Guess the number of sunflowers in this photo and get an official sweaty jersey from JC.
I have to name my bike. Any suggestions?
Thomas Geraint of Barloworld. I did not crop this photo.
Ruben Lobato of Saunier Duval-Prodir almost catches Serge Pauwels of Chocolates Jacques.
David de la Fuente was too fast as he went by. Disc wheels make an impressive "whoosh" sound as they flex side to side.
The chapel in Aranda de Duero.
The nicest road for biking ever!
The podium: Soler 1st, Valverde 2nd, Carlos Castañado 3rd. My flag was held up high!
Catedral de Leon
The ubiquitous sign for El Camino
The Cruz de Ferro, a cross mounted on a 5 meter long pole just outside of Ponferrada. Legend goes that pilgrims should bring a stone from their homes symbolizing the weight of their sins, and throw it on the cross, symbollically ridding themselves of the weight of the sin. The weight of the rock should be in proportion to the weight of the sins.
The Castle of the Templar Knights. It looked like right out of a fairy tale, and all I could think about was the Burger King king.
First state crossing, from Castilla y Leon to Galicia. Notice that instead of "Comunidad", the sign reads "Comunidade", the Gallician equivalent.
Biking into the unkown. Uphill, upwind, with rain, and next to no visibility.
The highest spot so far.
The cathedral in Santiago.
What´s left of James.
The Cathedral in Santiago. I think this is the best shot I´ve taken so far.
This is a plaza on the back side of the cathedral, which was hosting an electronica-spinnign battle the night I was there. The contrast of new and old has never been more apparent.
The bike at Fisterra. I think the markers says "0.0km"
Boston is that way.
There are "hórrios". Galicians use them to store crops, protecting them from the humid earth and air.
A happy sign!
My bike at the "official" end of El Camino in Muxia. It was too windy to actually bike.
This is where the Virgin appeared to the Apostle in a boat. The church is called the Church of the Virgin of the Boat.
Octopus stew!
A woman in costume for the Muxia fair.
The best part of the fair was the adorable little kids in costume dancing to traditional music. This one was in a canoe (on land) trying to get out.
La Coruña streetlamps. Notice the nice bike path.
Sailing off the coast of La Coruña.
If I want to be in shots, I have to pose. So this is a posed wake up shot.
The view of the beach in Santa Cruz.
Lunch stop at a bus stop. I have yet to see a bus stop to pick someone up at these.
Border crossing at Asturias. There was no big "Welcome to Asturias" sign because the road was under construction.
There are about 300,000 Colombian immigrants in Spain, the 4th largest immigrant colony behind Morocco, Ecuador and Romania. This sign reads "No more state-sponsored terrorism in Colombia".
Ominously gray sky in Navia. The downpours that night lasted 10+ hours.
Viaducts fashioned after Roman aqueducts.
Lots of public art. This building, the tourism office in Avilés, is chained to the ground but thieves tried to steal it.
Avilés, host of the 2007 climbing world championships in September.
Heading into a tunnel outside of Avilés.
Beautiful Ribadesella architecture. This seaside city is home to a big canoeing competition. It´s also one of the oldest known human settlements in Spain. Caves dotting the Cantabrian Sea provided shelter for early man.
Early morning sea fishing.
The guy at the tourism office told me that basically everyone in Asturias has family in Latin America.
This mansion, the Quinta Guadalipe in Colombres (right on the Asturisa-Cantabria border), is home to the Museum and Archive of the "Indianos", the term used for Spanish migrants who left Spain for Latin America, became succesful entrepreneurs, then returned home with lots of money to build houses like this. I arrived at 1:45, and the museum was closed from 2-5 for lunch.
Road signs are a major source of entertainment while riding long distances on the bike. This one indicating leaving the town of La Rabia can also be interpreted as "Say no to rabies" or "Say no to anger".
Not much further up the road, I entered the town of Comillas, literally translated "quotes".
