Hi All... it's lovely to be home... even though I am all alone. The boys are still at the minders and Glo is still away, but I lounge in bed until mid morning and then call Harley Davidson insurance to put in my claim for the accident damage. I'll need to take the bike to a dealers for a proper estimate for repairs but that can wait til tomorrow.
So what's the breakdown on the trip?
Countries Visited
England x 2
Spain x 2
Portugal x 1
Total Distance Travelled - 2477.3 miles
Costs
Ferries - £344 includes upgrade to a cabin for both journeys.
Accommodation - £415.68 (avg. £46.19 per night)
Food - £160.55 (avg. £13.38 per day)
Fuel - £268.78 (avg. £22.40 per day)
Toll Roads - £64 (including €40 fine)
Maps - £80.98
Lisboa HOG Chapter Rideout - £50.04
Shopping - myob
Best Ride - Northern Portugal on way back through the mountains
Worst Ride - Plymouth to London, but mainly due to the terrible weather
Best HD Dealership - All the ones that were open or still existed at the address in the GPS.. except
Worst HD Dealership - Porto... crap, I don't think I have ever spent less than 10 minutes in a HD shop before.
Best Hotel - Dolce Cascais Guest House, but they were all good.
Worst Hotel - On reflection... of them all the one I would definitely not go back to was the first one the Hotel Begona in Gijon
Favourite Country Visited - Portugal
Least Favourite Country Visited - England... well the rainy, blowy ride home
What I Would Do Again
Travel on Brittany Ferries
Visit Portugal
What I Wouldn't Do Again
Fall off my bike - hopefully
Trust the HD dealership address details in my GPS
What to remember for the next trip:
Warm gloves
Don't trust the HD addresses in the GPS
Seems I took my own advice from the last trip, cos I did pack less; took meds; avoided cities for the most part, etc. etc.
All together a great trip.. I really enjoyed it, apart from the poor weather going and coming back.. Oh! and the accident of course..
Next trip?? Watch this space
Ciao
POGs HOG ADVENTURES. Every so often I go on holiday on my Harley Davidson and when I do I write this blog
Friday 22 June 2012
Day 12 - Home again, til next time
The crossing is so smooth as to be almost unnoticeable... it would actually be quite nice to have a small swell, at least it would feel like being at sea!
Didn't rush to get up, but woken by announcement.. something to do with Brittany lighthouses... oh that might be interesting. Quick shower and off to have a look.. gosh what a grey day again. Anyway seems I have made it just in time to view the lighthouses etc and in the distance the coast of Brittany.
Then I bump into Stan and Alice from Darlington... they were staying at the Dolce Cascais at the same time as me, remember? I sit and chat with them for a while, then off for a wander and a bit of shopping.
Settle down in the lounge at the prow of the boat with my laptop to blog and chat on Facebook with Telboy.. as you can see it is raining... again... hope it clears by the time we reach Plymouth, don't want another spill.
After a while am feeling a bit bored.... there's a group at the rear of the lounge who are obviously having a fabulous time... very loudly! Just remember I've got my binoculars with me in the cabin and we are entering the channel sea lanes so lots of boats to look at.. better get them then.
Guess what.. the group loudly enjoying themselves are the paddies... I join them for a short while for the craic.
Back to my cabin and sort out my packing.. got to get the shopping in somehow!! Pick up the binos and head back to the lounge... Damn, it's foggy so nothing to be seen; hopefully it'll lift soon.
Didn't rush to get up, but woken by announcement.. something to do with Brittany lighthouses... oh that might be interesting. Quick shower and off to have a look.. gosh what a grey day again. Anyway seems I have made it just in time to view the lighthouses etc and in the distance the coast of Brittany.
Then I bump into Stan and Alice from Darlington... they were staying at the Dolce Cascais at the same time as me, remember? I sit and chat with them for a while, then off for a wander and a bit of shopping.
Settle down in the lounge at the prow of the boat with my laptop to blog and chat on Facebook with Telboy.. as you can see it is raining... again... hope it clears by the time we reach Plymouth, don't want another spill.
After a while am feeling a bit bored.... there's a group at the rear of the lounge who are obviously having a fabulous time... very loudly! Just remember I've got my binoculars with me in the cabin and we are entering the channel sea lanes so lots of boats to look at.. better get them then.
Guess what.. the group loudly enjoying themselves are the paddies... I join them for a short while for the craic.
Back to my cabin and sort out my packing.. got to get the shopping in somehow!! Pick up the binos and head back to the lounge... Damn, it's foggy so nothing to be seen; hopefully it'll lift soon.
We are due to dock at 4.30pm so back to the cabin and finish off the packing up. At 4pm they announce to vacate the cabins so make my way to the lounge again. I've left my wet gear on the bike so will have to put it on before I disembark.
Eventually make my way down to the bike... where is it??? It's all very confusing as there are now huge lorries parked in the middle of the bikes... squeeze through to find it's the wrong side so have to backtrack and squeeze through to the other side. Still can't see her... oh there she is, great. Get to the bike and some bloke who has parked his Fazer next to my bike says.. 'Oh there's no rush love' except he's finished packing and his bike is on the side stand instead of the centre stand so I can't get my pannier open to pack my stuff.. and there's certainly no room to get into my wet gear. I ask him to put his bike on the centre stand so I can have some room, but we are so tightly packed in that there is no room to manoeuvre at all. I wait and fume.... Eventually the bikes start to disembark and I am able to get my stuff stowed away but will have to wait until I get off to put the wet gear on.
Up the ramp and out into the pouring rain.. it did not look this bad earlier. I immediately pull over to put my gear on, but some jobsworth in an orange sou'wester comes over waving his walkie talkie at me and saying I can't stop there. Damn, so have to get back on the bike and queue with the others until I see some bikes who are stopped up ahead also getting their gear on. Already I am soaking wet.. anyway, pull over ok and get ready. Now there is a long queue as I am behind loads of cars and have to wait to go through passport control. Eventually leave the dock at 5.25pm so almost an hour late.
It's absolutely thrashing it down and with all the spray from the other cars etc. visibility is really short. The gps says my eta at home will be about 9.30pm so not too bad.
After an hour or so I'm really starting to feel the cold, but feel I must press on as want to get home asap. I stop for petrol and put some plastic gloves on under my gloves to try and keep the cold out... it's also easier to get the gloves back on when your hands are wet.
As darkness falls, I really do have to stop.. I'm so cold I am shivering. I see a Little Chef up ahead so pull in there, I guess I need to eat something anyway. I just get off the bike and go straight in, I don't even stop to take off my gloves and helmet.. I am so cold that I cannot stop shivering and even after I have had a large mug of tea and some hot soup I am still shaking. I think I might have mild hypothermia as my jeans are still wet under my waterproof trousers and this has made me even colder. I order more hot food and slowly begin the thaw out. Luckily I bought a HD hoodie at my last stop in Cantabria HD so I go out to the bike and get it and put it on.. ohhh that's better.
