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Santiago Cathedral at night
Vic, Ron, Lynn, Laurel, Mike, NunoSpring Trip - April 20 - May 18
This spring I decided to take a month before summer polo starts in Toronto, to travel to Europe. My plan is to depart April 30 and return May 18. The first part of the trip is a motorcycle trip through Spain and Portugal for 10 days, and then I'll figure it out from there.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - Toronto Canada
I had a bit of a shaky start. My original flight was to depart April 20, from Toronto to London, and then on to Lisbon. Due to the volcano in Iceland, my flight was cancelled on April 19. I phoned my travel agent, Lisa, and she re-booked me through Munich. I arrived at the airport, only to find that the Munich flight had been cancelled. The agent at the desk put me on standby to Frankfurt. While waiting for the standby flight, I called my travel agent to look for alternatives. After about an hour, Lisa called me back and confirmed a flight from Toronto to Detroit to Paris to Lisbon. I was a little sceptical, but as it turned out, she was right on. Everything went according
to Hoyle. I left on a 8:30 flight on the evening of April 20, and arrived in Lisbon at 5pm on April 21. Our guide, Nuno, met me at the airport, took me to the hotel to check in, and then we went out for a sushi dinner with his beautiful wife Tatiana.
Thursday, April 22, 2010 - Cascais Portugal
We spent the night at a beautiful hotel,
the Villa Italia in the seaside village of
Cascais. Our hotel was once the exile residence of the Italian Royal family. The coastal settlement of Cascais originated in the 12th century, primarily as a fishing village.Today, Cascais and its surroundings are a famous vacation spot for the rich and famous (and not so famous , as evidenced by my presence!).
On the evening of April 22, we officially kicked off the Ayres Adventure with a meeting of the group. The group consists of:
Nuno Leotte - Nuno is with Ayres Adventures and is our guide on this trip. He is a native of Cascais, Portugal. I met Nuno originally as our tour guide on on the motorcycle trip I took last year in South America, from Macchu Picchu,
Peru, thru Chili and Argentina to Brazil. Nuno's claim to fame is that, in 2007, he toured South America for 7 months with his wife, following the route of Che Guevara (as in the movie, "Motorcycle Diaries").
Claus Lazik - Claus is from Bavaria Germany. He is a motorcycle enthusiast who has been a motorcycle tour leader for 12 years with several organizations. He recently joined Ayres as a tour director, and with be in charge of the logistics on this trip.
Vic and Lyn - A couple in their late sixties from Australia. They both have been riding motorcycles most of their lives, and have covered most of the world doing motorcycle tours similar to this trip.
Ron and Ikie - a couple from Portland, Oregon , also in their mid to late sixties. Like myself, Ron rode a lot in his younger years, and has taken it up again. Ikie has elected to ride in the support vehicle, letting Ron ride solo.
Rufus and Carmen - Carmen is Don's daughter and is married to Rufus. They are both medical doctors and live in Portland also. This is their second Ayres trip, having done one
last year in Canada.
After checking out our bikes and getting a briefing from Nuno and Claus, we went to a seafood restaurant on the ocean and had a fresh Sea Bass about 10 lbs, caught that day and grilled whole on the BBQ. Awesome! It was a great opportunity to get to know everyone a little better. One of the great things about these trips is the opportunity to meet people with common interests from all over the world.
Friday, April 23 - Cascais to Belmonte - 380kms
Everyone is anxious to get going. We are all a little nervous - being in a new country with crazy drivers on bikes that we are not totally familiar with. My bike is a new
BMW R1200GS . I rode a bike similar to this in SA and loved it. Hopefully this one is as good.
We headed out at around 9:30am to avoid rush hour traffic. Our first stop was Cabo da Roca, Portugal, the westerly most point of mainland Europe. I thought this was pretty cool since last year I visited the southernmost point in Africa. Leaving Lisbon, we crossed the Tangus River over the
"Vasco de Gama" bridge, the longest in Europe at 17 kilometers. About 30 minutes outside of Lisbon, we passed the
Varzea Polo Club , the only polo club in Portugal. I met the owners son, Diago, in Florida this year. I plan to stop by after the motorcycle trip and maybe play a few practice chukkers.