Sweet angel overlooks what used to be the monastery in Comillas.
Colombian party in Santander. The Spanish, like most Americans in the US, don´t dance salsa. Aside from a handful of couples dancing, the crowd felt surprisingly like what crowds feel like in the US when latin music comes on, somewhere between awe and an uncomfortable desire to try to move "like that".
The lighthouse in Santander on a cloudy Saturday morning.
What I gather to be some ruins near the lighthouse in Santander, with the view of the city in the background.
The Grand Casino in El Sardinero, one of the hippest parts of Santander. Right in front of the largest beach in the area, this early 20th century building mixes lots of architectural styles and dominates the beach-town landscape.
A Medieval Fair in Santander, with many of the same booths as those I found in the Medieval Fair in Muxia. I guess for some people this is a way of life, selling their wares from town to town at these fairs which seem to happen all over the country year-round.
The bike lane.
Late afternoon sun in Santander, with the Magdalena promontory in the background.
The Magdalena Castle, built as a summer home for the King and Queen. It has been home to a local university for most of the 20th century.
Regular Spanish commerce closes on Sunday. Basically nothing is open. This half-mile long tunnel in Santander was closed to traffic to host a weekly summer crafts and antiques fair. Imagine that happening in the US!
Comunidad #5: La Rioja. Home of some of Spain´s best wine.
I never paid much attention to Nutella back in the States. Now I know what I was missing.
Podium girls in Logroño at the finish line of the Vuelta stage.
After 160km breakaway, the escape got caught in the last 4km. Freire won the bunch sprint.
The stage winner, a good 8cm shorter than the girls in heels.
The cathedral in Logroño.
Comunidad #6: Euskadi.
Ruins of a burial site. One of the advantages of being on a bike is seeing miniscule roadsigns pointing to this, then being able to stop without much trouble.
I´m not exactly sure what this sign was warning me about that I couldn´t tell from the size of the mountain pass I was about to enter.
1,600 vertical feet later, I make the summit.
The new tent fits two comfortably, with a large vestibule. What luxury!
In Vitoria, the 12th century church (upper right) is juxtaposed against this vibrant mural and modern shade thingies, which I think are public art.
Vitoria was built around a village called Gasteiz, which was originally on a hill. These inclined moving walkways help pedestrians with the steep terrain.
Like Burgos, Vitoria has this shared bike program. The bikes are orange, the local color, and they say claim to be Orbeas, the local bike manufacturer that is internationally renown for sponsoring a local pro team.
Saturday morning at the campsite, I was invited to share breakfast with this lovely French family visiting Spain for a few days.
2km into my day, this really long piece of metal punctured my tire and tube. With a candy bar wrapper and a new tube I was ready to roll in just a few minutes.
In Bilabo with Ana and Natalia. The girl who took the shot was supposed to include the pretty balconies behind us, but she obviously missed that.
Obligatory Guggenheim shot #1.
Obligatory Guggenheim shot #2.
The banks of the river in Bilbao have apparently undergone major renovation in the past decade, from what used to house public and private docks to this fantastic pedestrian promenade.
The bike travels faster in a car, but a lot better on its own.
L-R: Mamen, Natalia, me, Ana, and Ana and Natalia´s grandma. We are having an afternoon feast of about 10 different dishes in the house where grandma was born in Belbimbre, Burgos.
Some nice garden art.
Smelling some 1-year old homemade wine.
Home cured ham needs to spend between 25-30 months before it´s ready.
The beautiful rolling plains of Burgos in late afternoon sun.
Ana, grandma, and Natalia after checking out the almond trees.
Gorgeous stained glass lit by late afternoon sun.
Ceiling buttresses in one of the chapels.
Reflection from stained glass near the entrance to the chapel that actually gets used for services as opposed to tourism.
Gold-painted wood, or "pan de oro", depicts a tree of some sort with the Virgin Mary atop. Notice the stained glass reflections in the upper left.
