Gael warning in Gallia Celtica

brut33 · Apr 4, 2022

Enjoying this and it looks like your weather has improved. :thumb2

Could I just ask a question. Was your croissant straight or curved?
These things are important to me (I only found out the difference two days ago).

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/577719-Well-I-never

simondippenhall · Apr 4, 2022

I made several crossings of the Ebro but will only inflict one on you:

A typically Spanish scene

I didn’t find the speed limits any bother as I was in no rush (although the very few Spanish drivers generally were, so I let them last me). On the exhilarating mountain sections there were quite a few Sunday power rangers and I also let them race past me, although the Wing was doing a pretty impressive job on the twisties.

When I got to the Ebro delta the bike got its introduction to gravel roads, fortunately dry and well packed as I had no wish to be dropping the bike

. You can see the fertile river plain and the mountains behind from which I had come

I then had to take an autovia which is different from an autopista; parts of it were like I imagine Route 66, old roads that were now little used and with shuttered/defunct restaurants and other businesses along them.

And my mind wanders back more than 50 years to 1968 when I sat with my brother and sister in the back of a boiling hot VW variant as we travelled across Spain from Lisbon, heading for Le Havre and with tent packed on the roof rack.

It makes me really appreciate the ease of travel with modern GPS piped to my helmet and the ability to book a hotel room as I approach the city and then ride directly to it. (I still recall my parents navigating through city centres with a Michelin map, and some tense moments too!

)

So I decided on a hotel in the old city and had fun navigating there as the last leg was ‘pedestrian only’ so I got some old fashioned looks as I rode to the door and parked up

The receptionist warned me I risked a fine so I moved the bike to one of the abundant nearby motorcycle parking spots where it spent a cosy night

This time I put the disk lock on!

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simondippenhall · Apr 4, 2022

Readers of my African blog will know I love train stations and Valencia’s Estación del Norte did not disappoint:

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simondippenhall · Apr 4, 2022

So I will end my account of Sunday’s travel with the obligatory food photo or two, and some of Valencia’s strikingly attractive buildings

There isn’t much to add on the bike front: the Wing is very comfortable, surprisingly manoeuvrable in town, and has every driver aid known to man.

On the heat front, only my old boots have let me down. The Klim jacket continues to excel, and my BMW winter gloves (bought secondhand on UKGSer!) and Rukka leather trousers (also secondhand, but 15+ years ago) are good as gold as is my very comfy SCHUBERTH Pro3.

I have brought other gear but because of the cold

it had not even remotely been considered!

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gspod · Apr 4, 2022

:

Thanks Dermot!!
:thumby:

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simondippenhall · Apr 5, 2022

brut33 said:
Enjoying this and it looks like your weather has improved.

Could I just ask a question. Was your croissant straight or curved?
These things are important to me (I only found out the difference two days ago).

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/577719-Well-I-never

Straight!

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cornish · Apr 5, 2022

Enjoyable read Simon, thanks. I just returned from a fortnight in Spain (no bike

) and it feels good to be back there via your post!

I'm sure you'll have a great trip. Especially now as the weather improves. its been a bit wet in the south. Enjoy!

simondippenhall · Apr 5, 2022

cornish said:
Enjoyable read Simon, thanks. I just returned from a fortnight in Spain (no bike ) and it feels good to be back there via your post!

I'm sure you'll have a great trip. Especially now as the weather improves. its been a bit wet in the south. Enjoy!

Thanks Cornish! Still is pretty iffy down South as you can see from this image (which is why I headed north from Valencia)

I have been scrutinising weather maps throughout the trip and am finding meteoblue good for Spain and Météo-France good (unsurprisingly) for France! It’s looking like N Spain and S France are the places to be over the coming days and I am thinking of riding via Andorra on Thursday when temperatures there rise significantly.

In my gear review I forgot to credit my Kanetsu electric waistcoat which has been invaluable along with my down jacket.

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cornish · Apr 5, 2022

I missed that you were heading North. Ive just looked and it seem the weather is set to be great down south from Thursday on. 23,24 25 degrees with sun.
I'm sure you know those roads, they are fantastic. I have friends in Malaga: I can ask them to stick their head out the window and check the weather any time, if you like!

simondippenhall · Apr 5, 2022

Much appreciated but think it’s time to head home before Easter.

In my search for something with vegetables (I have had quite a few bocadillos!) in it, I came across this Osborne brandy sign:

It prompted a lot of memories of childhood travels around Spain, and to ask: where have all the big bulls gone?

. Used to be these all over the plot:

Anyway after a few failed attempts in Spanish restaurants, I ended up with a veggie ramen bowl which has done the job, I think!

Rickets and scurvy fought off for a few more days

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simondippenhall · Apr 5, 2022

Yesterday (Monday) I left Valencia without a clear idea of where I would end up! I know rain was headed my way and that a move North was wise.

