Mull Island....

July 10, 2014
Loch Buie, Mull Island, Scotland

Slap! Ouch! Slap! Ouch! When it's not the midgies biting us, these large biting flies have found us! And they hurt!!! Midgies are tolerable, I'm finding. And only come out morning and evening. The biters are all day long whenever we stop. No protection on the bike.

This island has what they call single track roads...one car wide. And pull offs frequently on either side of the road. So it takes patience to drive and bike here. And planning. And give and take. I rather like it. We're respected and drivers are pulling off for US!!! What a change!!

Went to our first castle today. Duart Castle built by the MacLean clan in the 13th century. But more amazing was the restoration done about 100 years ago. The place was a crumbling rock shell and was fully restored to a residence for that time period.



Then later we opted to take an 8 mile road to a dead end at Loch Buie because a local we met last night said it was his favorite spot. It's beautiful with the steepest mountains surrounding us. But my favorite is this little store in an old tiny post office that runs on the honor system! They have drinks and cheeses and fruits and ice creams and frozen meats and jams and post cards and...and...and...and no one is there. There's a locked box to put your money in and a basket to make change from! The way it should be, hey?



So that's where we're camped tonight. With a family in a camper van from Switzerland. They roasted sausages from the shop over a camp fire. Fun to watch.

We are wandering and really taking our time now. It's a treat! We have plenty of food. Water runs off the mountains. And no place we have to be for a change. Idyllic!

July 11th
Zero day. Too beautiful here and everything we need: fresh mountain water and food at the "honesty shop", along with some hikes to do. We hiked to see a stone circle, but I don't know what one is. Perhaps from Celtic times. And we followed a dirt track for quite a ways along the shore. Sun. Must. Clouds. Sun again. Must be in Scotland!

And a nap! Great day! And Mull Island sausages and snap peas for dinner, bought at the little store and cooked over our Pocket Rocket. With mashed potatoes...yum! But those midgies are out tonight because there's no breeze to be felt, so early into our tents. Tomorrow we have to cycle back over the mountain that April pushed Wildfire over to get here. Never nice knowing what's coming:(




July 12, 2014
Heading to Fionnephort, Mull Island, Scotland

Rain! Rain! Rain! Heavy rain. Light rain. Mist. Constant mist. And even when it wasn't raining today we were wet from the rain and couldn't get dry. And it's been raining for the last four hours almost steadily. Had a challenging time finding any place to camp. There are no little roads off the main, single track road. No places running down to the shore. Just wall to wall ferns! When we did find a place that someone had mowed back, there would be a no camping sign, that it was a picnic area for a local inn. The last time we saw that, I decided "Tough!" These are desperate measures. So we rolled the bikes down onto the rocky shoreline and managed to get a tarp tied up between the rocks and the trikes. Shelter while we waited for a break to try and out up our tents. After we got our tents up while it was only misting, April says, "How high do you think the tide will come tonight?" Yikes! Well let's ponder this and watch from underneath our tarp. The grasses appear to be different at different levels. And there's seaweed on the rocks up only so high. I think it will be close, but I believe it won't reach our bikes or our tents...and it didn't.



So here I sit, damp clothes and socks and jackets all around me...my pants hanging suspended from loops in hopes of drying tonight...right! But a supper of Incredible Curried Chickpeas by Jamie Oliver, although I heated, was delightful. And munching crackers, cheese, cookies and chocolate because there's not much to do in a tent for hours on end:). Thank goodness I have a thick book with me! Ah, Scotland...if it's not the midgies, it's the rain...I'll take the midgies, please.

July 14th
Iona Island, Scotland

Yesterday we had the distinct pleasure of being photographed for the Scotland Field magazine with Tom..., a freshly knighted professor of history from the University of Edinburgh. We were stopped by the photographer as we cycled by an old mechanics garage with old gas pumps outside and asked if we wanted to be in the photograph. Why not? So he lined us up by the pumps with the knave behind us leaning on an odd tire jack, I think. Then he kissed our hands:). The photographer asked if he could also photo us on the road for a later issue about traveling Mull Island and got a picture of us coming down the road together. We had to do a do over because traffic got tied up behind us! Pics to follow if I get them!

This Iona Island is so quaint and we had a lovely day of touring yesterday. There's a ancient nunnery and abbey here. And just lovely rocky hills.







In an old cemetery I found my grandmother's name although the Katharyn isn't spelled the same.



