Europe 2021

As I have been riding across Europe it seems that nearly every large town or city has been infected with a plague of graffiti. Maybe coming fresh from the Picasso Museum made me hyper-sensitive to bad art but I felt the need to write a few words on the subject. Cities in the USA and Canada have similar infections but it just seems to hit me harder to see buildings that are ancient by my standards defaced with some of the nastiest stuff to ever leave the nozzle of a spray can. I understand that some consider it an art form but given the quality of some of the work, it is clear that the artists need a hell of lot more practice before exposing their incompetence to the public. Even impromptu art that has a degree of artistic merit gets covered in crude tags that destroy whatever the original artist intended. At times I would like to see the vandal skinned with a dull potato peeler.

Some cities are worse that others but every city, even Venice has some. Barcelona seems especially bad with spray bombers willing to paint nearly anything that stands still for long enough, even the trains.

This is not to say that every form of graffiti is bad. Temporary construction barriers and boarded up windows are fair game but maybe the street artists could get together and jury the installations. You could start by just painting your bedroom wall until judged good enough to try the front door of where you live. From there you may be allowed to progress to boarded up windows and finally to construction barriers. Your crowning glory could be to be given a commission to do an actual wall mural.

Until such a graffiti bureaucracy is established, maybe cities the world over should invest in some power washers and blast the stuff off as soon as it is painted. There is no glory in graffiti that is unseen and the real city that lies underneath can be both ancient and beautiful without additional decoration.

October 12, 2021

Barcelona has so much to see you can wear yourself out trying to see it all. Since we were here for two “rest days” before another four days of riding, I decided to be selective and not wear myself down. Top of my list was the Picasso Museum. Picasso spent his early years growing up and learning the basis of his artistic skills in Barcelona before hitting the avant garde of the art world. The museum features a large collection of his earliest work as well as significant pieces from throughout his life. Of course there are gaps, as you might expect for an artist as prominent and highly collected as Picasso is by museums throughout the world. Still, the museum does a good job of giving you a solid overview of his life’s work.

The audio guide that you are encouraged to buy is well done but poorly handled. You must bring along a smart phone with active data in order to use it effectively and you need to activate the guide at an area well beyond the entry area. There is no signage to direct you. The result is that you stand in line waiting to enter and as you get to the front someone directs to the another part of the building where you must go to scan a QR code to

activate the guide. If you don’t bring your own headphones and try to listen with your phone to your ear a guard may bring you a set of headphones if he or she thinks you might disturb others. There is nothing on the museum website that tells you any of this. Additionally, the information on the guide is not arranged in the same order as you are directed to travel through the museum. You may eventually figure it out but it would be a more enjoyable experience if they gave you a few hints at the beginning.

Once I got over being peeved about the audio guide I really enjoyed the museum and saw a side of Picasso that I never realized existed. I should have guessed that he would have been trained in classical techniques but for whatever reason it never registered in my mind. It was interesting to see his progress from the classical styles of the past to the groundbreaking work of his maturity.

Both before and after visiting the Picasso Museum I spent some time walking around the old section of Barcelona. This is home of narrow streets and small shops typical of many European cities. It being a holiday these narrow streets and wide plazas were crowded with both locals and tourists out for a day in the city. Street musicians and buskers were also out trying to earn a few Euros and providing a lot of local sounds and color. Just walking around, watching and listening was an interesting way of experiencing this ancient city. There are a variety of dining experiences to try as well a wine shops and minor attractions such as the Museum of Erotica. I did not bother to go in. A couple going there would seem campy and fun but a guy by himself would just look creepy. However, there was a sex shop nearby with an interesting window display but I am not sophisticated enough to understand what a guy, looking like Salvador Dali and riding a rhino is doing in their window display.

October 10, 2021

As rides go it was not the most scenic. We started out, as usual, with a fairly long climb to get over the hills from Tossa de Mar. From there our route zigzagged through some coastal towns and always seeming to find the steepest hill just around a blind corner. Steep hills can be managed if you shift into a lower gear ahead of the climb; however, if you try to shift while your chain and derailleur are under stress it does not go well. A few of us had to circle a bit to get into the correct gear before continuing.

