Kenifra to Argbala - Day 132

Date: December 28th, 2009
Distance: Cheating by tranzi!
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: Cold December - Matt Costa

Took the final "tranzi" to my cousin's site. The tranzi is a bigger than a van, but smaller than a bus. Also, they use wood planks between the seats to cram more people in.

Argbala (probably "Arhbala" on maps) is an interesting place. It is a small town with dirt roads. Actually, dirt. It had rained a couple of days before so there was still a lot mud around around. The buildings were mostly concrete and cinder block. But there are a few houses still built out of the traditional mud construction. So it looks like what you would traditionaly think of as a third world village.

There is what I thought was a paved sidewalk near my cousin's house. It turns out that is just the cover for a storm drain.

This isn't exactly the stone age however. They have running water and some kind of sewage system (don't ask me where it goes though...). Plus the buildings are wired for electricity. So you get lights and one outlet per room. There is also a cyber in town, which is why you are getting this message.

Oh, they also have a post office. Which is good because both our folks have sent us some stuff. So we had a little Christmas party a couple days late. Thanks for the gifts!

-Dravis

Azrou to Kenifra - Day 131

Date: December 27th, 2009
Distance: Cheating by bus!
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day:

Yep, more bus travel today. Just Allen and I. Emory traveled back to his site. So just the two of us got to Kenifra today, where I can stash my bike for a bit. No reason to haul it up into the mountains. There should be ice or snow and my tires won't handle on it. No more crashes for me.

We headed over to Andrew's apartment. He was the PCV that we were hanging out with the first couple of days in Rabat. His place is large and probably one of the best finished houses I have seen here. But there are still weird things about it. Like the wonderful plaster medallions set into the ceilings, but instead of a chandelier it is a bare bulb hanging from a couple of wires. Also, there is no hot water for anything but the shower. Even that is provided by a small heater connected to a can of butane in the kitchen. There is no central heating either. It sort of reminds me of the fact that even Versailles had no bathrooms. As in, a beautiful place, but only half of the infrastructure is in place. Please don't misconstrue this as criticism of my gracious host. I am just trying to give you an idea of what the buildings are like here.

After the stuff was all set we headed on a walk through the town and the market. Then over to get some sandwiches. Only 3 Dirhams for an egg sandwich. Outstanding. We watched Up and hit the hay.

-Dravis

Rabat to Azrou - Day 130

Date: December 26th, 2009
Distance: Cheating by bus!
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: Brick - Ben Folds Five

Yep more cheating today. I did want to cheat by train actually, but they wouldn't let me on the train with the bike. Instead, Allen, Emory and I had to walk all the way out to the bus station.

From there we caught the bus out to Azrou. Not an exciting trip really. Though they did manage to screw up my aero bars when they put the bike on the bus. Let that be a lesson to you all. When you have a weird contraption like a bike and are putting it on a bus, be there and watch. Make sure they do it right.

We hopped off the bus at Azrou and met up with a couple of other PCVs there, Scott and Andrew. It turns out neither of them live there either. Scott, who has a site nearby, is watching the owner's cat. The place was really nice too. I can see why they would want to hang out there.

The big group of us grabbed some sandwiches for lunch, then Emory and Andrew went off to find some stuff for dinner. They were going to cook up a surprise. The rest of us went to look for some socks (no dice). Then hung out at a cafe for a bit. The prices were about half of what they were in Rabat.

Back at the place we played some cards. Then Emory and Andrew got dinner ready. It was pasta with a tomato and onion sauce topped off with mystery meat. The meat it turns out was in fact cow tongue. Not too bad actually. Tastes just like beef. The only problem I had was that it was incredibly chewy.

After that it was more cards, a couple episodes of Venture Brothers before heading to bed.

-Dravis

Rabat - Day 129

Date: December 25th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: Let Me Sleep - Pearl Jam

This Christmas has been nothing like any of the others I have ever had. It wasn't bad in any way. Just... different. I did have family around, thanks to my cousin. But there was no tree, or stockings or presents.

I did spend a lot of time thinking about the people who had helped me out along the way. From the guys I met my first week in Iceland. To my mates Dasha and Jay in London. Or my great aunt and uncle in St. Neots. This includes their entire family, like Mike and Jeannie who I stayed with in Gosport and Alex and Zaheer who I stayed with in Paris. There was also the Waterloo street gang in Essen. And the fantastic family who took me in on a cold night in Maulbronn. There was also Zoe who was my site seeing buddy in Rome. Or Andrew, Mohamed and David from Marseilles. And Tim who I rode with through half of Spain. Plus dozens of other people I have met along the way. Finally to my cousin Allen who I have been staying with here in Rabat.

I guess I would say that despite being far from home this year, I have felt so welcome in so many places I am just thankful to everyone who has made my journey just that much better. That has been the what has made this adventure so wonderful. So to all, Merry Christmas!

-Dravis

Rabat - Day 128

Date: December 24th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: Circle of Steel - Gordon Lightfoot

Christmas eve is here, it just doesn't seem like it. It is strange, but I do kind of miss the things I hate back home. Gaudy decorations on every streetlight. Christmas music being played incessantly from all public speakers. Rushing around for last minute shopping. More though, I miss the Christmas cookies my mom or my sister make. The lights my dad puts up every year. The decorations that are older than I am. The cool winter air. The bizarre tradition of bringing a tree into the house to decorate, string cheap electric lights on, dry and become an ever increasing fire hazard.

Instead of rushing around for gifts the PCV (Peace Corps Volunteers) and I headed to a museum of antiquities. They had a number of Roman artifacts there from all over the country. It is pretty impressive to see how far that empire spread. So far, I can think of only one country I have been to that they didn't reach (Iceland).

After that we all headed off to do our own thing. I went to get myself a little gift. I needed to get a new watch to replace the one I busted. I did find something that would work. Not as cool as the one I got in China, but hopefully it will last. Plus it was only 30 Dirhams. I didn't even bargain with the guy. That is less than $5 bucks. So if it craps out in a couple of months, no big deal.

