Today I subjected Bill to some art history while Lady Liberty and the Tramp rested up. We walked to the local train station and took the train into Madrid where we attempted to make arrangements for getting us (and the bikes) to Santiago de Campostela via the train. According to the Internet site, it should have been a relatively simple arrangement. Not so. First of all, bikes are not allowed on the day train. They must take the night train that leaves from only one station in Madrid at 10:30 at night. Secondly, you can not simply reserve a seat, you must reserve a ¨room¨ and we´re still not quite sure what that means. Third, the ¨rooms¨ were full for Sunday night, so we will have to wait until Monday night. Lastly, the ticket says ¨Bicicletas ... read more

We are cycling through the "La Mancha" area, made famous by the play Man of La Mancha and featuring the song "To Dream the Impossible Dream." Today I looked and looked but did not see Don Quixote or any tilting windmills, but I did begin to think deep philosophical thoughts about dreams and goals and the effort it takes to reach them. I'm sure that there are a few of you reading this blog who wish you were cycling through Europe with us. There are probably even more of you who wonder what's gotten into us "gringos locos." But really there is no difference between the two groups of people -- we all have dreams; they may differ, but we all have goals we'd like to reach. Cervantes, of course, would point out that sometimes those ... read more

Bill and I had to discuss what to title today's blog. We thought about "Into the Mountains," but you're probably tired of hearing about the mountains. Then I thought of "Jackets On, Jackets Off" cause it was that kind of day, But I settled for "The Kitchen Opens at 9" cause that gives you a glimpse into the Spanish culture. First of all, "into the mountains." We are in the Ibor section of Spain, west of Madrid. We had our longest climbs yet today, but our legs were feeling strong as we ascended and descended through a number of switchbacks throughout the day. (We kinda wish we had an altimeter so we'd know how many feet we climbed today.) At one point, we wondered if maybe we were going to have some really slow going all ... read more

"Cyclists share a fellowship of the wheel that can overcome all political, social, racial, and economic barriers." Ted Costantino Woo-hoo!!! 125 kilometers today. After so many days of huffing and puffing up steep hills, today was truly a blessing. We entered Spain on Road EN 521 and continued on that road the entire day. It had been recently resurfaced so was smooth with a wide shoulder. Several signs along the road admonished cars that they must give bicyclists at least 1.5 meters (about 4 feet) clearance when passing. Wish the US had such a law. The terrain was certainly not flat, but the hills were gradual and equally up and down. Very light traffic cause we are in the middle of nowhere. We probably averaged 12 miles an hour or so and arrived here in Caceres ... read more

Friday, June 3 Tomar to Gaviao about 60 kilometers Well, the first 6 kilometers today were flat And I think there were a few more flat kilometers somewhere around the middle of the day, but the rest was more of the typical Portuguese hills -- somewhere between a half kilometer to over a kilometer in length and about a 5-8% grade. Just enough to get our heart rates up in this heat and just enough to tire our elderly legs, but not so much that we feel we can’t do it. Fortunately, the roads were only lightly trafficked as they meandered through teeny, tiny towns. We crossed the Tagus River near Abrantes after cycling through more eucalyptus forests, which smell quite nice though I usually don’t care for that odor. Stopped in a small town and ... read more