22 December 2021 Tasting notes from Bodegas Bhilar and a couple of Merdano Izuras from Linus. Very rusty. Been a while. 2016 Bodegas Bhilar Struggling Vines Pincha Hapa Blanco Golden colour. Plenty of skin contact. Natural yeasts, but does not have the off-putting funk I dislike with orange wines. It is a powerful nose with…
Month: December 2021
Day 9 – Missed appointments
21 December 2021 Wake up early. Restless night. Buffet breakfast. Dignity lost at round four. Check out. Quick ride to the station. Zaragoza Delicia. 10.48 departure. Tickets purchased night before at Zaragoza Goya. Only need ticket for bikes. Language barrier. Can’t get tickets for bikes. Head to Customer Service. Lady writes down what we need….
Day 8 – Trains
20 December 2021 Slept 13 hours last night. Feel good this morning. We are meeting a friend in Logroño tomorrow afternoon. We don’t run a schedule. No real plans. No destinations. Day to day. When you make an arrangement you suddenly have an itinerary. Obligation. That is OK, but not ideal. I like the freedom…
Day 7 – Sub Zero
19 December 2021 Big day. 40 km. Not a great night. The bed was average. Host came home at 10.00 pm and watched Youtube for a few hours. Up early. Cold. Below zero. Breakfast from a packet. Not great. Shell has a dream. Her numb hands and feet. Solution. Plastic bags. Fashion faux pas. Worked…
Day 6 – Downhill
18 December 2021 Up early. Terrible sleep. Pipes creaking. Cold. Oil heaters here. Everything hot. Breakfast. La Tera Firma. Zero English. Zero Spanish. We get there. An open fire grill for toasting bread and sausages. Coffee ordered. Café. Recall milk is Leche. Nailed it. For Shell. I get a shot. Not quite nailed. The place…
Day 5 – The last hill
17 December 2021 “Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” ― Jack Kerouac Shell good. My cold is worse. Cough. Blocked nose. Overcome. The last of the big climbs. Until we hit Loroñgo. The day seems tough on paper. It is a ride of three sections. One challenging. …
Day 4 – Back in the saddle
16 December 2021 A good night’s sleep for both. Shell much better. I am not well. Throat better. Chest troubling. Bad cough. Breakfast porridge on the camp stove. “Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.” ― Aldous Huxley 11.00 am. We head off for…
Day 3 – Stalled
15 December 2021 Shell had a shocking night. Toilet frequently. My cold has shifted to my chest. She can’t ride in her current state. Rest the only option. “For the personality, bankruptcy or failure may be a disaster. For the soul, it may be grist for its strangely joyful mill, and a condition it has…
Day 2 – Recovery
14 December 2021 “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu Thick fog overnight. Everything is wet. My arse is saddle sore. My legs fine. Throat still a problem. Only…