I call Glo and she suggests I stop overnight in a Travelodge or something, I agree that I will see how I go and if it's too cold again will stop somewhere.
By the time I am warm enough to get back on the road it is gone past 9pm... the gps says my eta now is 12.15am... oh well let's see how I go.
It is still raining quite hard and the wind is now blowing hard too... all along the A303 it is quite exposed.. past Stonehenge and then onto the M3.. so am having to battle the sidewinds and the spray from the idiots who overtake and cut in really close.. why do car drivers do that?? It really pisses me off that
a) they have to almost sideswipe to get past... on a motorway?? Is it really too much effort to turn the wheel another inch and actually go into the overtaking lane??
b) when it's raining they then cut in as quickly as possible to maximise the amount of spray that goes into my face, cutting down visibility to zero!!
If you are a car driver.. please do think about how your driving affects others.... think about vortices and spray; think bike does not just mean 'oh there's a bike over there'!
Anyway, in the end I do ride all the way home... arrive at 1am, turn the heating on and flop into bed.
Nite Nite all....
Thursday 21 June 2012
Day 11 - Shaky Day
Got up late this morning... think I was putting off getting back on the bike... not like me at all, still a bit wobbly.
Went down for brekkie and finished off yesterdays thrilling instalment. While I was there Elaine came in and we had a chat... she was telling me about her crash 2 years ago in more detail.. that cheered me up no end!! I remember seeing her bike in the Ladies of Harley category at the custom show... pink I'm afraid, but now I've met her I forgive her... :-) Really very nice people.. her hubby came and we were talking bikes.. he customised his and Elaines V-Rods, very nice too.
As they are leaving I hobble outside to take some photos...
I've always quite liked the rods but they are too much of a stretch for me to reach the bars and foot pegs.. although I could put different bars on and move the pegs forward... mmmm now there's a thought!
About half an hour later and I'm ready to go... pack up the bike and start to make my way to Santander via Bilbao and Cantabria (Santander) HD's. I'm taking it very easy... only doing about 60mph, especially as its quite drizzly. I get on the motorway and just keep in the 'slow' lane, not taking any chances.. until I get behind a lorry and then I have to overtake... I open her up and it's all fine so I start to feel a bit better.. then I think to myself, I've been riding for over 30 years and although I have fallen off a few times, that is to be expected in the scheme of things and I have never fallen off a harley before. The more I think about it, the more I realise that it was a combination of rain and slick road surface that caused the spill yesterday and in the end I am fine, the bike is mendable and if I come off at 60 or 65 or 70 or 75 the result is going to be the same... finito benito! I can't ride at 20/30 all the way home so better I just ride my usual way and get on with it. This decision is helped by the fact that the rain has stopped and the road is almost dry :-)
Gps routes me to Cantabria HD just outside Santander first and I decide that actually I'm probably not going to bother with Bilbao... enough is enough. I arrive at the address in the gps... yep no HD in sight... jaysus this is beyond annoying!! I get my phone out and check the website.. they have a map of their location on it and I can see that it is just up the road from the current position... ok let's see if the famous Pogs sense of direction can find it... some hope! Ha! there it is... well done me...
I must admit I did go a bit over the top.. but they had a lovely shirt that I just couldn't leave behind and a couple of other things too.. weeeellll it is the last one this year.
I'm not in there long before the Northern Ireland gang arrive... they are so lovely... then I notice the patches on their backs say Provincewide not Provincetown which is a BIG difference. I don't ask where they are from as I feel like its a bit of a delicate question give that I am Eire.
We really have a good chat about bikes etc. and they invite me to be in a couple of photos with them... that reminds me I must find them and ask for copies.
Here's a photo I took of them
A grand crowd...
After this they leave and I sort out getting the new stuff onto the bike. I then make my way in to Santander to find somewhere to eat... oh and I must pick up fags for Glo and Spin too.
I find a tobacconists and on the opposite corner is a cafe with some hoggies sitting outside so I park up, get the fags and go over to the cafe for something to eat. A rather underdone spanish omelette, (which I always thought had lots of vegetables and peppers in it, but this was just potato), chips and a coke.. not that great, but filling. As I'm waiting for the food Neil and Jane pop up, (the couple I met at the ride out dinner) and I tell them all about my accident.. then the Scots appear and Elaine and I have a short chat about the ride to Santander.. wow I feel like I have really met some lovely people this trip, its been grand.
I then make my way to the port to queue up to get onto the boat.
The queue is quite long and we have over an hour to wait.. in fact it was more like 2 in the end.. and it rained a bit... but never mind am on the boat now enjoying a pint or two in the lounge... there has just been a singer on and she was quite good.. feels even more like a cruise ship.
So that's all for today... unless something interesting happens between now and bedtime that is.. if not ciao for now, last day tomorrow and then will be home. Glo's away so won't see her till Saturday, boo hoo, but hoping to pick up the boys tomorrow night if not too late... yippee!!!
Something quite interesting happened.. I bumped into Barney and Sue... seemed pleased to see me and I must say I was pleased to see them too! Nite Nite..
Went down for brekkie and finished off yesterdays thrilling instalment. While I was there Elaine came in and we had a chat... she was telling me about her crash 2 years ago in more detail.. that cheered me up no end!! I remember seeing her bike in the Ladies of Harley category at the custom show... pink I'm afraid, but now I've met her I forgive her... :-) Really very nice people.. her hubby came and we were talking bikes.. he customised his and Elaines V-Rods, very nice too.
As they are leaving I hobble outside to take some photos...
I've always quite liked the rods but they are too much of a stretch for me to reach the bars and foot pegs.. although I could put different bars on and move the pegs forward... mmmm now there's a thought!
About half an hour later and I'm ready to go... pack up the bike and start to make my way to Santander via Bilbao and Cantabria (Santander) HD's. I'm taking it very easy... only doing about 60mph, especially as its quite drizzly. I get on the motorway and just keep in the 'slow' lane, not taking any chances.. until I get behind a lorry and then I have to overtake... I open her up and it's all fine so I start to feel a bit better.. then I think to myself, I've been riding for over 30 years and although I have fallen off a few times, that is to be expected in the scheme of things and I have never fallen off a harley before. The more I think about it, the more I realise that it was a combination of rain and slick road surface that caused the spill yesterday and in the end I am fine, the bike is mendable and if I come off at 60 or 65 or 70 or 75 the result is going to be the same... finito benito! I can't ride at 20/30 all the way home so better I just ride my usual way and get on with it. This decision is helped by the fact that the rain has stopped and the road is almost dry :-)
Gps routes me to Cantabria HD just outside Santander first and I decide that actually I'm probably not going to bother with Bilbao... enough is enough. I arrive at the address in the gps... yep no HD in sight... jaysus this is beyond annoying!! I get my phone out and check the website.. they have a map of their location on it and I can see that it is just up the road from the current position... ok let's see if the famous Pogs sense of direction can find it... some hope! Ha! there it is... well done me...
