FRANCE until HOME
The last kilometres of "Atlantic to Baltic Sea"
11th October - 15th October | 2022
Today was a boring 400km ride to Lourdes. When I woke up this morning it was still raining, but as soon as I started to pack Schimmelchen, it stopped - wooohooo!
I arrived late afternoon in Lourdes, and OsmAnd send me over a closed bridge. OK, let's take google, which sends me first around a detour out of town, after tackling all the visitors and wheelchairs in the city centre. Back in town, google wanted to take me uphill on a forbidden-entry road. So I went back where I started, but turned in the other direction, and it was supposedly close by. After about 100m rolling back a one-way road, I finally got to the hotel! The owner explained then that the driving direction in the city centre is changing every 14 days! Sounds like fun for delivery drivers!
I was in the hotel, looking at the distance until home, thinking of taking forever tomorrow with all the other tourists, so I asked the hotel to stay another night. For that, I can have an early start the next morning to make kilometres to get home.
Then I got a message from Roger and simultaneous from my mother, that there is a shortage of petrol or even no petrol in some places in France. So I shall be lucky to get still fuel! Good that I topped up at lunchtime, so I should get over the Pyrenees into Spain.
There is always a reason for something - in my case changing my plans to speed up getting home!
On my way to the food market in the morning, I passed some Portuguese bikes, so I greeted the drivers. We started chatting as they are also from the Algarve - small world! As I am normally in my biking gear, I thought they know I am having a bike ;-) Only by mentioning that my bike is in the garage, they got the message - how can they know if I am in my normal clothes ;-) With that information, it turned out, that one of them knew me even from another ride some years ago. As we have a friend in common, he video called him: the expression on the face of our friend Eduardo was "sem palavras" :-D
They were doing the Transpirinaica - Boas curvas rapazes!
Wow, what an incredible place the cathedral (sanctuary) and its surroundings! I am glad that I took the day off riding to take my time here! The middle church was just breathtaking (for me!). If you are ever in the area, please visit Lourdes! It is worth it!
The next morning, I had an early start (after a really bad night of sleep!). I picked a nice curvy road up to Col d'Aubisque and then over Porthalet into Spain. As the weather was so good, it was just wow and I could stop after each curve to take pictures. With being in autumn it was a bit of Indian summer!
Once down on the Spanish side, I just headed over to the Zaragoza area, where I had an Airbnb with a lovely Spanish girl booked. Coming down the Pyrenees I got catapulted back into summer: nearly 30C at 18h00!
The next day it was just motorway; 600km all the way down to the Cacéres area. Again a lovely sunny day, starting at 14C in the morning and after lunch being back in the 30C summer heat! I must admit, I love the motorway stretch on the A2 down to Madrid as very curvy and has a beautiful panoramic view! So it doesn't get boring at all!
I must admit, I was glad I arrived after 600km as that was this trip the longest so far; especially my butt ;-) Tomorrow it will be only about 400km into my boy’s arms! I am now really looking forward to getting home! However, it feels now also like just-ride-back-home after any holiday trip.
The last day was easy riding through Spain down to Barragem de Alqueva, meaning I entered Portugal at Mourão. And there I had my first pastel de natas - para matar saudades! Yummy!! From there it was mainly boring straight roads (that is Alentejo for you!) until Ourique, where I had my first mini (beer) ;-)
The last kilometres from Messines until home I did offroad, as I do not know that part by street ;-)
At 17h00 on 15th October 2022, I was back at the trip's starting point! 31885km, 8 months and 18 or 19 countries later :-D
A full report and statistics will follow in a separate blog. Also, please feel free to email us any questions you have in relation to this trip via CONTACT, IG moto.momentum or FB moto-momentum.
Places | Cities:
FRANCE:
Chalus, Thiviers, Eauze, Lourdes, Col d'Aubisque.
SPAIN:
Porthalet, Zaragoza, Madrid, Cacéres.
PORTUGAL:
Mourão, Beja, Ourique, Messines, Algoz.
Driven km | Trip:
Total | Steffi: 31885 km
Maintenance | Breakdown:
./.
Health issues:
./.
Special thanks to:
Everybody meeting on the road made it an unforgettable time! Thank you so much for your time!
Everybody reading the blog, staying tuned on IG or FB! There will be more - so stay tuned!
The bikes running so well, especially Schimmelchen with so many kilometres within Europe!
Anabela for doing all the publishing work of the blog - without her, there wouldn’t be a blog!
James for staying at home the last 5 months, and letting me do that trip on my own!
Carol for looking after my little devil!
And all the others I have forgotten so far ...
YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! THANK YOU - OBRIGADA - DANKE - GRACIAS - MERCI :-D