Since wild camping is frowned upon here in the island, we decided to use the campsite...besides, it had hot showers and it had been over a week since we had one! Sweet spot we mowed grass to camp on and even a picnic table.
Rained during the night, but stopped this morning so we decided to break camp since we could tolerate the winds...besides our tents were dry. By the time we got packed and pedaled out to the road, the rain started. By the time we cycled the 1/2 kilometer to the ferry we were drenched. Now what to do. Go across to Mull in the rains and see what comes or go back to hot showers. We should never gave left, but sitting all day in a tent is pretty boring.

So here we are in a cafe with wifi, writing and posting blogs, charging our devices, and catching up on the news back home. Is the World Cup over?
It's not all fun and games touring the world. Sometimes you make a bad decision and have to figure out how to cope with it.

Livin' the life!

BagLady

Glencoe Valley to Oban to Mull Island

July 9, 2014
Craignure, Mull Island, Scotland

Doesn't seem like there's enough hours in the day. Since I'm not traveling alone, I don't have as much down time and get behind in my blogging and then feel like I can't find the time to catch up. Argh!

At the suggestion of a tourist who stopped by to chat one rainy day we took cover at the closed information office, we rode up through Glencoe Valley past a bunch of Munros. This guy named Munro mapped all the peaks in Scotland over 3000 ft and now those peaks are called Munros. This woman had just driven east on the road and said when she came through this particular section it was so stunning she drove back to drive through again. And she found that westward was even more beautiful. So at her suggestion away we went. And it was stunning!! And pictures won't capture it.





Then at the visitors center for this area April found out about a bike path that went south to Oban...that's where we get the ferry to Mull Island. Since we don't know what we're doing and the road conditions are stressing April out, we can take this. And it was delightful! Miles and miles down an undulating paved path along the loch edge! No cars! No stress! Pure pleasure. And when we'd already passed up one possible camping spot on the shore to find something better...and weren't, we got a bit nervous. Hadn't yet learned about "the right to roam" law. But we came upon this sea castle on a small island out in the water and asked a local if we could camp near the boat house and she explained that we're free to camp anywhere except in someone's front yard. The Scottish do not believe in trespassing laws because so many Brits owned so much land up here and the Scots wanted to be able to walk wherever they wanted. It's great! So we camped HERE:





And today we got down to Oban and caught the ferry over to Mull Island where we'll spend a week or so. "Hard telling, not knowing!"

But I can tell you we have another beautiful campsite tonight:)



Livin' the life!

BagLady

Sintra and Lisbon are Both Hilly!

June 28, 2014
Lisbon, Portugal



Ok, now I've cycled some hills in my lifetime, but nothing like we cycled the last few days! OMG!!! Steep, windy, narrow, trafficky...yup, 'bout sums it up!!!!! Poor April...I was killing her! But the cars and trucks and busses were so considerate of us grinding our little hearts out on the side of the road.

We got into Sintra and decided it just had too much to see that we needed to stay a night. Besides, it was getting quite populated and wild camping was going to be difficult. Sintra is really a suburb of Lisbon being only 20 miles away...and there's even a commuter train to there...but I get ahead io myself.

First we needed to find a hostel with room for our trikes. Not always an easy task. One popped up on Google Maps so over we went. Old building. Gigantic, old foyer. Third floor walk up to hostel:(. Back in 45 minutes, said the sign. Check online...booked a twin room for 30€ ($20 ea). Yes!

A quick tour of some of the historic district with houses hoping straight up the hillside, castles on the hilltop, palaces all around...and cars and busses and tourists everywhere...told us we needed to ditch these bikes. There's was no way we'd cycle up any street here and we'd clog traffic trying. Back to the hostel. Bikes could stay in foyer! I stashed my camping gear in a little used closet I found under the stairs. Not carrying all the stuff up 3 flights! Adorable hostel. Free breakfast included. Scored! Now to figure out what to see in a short afternoon. A tour guide mentioned the amazing gardens of Quinta de Regaleira and the hostel host said the Pena Palace way up on the hill was not to be missed. And there was a Hop On Hop Off bus you could get for 5€. I like that! Our legs were burnt from cycling into this hilly town. Nothing left to walk hills with..no!

The Pena Palace must have been what Disney modeled its palaces after:










And the view was amazing too!