I must admit I did go a bit over the top.. but they had a lovely shirt that I just couldn't leave behind and a couple of other things too.. weeeellll it is the last one this year.
I'm not in there long before the Northern Ireland gang arrive... they are so lovely... then I notice the patches on their backs say Provincewide not Provincetown which is a BIG difference. I don't ask where they are from as I feel like its a bit of a delicate question give that I am Eire.
We really have a good chat about bikes etc. and they invite me to be in a couple of photos with them... that reminds me I must find them and ask for copies.
Here's a photo I took of them
A grand crowd...
After this they leave and I sort out getting the new stuff onto the bike. I then make my way in to Santander to find somewhere to eat... oh and I must pick up fags for Glo and Spin too.
I find a tobacconists and on the opposite corner is a cafe with some hoggies sitting outside so I park up, get the fags and go over to the cafe for something to eat. A rather underdone spanish omelette, (which I always thought had lots of vegetables and peppers in it, but this was just potato), chips and a coke.. not that great, but filling. As I'm waiting for the food Neil and Jane pop up, (the couple I met at the ride out dinner) and I tell them all about my accident.. then the Scots appear and Elaine and I have a short chat about the ride to Santander.. wow I feel like I have really met some lovely people this trip, its been grand.
I then make my way to the port to queue up to get onto the boat.
The queue is quite long and we have over an hour to wait.. in fact it was more like 2 in the end.. and it rained a bit... but never mind am on the boat now enjoying a pint or two in the lounge... there has just been a singer on and she was quite good.. feels even more like a cruise ship.
So that's all for today... unless something interesting happens between now and bedtime that is.. if not ciao for now, last day tomorrow and then will be home. Glo's away so won't see her till Saturday, boo hoo, but hoping to pick up the boys tomorrow night if not too late... yippee!!!
Something quite interesting happened.. I bumped into Barney and Sue... seemed pleased to see me and I must say I was pleased to see them too! Nite Nite..
Tuesday 19 June 2012
Day 10 - It's a funny old life...
What a day! But I shall begin at the beginning, which, I am told, is a very good place to start.
Up fairly early this morning, breakfasted and got the bike out.. packed up and just before I left took a few photos of the hotel, just to show you how grotty it looks from the outside. As I said yesterday the room is excellent, so no complaints really.... yes I know, I'm always complaining...
So I have changed my mind as usual... not going to Burgos... realised I've not had the pleasure of finding a closed HD dealership for a few days, so its off to Oviedo, just 205kms from here and on the way to Santander, which is where I am getting the ferry home tomorrow.
Bombing along the N630 in the sunshine and nothing much happening... I was just wondering what I was going to say in my blog when I enter the town of La Robla.. am approaching the Pyrenees again and can see the dark clouds emerging over the mountains. Just before the next roundabout there is a group of Spanish Civil police and one of them flags me down.. oh oh, what have I done?? He comes over and using a mixture of spanish and gesture tells me I can't go any further on the N630 and must detour to the AP66 (a bloomin' toll road). OK so off I go... when I get to the booth the charge is a whopping €7.40, wow that's steep!! Well, I've go no choice so I pay up and am soon bombing up the AP66. Before long I am in amongst the Pyrenean foothills and travelling through fairly long tunnels. I have to say the views are almost worth the toll fee... look at this...
And a few kilometres further on...
Then through a 4000m plus tunnel into the clouds and the temperature drops and it gets decidedly damp, but I carry on without the romper suit for now as it's only very light. As we drop down the drizzle stops but its still gloomy. About 2kms outside of Oviedo it really starts to rain, but as I am on the motorway there is no place to stop and put the wet gear on so just have to bear it. The HD dealers is 5 or 6kms out the other side so by the time I arrive my jeans are soaked... again!! I reckon I can change into my wet gear in the shop, but guess what.... it's shut.. closed from 1pm to 4pm and its 1.30 now.. sigh! Sod that, I'm not hanging around til 4 so I take my time and put all the wet gear on, change my gloves etc etc. I then check out the gps and find there are two other HD dealers.. one in Bilbao and one just outside Santander.. well I've got plenty of time so I route to Santander for the ferry tomorrow night via the two HD dealers.. I'll find somewhere to stay tonight along the way.
It's still raining and miserable when I leave and have gone about 3k. I am about to turn right when the bike decides to disappear from under me.. no warning... one minute I'm riding and the next I'm in the road listening to the bike scraping along the tarmac. There is a tremendous pain in my right thigh, so much so that I think I have broken it.. within a few seconds there is a man standing over me obviously asking me if I'm ok in Spanish... I can't speak the pain is so bad so I just sign pain to him and point at my leg; I think I moaned a bit too (tres unusual I know). I try to get up but really can't move although I have ascertained that it's not broken as I can lift it slightly and wiggle my foot. The man puts his hand on my shoulder and again obviously tells me to stay still.. meanwhile he is calling for an ambulance. After a few minutes I realise that the bike is still on, so I ignore the man and make an attempt to get up... he then helps me and another man appears from nowhere to help. Once on my feet I'm able to limp over to the bike to turn the ignition off.. and when I look up the civil police have arrived already. The first man and a lady cop lift the bike off the ground to take it out of the road, but of course it is in gear so I have to try and take it out of gear.. the pain is memorable!!
Anyway.. have to get out my papers.. passport, drivers license etc. No one speaks English btw.. so have to try my leetle beet of espanol with sign language. The upshot is that I have to wait for the ambulance to arrive so they can assess my injuries.. ok but I'm not going to the hospital.
While I'm waiting I assess the damage.... not too bad considering...
New front fender/mudguard; new set of brake levers and fluid reservoir; oh the mirror broke off completely so new set of mirrors; new air filter; new rear brake pedal pad; new foot pegs and lastly, my headset snapped from the gps so have to get one of those made. All in all I would say roughly £1000 and a hike on my insurance next year... bloody bikes!!
Ambulance arrives, two guys one of whom speaks a little english, he takes a look at my leg and says I must go to hospital, but I tell him it's ok, I don't need to go. He makes me sign a release, which is fine with me. He tells me if I get any more pain or swelling then I must find the nearest Hospital or clinic.. I promise him that I will. They go and I assume I will be able to get on my way now, but noooooo I have to wait for the traffic cops to come, they arrive a few minutes later; take all the same details as the civil guard and then let me go. I do manage to get some details from them so I can tell the insurance and that should be ok for me to make a claim.. I hope.
When they have gone I take a few photos of the crash site and then, tentatively, get back on the bike. I turn around and head back to the HD dealers down the road who should be open now as it is gone 4pm, to get a replacement mirror.
