Spain into France

Managed a week in Arcos in poor circumstances and an English landlord. It is little suprise the English are not welcome in Spain. So a transfer to Cadiz, to the sunshine and the beach. That was welcome but soon at an end so the trip north began.
Round the souhern cape near Trafalgar, yes the famous Trafalgar where Nelson dealt to the French and the Spanish...... past Gibralter where the English really got a good deal, someone was a smart negotiator to pull that off.. and up to Granada via Ronda. That was an astonishing place built on a large rock with one of the oldest and first pur[pose built bullrings. It was great despite the terrible use it is put to. I do not countenance bullfighting. It is not a brave and noble sport sadly because it is picturesque, dramatic, exciting and cruel.
Alhambra is a castle and grounds built by the departing moors in about 1400. It is grand magnificent and beautiful. Wonderful grounds to marvel at.
Then up the coast toward Allicante where the Volvo races leaves from and then to Valencia, no stop there either, and finally inland to the beauty of the hills again. The villages, the hills, the mountain roads are so dramatic. Awesome riding and viewing.
The goal was Andorra and getting to it was better than being there. Sadly again another "modern" city. All the uniqueness is being built out of the cities round the world so they are all the same.......boring.
The Sierra Nevada's were great, truly great...but then the valleys and the plains. The south of France is interesting but more interesting in the hills and there are lots of them and they are pure magic. The roads that wind through hills, the villages, they really are a magical experience.
Soon however the grape vines appear, lost of them, rows and rows of them hillside after hillside of them, with the fruit turning black and the foliage turning gold, beautiful, but then again its France......
Beaune is the heartland of the best of France, but just up the road is Nuit St George a village in the heart of Burgundy. In French, Bourgogne, endless vinyards surrounding a village who'sife is wine. Not a bad place really !
There are many things that frustrate while on the road, they are mostly things, bike things, GPS things and sometimes people, but to counter that, there are so many good positive people, wonderful interesting people, people doing things, what a joy. A chap in a service station walked up gave me a card and said if you need anything "call me". That is more common than I could have imagined and is such a wonderful part of being "on the road".
nzl04