But I forgot to mention the excitement on the bus going up there. The streets are very, very, very narrow with many blind curves. The driver breed around each one because he had to put the bus across the whole road to make the turns. What did we meet but a loaded Harley Davidson with a couple on it. They stopped just barely before hitting the bus, but the weight of the bike slowly tipped them over! They they are, the men off the bus, pushing it upright again! And then we all went merrily on our way, but the bike had a few bruises and the riders may have too. Whew!




On the way down to town center, we went to the gardens with caves and pools and waterfalls. Again, landscaped up this steep hillside with tennis courts, aquariums, and grottos galore! This is a staircase built into a cave.





The next day we had to get into Lisbon and my original plan was to bike in, but April came up with a better plan: train!!




And what a great idea it was...it let us off just over a kilometer from our hostel. Who knew that kilometer would take us an hour to do! Steep like I've never known! 15% grade or worse! I'd say. Then add cobblestones, and trolley tracks, and streets that are one car wide, and go in every possible direction...always UP! So lost! But rescued by some guys when our trike tires dropped into trolley tracks and we were blocking traffic!



And Johnie's Place, although it looked sketchy from the outside is adorable too and plenty of room for trikes!

Next we have to get ready for flying to London, so I need a box for my gear:



Livin' the life!

BagLady

Aveiro, Portugal

June 18, 2014
Somewhere south of Aveiro
We spent 2 days cycling from Coimbra to Aveiro. I let Google Maps "walking" set the route and it was just delightful. All back roads. And I mean BACK roads. Past gravel pits and through woods. Quite rough at times. And sandy. But nothing our mountain trikes couldn't handle.



And the small towns were sweet. Tiled houses. Lush vegetable gardens. Smiling faces.






I decided to make plans to stay with a Warmshowers host in Aveiro to meet locals and save money. (For those who don't know, there's a website called Warmshowers.org where touring cyclist can arrange to stay in the home of other cyclists...similar to Couch Surfing). Tiago answered my email and said he could put the 2 of us up and also had room for our trikes. Great!! His location was ideal! Walking distance from the center of town. His place was small and he lives with 2 roommates. Guys dorm room describes it! But sweeter guys they could not have been! We were able to store the bikes on the back patio. And April and I preferring to sleep outdoors and save Tiago having to clean his room chose to set up my double tent out there. Worked perfectly for us!
Loved the quaint town with its tiled houses everywhere and canal down the middle. Didn't get a chance to take a boat tour because it was soaring hot in the sun yesterday but it would have been fun.









Ovos moles: a light crispy outside filled with cooked sweetened egg yolk...yummy,





Livin' the life,
BagLady

Coimbra

June 15, 2015
Coimbra, Spain

I just found this older blog post that I guess I never posted online...oops! There may be more. Oh well, I hope they are still interesting reads.

Can you see I'm getting caught up on my journals. Unlike many bloggers, I have no rhyme, reason, or format to how, when, or what I write. Tis what it is. It's only for me. You just get to read it:)

Sleep deprived was understated. Three nights of disturbed sleep in a row:
1) dogs barking
2) train
3) partying outside my window

Got my fingers crossed for tonight, but they're already blasting the WC games in the square across the way. Can't open the room window because it's so so loud.

So I need to continue my story of getting to Coimbra (pronounced coh-eem-bra, accenting the eem).

The asst conductor awakes us (I was already awake...and so was April when I had to pound on the sleeper door after locking myself out to go to the WC - water closet). Time was confusing because of an hour time change and the train was 40 minutes late (probably due to us when we got on:)). And he wasn't sure what side if the train we de parsed from. And he wanted all if our gear staged for a quick exit. Then he told me to follow him. He had said the conductor was going to help me unload my bike. So we're walking through car after car until we get to the engine room. He's looking and looking. But I didn't know what for. The conductor? Then he looks worried. He can't find my bike. I try to tell him it wasn't in this direction. It was a couple of cars in front of ours. So back we go. We get to where my bike was put and the first thing I notice is it's on the other side from where I placed it. Now I'm worried that it tumbled there. But no. It was moved. Moved so we could open the door to deboard. The conductor joins me and we wait with the door open for the train up stop. Feeling a bit like a hobo riding the rails at this point:). We get the bike down. Mr Asst Conductor and April unload everything else. And the train departs. Hope we got it all! Here we are in the dark (6am) and the fog on a train platform in another country with no phone (read Google Maps) and no idea which way to go to town. Hadn't done my usual prep work. Stupid me. We start riding towards town but the signs appear to lead to highways. That's not what we want. And there are curbs. Hard to get off this road. I saw a bar open on a side street so decided I needed to ask someone. Do they even speak English here? Will I understand enough? Gotta get help so in I go. Does anyone in here speak English? Blank faces. Might as well tell my story and see the response. So I do. Then one guy confesses that he does, a little. I smile. A little is all I need! And usually it's more than they realize. So with him drawing me maps and explaining the hills of the village and getting our hostel address on his smart phone we're all set! Then as we're pedaling away April spots a map of Coimbra on the medium and we go take pictures for future reference. Invaluable once we got into the bowels of this beautiful, worn but elegant, and HILLY city. I must say April has done a great job of staying up with me when I'm trying to figure out where we're going and turning this way and that. Kudos to her. It can't be easy.

