Valencia, Las Fallas festival

After a break day at la casita verde, enjoying the last day of the local festival and my secret rustic paradise on the outskirts of town, I pack up my things and head on south to Valencia. 

I find my very first EuroVelo 8 sign on the outskirts of Castellon; an omen of more cycling infrastructure and more peaceful roads. 

I even have a sort of tail wind for most if today's journey and 95km is a breeze. Approaching Valencia from approximately 30km, the cycle path is one of the best seen in my journeys throughout Europe. The fact that the sun is shining is definitely a plus. 

The festival of Las Fallas starts on 1st March and will reach it ls noisy conclusion on the 20th. Half the streets in the city are blocked off for traffic. The cycling in Valencia reminds me of Barcelona, in that they have definitely made an effort to add bike infrastructure, but there is no consistency and it seems all too hectic at times. The cyclists tend to be students and teenagers, and I did not see any children cycling, nor would i recommend they bike in a city with so much car traffic. 

La casita verde, Castellón del plana

Battling the normal south westerly wind all day, it's a gruelling day on the saddle, especially as I plan to do more than 100km today. Instead of taking the more circuitous and hilly coastal path, I use my shortcut of taking the secondary road 340 which stretches 1200km around the coast. Progress is slow, the scenery pretty dull, but my praise to the drivers here, who are patient and nearly always give more than 2 metres distance. 

Audiobooks accompany me on these bike treks and this time is no different. Rosamund Pike reading The Wheel of Time, staves away the boredom of these featureless roads. 

I see only two bike adventurers heading in the opposite direction today, although rumour has it that 200+ use the eurovelo 8 in summertime. I guess the eurovelo 8 only sometimes use these more car centric roads and more could probably be met on quieter roads. 

Luckily I have a little cabin of paradise at the end of today's journey, la casita verde (the small green house). 

Amposta

After a slow and relaxed breakfast, I head toward Amposta, my destination approximately 80km down the coast. I have been told that since last year all the motorways no longer charge fees. A welcome consequence of this is that the very direct secondary roads are pretty deserted. Progress would be swift if I did not have a stiff headwind the whole day. Having found no host this evening means that there is no time pressure and I can choose how many kilometres I want to achieve today. 

After about 90km, nearing sunset, I find a nice quiet spot in an olive grove to go stealth/ wild camping. 

Costa daurada to Cambrils

A very enjoyable and memorable bike ride from the suburbs of Barcelona to Cambrils, on the Costa Daurada. 

I am following Eurovelo 8, which follows the Spanish coast all the way to Cadiz, near Portugal.  I am using Komoot app and have downloaded the eurovelo 8 gpx route. This means I can get the app to tell me turn-by-turn directionsthrough my earphones, so that I do not constantly have to have the phone open in front of me. 

At midday, I stop for a few minutes and Adam, a french bike tourer, pulls up alongside me and initiates a conversation. We ride together until Tarragona, where he finds a hostel. He plans to ride to Morocco along the coast road from his home in southern France. The roads are mostly dedicated bike lanes along sandy beaches, so we can chat while ride. The weather is perfect for biking (20C) and we have a bit of a headwind today. 

We exchange contact details and hopefully get to ride some more of the coast together in the coming days. 

Barcelona, a city of two halves

After the epic 34 hour bus journey, I arrive in Barcelona and head to my first host on the road. Sjaak, originally from Holland, has been using various hospitality sites for 20 years and is interested in how I dare/ fare on my bike on sometimes overcrowded Spanish roads. We hang out for the day, conversation ranging from acclimatising to a new culture, to our experiences and opinions on Couchsurfing, and the now preferred BeWelcome platforms. We meander the neighborhood and I get to see Camp Nou, Barcelona's football club's stadium, currently undergoing renovation and the impact of unseasonably dry conditions - Barcelona has decreed a water shortage emergency and it is barely springtime here. It is early March and the daytime temperature is approx 20C, dipping down to approx 8C at night - luckily I have brought my alpine sleeping bag for any wild camping occasions. Also as I head south and spring progresses, the temperatures should become even more comfortable for daytime biking and nighttime camping. Later in the evening we have a beer and patatas bravas outside on a nearby piazza. 

The next day after coffee al fresco in a stunning cafe courtyard, I hit some touristy spots on my bike - the beach (too cold to swim), Sagrada Familia (Gaudi designed cathedral: beautiful architecture but no obvious progress since 2001) and Park Güell (Gaudi park, overlooking the city).

 Sjaak has warned me that cycling can sometimes be precarious and the bike infrastructure inconsistent and confusing, and boy, was he right. At least they made an effort on some roads more downtown, but cycle lanes in the middle of the road are a weird choice and sometimes the cycle lanes shift to the other side of the road or simply stop abruptly. There is no real consistency, and as a foreigner, it is difficult to navigate quickly and safely. 

Another lively evening on a nearby piazza with Sjaak, we amble through his district and then retire home.