This stretch of the bike ride begins with three fairly problematic stages with obstacles.
Tuesday, Oct 11: Barcelona - Gavà (36.1km - 160D+)
Getting out of Barcelona went smoothly on the handsome bike lanes provided by Mayor Ada Colau had it docked. I passed the Arena and the imposing Plaza de España, places I had never been before. Then I cycled past the district Hospitalet, where I stayed with the parents of a friend of my sister's in 1977. That was in one of those typical Spanish streets with old apartment buildings four or five high with wrought-iron balconies. Now I only saw high-rise buildings with modern office buildings and business hotels. This neighbourhood has apparently become Barcelona's business centre over the past 40 years.
Once Hospitalet past I reached into the valley of the Llobregat. According to GoogleMaps, there was a via verde through the alluvial farmland in the valley and then a path along the coast to Camping 3 Estrellas. Komoot sent me counterclockwise around the airport, which is adjacent to the campsite 
. The green GoogleMaps route beckoned the most, which it became.
Indeed a beautiful route on a cinder track and wide cycle paths that were crowded. Virtually no car traffic. About four kilometres before the campsite, I understood why there were no cars: The road dead-ended on the loose sandy beach. The so-called route indicated by GoogleMaps was non-existent. Slogging through the loose sand with a loaded bike is a hopeless task. Moreover, right next to the campsite there was a small river that had to be crossed. Too bad, so close to the destination. Now I had to go all the way back counterclockwise around the vast airport, a diversion of just under 15 km. All over nice cycle paths though, which was a windfall. I should have listened to Komoot, but how can you check whether cycle paths exist or not? Komoot has already sent me along unbikeable roads too.
That was not the end of the (relative) misery. When I almost got to Camping 3 Estrellas was, I met three packed cyclists. They told me the Komoot route was wrong because they wanted to send them on a motorway. As it turned out, they knew an alternative route. Ja wadde! (What was that to me!?) At 300 metres from the campsite, the road came to a dead end. All we could do was follow a very narrow path on the outside of the guardrail of that main road, with a steep embankment on the left. Very difficult with a fat bike. It worked, until we were in front of the little river that ran next to the campsite. There was no more ledge next to the motorway, there was nothing left but to lift the bikes over the guardrail and cycle the last 100 metres in the opposite direction on the hard shoulder. As many hands make light work, we managed to do this without removing the luggage from our bikes. The Komoot route was right again, the three cyclists just did not know that you are allowed to cycle here on national roads, which often look like motorways with a double lane in each direction and crash barriers on the outside and on the central reservation. They usually have a wide breakdown lane that cyclists can follow quite safely. Smaller B-roads don't always have a breakdown lane and are sometimes equally busy, but I wouldn't experience that until two days later.
The advantage of the four of us arriving at the campsite is that we could now share a couple's pitch, which significantly depressed the price per person. Coastal campsites are expensive in Spain.
Thursday, Oct 13: Gavà - Martorell (30.6km - 280D+)
I would spend all the time in the valley of the Llobregat cycling, with not too many altimeters. The route on Komoot looked 'green' with the occasional village. I was expecting a stretch next to the river like the previous ride. Martorell was the first larger city.
Green? Far from it! The valley was crammed with factories. For 35 km, it seemed like I was driving along the Boomse Steenweg (busy road in my home town of Antwerp), along a busy road but mostly with a hard shoulder. Pretty safe, but not very inspiring and very unhealthy, all those exhaust fumes.
At Martorell I had had it. A postman gave me the address of a cheap hostel where they still had a single room (25 euros) free. A small shack, but - never lacking in Spain, even in the simplest hostal - with a television. Which I never put on...
As it was still quite early, I had time to look for a hairdresser. Two female hairdressers were too busy; the earliest I could get in was from Saturday. Next to the second was a multisex hair salon with a male barber. The poor man was twiddling his fingers and was very happy to take care of my head. Besides, we had a nice chat. And all this for just 11.50€.
Friday 14 Oct: Martorell - Vilafranca del Penedès (36.69km - 570D+).