We found our beautiful hostel but it was only 7:30 am and check in wasn't until 2. Several people helped or talked to us this morning. And all apologized for being drunk. (The bars stay open all night. ). But listening to their stories and accepting their help was a lesson in dropping judgements. The last guy told us to just ring the bell and put our stuff in the hostel. Mareese was able to check us in, provide storage for our bikes and gear, and give us maps and ideas of what to see and do.



That's the bikes stacked on their sides in a crawl space of an old stairway. Half the door was painted shut.

This is a major university town built on a steep hillside up from a river. The houses go right up the hill.



And the amount of English is so impressive. So much more than we experienced in Spain. And their accents are good too.

Yesterday the children of different neighborhoods were celebrating.



Livin' the life,

BagLady

Further Down the Coast of Portugal

June 25, 2014
Ericeira, Portugal
This losing things has got to stop. This morning I could not find my umbrella. Two critical items I have with me are my iPhone and my umbrella. I could not cycle in this heat without it. We both use them every day! So where is mine? And to lose it is serious because it's not easily replaced. Just any old umbrella won't do. It's a GoLite umbrella for the sun and rain. Lightweight. Reflective outer layer with black inner layer. Light to hold. Durable even if flipped inside out. And a loop to attach a carabiner to clip it to my flag pole. PERFECT! And now I've lost mine:(. The route off the peninsula sent us back near a place we had some struggles last night. Let's check there after calling the campground to see if I left it there. Nope...didn't do that. Oh there's a store. Better get a replacement something in case I don't find it, says April. Good idea. Heavy clunker but it will help. There's that spot where we tried to take a dirt road parallel to the highway...and didn't make it through and had to push our bikes out. I'm gonna walk down and see if perhaps...just perhaps...and YES! There she be! Waiting for me!!!

Last night's campsite was up in some pine trees a ways off the road. Still could see the street lights, though and hear the barking dogs. That's the sound of Portugal: barking dogs. Day and night. They are usually chained up. Get no exercise but barking. And they bark constantly. Every neighborhood has several. We hear them all day as we cycle by and all night wherever we camp. It's truly the sound of Portugal. No one seems to notice or care. No one ever tells the dogs to be quiet or takes them inside. And they bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and bark.... Are you annoyed yet? I am.



So today we continued down back roads, some paved, some not, but always through the cutest rural towns with people who break out in big grins as we cycle by and say "Bom dia!"



Today I decided we needed to eat a bit more Portuguese food. We eat often the food we bought at a grocery store but I want to sample what the locals eat. Soup is cheap so we get some cream fish soup. Quite tasty. We've learned not to eat all the different things they put on the table: bread, cheeses, pate, olives. It's not free. You will be charged for what you partake. The mini bar concept. Got costly the first time we ate out!

A while later after a very steep climb out of a river coastal valley we stopped at an overlook. I go for my phone. We've been using it for routes each day. No phone! Not in my fanny pack nor in my seat pocket. Not anywhere! Panic!!! Tears! Frustration! This losing stuff has got to stop. I'll be lost without my phone. Everything is on it! Where is it? I must have dropped it by the roadside. I'm sure I had it after the restaurant. It's only a couple of kilometers back. I don't want to ride it. Let me ask someone if they'll take me. You were at the same restaurant? Yes I remember you! Could you take me back? You'll call them? Ok. While he's on the phone I had an "aha" moment and pat my chest. I stuck it in my "breast pocket" to free up my hands quickly. It was in my sports bra under my shirt! If we all didn't have a good laugh over that! That man and his wife will tell that story over and over, for sure! Who else can lose an iPhone in her boobs????