The ceiling in the central nave. El Cid is buried directly beneath where I am standing when I took this. King Felipe II called this "the artwork of angels."
I was playing with settings on my camera to see how the stained glass might come out.
Reflections of stained glass in the central nave.
more... ummm... stained glass!
The ceiling in the main chapel of the cathedral.
A closer look.
Beneath the amazing ceiling are the reliquaries of the count and countess at the time of the Cathedral´s construction.
This particular chapel dates: Anno Domini 1523.
Pretty sick stonework depicting the crucifixion.
A slightly more modern chapel 18th century decor.
Another amazing ceiling.
More cool stained glass.
This figure of Christ is from the original roman cathedral in Burgos, dating to the 12th century.
In keeping with the theme of really old things, this is a 13th century Bible, with the page turned to John 1:1: "In the beginning there was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God..."
This one takes the cake. According to a tour guide, this is the oldest Bible in Spain, dating back to the 10th century. It´s printed on cow-hide, in a visigothic language and script.
Close up.
This hallway has the reliquiaries of a few bishops from Burgos.
After leaving the really old church, I decided to pay a visit to the CAB, a modern art museum a few blocks away.
The Mediterranean from Sitges.
A typical narrow and windy street in downtown Sitges. I think the bridge is not so typical, and added in the 20th century.
Hanging outside a bar drinking some txocoli, a traditional white wine.
Jorge and Paola. She´s such a little cutie!
The view when I stepped out of the train in Barcelona. This is one of many example´s of Gaudí's work in the city.
An enormous Roy Lichtenstein with the ayuntamiento, or town hall, in the background.
Barceloneta beach on a Saturday.
Bicing is Barcelona´s new bike sharing program. These nice, 3-speed internally-geared bikes lock to these racks automatically. With a swipe card that costs 24€ annually you can take a bike out for up to 2 hours. There are 1500 bikes with over 100 stations around the city, and it seems to be pretty succesful.
The modern curves of this metro station complement the classic older architecture. This area of town was full of bachata blaring out of little Dominican shops! I love it.
I caught this traditional dance in a big plaza in the historic distric. What a treat!
Here´s the band.
And later I would find a monument in tribute to the dance.
The inside of the cathedral, which was pretty awesome, but I got kicked out because I was obviously a tourist and 6pm mass was about to start.
This store claimed to "bring Colombian fashion to Barcelona". If you look closely, the yellow sign on the window shows how tight jeans can lift your ass.
A gigantic Joan Miró phallus in the cool Park Miró.
The view from Plaza España with the fountain, the towers, and the imposing Palau Nacional, home to the National Art Museum.
A better view of the Palau Nacional.
Barcelona is one of the primary ports in the Mediterranean.
This cool thing near the beach seemed to be only for shade to an outdoor mall.
Lots and lots of public art, like this enormous piece that looks to me like an unfolded safety pin.
Barcelona claims its own Arco de Triunfo.
Something I had never seen before: bike lanes on the left of traffic. I think it´s a bad idea because it is really complicated to maneuver around the many roundabouts.
Park Güell, a big urban park set on top of a hill, is one of Gaudí's masterpieces. Built in the early 20th century, it left Gaudí bankrupt, and the rest of construction had to be picked up later by the city. Good move, Barcelona.
The terrace overlooking the city provides an amazing view, once you´re done marveling at the meticulous mosaic work on the sinewy benches that line the terrace.
The view from the lookout tower, with the Santa Familia cathedral on the right (another Gaudí masterpiece), and a giant phallus building on the left.
Sunset from the lookout tower.
At the entrance of the park, you are greeted by these two buildings, which immediately brought a childish smile to my face. These look like they´re out of a fairy tale.
Blurry and poorly composed, but there I am.
The terrace is supported by these columns, with intricate mosaic work on the ceiling.
The famous dragon fountain near the entrance of the park.
Aaahhhh!!
Tossa de Mar, site of my Tuesday lunch stop. The only thing able to tear me away from the beach was the sight of incoming rain clouds.