The ride was 380 kms. A great first day, fairly uneventful, but we enjoyed nice scenery, and got used to our bikes. The highlight was checking into our hotel in Belmonte, located in the foothills of the Serra De Estela, the highest region in Portugal. The hotel,
the Posada Convento de Belmonte , is an 800 year old convent that has been fully restored and added on to. It sits high in the hills with a spectacular view of the agricultural region in the valley and beautiful mountains in the background. After settling in, I sat out on the patio, sipping a glass of wine, enjoying the fresh air and scenery, reflecting on the past few days and finally being able to relax. I am indeed very fortunate to live the life that I live. As much as i miss my family and friends, there is something about travelling alone that
allows you to get a sense of inner peace.
Saturday, April 24 - Belmonte to Puebla de Sanabria, Spain
We had a long day today - 400 kms (about 250 miles) - through a very mountainous region. Our route took us from Belmonte to Serra de Estrela, the highest mountain peak in Portugal (at 1900 meters) and the only place where it snows in Portugal. I was right at home. They even have a ski hill - about 300 feet of vertical - oh well, its better than nothing. We visited some local villages and tried the local "Serra" cheese named after the region. We stopped in the walled Medieval town of Sortelha with a castle that was built in 1228.
After lunch, we entered the Douro region famous for its vineyards, producing some of the finest Ports in the worlds. In addition to the vineyards, olive trees grow in beautiful terraced fields in the sides of the mountains. Quit a sight.
The motorcycling was extreme. Most of the day we were riding up and down mountains on switch-backs, steep pitches and winding roads. This type a riding requires you to be mentally alert at
all times and is very exhausting (but very enjoyable). By the time we reached the hotel, it was almost 8pm and we were wiped. We all agreed we had earned a nice cold beer or two. Our accommodation was a very charming hotel,
the Posada de Las Misas in the village of Puebla de Sanabria.
Sunday, April 25 - Sanabria to Cangras de Onis - 300kms
Today was a fairly easy riding day at 300kms. We left Sanabria and drove along well paved roads with beautiful sweeping turns. As it was Sunday, there were very few cars on the road.After driving through the city of Leon ( as in Ponce de Leon, the fountain of youth guy), we rode through the Cantabria mountain range of Picos de Europa. According to Nuno, we rode through one of the best kept secrets of motorcycling in Spain. The riding is similar to the Swiss and French Alps. We reached heights of 2500 meters with all the twisty turns you can imagine. This was one of the most enjoyable riding days ever! The weather was perfect, the scenery was spectacular, the riding was challenging, and the company was great. It doesn't get any better!
We arrived at our hotel,
the Parador Cangis de Onis about 4 pm. After checking in, I had a little power nap, toured the grounds of the lovely hotel, then spent a few hours doing this blog. As much as it is a lot of work, I quit enjoy it.
Monday April 26, Cangas de Onis to Santiago de Compostela- 390kms
Today we headed north to the Cantabria Sea and then progressed West along the coast. We started to see signs for the Camino de Santiago, the famous 800 km pilgrimage that starts in Burgos Spain and ends in Santiago de Compostela. It takes about a month to walk the entire route, however you can start at any point depending on your time availability and physical condition. I know 3 people that have done the Camino, and it significantly changed each of their lives. It is my intention to do part of this pilgrimage after the motorcycle trip.
The riding today had some real highs. In the morning for the first 2 hours we rode up and over one of the mountains. The rides were spectacular with many twists and turns. At the top it was extremely foggy, slowing us down.
