Barcelona to Malaga: Grand Iberian tour
Even though the whole group had already been in Barcelona for a few days, it was still the arrival day at our start hotel, as well as the official start of the tour. It started off with everyone getting together in the lobby and getting to know each other a little bit. Since we had one more motorcycle being delivered from a different rental company, we stayed around there for a little longer so they could get the bike sorted. From there, we made our way to a shady spot next to the old castle tower here at the hotel, where we did our welcome briefing. With the assistance of the map drawn by Mario, we could go over some of the highlights of our tour. It seems like the consensus is that the preference is very much on the riding, more so than the sightseeing. Although I am sure we will find plenty of places where everyone will enjoy the sights as well. Good for us that all the sights are connected with great roads! During our dinner, we had a little struggle with the navigation app that everyone is using, because for some reason the app was not doing what we wanted it to do. Good thing they have such fantastic tour guides who could figure it out and make it work… Jokes aside, it’s good that we found a way together to make it work, so we all know where to go tomorrow and can focus on the ride itself. It was a very nice start to our trip and an opportunity for us as tour guides to meet this wonderful group of people. We are very much looking forward to riding with them for the next 22 days!
Our first riding day, and it already was an eventful one! Right after we left our hotel this morning, we already got onto some small and twisty roads in the hills around Barcelona. Once we got a little warm-up ride done there, we got on the highway to get out of the Barcelona area and made our way to the Montserrat Monastery, where we had our first stop. This gave us a chance to get everyone connected to the Cardo group chat, as for unknown reasons, some people were in separate groups. Also a good chance for Debra to take the liner out of her jacket. I’m pretty sure she didn’t miss it the rest of the day. From here, we had a mix of twisty and sweeping roads towards the north and on our way towards our destination of La Seu d’Urgell. Our planned lunch stop was at a castle with gorgeous views of the surrounding area. Here we had our first introduction to the fact that the Spanish eat later than we are used to, as of course we were there over an hour before they would open the kitchen. Our alternative lunch spot was a simple café in a neat little old town. The town was decorated as they currently have the build-up to a big festival in the area, so there were a lot of Catalan and independent Catalan flags around. After this, we were on our way to ride around a lake and get some nice views of that. I saw the clouds rolling in, but since it was still very bright above us, I assumed we would make it to that gas station before the rain hit. Turns out I was wrong… It didn’t rain for very long, but it was a lot of water in a very short time. Most of the group are wearing the Aerostich suits. A little warm at 37 degrees (98F), but they definitely came in handy when the rain came down. Now at our lovely hotel, we have a chance to relax a little bit before dinner. Tomorrow we will stay in the same hotel and do a loop through Andorra, so we can really settle into our rooms here for a little bit.
A little adventure on our rest day Today was our rest day in La Seu d’Urgell. While Debra and Loret decided to take it easy and explore the beautiful town of La Seu d’Urgell, the others couldn’t resist the call of the mountains and decided to enjoy another riding day through France, Andorra and Spain. We started our ride in La Seu d’Urgell and, after about 50 km, crossed the French border. We were hoping to keep the day dry, but unfortunately, the Pyrenees had other plans for us! Even though we checked the weather forecast several times, the Pyrenees always seem to have a surprise waiting for us. So, rain gear on – and our adventure continued! Around lunchtime, we arrived in Ax-les-Thermes, where we enjoyed a very good mixed grill and a fresh salad with fish. A perfect lunch to warm us up again before heading back into the mountains. For the afternoon ride, Keith also had the chance to try the Triumph Tiger instead of his beloved BMW. It was a little colder up on the mountain passes today, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the fantastic roads and scenery. One of the highlights was the Port d’Envalira – the highest paved mountain pass in the Pyrenees. Standing up there, surrounded by the mountains, was a pretty epic feeling! From there, we continued to Andorra la Vella, one of the highest capital cities in Europe, right in the heart of the Pyrenees. What a fantastic place to arrive by motorcycle! Back at the hotel, we finished the day with a relaxed tapas evening right in the old town. A perfect way to end another great day together. Tomorrow, we continue our journey with more beautiful mountain roads and passes through the Pyrenees. We are all already looking forward to it!
