Cervera de Pisuerga

Staying in a wonderful hotel, a Parador with an equally wonderful view.

On my way!

I am now safely lodged in hotel near Plymouth which will allow me a lazy morning and the opportunity to see a bit of the town before I board the ferry to Santander tomorrow.

I chose to come down a day early so that I could enjoy a leisurely day riding the back roads through countryside unfamiliar to me. It was a good decision as the roads were excellent. With splendid views, little or no traffic and for the most part in good condition.

Bypassing Southampton and later Exeter did involve a bit of motorway and a search for petrol got me a little concerned after the satnav had taken me to three stations that were closed (for good I think). However, overall, it was a great ride although I was almost eight hours in the saddle, so it was a long day for me.

I am hoping the bed is more comfortable than it looks as I definitely look forward to a good night's sleep!

¿Todavía vivo?

Tras la sugerencia de Isabel, una nueva compañera de idioma, voy a intentar actualizar este blog. ¡Deséame suerte! Será difícil porque mis próximos viajes son, en primer lugar con mi esposa Mary y luego con un grupo de motociclistas y si uno no quiere ser descortés, es difícil escribir blog entre amigos. Quizás, use mi teléfono y dictaré un post o dos - en cual caso estarán en inglés.

Barcelona

Not on a bike for this trip with Mary but we were looking for sun and found it again in Spain, this time Barcelona. It was the first time in the city of both of us.

Highlight of our visit was undoubtedly this iconic building, Gaudi's famous church, La Sagrada Familia.



































The exterior is dramatic but it was stepping inside the building that really took our breath away.

What makes it so special, apart from the novel construction, is the wonderful lighting that modern stained glass produces. It is virtually impossible to do it justice with a point and shoot handheld camera while avoiding being trampled by thousands of visitors.

 We found sun and more interesting architecture at Barceloneta, the very pleasant beach area of the city.

This fish out of water was sculpted by Frank Gehry and although it looks as if it were made fromm copper, it is apparently steel treated in some way.












Mary and I spent a week in Barcelona and in a couple of days I shall be back in Spain but this time on board my new motorcycle. I'm travelling with a couple of friends, ferrying to Bilbao and then going wherever our fancy takes us.

Alemania

No estoy esperando encontrar mucho del sol en mi próximo viaje. Con mi amigo Paul, voy a ir a Alemania durante la segunda semana de abril. Vamos a explorar la región de Eifel - una zona muy amada por moteros, debido a sus caminos fantásticos, paisaje y el Nürburgring - quizá el circuito más famoso en el mundo.

Hicimos los planes hace unas semanas cuando el tiempo hacía bastante caluroso. Hoy, la temperatura ha bajado a seis grados, está nublado y sopla un viento directo desde el Ártico. Sin embargo, los hoteles y billetes del tren ya son pagados, ¡así que vamos!

Un video olvidado

Ahora estamos en pleno invierno y yo me recuerda el sol español cuando me topé con este montaje de (principalmente) fotos de mi viaje que me olvide de subirlas.

Taormina to Cefalù

Our ride skirted the north of Etna and took us through some lava fields then into wonderful open country, characterised by huge broad valleys. The road was in fair condition and had dozens of stupendous sweepers that made for  tremendously enjoyable riding.

Two sights along the way held our attention. The first was a stop at a castle carved into a rock formation in the small town of Sperlinga and the second the town of Gangi which we viewed from a little distance. It presents the most extraordinary sight, being built on a steep sided hill and completely covering the hill, leaving the surrounding countryside and hills more or less bare of habitation. It resembled some fanciful paintings I have seen, a kind of cross between sci-fi and childish whimsy.

We had a great view of Gangi from our lunch stop where we were treated to a fabulous meal. At quite short notice, the restaurant produced a magnificent set of anti pasti dishes that pretty well filled everybody's belly to bursting point although somehow, we also found room for barbecued sausages and the best ice cream of the trip.

Arriving at the coast after dropping down from the inland hills, we were greeted by the spectacle of a a sea of white horses driven by a strong wind that carried salt spray and the scent of seaweed ashore. We followed the coast a few miles before arriving at our very pleasant hotel which fortunately was sheltered from the wind by a small headland, allowing us to enjoy the tranquil setting of a garden right by the sea.