After Martorell I would follow a smaller B-road towards Lérida which was heading into the hills. This would finally be a quieter stretch. Ja wadde! It was indeed a smaller road with only one narrow lane in each direction. With no emergency lane, not even the slightest 'kill lane' for cyclists. Mostly with a crash barrier, though. So there was nothing to do but ride on the carriageway. There was a lot of (lorry) traffic in both directions, so my pursuers could not pass me. Moreover, it was uphill all the time, so I avanced at a snail's pace of maybe 8km/hour. I found this very embarrassing and whenever there was an opportunity to swerve next to the lane, I pulled over to let the accumulated traffic behind me pass. There I would wait for about five minutes, enjoying the exhaust fumes... I did this about three times, it made me desperate.
At the first side road in the right direction, I turned off and started studying an alternative route. According to what I could see, the Lérida - Zaragoza route which I wanted to follow all the time be a cakewalk of the same dough. Flexibility, they say, is a good trait, I decided to change course and cycle back to the coast and follow Eurovelo 8 south. I found the coast quite busy, but it couldn't get any worse than this. From that turn-off, I was back on a rural road between vineyards. Heavy up and down, some bits of bike pushing, but I could hear birds singing again and smell flowers and pine trees. And mighty panoramas. A cyclist is willing to suffer for that.
Tomorrow I will be back at the Mediterranean, and who knows, maybe I will manage to go swimming again. For now, it's still swimming weather here during the day.
Saturday 15 Oct: Vilafranca - Tarragona (54.6km - 400D+)
Not a spectacular route today. Cycled a lot on the hard shoulder of N roads, a nice quiet stretch through vineyards and from El Vendrell parallel to the coast. A busy fiesta market took place in Vendrell.
When I was about 18, I spent a week in Roda de Bara by at the invitation of the late Hugo and Diane Blijenberg. It was worth my diversions to go there again to see how things had changed after 44 years. In front of the rock of Bara with its restaurants was now a large marina with lots of parking and concrete. The picturesque little street with pines to walk back to the Bleijenbergs' flat had disappeared. Much more construction had also been added, but all in all the atmosphere was still relaxed and quiet.
About ten kilometres before Tarragona Komoot wanted to send me via a steep boulder road to avoid the main road. I don't want to play silly Komoot tricks. There was little traffic on that lane and I just continued to follow it. Earlier in the day, Komoot had also tried to send me via a mud stream. Too crazy.
At Tarragona a medieval market took place in the old town. It was overflowing. On every square and in the narrow streets, all the terraces were packed. How many hours/days Spaniards spend on a terrace I do not know, but in all cities/villages there is a lot of conviviality on terraces everywhere. In every village there is at least one bar with a terrace as well. Social life still flourishes here.
Sunday 16 Oct: Tarragona - L'Ametlla de Mar (59 km - 440 D+)
Before I got into Tarragona left, I walked with my bike in hand to the 'balcony of the Mediterranean' and the Roman amphitheatre.
To get from Tarragona to Salou cycling, the first leg of my route today, Komoot and GMaps indicated different roads. Komoot made a diversion via the N340, GMaps cut some off via a road that seemed smaller. The better option, it seemed.
In the city centre, I saw a policeman and, given my experience with smaller but very busy roads, I decided to take advice first. It indeed became the longer Komoot route via the N340, which has a wide lane for cyclists.
Traffic was not too bad, perhaps because it was Sunday.
In Salou, I met Victor and his family. He also cycles and I asked him for advice on the best roads to the south. He said that after Cambrills the coastal roads would become much quieter because that is where the long sandy beaches end.
The 10km between Salou and Cambrils I cycled on a cycle path next to the beach, under palm trees. The sea on the left and holiday buildings on the right. Little real nature, but there was a nice holiday feeling. Because many families with children were cycling, I made very slow progress. The cycle path was too narrow to pass them with my big bike.
The road was completely flat the whole time and virtually no wind, until 15 km before L'Ametlla. There, a 150-metre pass suddenly awaited me. One moment you are cycling next to the sea, fifteen minutes later you are in a mountainous landscape. Nice change, but tough at the end of a ride.