The Pyrenees: Today was our third riding day, starting in La Seu d’Urgell with absolutely perfect weather. Our theme for the day was, as you would expect in the Pyrenees: mountain passes. And there were plenty of them on our list – seven in total. We started in Spain with the Port del Cantó, riding through the beautiful Parc Natural de l’Alt Pirineu, followed by the Port de la Bonaigua. We then crossed the border into France, where more fantastic mountain passes were waiting for us. The Col d’Aspin and, of course, the famous Col du Tourmalet were two of the highlights of the day. Every single pass had its own character and its own beautiful views. Today, the Pyrenees showed us their very best side. With perfect weather, fantastic roads and breathtaking scenery, we enjoyed every single kilometre. For lunch, we stopped in Bagnères-de-Luchon at the wonderful Le Montagnard. We decided to order one big meal for the whole group of nine. A huge platter with chicken, fries and salad was placed in the middle of the table, and it turned out to be a great choice. It tasted excellent and was exactly what we needed for the afternoon. After our last pass of the day, the legendary Col du Tourmalet, one of the most famous climbs of the Tour de France, we arrived at the Hôtel Alphée in Barèges. Barèges is a small mountain village right in the heart of the French Pyrenees – a perfect place to finish such a fantastic riding day. Tomorrow, we continue on the French side of the Pyrenees before crossing back into Spain in the afternoon. Our destination will be Pamplona, the city famous for the annual San Fermín festival. Another great day is behind us, and we are already looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.
Leaving Barèges, we would spend about 2/3 of our day riding through the Pyrenees. After that, we would say goodbye to the mountains and make our way to Pamplona. Our ride through the mountains consisted of very narrow roads today. This meant we got a lot of turns under our belt today, but we had to pay attention because they were so narrow a lot of the time. Going over the first high pass of the day, we got the drone out to take a few pictures of our ride on these beautiful roads. As Ian mentioned, it strongly reminded him of nothing he had seen before. This area really gives you something special that you won’t find in many other places. Then, a little coffee stop on top of a mountain pass, giving us a chance to take a few pictures. The next major pass we would cross is also the border between France and Spain. Besides a few signs, you wouldn’t be able to tell that you had changed countries at first. But soon, you notice it with slight changes in the architecture, language and mentality. After lunch, the road got very rough for a few kilometres. They were already working on it there, but that was definitely necessary because there were a lot of potholes and it was bumpy. The advantage of this is that we appreciated the wonderfully smooth and sweeping asphalt that came after even more. Then, right at the end of our ride, we crossed through Pamplona to our hotel, with some traffic. This was definitely the most demanding part of our ride. But I guess it still beats having to run in front of a bunch of bulls like they do during a festival here in Pamplona every year…
From the Pyrenees to the North Coast of Spain Unfortunately, today we had to say goodbye to the Pyrenees. It was a real paradise for motorcycle lovers who enjoy mountain passes and twisty roads. Today, a new part of our adventure began – exploring the north coast of Spain. Our day started in Pamplona. To get out of the city quickly, we took the highway for a short section. After that, we headed towards the Alavar Mountains and the Sanctuary of San Miguel de Aralar. When we arrived, we were amazed by the breathtaking views. What a great moment! From there, we continued to our coffee stop in Leitza. The road to get there was simply fantastic. At first, we rode through the forest with lots of twisty corners. You could already see that autumn is just around the corner. The leaves are starting to change color, and from time to time we could even see wild horses next to the road. After that, we continued on the main road and enjoyed even more fantastic twisty roads. You could see the smiles on everyone’s faces and how much fun the whole group was having riding these roads. We stopped for a short coffee break and enjoyed seven Americanos before continuing towards Donostia-San Sebastián. And finally, we saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time on our trip! The weather was beautiful, and the view from Monte Igueldo was simply amazing. From the viewpoint, we had a fantastic view over La Concha Bay in San Sebastián. For lunch, we continued a little further to Zarautz, a real surfer’s paradise. After a good lunch, we followed the coastal road through beautiful places like Deba and Lekeitio. As we were getting a little late, we decided to take a shortcut towards our hotel in Bilbao. But there was still one more highlight waiting for us at the end of the day – the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. What an impressive building and a great way to finish our first day on the north coast of Spain! A new part of our adventure has begun, and we are already looking forward to discovering more of this beautiful coast tomorrow.