A cool arch and monastery. The monastery had architecture from the 7th - 18th century. Talk about a long-term renovation.
Lunch #2 on Tuesday in Palades. Bananas, nectarines, berad and Nocilla, the Spanish brand of Nutella.
Some cool Greek ruin in Empuries. This is one of the earliest Iberian settlements known.
The Greeks were thrown out by the Romans in the 1st century BC, and they built their city near the Greek city. This is an example of Roman design.
Behold: columns!
These columns are way cooler. They used to hold up the ceiling of the forum where most commece took place.
More of the same.
This column has something funny growing on top of it.
The entrance to the Roman city, which was enclosed with thick walls.
You can see why ancient peoples would choose to make this their home.
In a penninsula called Cap de Creus, the lovely city of Cadaqués is a tourist trap for many. This is the easternmost point of continental Spain.
Salvador Dalí, born in Figueres, chose to make his home in Cap de Creus. This is the foyer of the home where he lived fom 1936 - 1982.
This is a window in one of the patios. The house started out as a minimalist shack in the style of nearby fisherman homes, but over the years Dalí acquired the nearby homes and connected them in unexpected ways, like this patio.
Dalí workshop, preseverved more or less as it was a the time of his death. When he did leave at the time of his companion´s death, he moved only about 30 miles away to a castle where he lived out the rest of his days.
Closeup of a piece in the workshop.
The football on the ground is autographed, but I couldn´t tell by whom. The ´coonskin cap is inscibed "David".
His grand bedroom. He was unable to see the sunrise from here, so he had a mirror installed nearby angled just so.
The view from the upstairs patio. He had a thing for eggs.
What was he smoking? The house is full of unusual objects arranged in unusual ways. The living space reflects many things about Dalí and his art. One guard in the house-museum described it as a living joke.
Before Dali´s death, he helped convert the theater in Figures into a museum of his work. His touch is felt everywhere in the space, making the museum itself a work of art.
This is a portrait of Mae West, seen through a lens. The lips are a loveseat, the nose is a working fireplace, and the hair is the curtains to the room.
This is one of the largest canvases I have ever seen.
"Poetry of America"
Dali did a series of pieces in precious jewelry, partly, he claimed, "in protest of the cost of materials." The idea was that art itself was so important that cost should be no object. This, "The eye of time", is made up of silver, diamonds, a ruby, and a swiss watch.
Typical road headed into the mountains.
This is in France, and just in case "Le Tech" isn´t clear, they went through the trouble of translating it.
Falling cows? Holy cow!
High point of the trip = 4,964 feet.
The climb out of Saint Lorenç de Morunys, a quaint little ski town.
Looks like the road crew got a little creative.
Heading out of the mountains, in Puerta de la Montanyana.
These iron sculptures appeared out of nowhere before arriving in Barbastro, the small city at the foot of the mountains.
Zaragoza: Basilica of El Pilar, with La Seo in the background.
Tourists and locals alike enjoying the pedestrian Calle Afolfo I, with a stunning view of the Basilica at sunset.
Zaragoza: The Palace of the Aljafería. The northernmost example of a Taifa Moorish palace, after the conquest of Adolfo I it became the royal palace of Aragon. Then Castille and Aragon joined, so it became a palace to the Catholic Kings. Even to this day, the congress of the Community of Aragon uses this as their headquarters.
Zaragoza: Palacio de la Aljafería. Taifa (pre-Mudéjar) architecture is known for these multifoil arches, and ample patios with running water.
Originally the Roman city of Caesar Augustus, Zaragoza was literally built on top of the remains of the city. This museum shows some of what remains where the Forum used to be.
This is the building that houses the museum of the ruins of the Forum.
The statue of Francisco Goya, Zaragoza´s most pre-eminent artist, with the towers of the Basilica.
Inside the Basilica, Goya painted some amazing frescos that are currently undergoing major restoration. This is what it looks like after restoration. Zoom in!
