View from the Pillion - Dali Museum & Seu d'Urgell

As the clock in the square strikes the half hour, at exactly 9:30 am, the doors to the Salvador Dali Museum swing open. We are almost at the front of the line of eager tourists. From the moment we enter the exhibit rooms, we are captured by the power of this somewhat crazy genius. Everything is laid out just the way Dali wanted viewers to experience his work. It is powerful, clever, funny, sometimes irreverent and very beautiful. I have been to the Salvador Dali Gallery in St Petersburg, Florida and that was a similarly awe-inspiring experience. We take our time. Photos are allowed, so as we explore the numerous gallery spaces, we click away, chuckle and gasp.

Time to pick up the bike in the main square and check out at the hotel so we can hit the road (not literally) for the day's ride.  

Our end destination for the day is the town of Seu D'Urgell, but it's a long and winding road to get there. It lies somewhere west in the mountains, chosen, not only for the scenic route, because it has a Parador and one of my criteria for the trip, is to sleep in comfort each night. I am not really getting the feeling this morning, but Peter is loving the roads and I wait for my head to get with the program. 

There are some quaint medieval towns en route, which cheer me up. I love the old stone buildings that crowd the roadside and pop up at unexpected turns.

We stop in Ripoll and decide to have lunch in the main square dominated by a large imposing church. It takes us a while to find parking. Unlike many other towns, we don’t find any motorcycles lining the streets, so we scout around until we find the tourist parking area, which has an information pillar, complete with map of the town and directions for hiking trails that lead off into the surrounding hills.  We wander beside the rushing river and back through narrow lanes and cobbled streets, to the square - carrying our gear, as we don’t feel comfortable leaving helmets and jackets with the bike.

After lunch we both feel more in tune with the bike and each other.There are lots and lots of linked turns but they feel smooth and I really enjoy this part of the ride. There are moments when it feels like a dance. The syncronized turn, turn, turn, lean, lean, lean - I sort of get the buzz that riders feel when it all comes together. An amazing set of twisties with just the right rhythm, on a hidden back road.

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaAoxDwRrgo

But... there is always a but...I do get tired and when we stop to change the GoPro position again I take a short walk and notice something odd. The sign says 3 km to Ripoll. Now, wasn't that where we had lunch? How can that be? We have been riding for an hour or more. Hmmm.

In Peter's words that was 30 minutes of continuous flowing sweepers run at a nice pace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oRgd3F5iz8
 

Back on the road to Seu D'Urgell, 80 km to go, it changes to mixed sweepers and some straights with only a few hairpins thrown in for good measure. This is more relaxing; scenic mix of sweepers and twisties ending our day in Seu d' Urgell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MRWwE10JY

By 6 pm we are checked into the very posh looking Parador Seu d' Urgell. For €8 we get covered parking in a gated lot across from the hotel. The room has all the comforts I could hope for, plus an indoor swimming pool. Ahhh. So refreshing after the day's ride.

Winding our way downhill, we find our way to the town centre and ramble along with tourists and locals  enjoying the pleasant, tree-lined walking avenue. The sidewalk cafes are tented and heated. We choose one at random and dine on delicious pizza, chocolate crepes all washed down with a jug of sangria; followed by the inevitable cortado coffee, which we have come to love.