Spain 2024 – day 5: Gibraltar and Castellar Viejo de la Frontera
It rained all night but that's all right. I pack up camp at eight, in the first pause of on and off downpours of the morning. Problem 1: my tent pole broke in the night. I have no idea why; it certainly wasn't windy. Well it's probably fixable. Problem 2: the road...
Spain 2024 – day 4: On the Coredor Verde de Dos Bahias towards Gibraltar
From Puerto Real, I continue towards Cadiz, but then decide to skip the 60 km detour to the city. Somehow all the bridges are for cars only. Also, the wind blows from that direction... So instead of urban sightseeing, I spend most of my morning on gravel and trails...
Spain 2024 – day 3: Sevilla to El Puerto de Santa Maria
I follow the river towards the sea, first the smaller Guadaira, then the mighty Guadalquivir. Both are muddy and unappealing but the local bird population seem to like it. Flamingos, herons and other long-legged birds stalk the flat lakes along the road and storks...
Spain 2024 – day 2: Gibraleon to Sevilla
As I made excellent progress yesterday, I take it a bit slower today. Also, there's less winds and the terrain is more rolling hills than flat sections. The orchards and closed fruit farms are giving way to corn fields and olive groves. In Niebla, I take a long lunch...
Spain 2024 – day 1: Faro to Gibraleon
Day one cycling from Faro to Alicante. Portugal greeted me with perfect cycling weather, not to hot, even a bit of drizzle now and then and a strong tail wind all the way. After a brief visit at the beach and an hour looking at the Old Town I start off on the road....
Spain 2024 – day 0: the flight
The night flight from Basel to Faro was slightly delayed and arrived just before midnight. I slept a little on the plane but not enough to offset the late time. Putting together the bike and riding out towards the sea to another hour and until I was tucked in my...
Spain 2024 – the plan
The plan: two weeks of cycling in southern Spain. Faro, Sevilla, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Ronda, Granada, Alicante Let's see how the weather agrees with the plan.
Tour du Mont Blanc day 3: three passes in view of Mont Blanc
After a night of waking again and again to the roaring river next me, I start off early. The sunrise on Mont Blanc greets me on the way down the valley. Detouring Courmayeur, I hike up to the Lago Combal, a fascinating flat lake full of reeds and the clearest water...
Tour du Mont Blanc day 2: Col Ferret & Mont Blanc
Day two on the Tour du Mont Blanc starts out bright and sunny. On another hot day, I hike up the valley to La Foly, where I get some baguette and cheese and take a long lunch break. At two, I start hiking up the mountain towards the Petit Col Ferret, at 2500...
Tour du Mont Blanc day 1: Martigny – Relais d’Arpette
After a pleasant train ride to Martigny (the Swiss train had more delay than the German (4 minutes))!!) I start on my first day of hiking around the Mont Blanc mountain range. The Tour du Mont Blanc doesn't traditionally start IN Martigny, but it was just much faster...