We all met up again and headed over to T.G.I Fridays (tm). Yeah, I know pretty cheesy. Then again all the guys I am hanging out with have been in country for 10 months. The same country. I have only been out 4 months and moving around. So I really haven't had time to get bored of the local food. These guys have. So I can understand their desire for a big greasy American burger. Plus I could go for one myself. Some of us did have to adjust our order because they were out of bacon. Still the food was good and they had free refills of soda. So we left quite full.

That did mean a slow waddle back to the center of town for the Christmas Eve mass at the Cathedral. We got there right on time, but there weren't any good seats left. So we had to settle for a stone pew along the side. The service was great, but also in French. I was quite happy that I recognized the words to a couple of the songs. It was a good way to cap of the evening.

-Dravis

Rabat - Day 127

Date: December 23rd, 2009
Distance: None (train to Casablanca and back)
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: 12.23.95 - Jimmy Eat World

This morning I hoped on a train down to Casablanca. This is not the romantic city that you see in the movie of the same named. It isn't a great place to hid out from a war ravaging Europe and a woman who has broken your heart. Nope, it is a big, dirty city. When I arrived it was cool and damp. The streets were crowded with people and cars. Most of the buildings appear to have been grand at one time but no one in the last 50 years has bothered with any upkeep.

I did find the consulate though. It took a little while to walk there, but I found it. Emory had printed out some maps for me the day before and that was very helpful. Inside it didn't take long to get new pages for my passport. They didn't even charge me for it. I did have to fill out a couple of different forms though. Also to swear that I hadn't engaged in activities to overthrow the government since I had received the passport. I wonder how many people they get who fail that question..?

By the time I left it was raining though. I ended up walking through the market in Casablanca in the rain. If the main part of the city is dirty, the market is worse. Trash just goes into the street to be washed away by the rain. When I found the train station I was glad to be getting out of the rain and the city.

Of course the trains aren't well marked. There is no sign on the train for where it is going. On the platform there is electronic signpost with a destination on it. It is hard to tell if that sign is for the train, or hasn't been changed in weeks. I would say, just ask the conductor.

Got back in time for dinner with the guys. Then watched a couple of movies and went to bed.

-Dravis

Rabat - Day 126

Date: December 22nd, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: Christmas Song - Weezer

This morning my cousin and Emory went back to the PC office. Andrew and I ended up wandering around back through the market for a while. I do enjoy a good market. They did have a lot of great stuff that I don't need at all. Like nice wool rugs or camel saddles. Cool stuff, but no way to take it with me. Which isn't bad. I just got to browse around.

We ended up on the far side of the market near the ocean. It was fun to see the ocean, but man it was windy. A couple of surfers were out taking advantage of the waves. There was a fortress and a lighthouse along the shore. Also, a couple of large cemeteries. But overall, the place was pretty dead. It didn't seem like the coastal area of the city was built to draw people to walk, sit, or eat there.

Andrew went off to get some of his stuff done, and I just went back to take a nap at the hotel. Later the guys showed up and we met up with three more guys, Brian, Doug and Kadar. They were also PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers). The big group of us went out to dinner at the American club, which is a restaurant just for US personnel. It was quite a walk in the rain. I was soaked by the time I got there. The rain had also put a damper on the restaurant. We were the only ones there. But at least they put some football on the TV for us.

-Dravis

Rabat - Day 125

Date: December 21st, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: Thank God It's Christmas - Queen

Today the guys had to go into the office and get some paperwork done. So I headed off to the American embassy. I had never been to my embassy before, and I thought it would be fun. Also, I need to get a few extra pages in my passport. Europe was easy, for the continent I only got two stamps. One coming in and one leaving. But Morocco had already given me 3 different stamps. I only imagine more on leaving.

So I walked on out to the embassy. When I go there I was expecting Marines to be standing outside guarding the place. Instead it was just a couple of guys from a local security company. They were nice and helpful and let me inside. Once in I found out I was at the wrong place. This was the embassy and for items like visas and passports I would have to go to the consulate. That is in Casablanca. Oh well, at least it was fun to see the embassy.

The rest of the day was pretty boring. I met up with the guys and we didn't do a whole lot. Had some food and watched some Venture Brothers. Emory had never seen it.

-Dravis

Rabat - Day 124

Date: December 20th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: Christmas Time - Mighty Mighty Boss Tones

Today we got up and headed out to the Catholic church down the road and attended mass. The service was all in French, so I didn't understand most of it. Still, the format was basically the same. Even the Nicean creed had a very similar rhythm to it. Plus their choir was excellent. I guess they have a large Senegalese population here. So the music had a rural African flair to it which was great.

After that we headed out to see a bit of the city. We tried to get into one of the palaces of the king. But we never did find the right entrance. The guards kept pointing to the next gateway along. After getting the run around for a while we decided to give up.

Instead we found the ruins of a fortress, called Chellah. Inside there were ruins of a Roman town and a 13th century mosque and madrassa. We walked around there for quite a while taking it all in.

Then we left to get some lunch at the "SandWay". The signs and uniforms were a clear ripoff of a Subway. The food itself was nothing like the sandwiches you would get back home though. Still, they were good and filling. Also cheap when the guys working there can't subtract correctly...

When we got back to the hotel, Andrew, another volunteer had arrived. So the four of us were hanging out all evening and having a good time. Went and hand crepes for dinner. (They also had internet, which was great.) Then walked through the market in town. Then back to a cafe near the hotel to sit outside and just chat. A good evening.

-Dravis

Larache to Rabat - Day 123

Date: December 19th, 2009
Distance: Cheating by bus!
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: Last Christmas - Jimmy Eat World

More cheating. Too many buses. I just don't feel too bad though. I woke up to pouring rain and more wind. I knew I wasn't going to enjoy two days of riding in miserable weather to get down to Rabat.