Another Roman remain, the theater, was only discovered in 1973, despite the fact that buildings all around had been going up and down for centuries!
The theater´s museum had some casts of masks found on site.
Zaragoza will host the 2008 International Expo. The area of the expo is under construction, but a tourist bus took us to see. They have the flags of all the participating nations, including, of course, Colombia. The US is not participating, although many US companies are.
I took a train for Zaragoza to Madrid, and from Madrid to Jaén, in the Community of Andalucia in the south of Spain. This is in Jaén, a monument to the four elements and ceramics.
Olive fields in the province of Jaén. This is where I would like to insert the link for you to smell them.
Cordoba: The Mosque-Cathedral from across the Gudalquivir River. Like the Palace of the Aljafería in Zaragoza, this was built early on (10th century) by the Moors, but after the Castillian conquest, a cathedral was built on top/inside of the original structure.
Cordoba: The Mosque-Cathedral from inside.
Cordoba: The Mosque-Cathedral inside. Arch after arch, this place is overwhelmingly powerful and beautiful. The cathedral is built literally inside this enormous room with arches, and in one glimpse you can see all the history that has shaped this space.
Cordoba: Alcázar. This mosaic was one of hundreds found in this royal palace.
The current permanent residents of the Alcázar.
A pool in the Alcázar garden.
Lily pads in another pool in the Alcázar.
A good shot of the Alcázar at sunset from its gardens.
Alcázar gardens: Ferdinand II of Aragon, one of the Catholic monarchs.
In many places in Andalucia, outdoor floors were done in these awesome patterns made from black and white river stones.
Almodóvar del Río, one of the classic "white towns" in Andalucía.
Just outside of Sevilla, the little town of La Cantillana was celebrating its fiestas. Women from the town got dolled up in their traditional costume, and men donned their hats.
Sevilla was rainy, but warm.
The rain stopped, dried quicly, and I was able to get this shot of the cathedral.
Sevilla is one of the main birthplaces of flamenco, and the music is everywhere. This was a group of four students just playing in a park.
"To Don Juan: In honor of his universal figure and the pride of his myth"
Notice that the Hyundai´s driver´s side mirror is tucked in, and that otherwise the Kia would not make it through.
Sevilla: Plaza de Toros.
Sevilla: banks of the Guadalquivir, with La Torre de Oro in the background. I saw lots of people rowing and canoeing on this river, which reminded me of the Charles.
These bulls are scattered all over the Spanish landscape. It turns out that they used to be billboards for a brand of cognac, but billboards were banned. The bulls were to be taken down, but people protested, and they were painted black and left as a national symbol.
Cádiz Cathedral.
Looking out at the Atlantic from La Caleta beach in Cádiz.
Castillo de Santa Catalina in Cádiz. This is almost exactly like Cartagena in Colombia.
Cádiz claims to be the oldest city in Western Europe, dating back to the 11th century BC. In the Cádiz Museum, there are lots of cool artifacts, like this mosaic from the Roman period.
This is the oldest dated piece I found in the museum, from the 8th century BC. Pretty amazing that 2800 years ago humans were making this stuff.
The lights in the museum are on a motion sensor, so whenever they would go out, the guard would kick his leg to set them off and keep reading. Oh yeah, and there´s a really amazing painting behind him.
Hercules features prominently in Cádiz mythology, as he was the one who created the Strait of Gibraltar by splitting a mountain in half. He appears on the Cádiz coat of arms, and the pillar of Hercules appear on the Spanish coat of arms.
View of the Cádiz cathedral from the Tavia Tower, the highest point in the city.
Another view of Cádiz from the Torre Tavia.
O = oeste = west = Boston
From Cádiz to Tarifa, I rode mostly along the coast, and many people cite these beaches as some of the best in the country. In the town of Zahora, I couldn´t resist but to put the bike down and go for a dip.