Our morning started with a little stroll to the parking garage, just around the corner from the hotel. This walk was very different from the night before, because now we weren’t surrounded by thousands of soccer supporters heading to the game. Once we were on the road, it was a little bit of highway to get out of the city area, but soon after, the road became twisty again. At first, it was a little hard to see because it was foggy and actually quite chilly. The sun kept peeking through, depending on which side of the mountain or hill we were on, and soon the blue skies came through and it was sunny from then on. We got a little cheeky drone shot of part of our ride, but that specific part was not as twisty as expected, so we definitely have to up our game in this regard. Today, we actually did do one of the photo stops and took some time to look at a waterfall and take some pictures of the beautiful turquoise water. A nice break in between the twisty roads. When we stopped for fuel along the way and wanted to get some food next door, it turned out the whole village was there for lunch, as this was the only place around that actually served lunch. This turned out to be a blessing for us, as the other place we went to was a much nicer establishment, and we got a really nice meal here. Our goal for today was a hotel directly on the beach, meaning we have a wonderful view over the beach and the water right from the hotel. We got here nice and early, so we had a lot of time to enjoy the pool, or, in Mario’s case, go for a swim in the Atlantic. Tomorrow will be even more twisty, so it’s good for us all to go to bed on time and be ready to go for a full day of amazing roads in the hills parallel to the ocean.
A Day in Motorcycle Paradise – Picos de Europa Today we had another wonderful day on the motorcycles. Our destination was the Picos de Europa – and what a day it was! We crossed three different regions of Spain: Cantabria, Castile and León, and Asturias. We spent the whole riding day in this remote and impressive mountain range. If there is a motorcycle paradise, this was definitely it. Curve after curve, road after road – simply a dream! The roads were in excellent condition and the views were breathtaking all day long. We didn’t even take time for a proper coffee stop today. We simply wanted to ride and enjoy these incredible roads. So we only made a short stop to stretch our legs. During this stop, we also did a quick check on Keith’s D. motorcycle. He had a tire pressure warning on his display and wanted to make sure everything was okay. Everything was fine, so helmets on and back on the road! We had lunch right in the heart of the Picos de Europa, in the small village of Caín. After lunch, Loret, Jeannine, Jim, Keith, Ian and I decided to do a short hike along the famous Ruta del Cares. The gorge and the surrounding landscape were simply amazing. It was a beautiful little change from spending the day on the motorcycles. While we were enjoying our short hike, Keith H., Kelly and Debbie decided to relax a little bit longer at the restaurant. Afterwards, we continued towards Cangas de Onís. Once again, we could enjoy our passion for riding. Twisties, amazing scenery and our motorcycles – what more do you need for a perfect day? Before dinner, we sat together at the Parador and enjoyed trying a traditional Asturian sidra. This local apple cider is a must-try when visiting Asturias! We then enjoyed a wonderful dinner in this beautiful historic hotel and let the day come to a relaxed and enjoyable end. Tomorrow we will head back towards the north coast of Spain. What a cool day of riding! The Picos de Europa definitely showed us today why this region is a true paradise for motorcycle riders.
The breakfast didn’t open until 8 this morning, so we decided to do a little briefing beforehand and then have a relaxed breakfast. Our first stop was at a church that predates Roman times for some pictures. The modern church next to it held a service as we were there, so a nice little peak into their service. The priest was standing in front of a full golden and beautifully decorated wall. So all the 4 people in the church could enjoy their very fancy service. Leaving the hotel, we had some really nice curved roads before getting onto the highway for a while. This meant we covered a lot of distance in a short time. After that, we got back to the ocean and had a beautiful viewpoint overlooking Playa de Silencio. A good opportunity for some snapshots of the cliffs and the ocean. I got all excited about making a drone shot here of the group riding along the cliffs, but this was a moment we call in Dutch “iemand blij maken met een dode mus” — making somebody happy with a dead bird. I got everyone excited about the idea, only to discover that I had left the drone in the car… A little later, we had lunch in a small town with a harbour. There was some life in this little town, and it had a really nice atmosphere. From here, we first rode through a forest on an amazing road — twisty and tight, hugging the side of the mountain. For the last 40 kilometres, the road opened up a little, with more sweeping turns and a little more width, perfect asphalt and no traffic. An absolute treat! When we got to the hotel, the clouds were coming in a bit, but we made it before any rain fell. Good thing none of us had the idea to go exploring along the coast and got caught in the rainfall…