So yeah, I on a bus. Actually I hopped on two buses. I bought a ticket and was walking around to find my bus. I didn't see it so I started asking one of the attendants at the bus station. He brought me over to a bus going to Rabat. So I got all my stuff loaded on. One of the baggage handlers was asking for "five ten" Dirhams. When I bought the ticket they said that it would be on 15 Dirhams. So I went to pay him 15 Dirhams. But he wanted 50. There was no way in hell I was going to pay him that. So I just got on the bus. He kept arguing with me about the price, and I wasn't going to budge. As we pulled out of the station one of the other passengers figured out what was going on. He asked me for my ticket. Turns out I had a ticket from a different company. I was on the wrong bus. The 50 Dirhams was for the whole ride me and the baggage. The bus stopped and I was unceremoniously dumped, with all my stuff, into the middle of the street.

By this point it was pouring rain. I had to race back to the bus station and find my real bus. Turns out I hadn't missed it because it was 20 minutes late. Then there was a whole pain to get my bike on there. It would have been easier to pull the bags off, but they wanted to charge me baggage handling for each one. I I left it all on, then they counted it as only one bag, so only one charge. Fine, have it your way. I had to help them get it all on the bus and not squished. With all the rain, I was soaked by the time I got onto the bus. Still everything was good, and from there it was a fairly quiet trip down to Rabat.

I met my cousin and his friend Emory at the bus station. The station was on the outside of town though. So we had a quite a walk back to the hotel. They don't really have crosswalk lights here. You just wait until the cars stop, then cross a street. Moroccan sidewalks aren't bike friendly either. So getting around the streets was interesting. Still it wasn't bad. I didn't even rain on us.

Once back at the hotel we got the stuff dropped off and headed out for dinner. Just a couple of sandwiches, but it was good. It was also fun talking with the guys about their experiences in country. We stayed up pretty late talking about all the adventures we had been through before hitting the sack.

-Dravis

Tarifa to Larache - Day 122

Date: December 18th, 2009
Distance: 92km
Country: Morocco
Song of the Day: Hating You for Christmas - Everclear

After four months in Europe I have reached a new continent, Africa, and country 12, Morocco. This isn't just a new continent on my journey, this is a new Continent for me all together. Out of the 7 continents on this little blue ball we call home, I have now been to 5 of them.

The ferry over from Tarifa wasn't too bad. The seas were pretty rough though, so you ended up walking around like a drunken 8 year old. I did meet some other Americans that were traveling and talked with them for a while. Being on a bike seems to invite questions about who you are and what you are doing. So I gave them my cards, and maybe they will check out this blog. You also have to get your passport stamped on the little immigration office on board the ship. That was really easy. The guy didn't even ask me any questions.

Once in Tangier, the fun really begins. I am glad I didn't try this the previous evening in the dark. The first thing that happened was two men in plain clothes asked for my passport. Now this makes me a little wary. They said they were police, but I didn't see any identification. I tried to ask if they had badges (I didn't have a clue what the badges should have looked like, so I am not sure how that would have helped...), but one of the (uniformed) workers from the ferry company come over and vouched that they were police. So I handed over my passport, they checked it had been stamped, and I got it back.

Getting out of the ferry terminal was confusing. There are cars and people going everywhere. Also, they don't really have a lane for bikes. People go up and over the cars on the covered walkway. Cars go either to the gate for one last check, or to a garage for the full search. I guess I looked a little lost, and some one came up and motioned for me to follow. I was halfway through the line of cars when I realized that the guy I was following probably didn't work here. So he was going to ask me for money. Oh well, too late now. He motioned for me to follow him out, but I hadn't gone through the last check. So I just asked one of the guards at the gate. He looked a little confused and there was a small meeting of the immigration officers before they said I could go. I am pretty sure they figured that anyone smuggling things (on a bike) wouldn't request the extra screening. The guy I was following did ask for money, so I gave him 30 cents and he went away happy.

After customs someone came up to me and started speaking in English. I am not sure what he wanted, but he kept saying the roads were washed out and I should take a train. No thank you, I am biking. Eventually he left me alone, and bid me a "bon voyage".

Whew, made it out of the port only a little worse for the wear. The city of Tangier itself is large and chaotic. I did want to find a place to by a SIM card for my phone, but nothing looked quiet. There were people hanging around everywhere and I felt like I just had a dollar sign on my forehead. So I just wanted to get out of the city. I was hoping to get a map too, but didn't feel like stopping to ask any of the shops. Instead I just followed the signs that said Rabat. I knew if I was heading West, I couldn't get too lost.

There was one big problem with heading west however. Wind. A big headwind was coming in from the sea and just slowed me down. Not much to do about that though. I just kept heading out of the city and into the wind.

Just on the edge of the city I was accosted by a group of children. I was riding up a hill when they saw me. I didn't think much of it at first, just a bunch of kids. As I went past though, they came up and tried to grab at my stuff. If it had been flat or no wind I could have raced past them. As it was I just didn't have the speed. One managed to knock my bread box off the back. I stopped, glared at them, picked up my box and put it back into place. Then they started swearing at me in French. I started riding again and they kept following me. So I would stop and glare at them again. They would back up, and we would start over again. One of them started yelling "manger, manger" at me, and putting his hand to his mouth. I understood that he wanted my food, but how was I supposed to reward a bunch of delinquents who just tried to steal my stuff? Finally another boy came up and said something in French. I don't know what it was, but I got the idea he was telling me to just get out of there. So I rode off and the kids ran away. I couldn't tell why at first, but then I saw a police officer rushing over. He asked me if I had all my stuff and I said yes. So that ended my first experience with little bandits. I can now understand some of the stuff that Ishmael Beah wrote about people being afraid of kids. I wasn't scared that they would hurt me (thankfully no one was handing out Kalashnikovs to them), but if they could have, I don't believe they would have given a second thought to taking all my stuff. At that age, and possibly that upbringing, young boys don't tend to think through their actions very well. Which makes them a bit more dangerous. So after that I was much more wary of the kids I saw than the adults.

In all I was very glad to be out of the city. The road was good. A highway, but with a nice wide shoulder unlike many of the roads in Italy or Spain. Plus the people in the rural areas were much more friendly. There were a lot of guys standing around on the roads. I am not sure if they were looking for a ride, or if they were looking for work. But as I passed I usually got a big smile or a thumbs up.