You can see the black clouds I was running from:

Although even straight ahead looked a bit threatening

A typical Spanish scene or two in the hinterland:

It was getting quite chilly as I climbed up into the meseta, when I saw a road sign signalling a foodstop (not showing on my Garmin). There were several cars outside, always a good sign! They very generously sat me by the log fire as I thawed out.

I chose the menu del día of a big bowl of soup followed by rabo de toro (which looked like ox bone to me and tasted absolutely delicious

). This was washed down with lemonade and followed by a flan, all at a very reasonable price. A cafe sólo followed to keep me alert.

And because of the cold, perhaps, I felt great and reenergised by my lunch, rather than drowsy. I decided to set my route for Zaragoza.

Up to now I had been on tiny roads, often with a poor surface, but I decided that as it was 3.30 pm I should take a larger road for the last couple of hours.

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simondippenhall · Apr 5, 2022

I passed by Teruel, scene of fierce battles in the snow during the Civil War. And I had to battle to get to the old centre as most access points were closed due to upcoming festivities I think.

But I made it in, eventually, and snapped the Wing against some typical Mudejar architecture (Mudejars being Spanish Moors after the Christian Reconquest, believe).

Then full speed to Zaragoza but my errant eye was caught by an airfield full of mothballed jets - I am sure Arsey or another plane jockey on the forum can tell us more, but I suspect that the high altitude and very dry climate here makes it Europe’s answer to Arizona as far as storing aircraft.

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simondippenhall · Apr 5, 2022

Finally made it to Zaragoza about 6 pm and negotiated an excellent rate at a hotel in the centre of the main plaza- helped by the fact the management thought the Booking.com rate I showed them was € not £

.

Seems here you can park a motorbike on the pavement so long as it (the pavement) is over 3 metres wide. So here goes!

Decided to have my first day off this trip, so slept very well on Monday night and have spent today walking around and doing culture stuff…very relaxing and a beautiful city

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Deise · Apr 6, 2022

did you visit Estacion el Portillo or Ave ?

simondippenhall · Apr 6, 2022

Deise said:
did you visit Estacion el Portillo or Ave ?

In which city, Deise?

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simondippenhall · Apr 6, 2022

I think Deise has been an inspiration to me for I have ended up parked at Lerida’s main station, for my hotel is directly opposite

The day itself was spent partly in the foothills of the Pyrenees- I shall try to add some photos when the Wi-Fi perks up!

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simondippenhall · Apr 6, 2022

So for once I had a plan today: ride NW from Zaragoza to Tudela and explore the nearby Bardenas Reales. Wind weathered rocks and hills. Then on to an old monastery set into the cliffs near Java, the old capital of Aragón. And then head to Lleida (or Lérida as it was in 1968 when I first went there.

And I pretty much followed the plan, although the Bardenas were not much to see compared with Anatolia (and I probably didn’t see the best of it as I shied away from the dirt roads of the park which led to its interior).

From there I ride North on fantastic small and winding roads to the monastery which is very striking in appearance/

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simondippenhall · Apr 6, 2022

By the time I was done with this it was about 1:30 so I decided to hunt down lunch. I love the way the Garmin XT offers you things ‘coming up’ so I chose a fish restaurant which turned out to be a fish shop! Undeterred I carried in into the town and saw a group of people sitting at tables drinking so I parked the bike and asked where the bar was. They directed me into the building and up the stairs and I found myself in a rather runs down hall which was a Senior Citizens Social Club - so as you can imagine fitted in a treat.

I asked for something to eat and they proposed a chickpea and meat stew and a minestrone soup - both home made and very delicious, with about 5 different meats in the stew and, happily, some vegetables as well

What they made of a random Irish biker inviting himself in I have no idea but I do know the lunch was delicious (and inexpensive!)

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Deise · Apr 7, 2022

" where have all the big bulls gone? "

Osborne website says over 90 bulls .

Couple of years ago a Spanish GS guy on Instagram was in the process of visiting as many as possible. Cannot remember his name.

simondippenhall · Apr 8, 2022

Deise: they must have been hiding

when I rode by.

I am definitely getting the hang of the Spanish language and immediately understood what this shop was about:

So Thursday was the long awaited day when the forecast showed Andorra warming up enough for me to be comfortable going over the high passes.

I said farewell to Lerida and its Seu Vella and headed North

The roads were great and the traffic and the temperatures manageable. The ride up to Andorra was good and I was waved in without any interest in my proffered passport. (Another good thing about a big scooter is you have a free hand to hold stuff like that as there’s no clutch lever

).

As many have warned, Andorra isn’t the most exciting place in the world. I filled up with petrol, visited a couple of bike accessories shops (hunting for new boots), had my picnic lunch in a lay-by and was on my way).

Country #97:

My lay-by lunch site

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