However, the ride down the other side was one of the best of the trip. It just keeps getting better! Tonight we stayed at what is said to be the oldest hotel in the world - the
Parador de Los Reyes Catolicos. It is an old convent that has been housing guests since the 1500's. The hotel is located just in front of the famous Santiago Cathedral, the official endpoint of the pilgrimage.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - Santiago, Spain to Porto, Portugal - 341kms
I know that this is starting to sound like a broken record, but another great day. The riding was spectacular through the Serra de Geres mountain range. The scenery changes constantly, from wide open sweeping turns, to narrow mountain passes, to beautifully forested areas, and many water features. There were a couple of highlights today. A wild horse was galloping down the road on its own. Shortly after that 4 bulls ran along the hill beside a couple of the riders. They just managed to get passed the bulls before they deciided to cross the road.
I can't say enough about my bike - a BMW R1200GS - It is probably one of the safest bikes made.
It has great suspension, great brakes (linked with ABS non skid brakes), great handling, and great ergonomics. I have not been uncomfortable yet. I can't say the same about my Harley on long trips.
Today it was very warm and sunny, peaking at 32 degrees celsious (about 90 Farenheit). We arrived in Porto mid afternoon. Once again our hotel, the
Pousada Palacio do Freixo is outstanding. It is on the Douro River running through the middle of town. It was originally built as a palace in 1742, and has transformed many times to its current status as a 5 star hotel.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 - Porto, Portugal - Free Day
Finally a day of rest. I think everyone needed it We chose to have a tourist day. We went for a boat cruise down the river, followed by a ride on the hop on, hop off bus. Then back to the hotel for some R & R.
Thursday, April 29, 2010 - Porto, Portugal - Bucaco 180kms
This was a short day for riding, However, since we are in the town of Porto, the wine Port capital of Europe, we have to visit a Port
Wine Winery before leaving. Not a great idea to be tasting wine before a motorcycle trip, but we all had a good breakfast - so what the heck. We visited the W&J Graham winery lodge on the other side of the Douro river from where we were staying. W & J Graham’s was founded in Oporto, Portugal’s second city, in 1820 by the two brothers William and John Graham. The Graham family already had extensive business interests not just in their native Scotland but also in India. The success of their affairs led to them being described by a contemporary historian, as being “among the merchant princes of Great Britain.” The brothers formed the partnership of W & J Graham & Co. with the aim of specialising in the production of the finest Port wines.
Following the tour, we hopped on our bikes and drove along the Douro River and then through the mountains to our destination hotel. Again another great day of riding. Our destination hotel was the
Hotel Palacio do Bucaco . While the accommoation on this trip has been amazing, this was probably the most spectacular. When Presidents of other countries visit Portugal, this is where they stay. The rooms
must have been on sale for Ayres to put us up here.
Friday, April 30, 2010 - Bucaco - Lisbon 270kms
Leaving Bucaco, we headed through the twisty roads of Serra da Lousa. Nuno had been our guide up until today. He, however, had to go to Lisbon early to deal with some issues, so Claus took over as our guide. These two have very different styles. Nuno is very aggressive in his riding style, which is typical of the way people drive in Portugal. Claus on the other hand, drives more as what you would ecpect in a tour like this - fairly conservative (although I understand that he does not always ride like this). At any rate, given that this was the last day of riding for the trip, we were all tired, and this was probably the best. It was a very enjoyable ride. The last 80 kms, we got on the expressway and headed into the big city. After checking into the Park Atlantic Hotel, a typical big city luxury hotel, we met up for dinner in the Lobby.
Being the last night, this is always a very special dinner. Nuno
arranged to take us to the
Clube de Fado , a dinner theater famous for its live performances of artists performing a local type of musiic called
FADO. I would say it is analogous to Tango music in Argentina - each song tells a story. It was a great evening, with lots of discussion reflecting on our 10 days together. As a group we all got along. We agreed that this trip was all about the riding and the accomodations. As you may have gathered the riding was very interesting and challenging. We were all thankful to have made it without incident. Every place we stayed was unique, interesting and historical.
The next morning, we said our fond farewells. Lots of hugs, and exchanges of contact information. I hope to see everyone on this trip at another time and another place.
Thanks again to Nuno and Claus for doing a superb job of leading the tour!
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Dan
non-member comment
You Da Man!
Hey Mike, Your my hero! Keep it up. If you can believe, Kansas is nice.....for now. Your Friend, Dan