There is more to tell, but to be honest I've had enough blogging now and my leg is throbbing so will finish off tomorrow morning... night all x
Morning all... I am feeling much better... I slept quite well considering and the swelling in my leg has gone down quite a bit along with the pain so I'm looking forward to today.. anyway back to yesterday...
Arrive at the dealers and must admit I'm a bit shaky... there is a group from Provincetown Northern Ireland at the shop and they are very friendly, some enquire as to the accident and it seems we will be on the same ferry tomorrow night so invite me to join them.. thanks maybe I will, be nice to have some company.
I manage to pick up a standard mirror.. its chrome so looks more than a bit out of place on the bike, but it does the job so that's good. I pop in the loo to see if I can see what my leg looks like, but its too dark, I can feel a huge lump on the side and its very hot and painful to touch. I notice that I also have pain in my right shoulder, knee and ankle... guess that's where I whipped around on the ground after the initial impact on my thigh. Anyway, it all makes walking pretty painful at the moment.
I also grab a tee shirt.. just because I think I ought to... and the total bill comes to €71 which is not too bad for harley... he has given me 15% discount?? normal HOG member discount is 10% so that's a bit strange, but grateful of course.
So gingerly I get back on the bike to resume my journey... I think, briefly, to just go straight to Santander and find somewhere to stay to wait for the ferry, but nah... theres more tee shirts in them thar hills quimo sabe... (for those who remember the Lone Ranger.. can't be many of us left...). Onward and downward as we are out of the mountains now, towards Bilbao.
After about 20 or 30k I realise I am more shook up than I thought, the accident has really knocked my confidence on the bike and it is raining again. I enter a town called Villaviciosa and pull over to consult the booking.com app (I just love it!!) and find a hotel right here in this town.. its the Casa Espana.. fab!
10 minutes later I am parking up at the hotel... so easy peesy...
There is another group of Brits sitting at some tables outside the hotel, they are from Scotland I would say, judging by the accents. I tell them about the accident and one woman comes over to offer to help me with my bags, her name is Elaine and she tells me that she had a similar accident on her bike a couple of years ago, but her bike was a write off so guess I have been lucky really. Elaine says 'why don't you get your insurance to transport your bike home'... 'no' says I 'I can ride it, its not broken'; to be honest it's not something I would ever have thought of. They are going home on the same boat and invite me to join them... bloody hell, thats two invitations in one day.. but I'm not going to have accidents everytime I would like some company!!!!
I get settled in the hotel.. have a look at my leg.. not much to see except this huge lump in the middle of my thigh; it's still hot and painful to touch and difficult to walk but hunger conquers all, so I get changed and make my way downstairs to see what is on the menu.
No menu.. only sandes and bocadillas.. 'ah ok, wheres the restaurants pro favor?' apparently they are just 20m away up the street opposite. Well reckon I can manage that.... but you know me and my sense of direction.. yep round and round.. limp limp limp, can't find anything except cafe bars, bars and more bars full of blokes watching football, delightful. In the end I spot the word Restaurant up ahead and decide whatever the menu that is where I am going to eat. I look inside, there are a few people at a long bar, theres footie on the telly - no ones watching it, and some bare tables. The menu is on display outside and its all in Spanish, but I spot Entrecôte on it.. right thats what I'll have, so in I go.
I get a few strange looks (ho hum), and limp up to the only table with a paper cloth and some cutlery on it. After a few minutes a small woman comes from behind the bar to serve me, she doesn't speak English of course so I ask for the menu... she disappears... comes back and says 'Non menu', disappears again and brings..... the menu???? She asks me 'solo' 'Si' and then gets me to move to another table.. the only table in the place that is set up is for 4 people and because she is so busy I need to move to a smaller table.... sorry don't get it???? Anyway, she leaves me to look at the menu and I remember before on the way to Switzerland Lynn and I asked for the menu and got the set meal for the day, (see the Switzerland blog for details), so she thought I wanted the set meal.... ahhh all is revealed. She comes back and I point to the Entrecôte.. 'Non blah blah fillet' 'OK thats great... err bueno por favour' 'con patatas?' 'Si.. oh salade natural' 'Si Si' and off she goes. I'm feeling rather pleased with myself there, almost strung a sentence together. A few minutes later she comes back with a small plate with one tiny piece of french bread on it and gives it to me. I think... god what's this, I hope it's not fish. It looks like cheese with a lump of jam on the top.. oh well, can't be rude, I take a bite.. yep it's cheese with a lump of jam on the top... tasty!!
The meal arrives and it's enormous... a huge piece of steak, chips (hand made) and a full plate of salad... fantastic. It is so large I can't finish it all. I am eating away and notice it's England v someone in blue and yellow on the telly at the far end of the bar, so for want of something better to do I sort of watch it.
Suddenly the woman at the bar starts pouring from a large wine bottle.. nothing odd there, except she is pouring from the full stretch of her arm above her head to below the bar... she's pouring it on the floor for some reason I think... then she puts a large glass about 1/4 full of a pale yellow liquid on the bar and a man takes it, gulps most of it in one go and empties the dregs onto the floor... I'm sure my mouth is open, I've never seen anything like it! She then starts pouring on the floor again from the full height of her expended arm.. up pops a glass with the same amount onto the bar and the woman next to the man takes it, gulps most of it down and throws the dregs on the floor.... now this is fascinating, I can't keep my eyes off them.. if they look I just pretend to be watching the footie. She then serves two other people, but now I can see her other hand.. so the right hand is way above her head and her left hand holds the glass fully extended below her waist and she expertly aims the liquid into the glass.. she misses a bit so some of it goes on the floor.. she's not bothered. A few minutes later she comes round the bar and is talking to the two people who have had the drinks.. she spots me gawping and comes over.. oops! Now I remember when I was looking at the blurb about the hotel that this region is famous for its Sidre... ah I bet thats what it is... she seems concerned that I am not enjoying my food... no no and I mimic the pouring action and ask if it is Sidre?? Si si.. she disappears and gets me a glass.. no no I say but she tells me that the two people are offering me some of their bottle.. oh so I really cannot refuse. She does the whole pouring action and brings the glass to me.. she gestures 'down in one go' so I do.. 'Muy bueno' she says and beams at me.. I beam back.. its really very strong, so I beam over to the couple and say 'Gracias' the woman nods back. I'm feeling a bit woozy.. that stuff is deadly! After this the couple leave and the woman says buenos noches to me, I feel very happy to have found this place.
At the end of the meal I practice my very best spanish in my head and when I go to pay I say... badly... 'Muy, muy bueno... deliciosa' 'delicthiosa' she corrects me but she is beaming at my compliments and poor attempt at Spanish I suspect. 'Grathias, I say again and buenos noches' and off I hobble back to the hotel.