The only problem I had was with the wind still. After I got out of the protection of buildings, it only got worse. Once I hit the coast again there was nothing to stop it. It was coming almost straight on. Every once in a while though it would gust in from my right side. So I had to struggle to keep from being blown off of the shoulder and into the road. (Fortunately there wasn't much traffic.) The wind was picking up sand from the beach as well and blowing it at my face. This wind matched up with the worst stuff from Iceland and northern Spain. So not altogether the most pleasant way to ride. When I was doing 10kph that was a good speed. So, as you can imagine, it was a slow day.

I got to a small town just before the call to evening prayer. I actually thought it was Larache, but it was just a small village, and they didn't have anywhere to stay. They did have a phone shop, so I bought a SIM card. I sent my cousin an text and he called me back a couple minutes after. That felt really good. The plan for the last four months is really coming together.

There was one problem though. Rabat where I am going to meet my cousin is still 200km away. Google maps doesn't give directions in Morocco. I tried to guess, but I guess I was off by 100km. Something to deal with tomorrow.

So I just headed off down the road to Larache. It was dark by this point. For being a road in Morocco at night, it wasn't bad. Still had the wide shoulder, so I could stay out of traffic. Just dark. I almost pitched my tent in some woods along the road. I just felt a bit weird about it. I didn't know the culture very well and I didn't want to be accosted. Again, adults worried me much less than kids who might be come out there to hang out and make trouble. So I decided to keep going.

Then it started to rain. A big thunderstorm rolled over. Within two minutes I was soaked. Also, as I got closer to the city I lost the wide shoulder. So I would just watch out for cars passing. When something was coming by I would pull off into the dirt and let them pass. The big trucks would still blow water and sand in my face. At one point I wished that I had camped in the woods. So that was less than pleasant biking. I was quite happy to get to Larache finally.

In town I found directions to a hotel. I dragged my bike up a tiny flight of stairs to one place, and then found out they didn't have any rooms. Urg. Then I went to another place. They were nice and I was able to get to get a room for about 7 euro. The cheap price for a roof over my head made me feel pretty good about not camping out in the rain.

The next thing on my list to do was get some dinner. I had really wanted to try out Moroccan cuisine. My first experience wasn't that great. The food was good, but I was invited to sit down by a guy. At first I thought that he worked there. But it turns out he was just walking tourist trap. "I will translate for you. I will order." He didn't seem to understand that I didn't want his help. I didn't need him to order for me. The restaurant had a menu in four languages, Arabic, French, Spanish and English. Still, there wasn't anything I could do. It was like watching a car wreck in slow motion. First he ordered the wrong thing. Tagine with meatballs instead of fish. It was good, but not what I wanted. Then he launched into talking about how his mother was sick and he needed some money to take her to the doctor. I tried to play dumb and tell him life was hard all around. He was a much better player at this game than I was. He just wouldn't leave until I paid him some money. I just wanted to go to bed, so I game him some money and he left. Still, it annoys me. If anyone in Morocco talks to you in English, ignore them and walk away. It is hard to do for Americans who try to be polite, but it really is the only way to keep from being ripped off by every huckster.

After that I just went to bed. It had been quite a day. (Also, made for a long post, so I am sorry.)

-Dravis

Malaga to Tarifa - Day 121

Date: December 17th, 2009
Distance: Cheating by bus! (also 24km)
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: It's Christmas Time Again - Blink 182

More cheating today, which is lame, but I am on a schedule to get down to Rabat. I was hoping Malaga would have a boat to Tangier, but it doesn't. So I need to get a bus.

First though I did find a place to get the chain I needed. I suppose that I should have gotten a new set of chain rings and cassette, but I didn't. Probably stupid, but the current ones don't look too badly worn.

Then it was a bus down to Algeciras, the closest stop I could get to Tarifa. I did see Gibraltar from the bus. It really is a rock, towering over the surrounding landscape. It is easy to see why the sea hasn't worn such a narrow strip of land away.

From Algeciras I had to bike to Tarifa to catch the ferry. More hills in the way though, so I missed the first boat out. Turns out this wasn't a bad thing. I had met a couple of guys in Barcelona who lived in Tangier and said they could give me a place to stay. A local guide wouldn't have been bad either. The vagaries of international calling vexed me however, and I couldn't get in touch with them. So I decided to stay in Tarifa overnight. I could catch the ferry the next morning and just start biking south.

-Dravis

Totalan to Malaga - Day 120

Date: December 16th, 2009
Distance: 28km
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) - The Ramones

Woke up to a clear day. Had the last of my food for breakfast and started taking the tent down. I was just about finished when it started raining. So I packed in a hurry and set off into the rain.

The first couple of klicks were still pretty hilly. Overall I didn't gain or lose any elevation, but it was up and down a lot. Also, my chain has begun to slip. I know it is getting worn out, so I need to find a new one. I only hope it hasn't taken out my cogs with it. I hope to find a new one in Malaga.

After about 10km the downhill section began. It was all going pretty well at first. Then disaster struck. Around one of the hairpin turns my back tire slid out on the wet road sending me crashing to the pavement. I ended up landing on my left side, slamming my elbow and watch into the pavement. I remember thinking, "well, there goes that watch". Yep, I completely shattered the face of my awesome Chinese copy watch. My left hip landed on (and cracking the plastic of) my pocket knife making that pretty sore as well. I also wore a hole in my rear pannier as it scraped over the asphalt. Ow. Still no major damage to me or the bike. So for that I am grateful. Still, it did take me a few minutes to recover. For the rest of the ride down I was squeezing the brakes.

Once in town, I was happy to be on level ground. I found the hostel and went out on a mission to find a new chain. I spent all afternoon walking around. I couldn't find one place that had the one I wanted. Urgh. I grabbed some food and had a quick dinner at the hostel before going to bed.

