Timeline: July 12th  – 18th It turned out that the bedroom Francois was to occupy did have three beds but would have been way to small to accommodate the three of us, so Joanna and I simply brought up our sleeping bag and pads and slept outside on the large patio, around the side and […]

Timeline: July 12th  – 18th We broke camp on Saturday the 12th, packed the car and then, with a short drive ahead of us to Tossa de Mar, climbed on our bikes for a ride from camp.  The folks at the reception desk had suggested heading north and thus we went.  The first short stretch […]

Timeline: Barcelona 8th  – 11th We started our day much the same as the one before, riding the bus into Plaza Catalunya, checking mail at the Apple Store and then embarking on a walking tour of the Bari Gotic, the center of the old city of Barcelona.  Many of its buildings date from medieval times […]

Timeline: Barcelona 8th  –11th Fortunately for us, the long journey of 500 plus kilometers to Barcelona from Madrid was along high-speed highway without any tolls, so we could drive in a fairly relaxed fashion.  Our destination, Camping 3 Estrellas is a holiday oriented family spot situated right next to the Mediterranean Sea.  We registered for […]

Timeline: July 2nd  – 7th We returned to camp after our fine ride, cleaned up and drove over to the bus stop for our trip to central Madrid.  A quick check of the Ciclos Otero web site revealed that they close at 2:00pm on Saturdays so a stop there was out.  We arrived in town […]

Timeline: July 2nd  – 7th  Our plan for the day was to get a bike ride in and then head into town for dinner at the Mercado and potentially a haircut for me at a barbershop we’d see on the tour.  We wanted to also stop in at a bike shop, Cyclos Otero, as had […]

The Steve’s guide recommends taking one of the Madrid tours sponsored by the TI in town, so our destination on July 4th was Plaza Mayor and the office there.  As mentioned earlier, the second day into town is easier as you become more and more familiar with the routine of the commute.  We arrived at […]