From Ribadeo to Santiago de Compostela Today we started our day in Ribadeo. During the night, we had a lot of rain. When we got up and went to breakfast, it was still dark outside and the roads were completely wet. Luckily, the weather forecast promised something completely different for the day: sunshine and around 22°C. It took a little while, but slowly the roads started to dry up more and more. Our highlight and main destination for the day was Cabo Ortegal. About halfway there, we stopped to refuel the motorcycles and took a short break. When we arrived at Cabo Ortegal, we met Lars at this amazing spot. He was there with his drone and filmed us from above. What an incredible setting! Of course, we couldn’t miss the chance to get a great group photo. With this amazing landscape in the background, the result was simply breathtaking. At Cabo Ortegal, we even met two Italian geologists. They told us that the rock formations in the bay are among the oldest in the world – more than 300 million years old. And we were standing right there, experiencing it for ourselves. What a goosebumps moment! After this amazing stop, we continued towards our lunch destination. At Las Olas by Pantín, we enjoyed hamburgers with mustard. :) After lunch, we took a few more photos of the beach, as the restaurant was located directly by the sea. We could also watch many surfers waiting for the perfect wave. Our next destination was Betanzos, a beautiful medieval town with the Iglesia de San Francisco. We parked our motorcycles in the underground garage and went for a short sightseeing walk to the church. Unfortunately, it was closed at that time, so we could only admire it from the outside. While Keith D., Jeannine, Jim, Ian, Debbie and Mario explored the town, Keith H., Loret and Kelly enjoyed an Americano coffee and relaxed for a while. From Betanzos, we continued towards Santiago de Compostela, mostly using the highway. After a few short detours, we finally arrived safely and happy at our hotel shortly after 5 p.m. Tonight, we had dinner at the hotel and enjoyed a very relaxed evening together. Tomorrow is our second rest day, and we have decided to split the group. Keith D. and Mario will take the motorcycles and go for another adventure. Our mission for tomorrow: finding the end of the world!
The Riders: Today was our rest day in Santiago de Compostela. As planned, Keith and I decided to take the motorcycles and go on another little adventure to Cabo Fisterra – the “End of the World,” as the Romans once called it. We left the hotel at 8:30 a.m. The weather was just perfect – not too cold and not too warm. Perfect conditions for a day on the motorcycles. About halfway into our ride, we found a lovely café in the harbour town of Muros called Café Mamaia. The staff was super friendly, and the cappuccino was excellent. Keith also treated himself to a homemade doughnut. After our coffee break, we continued our ride along the beautiful Galician coast. Along the way, we stopped at a great viewpoint to take some photos of the coastline. A waterfall was also part of our little adventure today. After about three hours of riding, we finally reached the highlight of our day – Cabo Fisterra. On our way there, we saw several hikers following the Camino de Santiago towards Fisterra. For many pilgrims, this is where their journey continues after reaching Santiago – and where the road finally comes to an end. We spent some time at Cabo Fisterra, walked around and enjoyed the amazing views over the Atlantic Ocean. Afterwards, we continued to our lunch stop, where we both enjoyed a traditional Spanish omelette. After lunch, we started our ride back to the hotel. It was a beautiful day on the motorcycles with Keith, with great roads, amazing scenery and plenty of time to simply enjoy the ride. The Hikers: As we are in Santiago de Compostela, we took the opportunity to walk part of the trail. Just enough so we can say we walked it – about 7 kilometres. Since most people actually walk the final section from further away, we didn’t have too many people around us when we set off in the morning. And when we reached the cathedral, it wasn’t too crowded yet either. Along the way, there are direction markers at all the intersections, so we could take some pictures by these signs, as well as at the welcome sign for Santiago. For us, reaching the cathedral felt like reaching our destination, so I am sure it must feel even more special for people who have walked much longer distances along the trail. It is a majestic building and definitely worth a few pictures after our long journey. Tonight, we have a reservation at a restaurant close to the cathedral, so we can stroll around the old town a little more before having dinner all together.
Today is, for now, our last day in Spain, as tomorrow morning we will immediately cross three borders on our way to Portugal. Before that happens, of course, we are going to make the most of it. From Santiago, we rode pretty much directly into the countryside, with only a short stint on the highway. From there on, it was very twisty all day, and every now and then a little bumpy. One particular road will probably stay in all of our memories for a while. The views and the forest we rode through were absolutely beautiful, but the road was extremely bumpy. It shook us around like we were riding over a washboard. Which was especially noticeable because, otherwise, the roads throughout the entire tour have been in very good condition. We also know why, because today we saw the road workers who were working very hard. At the first spot, the entire road was covered with fist-sized stones. About 200 meters long and quite deep, which made it rather unpleasant to ride through. Very carefully, we all made it to the other side. Kelly and Debby accidentally had a short telephone conversation trough the motorcycle, but luckily that was sorted quickly. A little further on, we came across some more workers who were busy spreading smaller stones over the asphalt. As we rolled past, they all looked very surprised, because they definitely weren’t expecting us there. For lunch, we arrived at a very small local restaurant, where we ordered something from all the different options to share. Namely calamari, Spanish tortilla/omelette, and pig’s ears. Just a few kilometres after lunch, we continued with more impressions of local delicacies. We visited the Ramon do Casar winery. After a little tour around the wine barrels and a detailed explanation, we naturally bought a few bottles of wine, which we later tasted by the pool at the hotel. Verdict? Approved! Now we are going to enjoy the northern Spanish flair together for the rest of today, and then tomorrow we head down to Portugal!