This Su

town had something going on. One had a bit of a traffic jam caused by vehicles getting into a parking lot for what looked like a large flea market. The roads also appeared busier than I would have expected for a more typical Sunday in October.

Recreational bicyclists were just about everywhere in ones, twos and even a group of 20 or so weekend road warriors that I let go by me through a narrow construction zone on a busy highway. From the honking horns that sounded as they crowded the cars also trying to get through, I would say the motorists were finding their normally obliging attitude towards cyclists being tested. I waited for them to pass through before going through myself and experienced no hoking or expletives hurled my way.

On one quite, rural stretch I passed an interesting church which upon closer inspection had a historical information plaque posted outside. The church was built sometime in the 11^th century and is known as Sant Vicene de Tordera. The sign did not say much about the church other than when it was built and that it is now privately owned. There was a photo of the interior which I have copied and posted.

The most interesting town we rode through this day had to be Torre de Arara . It is another ancient walled city guarded by a castle on a hill within its walls. The castle, Castell d’ Hostalrich, is open to the public but as there are plenty of castles to see across Spain and I had a two day rest coming up I decided to pass on by. However, it is interesting to note that the hill the castle sits upon is cone of a dormant volcano. It is possible that the builders strategized that if attacked they would surrender the castle and pray for a miracle to smite their enemy.

October 9, 2021

We left Porto Cristo at sea level for another climb into the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains. It was a challenging start to our day with zero warm up time before hitting the steep, eight kilometer climb to around 800 meters (app 2500 feet) above sea level. Along the way was a monastery that appeared to still be active. I met another cyclist who offered a description of what the brothers were up to.

He said the monastery was known as El Mondesto de Crispo and it was in charge of Friar Patata. He went on to explain that they were famous across Europe for their ultra thin and salty potato crisps that the brothers produce and sell across the continent. In fact, they are know across Europe as the Fritas Monje. I asked him what that was in English and he grinned and said, Chip Monks. As he rode away I hit him in the head with a large rock. He made a spectacular sight as he tumbled down the mountainside.

Coming down out of the foothills we entered a wide valley where at first, I thought they were growing more grapes. However, upon closer inspection they were apple orchards grown in vine like fashion and heavy with fruit ripe to pick. After the previous paragraph you may not accept my word for this but take a close look at the photograph. They are indeed apples and it seems to be a very efficient way to grow and harvest them. There is also a system of aqueducts that run along the roadway to irrigate the farmland in this area. They appear to be made of concrete and they were not made recently. Never the less, they function well and the farm lands serviced by they seem quite productive.

Our day finished with a scenic cliff side ride along the coast that required numerous climbs and glides. Fortunately, the climbs, while numerous, were gradual and easily managed by our well tuned climbing muscles. The views were great and even though we had seen similar views before, it was candy to our eyes and it made the task of getting over the hills far more pleasant.

October 8, 2021

You might wonder how we could climb over 2000 meters (6000 feet) on our way from coastal France to coastal Spain but we found a way to do it. We started and ended our day at sea level but in between we saw some hills. Specifically, the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains that run all the way to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in this area. Our first 40 kilometers were fairly level following the sandy coast of France and taking the occasional route along a canal to avoid the busier roads. Aside from other bicyclists, walking tourists and the occasional fisherman, the traffic was light.

However, as we traveled along the coast, the mountains drew closer and our road began to climb. Had we stayed on the main route there were some long tunnels that cut through the mountains but most of us decided to follow the far more difficult and possibly safer route up into the foothills. This required us to do some serious climbing with our first assent being nearly 1000 meters (3000 feet) rising from the sea and an optional, additional climb to a medieval watchtower that was now re-purposed as an antenna farm. A hardy few of us elected to make this quite steep, optional climb and the view and bragging rights from the top were worth it, even if my legs regretted it by the end of the ride.

From the watchtower you can see the entire countryside for hundreds of miles. Along the way to the top it appears every hillside, no matter how steep, that has enough soil to support vineyards apparently has them. Every turn brought another breathtaking vista making the work of getting there seem less difficult. The ride down was fast and our brakes screamed at us as we hit them hard coming into the hairpin turns.