Tonight we're sleeping in the sand near the mouth of a river. The campground in town was booked solid. A reggae festival this weekend. Sorry we'll miss it. We miss a lot by sleeping outside of towns. But at least we sleep!
That's the bamboo jungle outside my tent. Never slept in that before!

Livin' the life,
BagLady

Pictures, I hope

Livin' the life!

BagLady

Coast of Portugal

June 20, 2014
North of S. Pedro de Moel

We've been wandering our way southward through the sweetest rural villages and coastal towns camping near the beaches. The coast is not built up like in the States. Just a few beach towns with condos. I'm sure it gets worse the further south we go. People are friendly and honk and wave. Some stop to chat, but if they don't speak English the conversation is short. The fruits we're finding along the way are how I remember them from my childhood. Peaches and nectarines dripping with juice as I eat them. Delicious sweet black cherries. Yummy plums. Just wonderful. And always an enjoyable exchange with the vendor. I'm finding often French is their 2nd language and I haven't forgotten too much from my summer abroad 45+ years ago.

I'm having some leg issues. Pain above and below the inside of my left knee. And it goes between a 4 and a 10 in pain levels. I've learned some muscle releasing techniques to use on "pissed off" muscles (as my muscle guy refers to them). And I've begun leg strength balancing exercises he taught me before I left. And then there's ibuprofen! I think the 2 months of hiking first has messed things up but I feel confident I can resolve the problem. Won't be able to take any time off for another week when we get to Lisbon. Then we should have a week off the trikes between Lisbon and London.

June 23, 2014
Peniche, Portugal

We got rained on yesterday for the first time in forever! Decided to quit early when it stopped for awhile and found a great wild campsite nestled in some pine trees. Even put up the tarp to sit under.

A quick jaunt to the cliffs' edge and we came upon this view.

Imagine photo here...it won't upload, again...

And later, back for sunset.

And another here...

Today though was such fun. After winding down the coast breakfasting at an overlook, we wandered into another quant Portuguese town. I put our destination of Obidos into Google Maps Walking to see the route it would give me. We've wandered down the best back roads doing that:). But this area has been hilly and I worry about doing too many of them. So I stopped a guy and asked. He wanted us to take the main road and gave me great directions. But it skirted a city and I didn't want to. So I didn't. And away we went. And the route was fabulous! Towards the end we see this castle high up on this rock. Big castle. Long fortress walls. The road up is steep so we ditch the bikes and walk up. We come into a medieval village replica and sign that a festival will be here next month. Then we notice you can walk the fortress wall. There's a sign warning that it's dangerous. Personal responsibility. What a novel concept:). So up we go! And what's on the other side, in the castle courtyard? A whole village! Obidos! We didn't know. The cutest place ever!!!


And a cute picture of me here...

Love surprises like that!

And tonight, after waiting out a thunderstorm in a gas station cafe...talk about timing, we'd just stopped for water...we're in an industrial coastal town in a campground. Not too bad and not too expensive. No toilet paper in the johns, just a bidet. Guess I'm going to learn the Asian hand method whether I like it or not!


Livin' the life,

BagLady

Coimbra

June 15, 2015
Coimbra, Spain



Can you see I'm getting caught up on my journals. Unlike many bloggers, I have no rhyme, reason, or format to how, when, or what I write. Tis what it is. It's only for me. You just get to read it:)

Sleep deprived was understated. Three nights of disturbed sleep in a row:
1) dogs barking
2) train
3) partying outside my window

Got my fingers crossed for tonight, but they're already blasting the WC games in the square across the way. Can't open the room window because it's so so loud.

So I need to continue my story of getting to Coimbra (pronounced coh-eem-bra, accenting the eem).