Riding Day 13 – Tui to Valpedre Today we started our riding day at the beautiful Parador de Tui. Unfortunately, after only one night, we had to leave this wonderful hotel. We really enjoyed our stay in Tui and felt very comfortable there. At sunrise, we had our daily briefing before departure. It was a truly epic setting for our last moments in Spain before crossing into Portugal. Shortly after leaving Tui, we crossed the Rio Miño and, by crossing the bridge, entered Portugal. We had a little bit of a tight schedule this morning because the national park is only open to motorized vehicles until 11 a.m. We wanted to arrive before 11 to make sure the rangers would still let us into the park. On our way there, we stopped briefly at the Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Peneda. We used the stop for a quick restroom break and took a few minutes to admire the beautiful church. Our route then took us across the Spanish-Portuguese border several times. Shortly afterwards, we reached the ranger checkpoint and entered the Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês. Luckily, we arrived before 11 and were able to ride through this incredible national park. Riding through the park felt a little bit like riding through the dark forest from The Lord of the Rings. The nature was absolutely beautiful, and you could really feel how old and untouched this landscape is. We simply enjoyed riding through this amazing scenery and taking it all in. After leaving the national park, we arrived at Marina Bar for lunch, where we enjoyed some pizza. Everyone was happy to have a good pizza again – and it was really delicious! After lunch, the amazing landscapes of the morning were behind us, and the afternoon brought a completely different experience: sightseeing. Shortly after lunch, we arrived at Bom Jesus do Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its impressive staircase with 577 steps. The history and architecture of this place are truly fascinating, so we took plenty of time to explore and enjoy the whole site. It was a beautiful experience and definitely another highlight of the day. After Bom Jesus, we continued mostly on the highway, with a small extra loop along the way, towards our beautiful hotel in Valpedre – Quinta da Quintaes. The hotel itself is something really special. What was once a farm has been transformed into this beautiful hotel about ten years ago, while still keeping the character and charm of the old farm. As soon as we arrived, we headed straight to the pool, enjoyed some drinks and relaxed after a long day. Everything here looks absolutely beautiful, and we are already looking forward to dinner tonight. Tomorrow is our third and final rest day of the tour. In the morning, we are planning a short motorcycle ride along the Douro River. In the afternoon, there is a beautiful Portuguese festival with live music that we might visit. Another great day is behind us – and we are already looking forward to tomorrow!
Today was our rest day in Valpedre. After breakfast, Keith D., Ian, Jim, Jeannine and I decided to enjoy a short and relaxed morning ride. For the first part of our route, we followed the Douro River to the north. We rode through a beautiful landscape with vineyards almost the entire way. There is a good reason why this region is so famous for its excellent Port wine. For the second part of our ride, we followed the Douro River south again and made our way back towards the hotel. In total, we rode 129 km during our morning ride. It was a beautiful and relaxed way to spend our last rest day of the tour. Meanwhile, Keith H., Loret, Kelly, Debbie and Lars stayed at the beautiful Hotel Rural Quinta das Quintaes and enjoyed a relaxing morning at the hotel. A Portuguese Festival in Quintandona The day before, Lars found out that a traditional local festival was taking place in the nearby village of Quintandona this weekend. Of course, the group decided that we had to experience it. Unfortunately, Kelly couldn’t join us because he was having some back pain and decided to take it a little easier that day, so he would be ready for our next riding day. Our departure was planned for 3 p.m., and Mario was on duty as the group’s personal taxi driver. Since the van only had five additional seats, we had to split the group into two rides. The first group got to enjoy a little “Adventure Route” to the festival. We went through some extremely narrow streets with cobblestones. In some places, we literally had only a few millimeters of space on each side. Somehow, we made it through! When we arrived at the festival, I went back to the hotel to pick up the second group. This time, after a group decision, we chose the “Classic Route” instead. When we all arrived at the festival, we were amazed by how big it was. There were two stages with live music, and everywhere we looked, there were stands offering delicious local food. It was a fantastic experience to be right in the middle of the friendly Portuguese community and enjoy the festival together. Of course, we also had our dinner there. Everyone could choose whatever they wanted from the different food stands. One person ordered a traditional Portuguese dish from one stand, another person chose something completely different from another stand. Everyone had their own choice – and that made it even more fun. A little fun fact: when we entered the festival, everyone received their own reusable cup for drinks. So we could even take our festival cup home as a little souvenir. At the end of the evening, I received a very special surprise. The group gave me a little knitted Mini Mario! My new mission is clear: Mini Mario has to come with me on the motorcycle on every tour from now on. After spending some more time at the festival, we eventually headed back to the hotel, where we met Kelly again. We all sat down together for another drink, had some laughs and talked about the day. It was a really beautiful and relaxed way to finish our last rest day of the tour.