It's a funny old life isn't it when you can go from deep upset to euphoria in the space of 4 hours... oh well tomorrow is another day. Am going to continue my journey to Bilbao and Santander HDs then on to the ferry tomorrow night.
Ciao for now....
Up fairly early this morning, breakfasted and got the bike out.. packed up and just before I left took a few photos of the hotel, just to show you how grotty it looks from the outside. As I said yesterday the room is excellent, so no complaints really.... yes I know, I'm always complaining...
So I have changed my mind as usual... not going to Burgos... realised I've not had the pleasure of finding a closed HD dealership for a few days, so its off to Oviedo, just 205kms from here and on the way to Santander, which is where I am getting the ferry home tomorrow.
Bombing along the N630 in the sunshine and nothing much happening... I was just wondering what I was going to say in my blog when I enter the town of La Robla.. am approaching the Pyrenees again and can see the dark clouds emerging over the mountains. Just before the next roundabout there is a group of Spanish Civil police and one of them flags me down.. oh oh, what have I done?? He comes over and using a mixture of spanish and gesture tells me I can't go any further on the N630 and must detour to the AP66 (a bloomin' toll road). OK so off I go... when I get to the booth the charge is a whopping €7.40, wow that's steep!! Well, I've go no choice so I pay up and am soon bombing up the AP66. Before long I am in amongst the Pyrenean foothills and travelling through fairly long tunnels. I have to say the views are almost worth the toll fee... look at this...
And a few kilometres further on...
Then through a 4000m plus tunnel into the clouds and the temperature drops and it gets decidedly damp, but I carry on without the romper suit for now as it's only very light. As we drop down the drizzle stops but its still gloomy. About 2kms outside of Oviedo it really starts to rain, but as I am on the motorway there is no place to stop and put the wet gear on so just have to bear it. The HD dealers is 5 or 6kms out the other side so by the time I arrive my jeans are soaked... again!! I reckon I can change into my wet gear in the shop, but guess what.... it's shut.. closed from 1pm to 4pm and its 1.30 now.. sigh! Sod that, I'm not hanging around til 4 so I take my time and put all the wet gear on, change my gloves etc etc. I then check out the gps and find there are two other HD dealers.. one in Bilbao and one just outside Santander.. well I've got plenty of time so I route to Santander for the ferry tomorrow night via the two HD dealers.. I'll find somewhere to stay tonight along the way.
It's still raining and miserable when I leave and have gone about 3k. I am about to turn right when the bike decides to disappear from under me.. no warning... one minute I'm riding and the next I'm in the road listening to the bike scraping along the tarmac. There is a tremendous pain in my right thigh, so much so that I think I have broken it.. within a few seconds there is a man standing over me obviously asking me if I'm ok in Spanish... I can't speak the pain is so bad so I just sign pain to him and point at my leg; I think I moaned a bit too (tres unusual I know). I try to get up but really can't move although I have ascertained that it's not broken as I can lift it slightly and wiggle my foot. The man puts his hand on my shoulder and again obviously tells me to stay still.. meanwhile he is calling for an ambulance. After a few minutes I realise that the bike is still on, so I ignore the man and make an attempt to get up... he then helps me and another man appears from nowhere to help. Once on my feet I'm able to limp over to the bike to turn the ignition off.. and when I look up the civil police have arrived already. The first man and a lady cop lift the bike off the ground to take it out of the road, but of course it is in gear so I have to try and take it out of gear.. the pain is memorable!!
Anyway.. have to get out my papers.. passport, drivers license etc. No one speaks English btw.. so have to try my leetle beet of espanol with sign language. The upshot is that I have to wait for the ambulance to arrive so they can assess my injuries.. ok but I'm not going to the hospital.
While I'm waiting I assess the damage.... not too bad considering...
New front fender/mudguard; new set of brake levers and fluid reservoir; oh the mirror broke off completely so new set of mirrors; new air filter; new rear brake pedal pad; new foot pegs and lastly, my headset snapped from the gps so have to get one of those made. All in all I would say roughly £1000 and a hike on my insurance next year... bloody bikes!!
Ambulance arrives, two guys one of whom speaks a little english, he takes a look at my leg and says I must go to hospital, but I tell him it's ok, I don't need to go. He makes me sign a release, which is fine with me. He tells me if I get any more pain or swelling then I must find the nearest Hospital or clinic.. I promise him that I will. They go and I assume I will be able to get on my way now, but noooooo I have to wait for the traffic cops to come, they arrive a few minutes later; take all the same details as the civil guard and then let me go. I do manage to get some details from them so I can tell the insurance and that should be ok for me to make a claim.. I hope.
When they have gone I take a few photos of the crash site and then, tentatively, get back on the bike. I turn around and head back to the HD dealers down the road who should be open now as it is gone 4pm, to get a replacement mirror.
There is more to tell, but to be honest I've had enough blogging now and my leg is throbbing so will finish off tomorrow morning... night all x
Morning all... I am feeling much better... I slept quite well considering and the swelling in my leg has gone down quite a bit along with the pain so I'm looking forward to today.. anyway back to yesterday...
Arrive at the dealers and must admit I'm a bit shaky... there is a group from Provincetown Northern Ireland at the shop and they are very friendly, some enquire as to the accident and it seems we will be on the same ferry tomorrow night so invite me to join them.. thanks maybe I will, be nice to have some company.
I manage to pick up a standard mirror.. its chrome so looks more than a bit out of place on the bike, but it does the job so that's good. I pop in the loo to see if I can see what my leg looks like, but its too dark, I can feel a huge lump on the side and its very hot and painful to touch. I notice that I also have pain in my right shoulder, knee and ankle... guess that's where I whipped around on the ground after the initial impact on my thigh. Anyway, it all makes walking pretty painful at the moment.
I also grab a tee shirt.. just because I think I ought to... and the total bill comes to €71 which is not too bad for harley... he has given me 15% discount?? normal HOG member discount is 10% so that's a bit strange, but grateful of course.
So gingerly I get back on the bike to resume my journey... I think, briefly, to just go straight to Santander and find somewhere to stay to wait for the ferry, but nah... theres more tee shirts in them thar hills quimo sabe... (for those who remember the Lone Ranger.. can't be many of us left...). Onward and downward as we are out of the mountains now, towards Bilbao.
After about 20 or 30k I realise I am more shook up than I thought, the accident has really knocked my confidence on the bike and it is raining again. I enter a town called Villaviciosa and pull over to consult the booking.com app (I just love it!!) and find a hotel right here in this town.. its the Casa Espana.. fab!
10 minutes later I am parking up at the hotel... so easy peesy...