-Dravis

Granada to Totalan - Day 119

Date: December 15th, 2009
Distance: 143km
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Christmas - Blues Traveler

Today I was up and over the Sierra Nevada mountains. I knew it was going to be a long trip to Malaga, but I was hopeful. It was only supposed to be 122km. So if I just kept at it, I would get there.

Going over the mountains the temperature dropped. So going uphill was fine. But coming down it got really cold. In the afternoon I came down into the valley with a spectacular reservoir. It was this great aqua blue color and the sun was just shining off the water. Sadly the pictures didn't come out right.

Just before sunset I had a choice between the main highway, which might have been a bit longer, and the back country roads which were somewhat shorter. Well, I chose incorrectly. Always stay on the highway. I ended up getting lost. Then when I found my way again it was on a road up and over this giant, steep hill. Argh. The worst part was that I could see the nice flat highway I would have been on. Never do that.

So the sun set on me before I reached my destination. In the dark I got lost again, then got some bad, but well meaning advice from the locals. Then it was up and over more giant hills. They really just love running roads over them in that part of the country. It was about 10:30 when I reached the top of one of the final passes and say my destination in the distance. I also found a sign that said 25 more miles to Malaga. I knew I wasn't going to make that. Or if I did the hostel I wanted to stay at would be closed. So I found an olive grove to camp in and went to sleep. I didn't even have the energy to make dinner. I just had a chocolate bar and crashed.

-Dravis

Granada - Day 118

Date: December 14th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Strangest Tribe - Pearl Jam

This morning I got up and went to the Alhambra. I wanted to leave time open to spend all day there. The Alhambra is both a fortress and palace. Or, two palaces if you want to be technical. The main one is the Nasrid palace. It really is impressive. Arabic architecture and craftsmanship. Almost every surface is covered with some kind of decoration. It really does look like a palace. The rooms are bare when you go through them, but you can imagine how impressive it must have been 800 years ago. Also, by the time I went to the central courtyard it had started to snow. Giant wet flakes of snow coming down everywhere. It was spectacular.

After that I headed over to the Alcazaba. This is the military fortress sticking out from the rock promontory. Again, the rooms and towers were bare, so it was hard to tell how most of them were used. It was also in stark contrast to the previous palace in that it was bereft of basically all decoration. This was just a military encampment. So all the buildings were fairly utilitarian.

There is also the palace of Charles V, which was built during the Renaissance. Architecturally it is quite intriguing. It is a square building with a circular central courtyard. Beyond that though, it is pretty boring. There is no indication of its history or how it was used. There was a museum about the Alhambra inside, but it was closed. If I have one complaint about the visit, it was that there wasn't much explanation about the history. Ah well.

For dinner Ben was going to make some pizza. So I thought that would have been great. Well, I guess they didn't have something for pizza, so he ended up making pasta instead. The food was great, and it was fun just hanging out. I basically spent the whole evening at the hostel talking with people. I met a few who were interested in my bike trip and had questions about how it all worked. I do try to encourage people along where I can.

-Dravis

Granada - Day 117

Date: December 13th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Chiron Beta Prime - Johnathan Coultan

[A special note about the song of the day. For the last couple of years I have been putting together a list of... different Christmas songs. So starting tomorrow I am going to be listing my favorite song for a melancholy noel. For today, something a bit on the lighter side. Sort of... ]

Despite the late night, I did get up at a reasonable time. I wanted to get breakfast and go on the walking tour. Once the former was complete I had a bit of time before the later. So I spent some time buttering my pants. Yep, normal butter applied to my pants for the purpose of living the chain grease stain. It actually worked too. The butter, and a fair bit of time rubbing it in, dissolved the stain. Then I had to get the butter out. So I used normal dish soap. After that I needed to get the dish soap out. I just used regular hand washing soap for that. Presto, stain free pants.

Katie was hanging out waiting for the tour as well. Yet somehow we missed it. I am still not sure how that happened. Those guys took off and were gone. Oh well. Instead Katie and I walked around trying to find these cave homes. It was a nice walk, but I didn't get the sense that we found the right ones. The ones I saw looked like a normal, if small, house. They apparently went back some way into the hillside. Still, I was looking for something more like a hobit hole. A doorway set into the hillside. So I was skunked on the second mission of the day.

In the afternoon I took another siesta. Naps are good. I grabbed a quick dinner and headed back to the Irish pub. They had mentioned the previous evening they would have some NFL games on. I hadn't heard much about the season, but I did miss watching football. So I turned up there for the Bengals/Vikings game. I couldn't stay for the whole thing though. It didn't look good for the Bengals when I left though.

I left because I wanted to get back in time for the tapas tour. Again, cheap food and drink in Granada. The tour guide said mostly this was due to the large number of students in Granada. Also, the jobs in the area didn't pay well, but made up for it by having cheap places to eat. So a tourist can really appreciate how far the money will stretch there. Especially when compared with London or Paris.

-Dravis

Granada - Day 116

Date: December 12th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Spanish Bombs - The Clash

When I got off the bus, the morning was cold. While biking to the hostel, most of me wasn't bad, but my fingers were almost freezing off. I guess getting away from the coast and up into the mountains really drops the temp.

I got to the hostel too early to check in, but they were nice enough to let me hang out inside. They even had a free breakfast. Oh, yeah, I was all over that. After noon I got checked in and took a Siesta. I so needed that.

That evening I ended up meeting a couple of random people, Ben, Dinah, and Katie, at the hostel and hanging out with them. It just started out at in dining room at the hostel, but then we headed out to get some tapas. Granada is probably the cheapest place I have found in Europe. You can get a drink and some Tapas for 2 euro. In most cities you couldn't get one of those for that price. So very cool. We then wandered into a number of other places. Like a rasta bar and the death ray laser club. Finally closing out the evening at an Irish pub. I didn't get back to the hostel until after 3:00.

-Dravis

Valencia to Granada - Day 115

Date: December 11th, 2009
Distance: Cheating by bus!
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: King of the Road - R.E.M.