Today was the day I was looking forward to the most before the tour, and it did not disappoint. It started off with making our way out front of the hotel and through the built-up area. There was some traffic in the first part, but nothing bad, and this was already quite twisty. Gradually, the road would get more quiet. At some point, the road was in pristine condition: perfect road surface, no traffic, and very nice, open and sweeping turns. Here, we could really dance through the corners and truly enjoy the ride. The first stop was at a viewpoint. I know, we actually did a picture stop, crazy, right... The road up there was a bit steep and with cobbles, so it was a bit bumpy on the way up. But once we got there, we had a 360-degree view of the area around us. Very cool landscape, and the temperatures were still very pleasant. Then, winding on, we made our way to a special stop for today: a museum with an impressive car collection. We first had some lunch here, and then strolled around and looked at the cars. First, the Formula One car collection, including cars from Senna and Schumacher. Then on to the ‘normal’ cars, with everything from a Model T Ford to relatively modern Aston Martins and a rally car. Once out of here, it had become quite hot, so the stretch on the highway was very welcome, as we could cool off in the wind a little bit. Our last hour of riding was in the Serra da Estrela National Park. We definitely saved the best for last, because this really is one of the best places to ride a motorcycle. The roads twist along the mountainside with stunning views of the valley below. We passed over the Torre mountain, but didn’t go to the peak yet, because that’s on the schedule for tomorrow. Absolutely one of my highlights.
We started our riding day feeling fresh, fit and ready for another adventure. Lars got up a little earlier today and rode ahead on his bicycle. His mission was to reach Torre, the highest point in the Serra da Estrela, and film us with his drone as we arrived. When we reached the top, we could see Lars waiting for us and filming the motorcycle group from above. What an incredible setting! Standing at the highest point of the Serra da Estrela, at exactly 1,993 meters, felt truly majestic. And because 1,993 meters is apparently not quite enough, they built a 7-meter-high tower on top to bring the total height to around 2,000 meters. A little bit like something from the TV series Monk! Before reaching the summit of Torre, we were briefly stopped by a very friendly police officer. A movie was being filmed in the area, so the road was temporarily closed. We used the opportunity to ask him if he would join us for a group photo. Of course, he didn’t want to miss the chance! At Torre, we also stopped at a small shop to buy a few souvenirs before continuing our ride through the Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela. Riding through this area was simply amazing. The views were breathtaking, and the roads were fantastic – lots of curves, excellent road conditions and beautiful scenery everywhere we looked. The whole morning went on like this, and we absolutely loved it. Our next planned stop was the beautiful schist village of Piódão. Unfortunately, we had a small motorcycle incident right at the parking area. After a quick check, everything was fine, so we decided to stay in Piódão and have our lunch there. It was a really nice place to stop for lunch before getting back on the motorcycles and continuing through more fantastic twisty roads. The afternoon became very hot, though. Temperatures reached around 37°C, so we stopped for a cold drink to cool down and recover a little. After our break, we continued towards the Tagus River, the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. When we reached the river, we stopped for a few photos before continuing to our hotel, the Vila Galé Collection Alter Real. The hotel is part of a huge estate with an impressive horse farm, where horse competitions take place. There are horses everywhere, and the whole place has such a beautiful and traditional atmosphere that you immediately feel comfortable here. Even though the estate would definitely be worth exploring, we decided to skip the sightseeing today and head straight to the huge pool. After such a hot and long riding day, cooling down in the pool was exactly what we needed! Tonight, we will have dinner at the hotel. Tomorrow, we are heading back towards the Atlantic coast and our next destination, Sines. We are having an amazing time on this tour, and it’s hard to believe that our journey is getting closer to the end!
