The rain in spain falls..............on me !

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Autovia,motorway,Autobahn,Highway…….it doesn't matter what you call it. After nearly 900 km they all feel the same.



The day started at 06.00 and the first thing i did was open a birthday card which travelled with me from Fuerteventura. My mother was as always the first to ring. Thanks mother . Anybody who knows me will also know that that time of the morning is not exactly my time. I think i have gone to bed more times at 06.00 than got up at.



Did not bother with the Hotel breakfast and instead had a shower and got out on the road at just before 7. It was cold and dry and I was able to do about 200 km before stopping for breakfast and to refuel.

Not a lot to report except that the bike performed as it should and except for refueling stops and a quick lunch I made good time. Cruise control is soooooo good on these long journeys and combined with a bluetooth connection to phone / helmet makes life a lot more comfortable. The two Android apps which I use the most on the road are Sygic nav system and Radardroid which allows me to avoid the many speed cams and Radars which abound these days.



I made it to Reinosa in Cantabria late afternoon and through booking.com reserved a room in the Hotel San Roque in the center of Reinosa.It had been raining constantly from around Palencia but I arrived warm and dry thanks to a full RST textile suit which got its first baptism in the rain. It doesn't rain a lot in Fuerteventura.

As soon as I got checked in I went out to stroll around the town even though it was only 12 degrees. Last year on my visit to spain it never went below 24 degrees.



I decided to eat in the hotel restaurant and after spending an hour or so on Whatsapp,Facebook,Sms and email decided to have a few beers and something to eat.In this part of the world forget about event trying to eat before 20.30. Dinner was ok but nothing out of this world and as it was raining even heavier after dinner I did not bother going out again.



Thanks to all the people who remembered my birthday, made the day a bit special and even if I did not get a cake I had a good day doing one of the things I enjoy…….driving bikes.



Sunday the 09.06.2013.



Its still raining !



The TV is full of news about the rain in Spain,to be more exact in Northern Spain.Just where I currently am.

The rivers are overflowing their banks and some towns have been flooded.The clouds are down to ground level at this altitude and my plans for exploring the Picos de Europa are going to have to be put on hold for another day.

I am not really worried about the rain but the mudslides and the state of the roads in the mountains is not ideal for a fully loaded Goldwing. Visibility is reduced to less than 50 metros in parts and several locals have advised me against heading further into the mountains today.



After a long period checking out the weather on the internet and webcams , I decided to head straight to Santander and get a hotel there. If the weather improved along the way I would head up into the mountains and take a short trip through the Picos.



it didn't improve !



Starting the day on the bike in pouring rain is always a sobering experience .Everything must be just right otherwise you ARE going to get wet. Stopping to adjust things on the Autovia in bad visibility and pouring rain should be avoided.



The 60 or so Kms to Santander were not that enjoyable as visibility was reduced because of driving rain and in other parts misty wet weather. Sometimes going through a tunnel and coming out the other side meant that the rain went from 0 - 100 in next to nothing….YUK .



The hotel that I had chosen as much for price as parking inside was a little bit outside Santander in a small place called Mogro. Free parking,free Wifi and all mod cons…super. I have so often found that the 4 or even 5 star hotels work out cheaper if one books them on the arrival day , as normally Wifi and parking are included in the price and this often makes them cheaper than even the 3 star lodgings.

Booking.com works very well here in Spain but Trivago often has better prices as they take the prices from various places. It pays to shop around.



Now settled in the hotel ,and looking at the weather outside I will not be going anywhere today. Got myself a corner of the bar here with wifi and a steady supply of beer and food and the tennis on the Tv…..perfect for a wet sunday afternoon. A siesta a little bit later and then down for dinner at nine or

so. Life could be worse.

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Photos

12 degrees
Summer temps in Reinosa

Hotel San Roque
my hotel

20130608_200246
Walking around Reinosa

Plaza major Reinosa
empty beer tables

Reinosa
A touch of colour

Wet,wet,Wet
on the way to Santander

on the beach
My hotel in Mogro

Mogro
would be nice if the sun was out.

view from my balcony
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Sunday afternoon
life could be worse.