April 13, 2014

Another bright day, another road to cycle. First things first though – hand in the handbag to the local police. We cycle back into the town centre to find the town hall – that is where local police are stationed in Spain. We find it at the top of a steep hill, but what we have forgotten is that it is Sunday and so there is nobody there. We’re already two villages away from where we found the bag, but there is nothing we can do but take it onwards with us even though it going to end up a long way from home. We turn around and set off on our way along another undulating road looking across a big expanse of valley totally obscured by the foggy discharge from an olive processing mill. It is not really pollution as such but steam used in the separation process. It has a very characteristic pong which we have come to know and love.

We’re feeling at one with the world, happy to amble along in the sunshine.  Today is the first day of the celebrations for Easter – Semana Santa.  This week running up to Easter Sunday is a big deal in the Spanish cultural calendar.  Every town and village will be putting on a procession during the week and in big cities there are processions nearly every day for the week – those held in Sevilla and Malaga are the most famous.  The town we are heading for today has a very old, historic centre where we suspect there will be numerous visitors.  We may have problems finding a bed for the night – again. 

We stop on route late in the afternoon for a quick snack in a very small village.  The bar has dozens of tables and chairs spilling out all over the street with seemingly everybody from the village sitting out chatting in the sun – a real contrast with the absolute quiet of the countryside.   Just as we’re leaving to cycle the last 30 kilometres or so a Guardia Civil car comes towards us – the first we have seen all day.  I hand over the handbag and answer all the usual questions about the trip – where are we going?  where did we start from?  how long will it take?  how heavy are the bikes?  how many kilometres do we cycle in a day?  Two very friendly guys.  They pass us later on as we pedal along the road to Villanueva de Los Infantes, they toot and wave.

When we arrive in Villanueva de Los Infantes, the Plaza Mayor is absolutely heaving with people.  We see a sign for a hotel pointing down one of the streets off the Plaza.  The hotel looks beautiful from the outside and turns to be even more so on the inside.  Luxurious accommodation is becoming a theme on this trip – why exactly are we carrying a tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, stove and pots and pans?  Actually, we love to camp and will do so whenever there is an opportunity but rural Spain is very short on camp-sites.  Those will come later, we hope, in Holland and Germany.

We are very fortunate to get the last vacant room.  It has a balcony overlooking the street where we get the perfect view of the procession later on in the evening.   Ken watches Moto GP on the television until 10pm and then we go out for dinner – the night is young.