• After another great TdA supplied lunch it was back into our saddles for more climbs and falls as we worked our way over the ridges along the coast and entering Spain. There was no one to check us at the border and from the graffiti painted all over the border crossing stations it appeared no one had bothered to check anyone in years. A few more ups and down brought us to Porto Cristo in the Catalonia region of Spain and a comfortable hotel for the evening.

October 7, 2021

The ever present wind prevailed at gale force as we left the seaside town of Valras Plage. For the most part they were crosswinds but for a few grueling stretches they were headwinds that would almost stop you cold in your tracks if you did not pedal constantly. The mix of seaside resort tacky and natural seaside beauty more than compensated for the inconvenient wind.

Our route occasionally took us inland to go around the large estuaries and wetlands along the coast. Gunshots from hunters of feral pigs and waterfowl punctuated the howling wind in places. Once we turned out of the wind we were treated to an easy glide along a canal towpath that has been re-purposed into a spectacularly beautiful bicycle route. At one point only the narrow path itself separated the Mediterranean from the canal. This section of France seems to have been a transportation network of canals that are still used today for mainly recreational or tourism travel.

The towpath was somewhat rough but no problem for our mix of road and gravel tires. However, near the end of the canal there was pavement that seemed to be where the commune stockpiled all of their potholes for convenient access. I think it was somewhere along this stretch that my flashing headlight decided it wanted take up residence. At least it seemed the most likely place given the bone jarring quality of the roadway.

After lunch it was mostly tailwinds all the way to the next village where there were extensive oyster farms and a series of establishments serving the salty produce in all its wonderful forms. My riding partner, Lee and I elected to sample a plate of the raw variety along with a cold glass of white wine to accent the flavor. Having grown up on the Chesapeake Bay and eaten raw oysters all my life I have high standards for the salty bivalves. My rating for this southern French product: Five out of five stars.

A few more wind assisted kilometers took us to the end of this second easy day in a row and to a nice room and a cold beer. Tomorrow it is back into the heavy duty climbs as we hit the hills.

October 5 & 6, 2021

I did not write a blog for our rest day in Montpelier. It was a rest day and after the hard ride the day before, I wanted a rest. It was a day for laundry, resting and the Search for Sock. Unfortunately, my only cold weather wool sock decided that it wanted a divorce while visiting the laundry. I asked around about her but no one seemed to know if she had hooked up with anyone else. Instead, I rebounded quickly by purchasing another pair at Decathlon, a well known multi-national, seller of socks and other stuff. I left the now unmatched spouse to sulk alone in my clothing bag. However, my wandering sock seemed to have second thoughts about leaving her mate and was reunited the morning of our departure just in time to catch a ride with me before leaving Montpelier.

Montpelier is quite a pretty city and I would not be doing it justice without sharing a few pictures before leaving the subject. After all, it is far more than just a place for socks to find themselves.

Leaving Montpelier we headed towards the sea and followed it for quite some distance along some great bicycle paths. The wind continued to be a nuisance by staying at gale force but mostly as a cross wind. Occasionally our route turned into it but the lack of a driving rain and the presence of strong sunshine made the day quite enjoyable. Seabirds and pink flamingos were occasionally seen as we rode along.

We ate lunch alongside the Midi Canal and watched a leisure boat with bicycles on board pass by. A short distance away a number of leisure craft and other canal boats were moored. It is a relaxed way to travel. Following the canal makes for a flat ride and it was nice to be able to enjoy the scenery free of any vehicle worries.

Our stay this evening is in the resort town of Valras Plage. It reminds me of some places along the east coast of the USA during the off season. More restaurants are open and more people seem to be around but the atmosphere is definitely relaxed. A good place to end a fairly easy day.

October 4, 2021

It should have been a fairly easy day. We had 127 kilometers to ride but the terrain was nearly flat. There should have been plenty of time to soak in the scenery. Instead, the day began with a pounding rain and the only thing soaked in was our bodies. Even with full rain gear the cross and head winds managed to drive the moisture into everything.

My day started with a navigation malfunction that left me without voice prompts from my phone. Normally this would have been a minor inconvenience but the rain made my glasses useless and the dim daylight made it hard to see my map. I finally had to find a dry place to stop and reset everything to get back on track. Then my gear cable broke.