Retrieved from Camping Nautic I have a nice spot close to the sea. Lovely, falling asleep with the waves lapping in the background.
Tuesday 18 Oct: L'ametlla de Mar - Les Cases d'Alcanar (56.9km - 420D+)
Today almost all of the ride was on very quiet, rural roads. First quite a while next to the track with nice views over the rocky coasts. At one point, Komoot sent me over a single track that would be difficult even with a mountain bike. I switched to Google Maps and followed an asphalt track with a tough climb of 60 altimeters, followed by a dip of 15% that culminated in a tunnel leading out... right onto a boulder beach. There I saw the MTB singletrack coming out that Komoot wanted to follow. I had not survived that, a goat track along the steep rocks. Totally irresponsible to send a packed touring cyclist over there.
And then an asphalt track that climbed from the beach back to the railway awaited me, but sóooo steep. I started pushing straight away because it was impossible to get up there by bike. Even pushing was too heavy. Whenever I stopped to rest, the bike slid backwards with brakes on. I had to put myself squarely against the handlebars to stop it. Luckily I wear trail shoes with lots of grip, otherwise I might have started sliding backwards with it. Thankfully, that was the first and last obstacle today.
After L'Ampoll I made a diversion through natural park Delta del Ebro. This is vast, as flat as a billiard cloth and quite (counter)windy.
At 320 km², it is the largest wetland (wetland) in the western Mediterranean. It is permanently under water and 45,000 tonnes of rice are grown there every year. This large bulge in the sea was formed in a fairly short time. By the fourth century, Amposta another seaport, now the town is 27 km from the mouth of the Ebro.
The Delta del Ebro is a bird paradise. I saw cormorants, grey and white herons, storks, a large bird of prey and black wading birds with curved beaks. Flamingos were also supposed to be there, but I didn't see any. Too bad those birds are impossible to photograph without a good telephoto lens.
Finally, I also passed an easily accessible fig tree that was still full of fruit. Many figs were hanging cracked open from the tree. I feasted on them on the spot and also took a hefty supply for the next few days. So delicious.
I covered the last few kilometres alongside the quiet N340. That is the route of Cadiz to Barcelona. A long street.
Retrieved from Camping Les Cases I am again standing right behind a rocky beach, but this time with no motorway noise in the background. There is only the surge and the crash of breaking waves against the rocks.
Wednesday 19 Oct: Alcanar - Peñíscola (28.3 km - 170 D+)
Today I planned a short drive to have time in the afternoon to go for another swim in the sea and then make a short visit to the historic fortified town Peñíscola.
It was already starting to dusk when I got into Peñíscola arrived. It was oppressively hot and the sky looked very threatening, as if a mega thunderstorm was about to erupt. I kept it short, climbed up to the castle and wandered through a few streets. The fortified entrance gate through the thick rampart looked more like a tunnel than a gate. In the end, no thunderstorm broke out. And once it's dark you can't tell if the sky is still threatening. Just wait and see...
Thursday 20 Oct: Peñiscola - Alcocebre (17.5 km - 220D+)
Only 17 km today, but what kilometres! All the way through the Parc natural de la Serra d'Irta, with rugged rocky coasts on the left and the chain of hills on the right. The Eurovelo8 follows this route, so it should be feasible for any average cyclist, but for my poor yellow second-hand trailer, the road was highly unsuitable.
There was one inhumanly steep hill on loose cobbles at the beginning on which I had to push the bike all the way; after that, the slopes were cyclable, but on the too rough sections with lots of loose cobbles, I walked alongside the bike as the danger of slipping and falling was too great. Fortunately, the middle section of the route was flat and reasonably rideable, albeit in the three smallest VITES (gears). So it was slow going.
Towards the end, I met a young Dutch couple on mountain bikes who were at a campsite a bit further down the road. That appealed to me, on this road that would not be a mega busy coastal campsite right next to a busy lane.