There is another group of Brits sitting at some tables outside the hotel, they are from Scotland I would say, judging by the accents. I tell them about the accident and one woman comes over to offer to help me with my bags, her name is Elaine and she tells me that she had a similar accident on her bike a couple of years ago, but her bike was a write off so guess I have been lucky really. Elaine says 'why don't you get your insurance to transport your bike home'... 'no' says I 'I can ride it, its not broken'; to be honest it's not something I would ever have thought of. They are going home on the same boat and invite me to join them... bloody hell, thats two invitations in one day.. but I'm not going to have accidents everytime I would like some company!!!!
I get settled in the hotel.. have a look at my leg.. not much to see except this huge lump in the middle of my thigh; it's still hot and painful to touch and difficult to walk but hunger conquers all, so I get changed and make my way downstairs to see what is on the menu.
No menu.. only sandes and bocadillas.. 'ah ok, wheres the restaurants pro favor?' apparently they are just 20m away up the street opposite. Well reckon I can manage that.... but you know me and my sense of direction.. yep round and round.. limp limp limp, can't find anything except cafe bars, bars and more bars full of blokes watching football, delightful. In the end I spot the word Restaurant up ahead and decide whatever the menu that is where I am going to eat. I look inside, there are a few people at a long bar, theres footie on the telly - no ones watching it, and some bare tables. The menu is on display outside and its all in Spanish, but I spot Entrecôte on it.. right thats what I'll have, so in I go.
I get a few strange looks (ho hum), and limp up to the only table with a paper cloth and some cutlery on it. After a few minutes a small woman comes from behind the bar to serve me, she doesn't speak English of course so I ask for the menu... she disappears... comes back and says 'Non menu', disappears again and brings..... the menu???? She asks me 'solo' 'Si' and then gets me to move to another table.. the only table in the place that is set up is for 4 people and because she is so busy I need to move to a smaller table.... sorry don't get it???? Anyway, she leaves me to look at the menu and I remember before on the way to Switzerland Lynn and I asked for the menu and got the set meal for the day, (see the Switzerland blog for details), so she thought I wanted the set meal.... ahhh all is revealed. She comes back and I point to the Entrecôte.. 'Non blah blah fillet' 'OK thats great... err bueno por favour' 'con patatas?' 'Si.. oh salade natural' 'Si Si' and off she goes. I'm feeling rather pleased with myself there, almost strung a sentence together. A few minutes later she comes back with a small plate with one tiny piece of french bread on it and gives it to me. I think... god what's this, I hope it's not fish. It looks like cheese with a lump of jam on the top.. oh well, can't be rude, I take a bite.. yep it's cheese with a lump of jam on the top... tasty!!
The meal arrives and it's enormous... a huge piece of steak, chips (hand made) and a full plate of salad... fantastic. It is so large I can't finish it all. I am eating away and notice it's England v someone in blue and yellow on the telly at the far end of the bar, so for want of something better to do I sort of watch it.
Suddenly the woman at the bar starts pouring from a large wine bottle.. nothing odd there, except she is pouring from the full stretch of her arm above her head to below the bar... she's pouring it on the floor for some reason I think... then she puts a large glass about 1/4 full of a pale yellow liquid on the bar and a man takes it, gulps most of it in one go and empties the dregs onto the floor... I'm sure my mouth is open, I've never seen anything like it! She then starts pouring on the floor again from the full height of her expended arm.. up pops a glass with the same amount onto the bar and the woman next to the man takes it, gulps most of it down and throws the dregs on the floor.... now this is fascinating, I can't keep my eyes off them.. if they look I just pretend to be watching the footie. She then serves two other people, but now I can see her other hand.. so the right hand is way above her head and her left hand holds the glass fully extended below her waist and she expertly aims the liquid into the glass.. she misses a bit so some of it goes on the floor.. she's not bothered. A few minutes later she comes round the bar and is talking to the two people who have had the drinks.. she spots me gawping and comes over.. oops! Now I remember when I was looking at the blurb about the hotel that this region is famous for its Sidre... ah I bet thats what it is... she seems concerned that I am not enjoying my food... no no and I mimic the pouring action and ask if it is Sidre?? Si si.. she disappears and gets me a glass.. no no I say but she tells me that the two people are offering me some of their bottle.. oh so I really cannot refuse. She does the whole pouring action and brings the glass to me.. she gestures 'down in one go' so I do.. 'Muy bueno' she says and beams at me.. I beam back.. its really very strong, so I beam over to the couple and say 'Gracias' the woman nods back. I'm feeling a bit woozy.. that stuff is deadly! After this the couple leave and the woman says buenos noches to me, I feel very happy to have found this place.
At the end of the meal I practice my very best spanish in my head and when I go to pay I say... badly... 'Muy, muy bueno... deliciosa' 'delicthiosa' she corrects me but she is beaming at my compliments and poor attempt at Spanish I suspect. 'Grathias, I say again and buenos noches' and off I hobble back to the hotel.
It's a funny old life isn't it when you can go from deep upset to euphoria in the space of 4 hours... oh well tomorrow is another day. Am going to continue my journey to Bilbao and Santander HDs then on to the ferry tomorrow night.
Ciao for now....
Monday 18 June 2012
Day 9 - Rubber Camera..... NOT!
Took it very easy this morning and actually spent time in the hotel having a leisurely breakfast. I also take the time to study the map and decide I am going eastwards into Spain to a place called Zamora. I get straight on to booking.com and book my hotel for the night... so I shall be staying in The Hotel Jarama, which is in the centre of Zamora a short walk from the main tourist attractions... oooo maybe I'll be a proper tourist tomorrow.
Here are some photos from my balcony in daylight... I think I prefer the night ones...
Got everything ready and left at about 12.30ish. There was a doorman standing outside the hotel... he reminded me of the guy outside the restaurant on Saturday... too late mate already been in haha
Back on the road again... was on a fast road for a while when I realised it was taking me the long way to Zamora, so I switch to the compass page on the gps and head east... after a while I decide to try and film a bit of the ride again... I think I've got it now... bugger.. it won't upload!!
That's a shame.... anyway...
Onward and up into the mountains again.
The point is you don't get scenery like this on a motorway...
Whilst riding ever upwards I glance down at my gps and see I am approaching the 1km above sea level mark... so I'm now definitely a member of the 1km high club... yippee!!
There are some lovely views from this height...
It's all downhill from here... as I'm negotiating the twisty roads I decide it's time for another video... but I can't really manage the bike in bends one handed so what to do?? Aha... I've got some cable ties in my bag that the guy from Latvia gave me.. I can tie the camera to the top of the gps... fab
oops... will have to come up with a good story for the insurance company... I don't think 'it fell off my bike' is gonna cut it really do you?
It's also a shame because the next few miles are some of the best twisty bits... would have looked good on film, but I think I'm going to have to invest in one of those camera mounts for the bike in the future.
That certainly was a great road.. the N216 between Macede de Cavaleiros and Mogadouro.
I cross the border into Spain at Miranda do Douro where there is a massive dam across the river that separates the two countries.
