Setting out
on foot I walked the old town area, visiting the Cathedral, the town wall, then
crossed the river that split the town via one bridge then back again via
another, viewing and photographing the colourful buildings perched on the river
edge.
Day light
hours are now fewer during the winter months so it was a late start after the 7.50
am sun rise. I refuelled before moving on and reality of the cost of living in
Spain set in with petrol being quite expensive, apart from Turkey I think
refuelling the bike here was the most expensive I have encountered on my
travels.
It was an uneventful
five (5) hour ride to Castella de la Plana where while walking through a
shopping mall I noticed that it was not only petrol that is expensive in Spain,
clothing including Levi’s jeans for example are very expensive and I will now also
have to for-go my occasional summer treat of a Magnum ice cream not only
because of the cooler weather but because they too are expensive, I am very pleased
to see my other favourite treat which can be enjoyed year round, Lindt Lindor
chocolate balls are cheap.
Next stop on
my ride down the east coast of Spain was Cartagena, and after a five (5) hour
365 kilometre ride that had me passing through numerous orange growing orchids
I reached the pleasant sea side port city. During the days ride I became aware
that the road felt a safer place to be riding a motorcycle, vehicle drivers
allowed plenty of room when passing, stopped for pedestrians at crossings and
appear to be more polite on the road.
Cartagena is home to one of Spain’s major Naval
bases and knowing Spain has one of the oldest Naval forces in the world and
several major historic achievements in navigation including voyages of
Christopher Columbus and the first global circumnavigation by Magellan and
Elcano I really enjoyed a visit to the Cartagena Naval Museum, home to many
scale models of the Spanish ship fleet and other historic maritime items.
I planned an
extended stay and a break off the bike for a while so one more five (5) hour
340 kilometre ride day had me at the Andalusian coast sea side town of Nerja
where I settled into an apartment for about a seven week holiday over which
time I would see out the northern hemisphere winter before moving on to Morocco
then back into Spain, Portugal, France, the UK and beyond.
Nerja is a
great little town situated in southern Spain with sea to the south and a snow
capped mountain range to the north. Nerja is a very popular holiday destination
for northern Europeans but my stay was out of season and very quiet. I spent my
days walking through the town centre, and the paths along the beach side. There
are people swimming in the ocean and sunning themselves while laid on the beach
but it is way too cold for me to contemplate a swim with the day time
temperature maxing at about 16 degrees.
Nerja has
several Spanish language schools so I front up for two (2) weeks of intensive
Spanish lessons, the teachers are entertaining and very experienced making the
classes enjoyable but it is a hard slog learning a new language, definitely a
long term proposition for me to become fluent in a second language. My fellow
students are all lovely ladies from several parts of Europe holidaying in Spain,
several whom already speak English as a second language, Yvonne from Sweden,
Anne from Scotland, Stephanie from Ireland, Lene from Denmark, Monika and
Renata from Switzerland, all are good fun and make my learning experience
enjoyable.
My seven (7)
weeks in Nerja passed quickly, I researched Morocco and planned my travels for
the next month or two and beyond, readying myself to move on, I cleaned and
repack all my tools, parts, odds and end in my panniers and I was rested and
ready for new destinations, experiences and more riding. Unfortunately it was
not to be, two (2) mornings before my schedule departure as I rose out of bed I
felt a twinge in my lower back that proved to be more than the easily manipulated
back into place pinched nerve I have experience about once every couple of
years over the past twenty (20) years of my life. During the next three (3) extra
weeks I spent in Nerja I was not moving freely, I could not bend over enough to
put on my socks and boots, I walked slowly around town in thongs (flip flop)
foot wear in the cold. I had many visits to a physiotherapist, had an MRI of my
spine and consulted a specialist doctor for the results, to be told I had a
bulging disc that required rest and rehabilitation or risk herniation and the
prospect of surgery. With my Schengen Zone visa fast running out there was only
one option left, end my adventure and return home.
So I am now back in Australia, rested and
rehabilitated for a second time because after a couple of weeks of being home I
thought I had recovered, jumped on a motorcycle and rode several hundred
kilometres for a long weekend away only to be totally seized up again, barely
able to walk and unable to ride home, having to leave the motorcycle at the destination
and return home by alternative means in discomfort for more physiotherapy. I
have now settled into full time work and reflect back on my travels over the past
eighteen (18) months or so extremely happy to have been able to undertake such
a fantastic travel experience. It was a great adventure, the people, the
countries, the sights, the mountains, the coastal seas and waterways, the buildings
and architecture, the experiences, all truly wonderful. While this adventure
has ended, I am working hard on my fitness and will ease back into riding my
motorcycle with short rides, building to longer rides in the hope that one day I
will ride off again to complete what I set out to see and do. For now though
the memories are fresh in my mind and bring a smile to my face every time one of
my experiences jumps into my thoughts.
