Rain in Spain

It has been a while since I did a blog entry. This has been a very different trip than the visit to Spain last year.

The main difference can be attributed to the weather.  Unlike the last couple of years, when we have stayed in Andalucia at this time of year, is that there has been much more rain and cooler temperatures than we have previously experienced. The majority of our recreational activities are better enjoyed when the weather cooperates but it has been a challenge this year.

We are currently in Valencia on a short trip within the longer one.  We rode the motorcycle to Granada, spent the night, then on to Cordoba for another night. Then we parked the bike at the rail station and took the train to Valencia.  We had tickets to the final MotoGP race of the season but we ended up watching on TV in our apartment.  It has been raining, fairly continuously for the last 4 days.  Tomorrow morning we will take the train back to Cordoba and ride the moto back to Olvera.  The weather forecast looks better... only occasional showers with some sun. 

                Rainbow in Olvera                                                             Bike path in Valencia

Cool Art Deco

Ceramics Museum

 We rented a cool little apartment in Valencia. 

Very comfortable and in a great location near the city centre.

We have another week in Olvera before we head to Malaga for a couple of nights before flying back to Canada.

We are both looking forward to getting home.

Our rental bicycles went back today. Despite the unsettled weather conditions, we managed to put 300K on the bikes in the 2 weeks that we had them. The rainfall has been well above average and the temperatures cooler than normal.

Yesterday we had clear skies and bright sunshine. Unfortunately the temperature was only 1 degree in the morning, although it made it up to 11 degrees by mid afternoon! We didn't get started until about 11:30 First I had to go out any buys some tights to keep my legs warm. With long pants, two jackets and gloves we were comfortable riding. The fact that it is hilly terrain helps... you feel cool on the downhills and warm on the climbs.

In the sun it was quite comfortable and we ate lunch outside at out favourite restaurant... Casa Palermo in Setenil de la Bodegas. However by mid afternoon the wind had picked up considerably and is was uncomfortably cold at times, riding into the wind. Despite the temperature it was great to see the sun! It was an enjoyable 45K ride.

So far the weather forecasting has been accurate. After a day of sunshine we are back to steady rain, heavy at times. Tomorrow we are planning to take a trip on the motorcycle to the coast. We have rented a hotel in Conil de la Frontera, a small town near the city of Cadiz. Unfortunately, the forecast for tomorrow is for rain again, but not as heavy.

Below are a few photos taken on our cycling trips around the Olvera area

This shot is of one of the bridges on the Via Verde near Coripe. We were climbing out of the valley on the road back to Olvera.

There are plenty of sheep around and plenty of sheep cheese as well

Another shot of the rolling terrain

If you look closely at this photo of the Sierrs de Grazalema you can see snow on the mountains.

 The pooch on the left is Candy.  She come to visit often. She is fun little dog who loves to have her tummy rubbed.


Linda waiting for me to catch up. On our last day of biking. It was a cold day. Only reached 10 degrees but at least it was sunny!

Below is an interesting shot of sunlight shining though and illuminating a rain shower. 

This photo was taken from the patio of our rental

 

 On to Conil de la Frontera

Yesterday, we left Olvera on the motorbike fairly early, about 9:30.  The forecast was for rain starting mid-day.  The temperature was only 8 degrees so we layered up our clothing with our rain jackets on top of our padded mesh riding jackets. We abandoned our plans to ride through the mountains and circumnavigated them on the main highways.  This got us to the coastal town of Conil in under 2 hours. We didn't entirely escape the rain en route but only encountered a couple of showers in the last half hour of the ride. It wasn't the most pleasant ride but we made it without getting soaked.

Arriving in Conil we were fortunate to get into our accommodation right away. We have a nice room in Hostal Santa Catalina. Due to the weather and the time of year, the town appeared pretty much abandoned. Most of the stores and restaurants were closed and appeared to have no intention of opening soon.   We ended up wandering around in the intermittent rain and eventually found a grocery store that was open, so we stocked up on a few basics... wine, bread, cheese and fruit.

On the way back to our hotel both the rain and the wind intensified. The umbrella inverted in the wind and we were both thoroughly soaked when we arrived back at the hotel.  It was quite the storm!

We managed to dry a few things with the hair dryer and checked the internet to see if we could find a place to eat. Eventually we found a nice Pizza place that was close to the hotel. Of course we had to wait until it opened at 7:30, but it was worth the wait, The pizza and service at Pizza al Horno was great.... so was the wine!

Today we awoke to clear skies and a forecast high of 16 degrees. Not as warm as we have experiences in preceding visits, but we'll take it!  It was warm sitting in the sun.  We spend most of the day exploring Conil, stopping occasionally for coffee and pastries, then for beer, wine and tapas.  Now, after putting on about 13K of walking, we are back in the room resting up for dinner.  

It was fun day.  Time well wasted!  

  

Here are a few shots of Conil de la Frontera, Cadiz.  

The beach, mid morning

Town from the beach walk

Another beach shot in the afternoon

5 cats and a car, can you see them all?