Heading to the south of Portugal, the scenery and the roads changed quite a bit. Yesterday, by the end of the ride, we had already made our way into a more arid region, and it became very warm. Today, this landscape continued, and because there are no mountains here, there is no reason to build twisty roads around them. This actually made for a nice change of pace, because we could roll along at a reasonable pace and have a very relaxing ride, taking in the scenery without having to concentrate on the road as much as we did with all the twisty roads. A lot of the scenery consisted of farm fields, olive trees and the cork oak that Portugal is known for. Very interesting to see these trees with the bark stripped along the stem, up until where the branches protrude from the side. One highlight for today was visiting a renowned chapel that is decorated with human bones. The whole chapel, from floor to ceiling, is decorated with bones and skulls. It’s fascinating to see, but also a little bit macabre. Since the distance was short today and the pace was much higher than on the twistiest roads, we actually got to the hotel in time to have lunch there and then have a very relaxing afternoon. So this would almost be considered half a rest day. Then, of course, we had a lovely dinner together, and now some are playing a few rounds of pool together. Tomorrow, we get back on the road, ride along the coast and make our way to the north of Portugal. Technically, this will be the closest our American riders will be to home, although you really can’t tell with the ocean in between…
Riding Day 18 – Sines to Faro Today we traveled from one coastal city to another – from Sines to Faro. Both are located on the Atlantic coast, but today we were heading further south. After our daily briefing, we started riding at 8:45 a.m. During the morning, we followed the beautiful coastline and even got to watch the sun rising over the ocean while riding. What a fantastic way to start the day! The roads were not as twisty as we are used to, but the beautiful coastal scenery more than made up for it. Our first stop was at the Arcanjo statue, which is made entirely from recycled metal. When you look closely, you can even spot motorcycle chains and other motorcycle parts in the sculpture. It was really impressive! We took some photos and also used the stop for a quick restroom break before continuing south. Our next major destination was Cabo de São Vicente, the southwesternmost point of mainland Europe. When we arrived, it was already very busy, with lots of buses and tourists. It was also extremely hot. Because of the heat, part of the group decided to head straight to a nearby restaurant. The other group, including me, wanted to try something a little more unusual: a hot dog from the famous stand called “The Last Bratwurst Before America”, run by people from Bavaria. Of course, I couldn’t miss that! Afterwards, we joined the other group at the restaurant and had a little more food there before continuing our journey. After lunch, we continued towards Lagos, a beautiful coastal city with a fascinating history. Originally, we had planned to make several photo stops along the way. But as the temperatures kept rising and we were riding in full motorcycle gear, we decided to head straight to the hotel instead. We knew there was a beautiful rooftop pool waiting for us, and after such a hot day, that sounded like the perfect plan! Unfortunately, on the way into Lagos, Keith D. lost traction and slipped at a roundabout. The road was extremely slippery, possibly because of oil. Thankfully, Keith was okay, which was the most important thing. From there, we took the highway towards Faro and arrived at the Occidental Faro Hotel at around 3 p.m. But our adventure wasn’t quite over yet. We had one more problem to solve: the barrier at the hotel entrance would not open. There was only one lane for both entering and leaving, and we had seven motorcycles trying to get in while around ten cars were trying to get out. After a few deep breaths and a little teamwork, we finally solved the problem and managed to get all our motorcycles safely into the hotel. Once we were checked in, Jim, Jeannine, Keith H. and Keith D. immediately took advantage of the hotel facilities. Their first destination was, of course, the rooftop pool! We had dinner at a small restaurant, just an 8-minute walk from the hotel. It was a lovely evening, and the food was absolutely amazing! Tomorrow, we are heading back into Spain – but this time, not to northern Spain. We are heading into the hot south! Another great day on our tour is behind us, and we are enjoying every moment together.
Today we rode the last few kilometers in Portugal before heading back into Spain. We definitely made the most of those last kilometers, as we had some amazing twisty roads through the backlands before the border. Not a car in sight, a house only every 30 kilometers or so, and for the rest, just winding and twisty roads over the hills with great views. The roads were in really good condition, so perfect for riding motorcycles! After the border, we stopped in a little town for lunch and could collect some energy for the upcoming hot ride. There was some traffic at first, but once we were parallel to the water, it cooled down by about 4 degrees and was very comfortable. From there, we made our way to the statue of Christopher Columbus and Keith D and I went over to the replicas of the boats they used for those incredibale voyages. and then took the highway to Seville from there. Only 3 riding days left. Crazy how fast the time flies by!