As soon as I am in Spain the time jumps forward an hour, (Portugal is on the same time as the UK at the moment), I thought I had another hour and 45 mins to go, but actually its only 45 mins so that's a good thing.
I arrive in Zamora and find the hotel no problem, but oh dear what a shabby area, it doesn't look very good and seems my luck with the hotels has finally run out. I have to go into a bar at the front of the hotel and the girl behind the bar does not speak any English. Somehow I managed to ask about the parking and she takes me around the back, the garage is on a separate block and as she is showing me where it is another Harley rider and his partner walk up and he hands me a remote control for the garage door. Ok, so that's a positive... I park the bike and then go back to the cafe where she checks my reservation and gives me the door card. The actual entrance to the hotel is on the side and I use the door card to open it... good security. Up 3 short flights of stairs to the first floor and I am very pleasantly surprised by the room. It is very modern and clean with a good size bathroom and huge shower, which is a massive plus given the tiny one I had in Cascais; there's a flat screen tv, wifi access and air con so all in all another good find... but I don't want to be wandering around this area on my own at night that's for sure.
After a quick wash and sort out I make my way down to the bar/cafe/restaurant to find out about dinner. The other harley rider and his wife are in there and they invite me to join them for a beer. Vince and Pat are from Milton Keynes and they have just ridden 400 miles up from Cascais to here in one hop... wow! I ask the girl about the restaurant... in mime mostly... she says it does not open until 9pm.. another hour and I'm starving. Pat wonders if there is a Maccy D we can go to.. so I go back to my room to check it out on the laptop and sure enough there is one a shortish walk from the hotel, so off we troop. After about 15 minutes we find it and I have the obligatory Big Mac etc. Oh well its filling at least. Another 15 minute troop back and then into the hotel for the night. Pat and Vince are a very nice couple who do a lot of touring on their bike, they tell me that the next HOG Rally will be in Rome... no way, that's mad... there were over 10,000 bikes at Cascais, how on earth will anyone enjoy riding in Rome; well I certainly won't be going, that's for sure. I might go to another major rally in Fakker See, Austria next year instead, but wait and see.
Tired now so off to bed... think I am going to Burgos tomorrow, its not far so should be a quick run, but you know me..... watch this space.
Oh checked the camera and all working ok.... just can't see the screen properly.. damn!!
Here are some photos from my balcony in daylight... I think I prefer the night ones...
Got everything ready and left at about 12.30ish. There was a doorman standing outside the hotel... he reminded me of the guy outside the restaurant on Saturday... too late mate already been in haha
Back on the road again... was on a fast road for a while when I realised it was taking me the long way to Zamora, so I switch to the compass page on the gps and head east... after a while I decide to try and film a bit of the ride again... I think I've got it now... bugger.. it won't upload!!
Onward and up into the mountains again.
The point is you don't get scenery like this on a motorway...
Whilst riding ever upwards I glance down at my gps and see I am approaching the 1km above sea level mark... so I'm now definitely a member of the 1km high club... yippee!!
There are some lovely views from this height...
It's all downhill from here... as I'm negotiating the twisty roads I decide it's time for another video... but I can't really manage the bike in bends one handed so what to do?? Aha... I've got some cable ties in my bag that the guy from Latvia gave me.. I can tie the camera to the top of the gps... fab
until the camera fell off that is.... went back to retrieve it and it's in pretty bad shape... the battery had come out and the casing is broken... I take a few photos to test it, but I can't see the screen properly... will have to wait and see if they come out.
It's also a shame because the next few miles are some of the best twisty bits... would have looked good on film, but I think I'm going to have to invest in one of those camera mounts for the bike in the future.
That certainly was a great road.. the N216 between Macede de Cavaleiros and Mogadouro.
I cross the border into Spain at Miranda do Douro where there is a massive dam across the river that separates the two countries.
As soon as I am in Spain the time jumps forward an hour, (Portugal is on the same time as the UK at the moment), I thought I had another hour and 45 mins to go, but actually its only 45 mins so that's a good thing.
I arrive in Zamora and find the hotel no problem, but oh dear what a shabby area, it doesn't look very good and seems my luck with the hotels has finally run out. I have to go into a bar at the front of the hotel and the girl behind the bar does not speak any English. Somehow I managed to ask about the parking and she takes me around the back, the garage is on a separate block and as she is showing me where it is another Harley rider and his partner walk up and he hands me a remote control for the garage door. Ok, so that's a positive... I park the bike and then go back to the cafe where she checks my reservation and gives me the door card. The actual entrance to the hotel is on the side and I use the door card to open it... good security. Up 3 short flights of stairs to the first floor and I am very pleasantly surprised by the room. It is very modern and clean with a good size bathroom and huge shower, which is a massive plus given the tiny one I had in Cascais; there's a flat screen tv, wifi access and air con so all in all another good find... but I don't want to be wandering around this area on my own at night that's for sure.
After a quick wash and sort out I make my way down to the bar/cafe/restaurant to find out about dinner. The other harley rider and his wife are in there and they invite me to join them for a beer. Vince and Pat are from Milton Keynes and they have just ridden 400 miles up from Cascais to here in one hop... wow! I ask the girl about the restaurant... in mime mostly... she says it does not open until 9pm.. another hour and I'm starving. Pat wonders if there is a Maccy D we can go to.. so I go back to my room to check it out on the laptop and sure enough there is one a shortish walk from the hotel, so off we troop. After about 15 minutes we find it and I have the obligatory Big Mac etc. Oh well its filling at least. Another 15 minute troop back and then into the hotel for the night. Pat and Vince are a very nice couple who do a lot of touring on their bike, they tell me that the next HOG Rally will be in Rome... no way, that's mad... there were over 10,000 bikes at Cascais, how on earth will anyone enjoy riding in Rome; well I certainly won't be going, that's for sure. I might go to another major rally in Fakker See, Austria next year instead, but wait and see.
Tired now so off to bed... think I am going to Burgos tomorrow, its not far so should be a quick run, but you know me..... watch this space.
Oh checked the camera and all working ok.... just can't see the screen properly.. damn!!
 |
| Test photo with broken camera. |
Day 8 - Km high club... almost!!
Today I start the route home.... I'm up earlyish so that I can get packed, not too bad given the very late night.
All ready to go by 11.30... have decided to ride up to a place called Chaves.. just because it's called Chaves. It is quite some distance away, 240 miles, so I need to get a move on. I've decided to take motorway most of the time to get through the mountains without too much time lost... there's no getting out of Portugal without going through the mountains if you're heading north I've found. I do like riding in the mountains but it takes such a long time with all the convoluted roads and I want to try and get out of Portugal by tomorrow morning.
The owner of the Guest house comes out to see me off... such a lovely man and so friendly and obliging, nothing is to much trouble, but typical me I've forgotten his name.
It's 80 degrees and rising in Cascais but as I travel inland the clouds begin to loom...
