View from the Pillion - Enroute to Figueres

We’re up early; packed and loaded - it’s remarkable how much we’ve crammed into the bags. I used a combination of rolling and scrunching to make the most of every square centimeter of space. At the last minute we find a handy extra storage space for a water bottle.

There is heavy morning rush hour traffic as we leave the lovely city of Barcelona, with its iconic buildings and people-friendly public spaces - but we'll be back. Peter has mapped our route for the eight day ride using the Best Bike Roads website as a guide and his own Google map choices to link together a route that will take us first to Figueres in the north and then west through the Pyrenees as far as Vitoria, a small city in Basque country just an hour from Pamplona (as the highway runs) before heading back through Huesca to Barcelona. I have chosen sites that I think are worth visiting and we have booked overnight accommodation ahead of time, mostly using bookings.com.

Click on the link for GoPro video of part one of our first day's ride  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMlOgc6x9JM

Our first destination is Figueres which I have chosen because of the Salvador Dali Museum. But we are not going the direct route. Peter has prepared me so that I know there are three separate sections of winding roads that will take us over mountains to the coast and back inland. This day is supposed to be one of the more challenging roads with continuous tight turns. Once out of the busy city traffic, our journey starts at high speed on the highway to get us out of town. Although I am not a fan of highways on a bike, this one is nothing like the congested roads around Toronto; traffic is light and drivers are courteous. We have to negotiate the system at the of toll booths, which is not clear to the non-Spanish speaking customers. However, the guardians of the toll as helpful and I keep a credit card handy in my jacket pocket to make it easier.

Soon we are off the highway and into the wooded hillside and leaning into the switchbacks and then climbing higher up and over mountains and zooming along with the ocean a vertical drop below. That is my blurred impression of the first part of the ride. As a passenger, there is a lot of time to think. At first however, I concentrate on getting the feel of the bike; making sure I am paying attention to the road, working in tandem with, Peter so that we are in sync;  smooth and safe in the corners. Being a passenger is not a passive role on roads like these. I haven’t had time yet to worry about what could go wrong – but to be quite candid, that was on my mind a lot before we left. Now here we are curving corners on a continuous series of twisties. Putting my deep seated nervousness aside, I just let myself go with the moment and we get into a groove, working as a team.
There are no photos of the journey. We only stop for a drink, bathroom break and to change the GoPro camera position. The views are stunning, but I can’t let my glance linger too long – I get a queasy feeling at the length of the drop and keep my eyes mostly on the road and the warning signs for corners ahead. When I do look down and see the curve of a bay and white caps on the ocean a mile below us, I have to stop myself from saying to Peter “Wow, look at that!” Last thing I want is for him to be distracted by the view.
The feeling of riding these roads is well captured part two of our day's ride. video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ozl7dr7yi4

By the time we reach Figueres we decide it's too much of a rush to do justice to the Dali museum before closing. The Hotel Trave is a bit out of town, but it has free, monitored parking, comfortable rooms and a swimming pool. The water is icy cold, but Peter dives in, much to the amusement of several other guests. It’s only a ten minute walk into town. After a beer and some gourmet tapas beside La Rambla we do a slow exploration of the town and join the locals in relaxing and watching the world go by. It’s a nice, easy-paced town. We like that the local seem to use the wide avenue of La Rambla as a communal living room, sitting, walking, talking, children playing until some silent signal goes off and gradually they drift off to dinner, to home, to their private lives.

Well, first day's safely over. That wasn't too bad and it's one of the longest and most challenging on the itinerary, right? I go to sleep to the cheerful sounds of late night socializing in the bar below our window.