Riding Day 20 – Seville to Gibraltar Yesterday evening, we talked about today’s route during dinner. We wanted to ride our planned route but still arrive in Gibraltar around lunchtime. So we decided to leave one hour earlier than originally planned. Just before 8 a.m., we started our engines. It was still dark outside! During our ride through Andalusia, we watched the sun slowly rise. At the same time, we even saw a hot-air balloon going up into the sky. What a beautiful way to start the day! Because we had a tight schedule, we made a short fuel stop in Arcos de la Frontera. We didn’t have time to explore the beautiful town, but we could still enjoy the amazing view of it from a distance. Afterwards, we continued on our planned route towards Gibraltar. Luckily, there were no border controls, so everything went smoothly and we arrived perfectly in time for lunch at The Rock Hotel. Before the group headed out for the afternoon tour, everyone had a little time to relax at the hotel. Then it was time to explore Gibraltar with a local guide. The group travelled by minibus and visited some of the most famous sights, including Europa Point, St. Michael’s Cave and the famous monkeys. Tomorrow we are heading back to Spain, to the beautiful town of Ronda. Some beautiful and twisty roads will be waiting for us again. We are really looking forward to the last two riding days of our tour and to enjoying the motorcycles and the great roads together one more time
The second to last day already. We drove out of Gibraltar and rode along the water for a little while so we could get a nice picture of the Rock. Once we were at the spot to take a picture, it turned out Ian’s bike had spit out too much of its coolant, so we had to refill it. To the question: how many engineers does it take to undo a few screws, remove the radiator cap, and pour some liquid in? At least 3. But nothing we couldn’t handle, so after enjoying the breeze at the beach for a little while, we were back on the road, and it was smooth sailing from there. Soon the roads turned into amazing sweepers, with great asphalt and long-radius turns, perfect to flow around the mountains. These then made way for a little road that was as smooth as if they had put the asphalt down yesterday. Since this road took us through more cork trees, it felt like the road wound around every one of them. Not 100 meters straight, and just winding up and down the hills. Then, after lunch, it opened up a little again, and we were treated to some amazing sights that Andalusia is known for. Beautiful backdrops and little white villages planted in the seeming middle of nowhere. In Ronda, we actually got people to do some touristy sightseeing. It only took us 21 days to get to this point… Before we could handle this stress, we of course had a little drink at the bar. To calm the nerves, I guess. And then we went to a viewpoint and visited the bullfighting arena and museum. Keith found out that if you make jokes either a waiter, you have to carry the consequences. When you slide someone’s desert to your place when the other is not at their seat, the waiter will bring you more cake, and you have to eat it.. One more special thing to mention today is that Kelly had his birthday today. So when we were at dinner, we stepped outside shortly, and Mario came out with the drawing he had made for the Welcome Briefing for the tour. He added a group picture, and we all signed it, so it made for a nice memory of a birthday during this tour. Tomorrow, the last day already. Time flies when you’re having fun.
Riding Day 22 – Ronda to Málaga Today was our 22nd riding day – and sadly, also our last one. We started in Ronda and made our way towards Málaga. Unfortunately, the day started with rain and the roads stayed wet throughout the ride. It had been a long time since we had seen rain here, so the roads were quite slippery. On top of that, our tires had already covered more than 5,000 km during this tour. For that reason, we decided to take a shorter and safer route to Málaga instead of following our original route. Ian’s Ducati also had a bigger problem with the cooling system today. Considering the conditions, taking the safer option was definitely the right decision. Of course, we were a little sad that we couldn’t ride the complete planned route, because it would have been a beautiful final ride. But safety always comes first. When we reached Málaga, we immediately noticed how much traffic there was in the city. It took us more than 16 minutes to ride just two kilometers! Nevertheless, we all arrived safely and healthy at the hotel. And that was the most important thing today. After 22 riding days, more than 5,000 km and countless amazing moments, we made it safely to the finish together. Tonight, we will enjoy our last dinner together. Even though 22 days is a long tour, the time has absolutely flown by. And just as Ian said on the very first day: “Either we will be enemies or friends at the end.” And we are very happy to say that we all became friends! Tomorrow is departure day for some of us. Others will stay a few more days before continuing with another motorcycle tour through Morocco. Our amazing journey together is slowly coming to an end – but the memories of these 22 days will stay with us for a very long time.