It is so good to be on tour again! We have completed three riding days and 100 miles starting in Sevilla, Spain. It was not simple to get started – we flew overnight and landed in Madrid at 8am. Miraculously all our bags arrived without incident but then we had to haul them across the city on two trains to a high speed train to Sevilla, to an Uber, then finally our hostel. We were exhausted and proceeded to all sleep 13 hours. It took three hours to assemble the bicycles and then we sent the bags forward to our destination. Here are some pictures from our test ride and our time in Sevilla.
Day 1: Sevilla to Castilblanco de los Arroyos (30 miles). Our first riding day was long with more climbing than we expected! After a bit of a messy time getting out of Sevilla, we experienced the joy of dirt paths in an open field across farming land. The wildflowers were higher than our heads! We missed a turn and ended up taking a bit of a longer route up a long climb into the mountains in the afternoon. There were several stretches that required frequent stops, but the girls were tough and we persevered. All the same, we were relieved to reach our hostel at the end of the day. The girls laid straight on their bunks to play games and read books while Jason and I wandered the town and chatted with the owners.
Day 2: Castilblanco to El Real de la Jara (25 miles): Despite our best efforts to get on the road earlier on day two it wasn’t until about 9:30 that we finally climbed on the bikes. It didn’t help that Jason found ants had moved into his muesli bag overnight! Brave guy ate it anyway…
Once we were riding, conditions were just about perfect – quiet road with rolling hills and lovely views. Sure, there was at least one hill I (Daisy) had to walk, but to my credit the gearing on my bike right now is inadequate. We will need a new gear set-up before South America.
We stopped for lunch in the lovely town of Almaden de la Plata, which had beautiful stone mosaics in the road and plazas. After town we turned onto a truly incredible little road with barely enough space for two cars to pass each other. It wove us up into the hills between towns and past little farms. Of course we weren’t mishap free – on that gorgeous little road Jason somehow had a bee fly into his mouth and bite his tongue! We were all very surprised when he started shouting and spitting.
We rolled into the little, but not that charming, town of El Real de la Jara and promptly went on the search for a place to sleep. It took a little bit, but we found an amazing municipal hostel that was practically brand new. We got a private room for four with our own bathroom! There were about four others in the main room, from various European countries. It was fun to chat with them, and they all seem surprised to see a family roll in on tandems.
Day 3: El Real de la Jara to Zafra (42 miles): Wow, our biggest day ever! We pushed hard with the promise of a rest day.
The first section of riding today was glorious. We were on a dirt track through farmland on a hillside. In the first kilometer we got to ford a small river and ride past a crumbling castle. The dirt track was mostly in good conditions and we liked passing the various walking pilgrims that we met in the hostels from the previous nights.
It was a slog of a climb up to the lunch stop town of Monesterio, then a glorious descent out of the mountains and into the wide open plains of the Extremadura. Suddenly we were accompanied by rows and rows of vineyards on either side of the road. We rolled into the medieval city of Zafra during the siesta when everyone was asleep. The plazas and pedestrian streets were empty. I had booked us a room in a hotel off the main square so we enjoyed watching the plaza come alive as the evening progressed.
Our days are starting to have a distinct rhythm: When we are on the road both girls are chatty and delightful. They learn new words every day in Spanish and make up sentences that are mostly incorrect but funny. We eat a picnic lunch and then ride some more. Both are very helpful on the climbs when asked, although only in short bursts. Jason and I truly do the lions share, but we signed up for this. When we reach the hostels both girls collapse on their bunks and read or play games until we rouse them for dinner. Then it’s writing time, maybe a walk, and reading before bed.
