All in Camino de Santiago
We’ve started the final leg of our journey, heading downstream with the Danube River. Cycling through the Donautal Gorge, a steady rain soaked us as we rode past Hapsburg castles perched on the cliffs. Dozens of shrines along the bike route provided a constant reminder that we are still traveling on a pilgrim’s path to Santiago, through villages and forests that were once part of the Holy Roman Empire.
Continuing our bicycle journey along the levees of the scenic Loire River, we passed several monumental chateaus. The trail has taken us through more areas where caves honeycomb the cliffs, storing the region’s wines and lots of other stuff - including our bikes for a night.
On a blustery, rainy day we bundled up our cycling gear and boarded the ferry for England. We lingered in Plymouth for a day, visiting famous sights like Hoe Park and the Barbican neighborhood and soaking up the maritime ambiance. But the Tors of Dartmoor beckoned us. So we rode our bikes northward, up the Plym River and into the rugged, granite hills.
Following the Nantes-to-Brest Canal, we’ve cycled into the very heart of Brittany. Along this route, nearly every town has a castle with a story linked to the Dukes of Rohan, once one of the most powerful families in the region. Between towns, the canal was lightly used, so we often had the towpath to ourselves - making for a serene and relaxing ride.
We had been looking forward to a rest day in Pamplona, Spain. But we found ourselves cycling into strong headwinds, requiring an extra effort to get there. In Pamplona, most stores and restaurants were closed for San José day (i.e., Father’s Day). Nonetheless, we were still able to enjoy visiting many of the city’s famous sights.
We’ve left Castilla y León, and are now biking across the vineyard-covered hills of La Rioja and Navarra, Spain. We’ve entered Basque Country, where cycling is even more popular than in greater Spain (if that’s possible). Surrounded by beautiful mountains, we’ve had two great days of riding through wide open landscapes and lovely small towns. The Camino de Santiago is still with us, and the number of pilgrims that we pass each day continues to grow.
We’re back on the Camino de Santiago. But now we’re biking on the French Route, heading away from Santiago. The thorns in our tires - probably acquired back in Portugal - continued to plague us by causing flat tires. A poor routing decision ended up sending us over 60 km on gravel roads. And we’re pretty sure we discovered the steepest hills in Spain, because if they were any steeper, you just wouldn’t be able to get up them at all. It’s been a busy few days.
After nine days biking the Camino de Santiago (Vía de la Plata route), we are now leaving the Camino to head northeast on EuroVelo 1. The route takes us across the vast agricultural plateau of Castilla y León, where you can bike for many kilometers without seeing a single tree.
On 9-10 March 2019 we biked across the remaining mountains of the Cordillera Central, and descended onto the high plateau of Castilla y León. The contrast in terrain, scenery, land use and architecture between the ring of mountains and the plateau was striking.
Our last few days of biking through the Extremadura region of Spain included more chances to immerse ourselves in its medieval past and cultural heritage. But leaving the region to enter Castilla Y León is no small matter. The region of Castilla Y León is a high plateau surrounded by mountains. So to get there, we had to climb over the Cordillera Central mountains. That included both breathtaking views, and catching our breath while pedaling 60 km uphill.
We’re now cycling through Extremadura, the west-central part of Spain that has long been under-appreciated by the rest of the world. Spring is arriving, and fruit trees are starting to flower. A celebration seems appropriate. In our case, that’s turned out to be Carnaval.
Andalucía is the part of Spain most influenced by the Mediterranean and its moorish past. And like other regions in Spain, Andalucía has a strong identity, especially with respect to Flamenco song and dance. From a cyclists point of view, Spain also has roads and biking trails that are - for the most part - in pretty good condition. This made the biking easier than in Portugal. It also meant biking through more developed, and fewer remote areas.
Lisbon’s medieval quarter is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Europe. The Alfama’s winding alleyways date back to the 8th century, when the Arabic Moors ruled the Mediterranean. We spent most of a day wandering through the Alfama’s narrow passageways, climbing hidden staircases to the top of São Jorge Hill.