Problem number 1 - I seem to be heading to Lisbon... well the gps must be right so I guess better stay with it. Next thing I know I'm on the same road I took to come down... nah don't want that so keep going for a while then turn off eastwards.
Before long I am bursting for a pee so turn off to a town called Batalha... its really very nice and as I look to my left I see the most unusual church
It seems this is quite a popular place... there's a couple of souvenir shops, some cafes and a large tourist information centre, which is closed - well it is Sunday.
Anyway this town has some connection to that famous Portuguese navigator - Prince Henry the Navigator... and here he is
Not sure where he navigated too or from... hang on let's check wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Henry_the_Navigator
enjoy
The other interesting fact I found was that Batalha is the where the famous portuguese cockerel comes from...
I feel another wiki moment coming on...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_of_Barcelos
The other thing I didn't know is that Portugal is the cork capital of the world... they make everything out of cork... shoes, hats, bags, purses, and even this
Unfortunately they didn't have one in my size... seriously though, I never thought one could make something as soft as cloth from cork!!
Problem number 2 - get onto a toll road.. don't want a toll road but I'm on here now so better carry on.
Problem number 3 - gps routes me off A1 onto the E801 and here is the toll booth to pay the toll. The woman says 'ticket please'... 'ticket?? Don't have one' 'OK you have to pay fine, no ticket' 'Oh how much' €40... 'but I never saw any ticket' 'no ticket you must pay'.... I give in....sigh!!
The weather starts to get a bit chillier as I begin to ascend the mountains, better put my jacket on then. Not long after the sun comes out and it's getting really hot, but I can't be bothered to take the jacket off and sure enough the sun disappears, but it's still quite warm. It begins to rain very lightly... I'm not cold so don't bother with the orange romper suit.
Lots of fantastic scenery...
Problem number 4 - suddenly its pissing it down... I'm soaked... stop to get more petrol (3rd time today) and put on orange romper suit! Can't be bothered with the trousers, as jeans already soaking wet so just put the jacket on and some warmer gloves.
The petrol station is almost a km above sea level...
and a few miles further on I reach the dizzy height of 977m - does that get me into the km high club???
You can see I am riding amongst the clouds - very reminiscent of the Pyrenees... burrrr
Not long after this I decide I can't go on much longer as tired and wet so not going to make it to Chaves... shame.
I get out the trusty Booking.com app on my phone and look at possible hotels. The next biggish town on my route is Vila Real.. hotels seem quite expensive but there is one for €45, more than I want to pay but beggars etc.
Back on the road and it's starting to get dark so glad I've decided to stop soon. Arrive at the hotel and omg it looks dead posh... I pull in to the front and check my phone to make sure I have stopped at the right place.. yep this is it.
I'm very impressed.. obviously booking at the very last minute gets you some great deals. I've got a huge twin room with fantastic views over the gorge... even at night...
After I drop stuff in my room I go down to the restaurant but I'm too late... have to get a bar snack instead but it's better than nothing.
Back in my room I check out the map for tomorrows journey... can't be bothered to decide tonight... I'll do it in the morning..... zzzzzzzzzz
All ready to go by 11.30... have decided to ride up to a place called Chaves.. just because it's called Chaves. It is quite some distance away, 240 miles, so I need to get a move on. I've decided to take motorway most of the time to get through the mountains without too much time lost... there's no getting out of Portugal without going through the mountains if you're heading north I've found. I do like riding in the mountains but it takes such a long time with all the convoluted roads and I want to try and get out of Portugal by tomorrow morning.
The owner of the Guest house comes out to see me off... such a lovely man and so friendly and obliging, nothing is to much trouble, but typical me I've forgotten his name.
It's 80 degrees and rising in Cascais but as I travel inland the clouds begin to loom...
 |
| South |
 |
| North |
Problem number 1 - I seem to be heading to Lisbon... well the gps must be right so I guess better stay with it. Next thing I know I'm on the same road I took to come down... nah don't want that so keep going for a while then turn off eastwards.
Before long I am bursting for a pee so turn off to a town called Batalha... its really very nice and as I look to my left I see the most unusual church
It seems this is quite a popular place... there's a couple of souvenir shops, some cafes and a large tourist information centre, which is closed - well it is Sunday.
Anyway this town has some connection to that famous Portuguese navigator - Prince Henry the Navigator... and here he is
Not sure where he navigated too or from... hang on let's check wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Henry_the_Navigator
enjoy
The other interesting fact I found was that Batalha is the where the famous portuguese cockerel comes from...
I feel another wiki moment coming on...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_of_Barcelos
The other thing I didn't know is that Portugal is the cork capital of the world... they make everything out of cork... shoes, hats, bags, purses, and even this
Unfortunately they didn't have one in my size... seriously though, I never thought one could make something as soft as cloth from cork!!
Problem number 2 - get onto a toll road.. don't want a toll road but I'm on here now so better carry on.
Problem number 3 - gps routes me off A1 onto the E801 and here is the toll booth to pay the toll. The woman says 'ticket please'... 'ticket?? Don't have one' 'OK you have to pay fine, no ticket' 'Oh how much' €40... 'but I never saw any ticket' 'no ticket you must pay'.... I give in....sigh!!
The weather starts to get a bit chillier as I begin to ascend the mountains, better put my jacket on then. Not long after the sun comes out and it's getting really hot, but I can't be bothered to take the jacket off and sure enough the sun disappears, but it's still quite warm. It begins to rain very lightly... I'm not cold so don't bother with the orange romper suit.
Lots of fantastic scenery...
Problem number 4 - suddenly its pissing it down... I'm soaked... stop to get more petrol (3rd time today) and put on orange romper suit! Can't be bothered with the trousers, as jeans already soaking wet so just put the jacket on and some warmer gloves.
The petrol station is almost a km above sea level...
and a few miles further on I reach the dizzy height of 977m - does that get me into the km high club???
You can see I am riding amongst the clouds - very reminiscent of the Pyrenees... burrrr
Not long after this I decide I can't go on much longer as tired and wet so not going to make it to Chaves... shame.
I get out the trusty Booking.com app on my phone and look at possible hotels. The next biggish town on my route is Vila Real.. hotels seem quite expensive but there is one for €45, more than I want to pay but beggars etc.
Back on the road and it's starting to get dark so glad I've decided to stop soon. Arrive at the hotel and omg it looks dead posh... I pull in to the front and check my phone to make sure I have stopped at the right place.. yep this is it.
I'm very impressed.. obviously booking at the very last minute gets you some great deals. I've got a huge twin room with fantastic views over the gorge... even at night...
After I drop stuff in my room I go down to the restaurant but I'm too late... have to get a bar snack instead but it's better than nothing.
Back in my room I check out the map for tomorrows journey... can't be bothered to decide tonight... I'll do it in the morning..... zzzzzzzzzz
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