses. I’m not a museum aficionado. I like some art museums as well as cultural and, especially, technical and scientific ones. Some art museums are exhausting while interesting nonetheless - too much.
Visited the national museum in Prague. If there was anything worth visiting it was lost on us. Lots of stairs so a study of stair types could be a draw. Got a good photo from the top floor. Building is nice but “where’s the beef?”
Selfies and fashion shoots
I don’t understand taking a picture in front of a perfectly worthy scene and ruining it with your own face. Even worse is having an enabler take your picture while you mug for the camera.
OK, OK, an occasional shot of you with friends is fine. At any tourist venue you navigate people preening and making faces and otherwise posing while the real attraction, a stunning landscape or building, is a mere backdrop. I suspect it’s some attempt at validation if not bragging rights and I can only pity their lack of self worth and shallowness.
As for me, I visit and take pictures of places I want to see and remember. Otherwise I can look in a mirror.
We made an exception in Segovia. A tourist asked to take our picture with our bike, then one of him with us and the bike. The bike was the attraction and I’m sure he would have gladly taken a ride on it.
Weather
It was Spring, late April, when we started and the weather has been changeable but I’ve been surprised at the temperatures. Lots of rainy days, sure, but some are downright raw. Some beautiful sunny ones too for which we’re thankful. The weather has made it a bit more difficult to fit in a bike ride though.
Later the weather turned milder as we headed into Austria, then southern France, and Spain. Hot actually as we traveled farther south to Barcelona, Granada. Then Sevilla it was 40 centigrade(104). Cooler temperatures in Madrid and northward back into France.
When in Rome…..
Adjustments are necessary when traveling
This trip is in western Europe, true, and all the creature comforts that a north American could expect are available. But there are small differences that will help me appreciate being back at a home base.
Sleeping in your own bed has to top the list. All our domestic bicycle travels have taught me to appreciate that aspect and it clearly has nothing to do with travel in another country. Here, then, are some noticeable differences about travel in Europe.
Smoking is everywhere. It’s as if they are trying to subvert their generally superior health care systems. “Hey! Look at us! We can still have greater life expectancy than you even while we smoke like chimneys.”
Blankets on beds. Maybe this is a universal hotel trend. No blankets, heavy comforters instead. Maybe that’s fine in the winter but it gives you the choice either to forego any covering or find yourself kicking it off in the middle of the night. A simple sheet would be nice.
Breakfast. If you’re at a standard hotel or B&B you probably have some choices. Otherwise I found the pickings pretty slim, at least in the older parts of town. You can find lots of pastry and something to drink and maybe a sandwich (most likely ham). It often means a rather non-nutritious start to the day.
Toilets. At the risk of being indelicate, what have they done with toilet design? The bowl in many places is designed so that after certain bodily functions be prepared to do some extra scrubbing with a brush. That is, if there’s one handy. Do they use less water? I can’t find any data on that but it doesn’t seem to be the case. Many are wall hung with the tank buried in the wall. It’s very sleek but how do you service the tank buried in that wall?
Lunch? Sometimes we traveled on trains for many hours with no food. If we were lucky we found some food before getting on the train. There were a few times when we ate nothing all day except some energy bars I brought for our bike rides. Instead they became emergency train rations. When we found ourselves at a cafe for lunch the meal was likely to be quite large. It’s as if Europeans compensate for a whiff of a meal at the start of the day with a major one at mid-day. We would, particularly in France, see working people on their, we presume, lunch break consume a large plate of food, desert, and a couple of beers plus maybe a glass of wine. Then they go back to work? I wouldn’t want to be their next customer.
Food. It was very good everywhere with only a couple of exceptions. A special mention for a certain fish, Sea Bream. It’s delicious and was available near the North Sea and the Mediterranean. Ann Louise liked all the beer and we both loved the lemonade in the Czech Republic and the orange juice in Spain. France wins for the most variety.
Go back? There are some cities where we’d very much like to spend more time: Haarlem in the Netherlands, Hradec Kralove in the Czech Republic, Lyon and Amboise in France, Barcelona and Segovia in Spain. With the exception of Lyon they are all smaller, more accessible, cities. Some of them would be just fine to stay in the off season-if there is one.
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