While I had overhauled every component on my bike before the trip, the weak link in the chain was a new derailleur cable from China. Due to Covid there was not much choice in some bike components and this one managed to pop off the little nub that attaches the cable to the shift lever. Fortunately, I carry spares and the tools to replace them. Even more fortunately the rain had stopped and I only had a cold wind to contend with while doing the job. Twenty minutes later I was was back on course and looking forward to lunch.

The hardest part of the day came after lunch when we turned from having a cross wind into a five kilometer long section directly into a gale force headwind. If any rider said that they enjoyed that part of the journey they had to be fibbing or on medication. However, after that section we made an abrupt turn to travel along the Rhone a Sete canal and the wind, while still strong was not as much a problem. The canal had its charms with a barge making its slow progress past us and further on a few towns along the canal with some interesting canal boats moored to the shoreline. If the day had been nicer and our bodies less chilled we may have stopped to explore.

Upon reaching the Mediterranean once again we traveled along a maze of bike paths and over some rough paving slabs for a few kilometers before reaching some smoother surfaces for the last leg of our 127 kilometer journey. Wet, chilled and sore we quickly secured our bikes and headed for a warming shower. Tomorrow, there will be laundry.

October 3, 2021

We left our beautiful resort in the hills of Provence with a threat of rain over our shoulder. Fortunately and despite a threatening start, the clouds evaporated and we had a sunny day for our mostly downhill ride to our next destination. It was a well needed break after yesterday’s uphill grind. As I say, for every uphill there is an equal and opposite downhill. (most of the time)

Coming out of the first village was a restored windmill worthy of Don Quixote’s tilting efforts. Everyone stopped for a photo and I suspected that such a photo would be mandatory so I made sure I took one as well. It was postcard picturesque.

The rest of the ride was fast and entertaining. I am not either the fastest or slowest rider in the group. I just ride at my own pace and if someone else rides along that is cool and if I get dropped, that is cool as well. Today there was a group that was quite fast. In fact, they passed me four times. You might wonder how this happened as we are not on a circular course. The answer lies in making the correct turns. I am no genius at navigation. If you want an example, read yesterday’s blog where I provided entertainment to some village folks. However, today I was spot on and my friends not so much. I was entertained to see them reappear in my mirror from time to time.

However, no matter how we get there we all wind up at the same place. A roof over our heat, a cold beverage available for purchase and a great meal to be served. Life is good.

October 2, 2021

We left Nice and the French Rivera this morning for the long climb into the mountains that define the difference between the Rivera and Provence. The climb was one of the toughest I have done and made tougher by some of the bypasses Gergo routed in order to avoid a busier road. However, it was a Saturday and the roads were not that busy and because it was Saturday the smaller, narrow bypass roads actually had more. Overall we climbed over 1800 meters (6000 feet) during our 131 kilometer ride.

There was a little mountainside village that I spent some time in after lunch. Unfortunately, it was not by choice but they did have a lovely café that I wished had occupied my time instead of what did. The village is the connecting point for 5 different roads. My GPS was malfunctioning a bit earlier and I was not fully confident in the information it was providing. Both it and Ride With GPS on my cell phone would inform me that I was off course no matter which road I took. The real road was actually a very narrow alleyway that was partially blocked by construction. The first three times through town I only received some stares from the men near the traffic circle. The fourth time they chuckled. The fifth time they laughed out loud as I rode through once again. To avoid total embarrassment I decided to squeeze past the construction barrier, carry my bike over a step and around a curb and into the steep, uphill alley. I was rewarded with a chime from both navigation devices telling me that I was back on course!

Plenty of sights along the way from an old monastery to some sort of art gallery with large sculpted heads in their yard. The ups and downs of today’s ride also provided an ever changing landscape as we climbed and descended the many hills.

The rest of the ride was more of the same; big climbs and fast downhill runs all the way to the beautiful hotel nestled into the alpine hills of Provence. The scenery along the way was fantastic, as it has been this entire tour. I arrive tired and thirsty both conditions easily resolved with a shower and a few cold drinks.