The asst conductor awakes us (I was already awake...and so was April when I had to pound on the sleeper door after locking myself out to go to the WC - water closet). Time was confusing because of an hour time change and the train was 40 minutes late (probably due to us when we got on:)). And he wasn't sure what side if the train we de parsed from. And he wanted all if our gear staged for a quick exit. Then he told me to follow him. He had said the conductor was going to help me unload my bike. So we're walking through car after car until we get to the engine room. He's looking and looking. But I didn't know what for. The conductor? Then he looks worried. He can't find my bike. I try to tell him it wasn't in this direction. It was a couple of cars in front of ours. So back we go. We get to where my bike was put and the first thing I notice is it's on the other side from where I placed it. Now I'm worried that it tumbled there. But no. It was moved. Moved so we could open the door to deboard. The conductor joins me and we wait with the door open for the train up stop. Feeling a bit like a hobo riding the rails at this point:). We get the bike down. Mr Asst Conductor and April unload everything else. And the train departs. Hope we got it all! Here we are in the dark (6am) and the fog on a train platform in another country with no phone (read Google Maps) and no idea which way to go to town. Hadn't done my usual prep work. Stupid me. We start riding towards town but the signs appear to lead to highways. That's not what we want. And there are curbs. Hard to get off this road. I saw a bar open on a side street so decided I needed to ask someone. Do they even speak English here? Will I understand enough? Gotta get help so in I go. Does anyone in here speak English? Blank faces. Might as well tell my story and see the response. So I do. Then one guy confesses that he does, a little. I smile. A little is all I need! And usually it's more than they realize. So with him drawing me maps and explaining the hills of the village and getting our hostel address on his smart phone we're all set! Then as we're pedaling away April spots a map of Coimbra on the medium and we go take pictures for future reference. Invaluable once we got into the bowels of this beautiful, worn but elegant, and HILLY city. I must say April has done a great job of staying up with me when I'm trying to figure out where we're going and turning this way and that. Kudos to her. It can't be easy.

We found our beautiful hostel but it was only 7:30 am and check in wasn't until 2. Several people helped or talked to us this morning. And all apologized for being drunk. (The bars stay open all night. ). But listening to their stories and accepting their help was a lesson in dropping judgements. The last guy told us to just ring the bell and put our stuff in the hostel. Mareese was able to check us in, provide storage for our bikes and gear, and give us maps and ideas of what to see and do.


That's the bikes stacked on their sides in a crawl space of an old stairway. Half the door was painted shut.

This is a major university town built on a steep hillside up from a river. The houses go right up the hill.



And the amount of English is so impressive. So much more than we experienced in Spain. And their accents are good too.

Yesterday the children of different neighborhoods were celebrating.



Livin' the life,

BagLady

Sleep Deprived

June 15, 2014
Coimbra, Portugal

Music, World Cup game announcement, talent show, partiers...we had it all last night. And like Spain, the Portugese don't believe in sleeping at night. It's cool then, so PARTY! The music was great! So rhythmic and emotional, I found myself I initially grooving to it while it penetrated my sleeping brain. But this was the 2nd night of poor sleep so it didn't stay enjoyable for long.

But first I need to tell the story of getting here. Nothing is ever simple in the travels of trike touring and now with 2 trikes the adventures are magnified more than twofold. We cycled into Plasencia, Spain, a town I thought would have public transportation out to Portugal. Given the heat wave, April and I decided it might be cooler at the coast. Then, too, we'd have a slow leisurely trip down the coast to Lisbon with plenty of time to catch our June 30th flight to London.

So I go into the bus station to find out about a bus to Porto, Portugal. The guy doesn't speak English but writes on a piece of paper the names of 2 "somethings" about where I get the bus to Portugal. I sit down and figure out these are 2 towns south of us. They must be the connections. Ok, let's see what the train folks have to say. They say we have to go back to Madrid to get the train to Porto. Not doing that! But a train goes to Caceres, the first town on my list. Let's take the train to Caceres and there catch the bus to Porto. Sounds like a plan! They said the bus' bike section was full, but she'd ask the conductor when the train arrived if our bikes could go on. Yes! And off we go for an hour's ride to Caceres, Spain. Lucky us. The bus station is across the street. They tell us we have to go to Salamanca to get a bus to Porto. And stay over one night because the only bus leaves at midday. We have 2 bikes...special bikes. Fold them small. Ok. Out in the platform a guy comes by shaking his head. "Too big!!" he motions and says in Spanish. (I'm getting really good at reading body language:)). So we start to fold them. He motions that he'll have to look at the bus when it arrives. Turns out he's the next driver. He checks all the bus' bays but says nothing to us. Wait, I tell April. It's a game they all play. He hasn't said No, yet. After changing drivers and their briefcases he opens a rear bay and motions for us to load it up Yea! Luckily April has great spatial awareness and can see how best to get these buggers in this small space. On they go. Off we go.

What's that exit sign say I ask an hour later? Plasencia? That's the town we left a couple of hours ago! This bus is STOPPING in Plasencia on its way to Salamanca. We're right back to where we started. That effing bus ticket guy!!! He didn't know what he was talking about!! Arghhhh!!! The adventure continues because things are just seeming so challenging. So we'll go to Salamanca and figure it out from there. Maybe we can get the train from there to Porto. The train is definitely more fun than the bus and usually easier with the trikes.



