Spain is a very diverse and big country. There are landsapes that you don't associate with Europe: deserts, canyons.
When you keep away from the coast, it's empty, and you often will have the road for you alone. That road gets you
often through the many mountains of Spain, or over the dry meseta, from where you will descend unexpected into a canyon.
The cities of Spain show souvenirs of history, in the form of castles, Moorish buildings, or churches and cathedrals.
The people of Spain are as diverse as the landscape, but wherever you are, you will be welcomed when you try to speak
some Spanish, and you will eat and drink deliciously.
In short, Spain is a country that never fails to impress.
The three of us traveled to Gorlitz, a hamlet near the Atlantic Ocean, in Biskaia, Spain, on tow motorcycles. There was a heat wave, so the beach and the sea were temptatious, but we also visited the Castle of Butron, and Gasteiz, where we bumped into a feast.
To
Biskaia...
We rode south in may 2002. I wanted to see the Cabo de Gata,
the easternmost point of Andalucia. A barren region,
with a beautiful rocky coast without high buildings.
For the rest, we would just see: roam about through Andalucia.
So we rode through the eastern part of the Alpujarras, through the Sierra Nevada,
arrived in Guadix, where we slept in a cave, discovered Alhama de Granada,
admired the renaissance buildings of Ubeda, and had a view at the marvelous castle
of Velez Blanco.
May is the perfect traveling-month for Spain, and the eastern part of
Andalucia proved to be the perfect environment for two motorcyclists who like
curves, unpaved paths, and Andalucian villages, towns and bars...
On this page, you find a summary of the trip. The trip is described from
day to day in Dutch, with lots of photographs. The Dutch description starts
in
day 1.
To
Andalucia...
Ernst and me decided to experience new years eve of 2001 in Ronda.
We rode together on one motorcycle, so we sat close and warm, during the cold trip.
Ronda is a beautiful small town, and the surroundings are made for motorcyclists. But after we enjoyed that, the
new year started in a dramatical way...
To
Ronda...
A motorcycle trip to Bilbao, during winter. The Pyrenees covered with snow, new year's Eve in Bilbao, the Art of the Motorcycle exhibit in the Guggenheim. On the way home, we rode alongside the Gulf of Biskaia, and stuck on several closed passes in the Pyrenees and the French Cantal.
To
Bilbao...
During may 2000, Ernst and me made a trip to Spain, of three weeks.
We got stuck in the mud near El Burgo
de Osma, stayed in Trujillo and had a look in Montfrague, were surprised with a Feria in Cordoba, saw the
bird world of the Cota Donana and El Rocio, traveled through the landscape arpund Ronda towards
Antequera, rode through the Alpujarras, over the Sierra Nevada, and then to the north, seeing Guadix,
Cuenca and Cardona.
To
SW Spain...
During our various travels in Spain, we encountered several special places.
In the first place, when in Spain and you want to treat yourself on something very special,
try one of the paradores
.
Choose one in an old building: there are castles, monasteries, palaces and so on to choose from.
You must earn a lot to spend every night in one of the paradores, but that would only be boring.
On this page, I mention some of the small hostals that were special, either by the surroundings or by the place itself.
I didn't include the places that you will find in every guidebook.
To
Special Hotels...
During our various travels in Spain, we encountered several great stretches of roads. Here, you find them.
It was sometimes difficult to make a choice: Spain has so many great roads.
The roads you find here are outstanding because of their quality for motorcycle riding, or for the quality of the landscape,
and most of the time for both.
To
Great Roads...