Last day in Valencia. I did want to see the Cathedral before I left. So I toured that, a nice cathedral. Oh, and they also have the holy grail. Yep, that holy grail. Apparently the only one recognized by the Catholic church as the (possible) actual holy grail. Not much to look at though. It is a tiny cup set in a gaudy medieval stand. Still, seeing what could possible by the real cup of Christ, was worth a look.

I then hiked up the Michaelette. This is the bell tower for the cathedral. Like Big Ben, the tower is actually named after the main bell. The name roughly translates to "little Michael". The bell is actually pretty large, and loud when it rings (on the hour).

Back at the hostel I went and checked out. I hung out and used there internet for a bit. I did a couple of updates to this blog before leaving. I then headed over to Tim and Joe's place. Tim had offered to give me some of the movies he had on his computer. With all the biking and camping I should be doing, I don't know how much time there will be to watch movies, but I am sure it will happen. While I was there Tim offered me some lunch, which was great. Then Joe came back and we ended up hanging out for a second evening in a row. Tim even made some dinner, which was great. A big thanks for your hospitality.

Late into the evening I went to get on a bus to Granada. I know, cheating, but I really need to get a boat to Morocco. Plus I was told to go to the Alhambra. So Granada is the next stop. It was a night bus, so not very exciting, not really comfortable. I did try to sleep as much as I could though. Plus if you are annoyed that I am cheating again, fear not. My actions brought their own retribution. As I was putting my bike away I ran my one pair of pants (the ones with the zip of legs) up against my chain. Then again when getting it off the bus. So now I have a huge black stain there.

-Dravis

Valencia - Day 114

Date: December 10th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Desire As - Prefab Sprout

For breakfast I headed on down to the central market. I like going to markets. I picked up a couple of muffins and a pear. The local muffins are made in hand wrapped paper. So they don't have the corrugated appearance of usual muffins. It just seems to add a little local flair. Plus the muffins are quite tasty.

Then I did actually make it to the walking tour today. It was a lot of fun, the tour guide Joe was great. He combined a lot of the history with jokes and stories to make it fun. I really didn't know, uh, anything, about Valencia before I came. So this made sense of a lot of things.

After that everyone else headed off and Joe invited me out to lunch. The place had a great menu including a plate called "Cholesterol". Joe and I also had a good time talking about history. I guess he had just received his master's degree in history that Spring. So we had a shared interest there. I guess I was at least interesting enough that he invited me out for dinner with his mate that evening.

In the afternoon I walked around the city for a while. I thought I should get a third tire. I had two nice ones to put on to replace my slicks. But then I wouldn't have any replacements. So I found a nice shop to get a third tire. So for now I have three spares. They also gave me a water bottle to replace the one that was stolen in Florence.

I met up with Joe and his roommate Tim for dinner. We went out to a nice Indian place for dinner. The food was quite good, and there was a lot of it, which I enjoyed. Plus Tim, who is Flemish, and Joe were fun to talk to. From there we headed out for a drink at a pirate themed bar. Then we went to another place and met with another American. He had a degree in architecture, another interest of mine, so I was talking with him about that. A good night all around.

-Dravis

Valencia - Day 113

Date: December 9th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Touched - VAST

I got u early and grabbed some breakfast. I was hoping to meet up with the walking tour, but I got lost and missed it. So I just walked around the old part of the city for a bit. Then I went back to the hostel for a bit and was chatting with Alex. He wanted to see the city as well so we set off to walk around the old town to the main park.

Valencia really is one of the most beautiful cities I have been to. There is the old gothic town with its narrow streets and little shops.

Beyond that is a park that must have been an old river. It is sunk below street level and there are a series of bridges crossing it. Some old stone bridges with starlings. Others are steel arch bridges painted white. So cars cross above, leaving the old riverbed for other activities. You can run, bike, play tennis or soccer. Or if you are more inclined to relax you can just walk or sit and watch the fountains. For kids there is even a giant Gulliver play toy to climb and slide on.

Closer to the ocean, the park leads to the City of Arts and Sciences. This is a series of modernist buildings built to house museums, and aquarium and the opera house. All of it surrounded by little pools. Most of the planning work was done by local architect Santiago Calatrava. Definitely spectacular looking. I couldn't help but think how many cities in Europe were divided between classical and modern buildings, Valencia had mixed the two with amazing results. It really is quite strikingly beautiful.

From there Alex and I kept wandering down to the harbor and the shore. Along the way stopping for the America's Cup museum. It was interesting, but a fairly quick place. We did also see what looked like part of a race track. By looking for things, such as planting boxes or sidewalks, that could be moved we got a good sense for how the track would go. It seems to head right through the heart of the harbor. I don't know what the race was for though. Cars or motorcycles.

Valencia also has lots of nice sandy beaches. There is also a boardwalk with cafes and hotels lining it. During the summer they must just be packed with people. When we were there the beach was basically empty. No one was swimming. Only a few people actually were out strolling along the boardwalk.

Around dinner time, which is pretty late in Spain, Alex and I headed out to get some Paella. A dish apparently invented in Valencia. It was quite good, but fairly expensive. I would have preferred meat off the bones as well. I don't mind if I am eating just chicken, but in something, it just makes a much more pleasant experience to remove the meat from the bones. I hate having to pull the chicken out, remove the meat, throw the bones away, then go back to eating. Still, it was tasty and quite filling.

-Dravis

Orpesa to Valencia - Day 112

Date: December 8th, 2009
Distance: 114km
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: I Don't Even Know Myself - The Who

I got up early and had breakfast while watching the sun rise over the Mediterranean. At least as much as I could through the clouds. I was hoping for a bit of sun to dry out my tent, but that never happened. Oh well. Tim wasn't feeling good and was going to stay until he felt better. For me, I knew I was on a schedule. I bid told him to feel better and took off.

Most of the day's riding was great. I was on the highway and it was easy with a wide shoulder. I was making great time as well. Really pushing myself along. But about 20 kilometers from Valencia outside of the town of Segunt, the road becomes and Autovia, a freeway. I spent the next three hours and about 40 kilometers trying to get into Valencia. I made it but it was awful. At first I tried to follow the sea. Which worked for a bit, but then the highway turned into an industrial area. The road eventually turned into a dirt road and then a vacant lot. I did see a highway, but it was on the other side of a giant water pipe. So I had to throw my stuff and my bike over that to keep going. The path from this point zig-zagged between the sea and the freeway. Finally I found a path along the sea, but this was the worst road I have yet been on. A rutted and rocky path. I couldn't go fast because I was afraid that I was going to bend a rim.

