No More Biking.

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Ah Yes, Barcelona. This is my first time here but as we had just 4 free days left before heading to England to fly home Viv suggested that Barcelona was a place she enjoyed last year, so here we are and it certainly seems to be a city well worth the visit.

Well we have finished off our biking and it was a real mixture of "Love biking, Hate biking Love biking, Yea, this is ok. BUT. It did show me that I am not moderately fit, that I have eaten to much over the last few weeks, months, and that I have to work on this when I get home. The rides we had have been a mixed bag but ultimately very enjoyable. We saw some wonderful country, drank some very good, and inexpensive wine, meet some really neat people and stayed in some wonderful places. One night in a monastry, Yuso by name , what a grand place to be, so peaceful and so so old. Through wine vines by the mile, biking beside busy roads, biking beside small roads with no traffic, up long drags along an old rail line, and on one occasion biking a country track shared by cattle{with bells on}and thousands, no millions, of flies. Loved it. Would certainly recommend the area to visit, with any sort of transport, just magic. Great food, great people, great vista's and just a very peaceful area to visit. We did encounter a lot of people on the Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail as we came across it a number of times coming into small villages and near some big or small roads. People walking, people riding and some people just doing bits. Such a history,{google it}. It really is an event worth knowing about. We talked to a number of people and they all were certain that this was something that they were going to finish and love. I found it extremely interesting. Any way as I said, a couple of days to explore Barcelona and then leave London on Friday to return to NZ.

Please arrange for some good weather when I return. Looking forward to catching up with everyone. Pip/Rod

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Photos

Coffee time. Again.
Viv and Charlie enjoy a morning coffee.

A Common Sight.
Peppers hang out to dry. I saw a lot of this type of thing.

Amazing Vista's.
With a crisp bright blue sky. A the view is for miles and it's all grapes.

Contrasting Roof's.
Great sight looking down onto the roof tops in some villages.

Medieval Bridge.
We had to cross this over the river Ebro.

Old But Lovely.
A church with an old town wall about it. High on a ridge above the Ebro River.

Relaxing Time.
Di and Viv enjoy relaxing in the high back chairs in the Hotel in Abalos.

Flamingo.
We went to a show in the Village square and, boy could this guy sing. Fantastic to watch and listen, but no dancing, only the songs.

Emotion.
They certainly put emotion into the song. The guitar player was magic and I took quite a few photo's of him because I thought his face just showed so much passion.

Come Down, Ready to Bike.
Di in the window of the Hotel in Abalos.

Making Friends.
Meeting people and trying to communicate is all part of travel. Here Di makes friends with a local on a Medieval Bridge.

Vivanco Vineyard.
Amazing setup in a small village with acres and acres of grapes surrounding it.

This Is What It Is About.
The Grape and the promotion off it. Let the world drink Wine.

Racing This Time.
Charlie flys through a corner while Di is a little more circumspect.

Lunch Time.
This was in a spot on the Camino de Satiago trail were we talked to a few of the walkers.

The Way To Go.
This trail intrigued me as an acquaintance did it a couple of years ago and I had read books about it before. There are a number. This is a sign showing the way. A wee walk of a few hundred K's.

Happy Nights Sleep.
In the hills in a Monastery with peace and quite. Lovely place and so much history.

A Quite Drink.
A good time at the end of a day on the bike.

Biubbles Galore.
And not the Champagne type. Di enjoys a bubble bath with a huge amount of bubbles. A still white wine to come.

Comments

[Home and Away]

So you found the Camino extremely interesting...
I hope you follow up and become inspired just as I have. I plan to walk the Camino in September 2016, but only about half...skipping the meseta from Burgos to Leon.

[Pips Travels]

Camino.
Hi, Yes, it does fascinate me and this is something that I think would be so satisfying, I just wonder if I would have the tenacity to complete the undertaking. I do notice that you think that Hadrian's wall would be great, and I agree. What I saw this year made me want to see more and I would like to think that I may have the oppurtunity to explore it more next year. As always, thank you for your comments. Pip.

[Pips Travels]

Camino.
Hi, Yes, it does fascinate me and this is something that I think would be so satisfying, I just wonder if I would have the tenacity to complete the undertaking. I do notice that you think that Hadrian's wall would be great, and I agree. What I saw this year made me want to see more and I would like to think that I may have the oppurtunity to explore it more next year. As always, thank you for your comments. Pip.