Changes

Sunday – Salamanca to Mérida

True to form I woke to brass monkey weather, a decent layer of frost on the bike seat made me in no rush to hit the (thankfully) dry roads. After a leisurely loading up of Reg, my first stop was down to the local garage to give him his first wash since leaving Carlisle. Once done and refuelled it was now a respectable 3C, but remained pretty much the same for the next 50 miles.

Crossing south from the high plains of Castilla y León into the province of Extremadura was like entering a different land. From the bleak and sometimes mountainous northern landscapes, by contrast, the more southerly one seemed to wrap its green hills around you as the sweeping road descended and the temperature rose. By the time I was half way to the famous Roman town of Mérida, I was able to peel off my outer layer of protective clothing for the first time, and ride the remaining 85 miles in just my leather jacket and jeans. 

After 900 miles on the road I’d finally reached insect splattering weather. 

Arriving at the first petrol station in town with the usual measly few miles of fuel left in the tank, the temperature gauge was showing 19.5c, ‘what a difference a day makes’, and filled me with hope that from now on I should be in proper biking weather, until I return to northern Europe.

After parking Reg in the secure garage, with his own designated parking space, it would have been good to have a customary siesta, however the weather and some sightseeing called. My choice of attire was t shirt and jeans, but although I blended in with the locals a little better, I would actually have felt a lot more comfortable had I gone for shorts! It takes a while for us north Europeans to adapt to these comforting temperatures.

Mérida was founded by the Romans in the first century B.C. and photos I’d seen of its ancient remains made it a ‘must see’, and a perfect place as a stopover. What enhanced my stay further was the apartment I rented, huge, top quality, immaculately clean with secure parking for the unbelievable price of €45, that worked out at just 38.82 of ye olde English pounds! The best value for money accommodation I have stayed in, ever!

Monday – Mérida to Trigueros

As I activated the powered garage door to reveal a cloudless blue sky it had all the makings of ‘Thunderbirds are go’! I fired up the 2.5 litre engine and rode out into the bright sunshine, this is what I travelled a thousand miles to do – ‘It’s a new day, it’s a new dawn and (yes) I’m feeling (bloody) good’!

After a quick visit to the Roman aqueduct, where I got some really good shots of some other ‘big birds’, I headed straight down the motorway to Zafra, before taking a lovely sweeping ‘A’ class road for the final leg to Trigueros. 

Another immaculately clean and first class place awaited me, who on earth is choosing these places? Give the man a rise! It’s smaller than the apartment but only £25 with breakfast. These value for money stopovers will help balance the books, as Tenerife is substantially more.

Tomorrow I take the short ride down to the ferry and will probably be incommunicado until at least Thursday, so you will all get some peace from my ramblings!