I was quite happy to finally make it to town and check into the hostel. It was going to be a pretty easy night. I made some dinner in the kitchen then did some laundry. Exciting.

But after that I was talking with some of the girls in my room and they said to try the pub crawl. It was a fun (if late) evening and a good way to meet people. So I decided to go. I had a good time, but it was kind of quiet. There were only five people from a couple of hostels going. Me, and aussie kid named Alex, a girl from the states and a Finnish couple. The places we went were also kind of dead too. I guess it was the first day after a three day weekend, so most people were partied out. Things got more exciting, in a bad way, at one of the places when someone walked off with the A girl's purse. So that put a downer on the whole evening. At least I got some good pizza out of it.

-Dravis

Amposta to Orpesa - Day 111

Date: December 7th, 2009
Distance: 108km
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Conscience Clean (I Went to Spain) - The Pernice Brothers

I woke up and Tim and I bid farewell to Paul and Eliska. Brox was even sad to see us go. I think he had really taken a liking to Tim and I. Tim wasn't feeling all that great though. So we made quick stop at a pharmacy so he could get some medicine.

I was leading most of the day, and tried not to push to hard. Still Tim didn't seem to have any problems keeping up. Just before sunset we pulled off the road and found a nature preserve. We me a couple from Switzerland there. They were taking a few months to drive their van from Switzerland to Morocco. A really nice couple.

Tim and I found a spot and pitched our tents just a stones throw away from the sea. The sunset was spectacular. After a quick dinner I decided to turn in and get some sleep.

-Dravis

Calafell to Amposta - Day 110

Date: December 6th, 2009
Distance: 111km
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: One Chance - Modest Mouse

I woke up to the sound of gunfire. Not really the most pleasant way to be awakened. In my tent I couldn't really tell where it was coming from. I got dressed and out of my tent really fast. There were a couple of hunters and a few dogs standing around. They didn't seem to mind that Tim and I were camping there. Still I didn't want them to accidentally shoot at us. So I waited until they left before finally packing everything in. I wasn't sure what they were hunting either, birds or rabbits maybe. I was happy to get back on the road.

Tim and I made good time throughout the day. It is amazing how fast you can go with someone else. I don't think it is all about drafting off them either. I think mentally it feels easier to really push yourself along with someone else there.

That evening we were looking for somewhere to stay when I spotted a couple of bikes piled high with stuff just off the road. We stopped to say hello. It turns out the bikes belonged to a couple from the Czech Republic, Paul and Elishka. They, along with their dog Brox, were going to a "Christian anarchist" commune in Portugal. Tim (who works as a bike mechanic) was even able to do a little bit to fix up Paul's bike.

So we hung out with them that evening. It was interesting, and boy they really put me to shame on how cheap they were getting through the world. I guess they had left with only 300 euro. Paul even found his bike in the trash or "container" as he called it. They would also go to supermarkets and look through their trash bins to find food. As Paul said "We find all the food in Container." Of course there were some sacrifices for their lifestyle. Like they didn't really have a tent. just tarps. Also, they had a stove that originally ran on alcohol, but that was too expensive. So it now ran on sticks. When they offered us some tea it took about an hour and a half to heat up the water. After that I understood why they were only making 25km a day. Still it was cool to meet other cyclists.

-Dravis

Barcelona to Calafell - Day 109

Date: December 5th, 2009
Distance: 76km
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Ramble On - Led Zeppelin

Got a late start on the day. Mostly this was my fault. I spent a while having a huge breakfast and checking a couple of things on the internet before I left. Tim was also going to come along with me down to Valencia. I had one other stop in town though. I needed to get some folding tires for my journey through Africa. My slick tires are working for now, but I know that at some point a) they are going to wear out and b) I am going to run out of paved road. So I wanted something a little wider and that would work well on and off road. There was a bike shop in town that had stuff and I ended up picking up two new tires. I strapped them on top of my front panniers and we were off and running.

Still, it was after noon by that point. So we knew were weren't going to get far. We stopped for food just before sunset. Then found a place in an overgrown olive grove to camp.

-Dravis

Barcelona - Day 108

Date: December 4th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Barcelona - Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé

After breakfast, I wanted to check out some of the Gaudi buildings in the city. I really hadn't heard much about him before I got to the city. His work is great though, mixing a modern style with naturalistic forms. Neat stuff, and I wanted to see it. (If you haven't figured it out already I am interested in architecture.) Tim was game to wander about the city as well so we took off.

The first place we saw was the Casa Batllo. I think this was my favorite of his works. The others were cool, but this one is something special. The structure, really the facade, looks like trees or bones. So there is a very natural feeling to it. The windows were in flowing shapes as well. So the frames were curved in interesting ways. I liked it a lot.

The next place was the Casa Mila. I guess this was also known as "the quarry" as it wasn't very well liked. It wasn't bad, but not quite as good as the Casa Batllo. Still it was neat. And I wouldn't say no if someone offered me a place there. Also, I wish I had gone inside. The courtyard is supposed to pretty amazing.

After that we went was the Parc Guell. It wasn't the easiest place to find, but we did get there in the end. The best way I could describe the park is as if Dr. Suess' drawings were made reality. It has this whimsical nature in the buildings and terraces. They just seem to flow. Cool stuff. Also, you just can't beat the view over the city.

From there Tim and I headed to the Sagrada Familia, Guadi's unfinished masterpiece. The one he was working on when he died. And guess what, it still isn't finished. Check back in 2026. Though I guess they are thinking of opening up a portion of it to tourists next year. When you first look at it, the church appears to be in the gothic or neo-gothic style. But once you get up close you see that it lacks all the vertical lines you would expect. Plus the towers are round and not square. The arches instead of being the classic pointed arch are now sections of parabolic curves. It is clearly from a designer who has a much more nuanced view than: higher is closer to God. Because of these curves and more natural forms it is probably one of the most unique and interesting churches in Europe.