This is close to the spot where the road ended, and I had to bushwack for a bit to continue. I love the way the trees look in the distance.
Roman ruins of the city Baelo Claudia. The hill that I had to climb over is in the background. The foreground is what is left of the Forum.
This was the entrance to the city on the road to Cádiz. This was actually called Main Street in Latin.
Tarifa, the southermost point in Spain. Below me is the road I was biking on. Behind that is the campground for the night. Follow the beach all the way to the white buildings, which is the center of the town of Tarifa. In the background are the hills of Tanger in Morocco.
This is the view of Tanger from Isla de Tarifa. That boat in the background runs shuttles from Tanger-Tarifa in 35 minutes.
Riding up and out of Algeciras, near Tarifa, this is a great view of the Strait of Gibraltar at its narrowest point, just shy of 9 miles.
This is Gibraltar, mistakenly thought of as the closest point to Africa. I could´t go to Gibraltar because it´s a UK territory, but I didn´t want much to go because I was headed north to Ronda.
Algatocín, another one of these white towns in the mountains on the way to Ronda.
The day into Ronda was tough. It was long, with lots of climbing. The white stuff on my shorts is crystallized salt from my sweat.
Ronda´s main attraction is the gorge carved out by the river the separates the city into its two parts. This lookout point over the 120 meter drop is in the new part of the city, and I took the photo from the other side.
The New Bridge, built in the 18th century, is the lifeline between the two parts of the city.
This is another cool view of the drop. You can see some people up at the top on the right.
This is the view from the old part of the city looking over the New Bridge into the main square. The city is packed with tourists from all over.
Artists of all sorts have spent some time in Ronda, from Rilke to Picasso to Orso Welles. Though the city´s history dates back to the Romans, it is not shy about showing off it´s popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries.
It´s really hard to get good shots of me on the bike using the timer feature of the camera. This is about the best I could muster. I´m not wearing a helmet because it was a hot day and I was climbing on a very quiet road.
gua·ro (n.) - slang for aguardiente, an anise-flavored liquor made from sugarcane, typical of Colombia. Gua·ro (n.) - a small town in the province of Málaga, in souther Spain.
Long and winding road
Field of poplars
Granada: La Alhambra. Sadly I did not get to go inside because they were sold out of tickets for two days in advance.
I have spent a lot of time wandering around small cities, and I have realized that you can tell a lot from a city by its streetlamps. Granada and A Coruña (in Galicia) take the cake.
I was really digging this guy. It´s not super common to see a flamenco guitarist who also sings. This guy was neither a great guitar player not a great singer, but he could do both well enough to keep a crowd entertained. Then he played a flamenco version of a salsa song I knew, "Gitana" by Willie Colón. The song was ok, but when I asked him about the song, he said it was of his authorship. I still gave him a coin, though.
The view of La Alhambra from the Mirador del Albaicín. There are two big hills in Granada. La Alhambra takes up one of them, and the quaint neighborhood of El Albaicín takes up the other one.
El Albaicín is known for its steep streets, middle eastern food, and middle eastern shops.
The Spanish flag is a beautiful symbol that Spaniards are embracing more and more every day. The legacy of the Franco dictatorship had made many people wary of showing their country´s colors, but three decades later, people are starting to come around. This is in Madrid on October 12, El día de la Hispanidad, a politically correct take on Columbus Day. Thousands of hispanics were out in the streets proud of their colors, and also proud of the red and yellow.
Part of the festivities was a parade with floats for each country. The Colombian float featured none other than Carlos Vives. It was a great feeling to be in Madrid and to see thoudans of Colombian flags in a big ol' fiesta in the streets.
That night we got together for, appropriately, Mexican food. From L-R: David, Nuri, Tati, Sara, Ana, Bea, me, Tomás, and Patrick. Nuri, Tati and Bea are very close friends of Ana´s, and the rest of the group are friends of theirs.
In Segovia with the aqueduct, dating to the end of the 1st century.