We arrive in Salamanca to spend the night. April found us online a place to stay for 40 € right in the old section of town near the Plaza Mayor. That should be great if they can handle our trikes. We unload our pile of gear and trike pieces onto the platform and commence to reassemble to the stares if onlookers and clicking of cameras. We make quite a spectacle and it can be abut disconcerting in a crowd like that. Poor April's literally on the pavement screwing things back together. She's figured her trike out pretty quickly! Looks like we got it all! Let's get out of here. Using Google Maps on my phone, I figure out where to go, and we're off. One way streets! Yikes. Sidewalks it will have to be.

We get down to the plaza and it's "hoppening"! People everywhere. Hundreds of cafe tables and wide screen TVs. What's going on? We find our hotel and the first thing I notice is the steps up to a 2nd floor reception. I don't think this is going to work:(. But don't give up yet. I go up and ask about our bikes. Yes, we have a place: up those stairs I came up, down the narrow main hallway and out onto a rooftop. It will work, I exclaim!...not knowing if we can get them up those stairs or not! We can! We do! The lady receptionist is ever so helpful carry bags after bags of our gear up. Such kindness!

"Where's your blue sack?" Says April as we stuff our multitude of bags into this tiny room. Shit! I set it down to empty the bus and it got separated from all the rest. It's just got food scraps and odd junk in it. They never pick up litter here til morning, it's probably let still there. So I hustle on foot back. Nope not by the post where I set it. Not in the trash cans. Maybe Lost and Found. But who to ask? And how? Information is closed. There's a guy at a window. Use Google Translate. He's trying to call someone. Motions to wait 5 minutes. I pace. Go back down to the bus platform. A couple that work at a restaurant on the platform recognize me from the bike fiasco. I explain. He takes me over to a building and ask a guy who does maintenance there. Nada. Didn't see it. The couple says there was nothing left behind. Oh well. I tried. I hope whoever lifted it can use the coffee mug, knife, spork, folding bowl, visor, Boy Toy (for peeing by the side of the road), and bandannas it contained. Maybe someone in dire straits is benefitting. Nothing irreplaceable. Detachment from possessions is what this journey is about. And adjusting to whatever comes my way.

(This blog post is turning into a novel all on its own...and the story's not over:))

The hubbub in the Plaza Mayor is a festival AND opening World Cup. Game. Wild place to be!


The next day we head to the train station in the morning to figure out what our options are. 1 am??? The only train? Ok. We'll go by bus. We pack up and head to the bus staton. Full? Really? It's Friday. Busy time for busses. Guess it will have to be the 1 am train. And let's only go to Coimbra. Heard it was a cute city. We wheeled our loaded bikes into the train station to buy our tickets so they could see them. Don't think they can go, says the ticket man. Then he does his research. Only way is if we buy sleeper car tickets with births. They go in the compartment. Really? How much? 105 € each. Oh my!! The bus is half that. But this is Friday and if we wait for a Monday bus we'll have spent that staying here. Ok. And then the bikes can go.

Running errands, sitting around, replacing lost criticals from blue pack, eating, drinking...that's how we spent the next 12 hours. We're on the platform awaiting the train with our bikes still loaded because until we know what car to get on it's easier to move the stiff on the bikes. A man comes by. Not going to fit, he says. We motion that they fold. He shakes his head. But they saw the bikes and sold us the tickets. Not my problem, he motions. He leaves. We wait. Not giving up yet. We talk to some other officials, station guards probably. Guy comes back. Looks like he's the conductor. Still no. We tear the bikes apart and fold them. He's unsure. The train arrives. We don't know where to go. Of course. 4 cars down. We grab stuff and run. More stuff. Now wheel our folded bikes. He shows us compartment. No way! We hardly fit. April persists. Tried her trike. Nope. Quick release front wheels. They help her take them off. Hers will fit now. No, I say, mine don't gone off. Big mistake not having that option. Please! begs April. Find a place for her bike. He goes looking and finds a hallway in an engine car. I get it in. We're not responsible, he says. Meanwhile April with help has put her trike and all it's pieces and all our gear into this tiny 2 bunk sleeper car! Our home for the night! And once again....

WE'RE OFF!!!!!!!


Livin' the life,

BagLady