Biking.

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Hi, Well today we have completed our 4th day of biking and we have reached the town of Ezcaray, which we have yet to discover properly. We will be here for 3 nights and will just do the odd bike trip out from here. I mentioned in my last blog that the biking was a lot harder than we thought it would be. But, at the end of the day when you have reached your destination and had a shower, swim and then a beer or two you have a great sense of achievement in what you have achieved. I know that about 40 k's a day is not a long distance for a lot of bikers, but in this terrain, for us it has been a pretty big task. The terrain has been more up and down than what we expected with long ascents of 10 to 15k's that leave Charlie and I stuffed while the girls flow on with their electric bikes. These bikes are certainly great and Viv and Di have adjusted to them extremely well. It allows them to get up the long drags with much less effort while still having to do a lot of work. By the time we reach our destination we are all stuffed and ready for a rest. The great thing is that you sit back and realise that, wow, that was amazing. We have seen some sights, we have gone along tracks that give you long distance vista's which are tremendous and we have survived the day. So while biking it, some times you think, what the hell am I doing this for, but later on, you think, great. Did it. So the country side is difficult to describe as I can't say that it is beautiful but it has this unbelievable grandeur which you can sit and look at for ages. While talking to some other bikers from the UK I said that I can now understand why in centuries gone by the people thought that the earth was flat and if they went to the edge that they could see, they would fall off. Sitting at the top of a hill that you have just managed to get to the top of and looking out over the grapes and the fields which go forever and forever you realise how vast the land is. Coming into the little villages and sitting down for a well earned coffee is magic and we have only encountered very nice people who are interested in were we are from. Food. Terrific. People Terrific. Beer and Wine. Terrific Plus. I will try to express the feeling of this place in a latter blog. I will also try to describe the small encounters we have had with the "Pilgrims Trail"that goes from France into Spain, with hundreds of people walking it, over 800k's, every year. we have encountered some and seen a lot. Anyway. Catch up later. Pip/Rod

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Photos

Drinks On Arrival in Abolos.
Hot day, special place, why not.

Waiting For Our Room.
Di sits back and waits.

Lunch Time.
The Locals arriving for lunch and they came and went and there was always something going on. Great atmosphere.

Out For A Walk.
Behind the village the grapes started and went for acres.

Picking Fruit.
Plenty of plums, apricots and pears just waiting to be picked

Instruction Time.
Getting to know our bikes which would endeavour to transfer us to various places over the next seven days.

Lovely Place
Alleys, churches and old old houses. Lots of history with nice people.

Biking Out.
Fantastic Vistas where you could see for miles and miles.

Riding Riding Riding.
Di biking along with not to much of a wide shoulder.

Di.
Helmet, gloves, sunblock, etc. All the riding gear,

Way to Go.
Viv zooms up a hill on her powered bike.

Riding through the Grapes.
This is what we came here for. To see the famous red wine grapes. There are mile after mile of them.

Rest Time.
Ah. Time for a coffee and a rest.

Water Bottle Filling.
Every village has a water tap for filling bottles.

Yippee!
Down hill is joy, going up is, well, hell sometimes.

The Grape.
Let the world drink wine. There are enough vines here to supply the lot. Well, maybe.

Vines for Miles.
As far as the eye can see. Family plot joins another family plot. A very restful scene that you can just look over the landscape for ages. Love it.