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Published: June 26th 2016
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So this is the end of our adventure. This morning I put the odometer back to miles and we have covered 2300 since leaving Southampton 12 days ago.
Yesterday was a very straightforward trip from Jaca. Pretty much fast main roads and motorways. Still, as motorways go, better than anything in the UK. The only thing that comes close is the M74 from Carlisle to Glasgow. Usually quiet with some lovely countryside.
The hotel in Bilbao was very nice. It was located in a suburb just outside and ideally placed for the airport. That was evident by the number of low flying aircraft that came over at regular intervals. The room was spacious and pleasant and the bottle of red wine left in our room a lovely touch. In essence however this was just the last stop on our trip and as good as it was, it could not compete with what had gone before.
So now all that remains is to summarise the last 2 weeks and make commentary on the experience. For one thing, why did we do it? There are lots of reasons people take a holiday and a type of holiday to suit every
reason. We aren't beach and party people. The idea of sunbathing by a pool, drinking all day and shopping are our idea of hell. We don't really like crowds and we are not especially physical. We are very independent and self sufficient. This trip was about Julia and I having time together, just us two. We are very happy in each others company but over the last few years, work and life in general has kept us apart. Not in any big way, just long working hours and dealing with situations that come along once in a while in everyones life. A motorcycle tour then makes perfect sense.
Taking this trip isolated us from everything and meant that we could focus on just ourselves. It also offered up a chance to push ourselves and see what we could do together. There was a reason for each destination. Mountains, castles, boats etc. Some could even be metaphors for life but I'll leave that for people with PHD's to work out. The main thing is that we had challenges, and overcame them together. We found beautiful places, and we found them together. No one took us there, we did it. Even
when things went wrong, we found great places and took only positives from the mishaps. Fortunately the mishaps were only about wrong turns and dead ends.
Some days we pushed ourselves hard and were exhausted, but we never fell out and never got cranky with each other. Instead, when it got tough, we pulled together and supported each other. You can't fall out on a bike. Ok you can but that will seriously impact your life expectancy. As a passenger, the last thing you need is an angry rider, and as a rider, you really don't need a disengaged pillion. So despite the occasional sores and tiredness and bad weather, we had a blast. We laughed and joked. We talked about anything and everything. We reconnected as a couple in a way that sangria by the pool wouldn't have stimulated, and we have more memories to take forward than many people get from 10 holidays.
On a few occasions I joked that this trip is 2 weeks of trying not to die or making a mistake that I would spend the rest of our lives apologising for. On the other side of the coin, this is 2 weeks
for two people to demonstrate the love and trust they have in each other and their own abilities.
So, how to summarise the last 12 days? Incredible doesn't even come close.
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Tadmadsen
Tad Madsen
Spain is very beautiful.
Thank you for such intersting travel story and amazing photos.