With our little tour done for the day, Tim and I headed back to the hostel. When we arrived a bunch of people were getting ready to go to lunch and then a tour of Montjuic. Tim had other stuff to do, but I wanted to go. The place we went was pretty neat. Three course meal of starter, main and desert. I couldn't tell you what style it was though. It had a catalan influince, but the style of food was from all over Europe. I even ended up randomly sitting at the table with three girls from Seattle.

From there we got a guided tour of Montjuic, including the Olympic park. I didn't realize that Barcelona had wanted the Olypics for 60 years, and had actually built many of the structures in the 20's to accomodate it. But for various reasons (Spanish Civil War, etc.) it never happend. At least until 1992, when many of the buildings were refurbished.

Then it was off to watch the Magic Fountain. Don't miss this one. It is music with a water fountain going off in rythum. There ware also colored lights. It happens every night, and the best part is that it is free. So if you find yourself in Barcelona, gather some people, grab a spot on the grass and just watch the show. You won't be dissapointed.

After that, the rest of the night was pretty calm. I spent it mostly at the hostel hanging out with people there.

-Dravis

Barcelona - Day 107

Date: December 3rd, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: That's All - Genesis

Woke up and had breakfast. More free food. Really, everyone should know by now if there is free food involved I am there. There wasn't an amazing spread, but lots of bread, butter and jam. I can dig it.

Then I headed out on the walking tour of the old gothic center of the city. If you are staying at a hostel, and they have one, I recommend it. It gives you a good grounding for what the city is like. Plus you can usually get a good idea of where stuff is and how to get around the city. Oh, and like this one did, they usually end up at a good place to grab some lunch. More food, I know.

In the afternoon I wandered around the city for a bit. More Victorian style architecture. You get very used to that in the cities in Europe. Back at the hostel I met up with Tim again. We decided to hit the tapas dinner the hostel puts on. This turned out to be a blast. The food was really great. It included a bunch of stuff I don't think I would have tried on my own. Like fried sardines. But it was all really good.

After that, back at the hostel nothing was happening. The city really doesn't get going until after midnight anyway. I felt like taking a little nap, which turned out to be a bad idea. That was the end of my night. I guess I was a bit more tired from the night before than I expected.

-Dravis

Palafrugell to Barcelona - Day 106

Date: December 2nd, 2009
Distance: 142km
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: Overdrive - Foo Fighters

I woke up to the sunrise over the Mediterranean. Really cool. Scarfed down some breakfast and pulled down the tent. Tim and I were ready to by around 9:00. I have learned to count anything before 10:00 AM as a bonus. We would need it if we wanted to make Barcelona by dark.

The morning had us riding through a few beach towns. They were mostly dead and frankly a bit boring to ride through.

By midday we were riding along some of the most beautiful coastline I have been on. Bluffs covered in trees with cliffs right down the the ocean. Plus, unlike the rocky parts of the French or Italian coastline, the road was fairly flat. Sure it did go up and down some, but not the steep accents and rapid descents of the previous two countries. The sun shining made it all amazing. I couldn't help but think that it was another day in paradise.

Tim said that some of the Swiss bike racing teams would train there, and I could see why. If you get a chance I would recommend biking along the coast of Spain near Giverola.

By the afternoon though the terrain had flattened out, which meant more developed shorelines. Still we were cruising along and making good time. We did get to Barcelona before sunset. Even found the hostel pretty easy and got all checked in.

I grabbed a shower and then Tim and I headed out to find something to eat. We ended up at this small place having some tapas. Mmmm. Then it was back to the hostel for their free dinner. Free dinner? You know I am there.

After that Tim and I were still a bit bored so we headed out again. I think we were both a bit tired, but didn't really want to call it a night just yet. Just wandering around we found an Irish bar. They were playing the Man City vs. Arsenal game. I was thinking about going when a bunch of other travelers showed up. Two of the guys were from Mexico and introduced themselves as "Nacho" and "Chicken". (Not pollo though.) There was also a girl from South Africa named Polly. I ended up talking with her for a bit. She gave me the same impression that I have gotten from most of the South Africans. It is a beautiful country, but don't bike through it unless you have a guide.

We ended up going to a few other places. What was going to be an early night turned into a late evening. Still, it was quite a blast. I didn't get back until 3:00 AM. Woo-hoo!

-Dravis

Colera to Palafrugell - Day 105

Date: December 1st, 2009
Distance: 81km
Country: Spain
Song of the Day: A Man is a Man - The Who

It has been a pretty good day. When I got up, the guy running the place I stayed at had made me a couple of sandwiches. That was very cool.

Getting onto the road I had more wind. More often than not it was a tail wind. Being pushed up a steep coastal road is great. That said, getting a straight road along the coast in almost impossible. Plus the wind was coming in gusts. So coming around some corners would get exciting. I literally got blown off the road at one point by a strong gust and ended up in a ditch.

I was again assaulted by wind in Vilajuiga. I was going around a roundabout just outside the city. The cross wind was so strong I was pushed around and into the bushes on the far side. The wind has also picked up some dust and was stinging my back. All I could do was close my eyes and push my bike back to the protection of the buildings. I decided that it would be a good time for lunch.

After Mazra the area flattens out a bit. Straigt(er) roads and a good tail wind. Fantastic. I spent a lot of the time using my body as a sail. Was making great time.

I ended up going through some little town, I think it was Castello d'Empunes, and meet with another guy who was on a bike tour. His name was Tim, and he was from Switzerland. Since he was also heading down to Barcelona we decided to ride together. It was nice to have a partner in crime, as it were.

Just before sunset we started looking for a place to camp. Tim was really good at finding a place to stay. It did take a little while and a couple of false starts, but we did end up at a place in the woods with a great view of the sea. The two of us talked for a little while as we cooked dinner. After that we headed to bed.

-Dravis