And that turned out to be true. Camping Ribamar is an oasis of calm, but of a higher price category (20€). And in high season even 50€.
Diagonally opposite me are Kees and Anne, a Dutch couple who stay here 8 months a year: all months outside the high season. Then a pitch costs just 11€/day. And at Christmas you can still sit outside here....
Kees told me that a fortnight ago a 20-year-old girl passed through here on her way from Lyon to Lisbon on a..... skateboard!!! With a big backpack. The road from Peñiscola Until here, of course, she should have walked all the way. What an undertaking! On a skateboard, too crazy.... The pity of that means of transport is that you have to get into traffic all the time. With a backpack, I would exactly rather do it on foot, on beautiful GR trails.
At five o'clock it was still warm enough to go swimming in the sea 
. Camping Ribamar also has a luxurious swimming pool, but as long as it can be in the sea.... The small beach in a bay was great for drying off, but a small rain shower made me step out. The steady good weather with steel-blue skies is apparently over. Today, the sun did not come out and there were occasional drizzle. But it is still T-shirt weather.
Friday 21 Oct: Alcossebre- Benicassim (40 km - 270D+)
Quiet ride with no obstacles. Only the tight south wind slightly aggravated the ride.
The first 2 km I had to continue on the coarse cobbled road, then a long way beside the coast along a stretch much quieter than I had already become accustomed to, and then a long ride through and around the Parc Natural del Prat de Cabanès-Torreblanca. All over a good road surface.
Just before the nature reserve, there was a historic building right on the coast, El Tunnel. It now houses a cafeteria with a magnificent view over the sea. It used to be a warehouse where boats moored and unloaded their wares. It were completely restored in the 1970s.
It was already half past one and as I was almost through my food supply I stepped in. A wise decision, as the nature reserve was very desolate and deserted. There was hardly any traffic and cycling was enjoyable. First it went through a vast sea of waving reeds that tempered the headwind a bit, occasionally intersected with a small canal along which olive trees grew. This was followed by an agricultural area with mostly olive and citrus groves and date palms.
At one point I saw a strange tree I had never seen before, with stiff narrow elongated blades pointing upwards (see photo).
Then I entered a completely different world. From Torre la Sal I cycled for kilometres at a stretch past mega-size apartment buildings, 10- to 12-high and three rows in a row. I knew the Spanish coast is built up, but so full! Thousands of flats, now all with the shutters down. Even the hospitality industry is logically mostly closed. Ghost urbanisations out of season.
From Oropesa Thank God I was able to cross a via verde of about five kilometres that cut through the foothills to Benicassim. The roadway, which ran some 50 metres inland, had to climb and descend steeply. I was allowed to kiss my two hands that I spent the last five kilometres of this headwind ride no longer had to go over.
Saturday, Oct 22: Benicassim - Nules (41.4 km - 270D+)
Quiet cycling day today, with no highlights. A little tailwind, so I was able to pedal one to two gears heavier. First next to sandy beaches, as always the sea on the left, urbanisations on the right and a mega-sized RV park, one right next to the other.
At Castellón de la Plana I had to go a long way inland to get around the port. A very rural and quiet road with lots of citrus groves turned out to be a 'streetwalking track'. At about 5 kilometres, I came across no less than three heavily-dressed, very scantily clad voluptuous young women, waiting on a chair under an umbrella. Who would expect that on such a road! Car sex among tangerines.
In the seaside town Nules a poster campaign was held for the construction of breakwaters. In heavy weather, the waves often beat right into the city. What was remarkable here was that the first row right against the beach was not reserved for luxury apartment buildings. Right against the beach were old cottages with courtyards opening onto the beach. These apparently managed to stop the construction lust of developers. The apartment buildings were on the second row. Perhaps they use the front-line houses as breakwaters in heavy weather....
Just beyond Nules I passed a simple beach campsite that was far away from busy roads. For a night without car noise, I'll sign. No swimming pool, not even hot water in the sanitary facilities, but when you have just come from the sea you can take a cold shower without any problem. One tricky point: to get from the cobbled beach into the sea on my bare feet I had to endure a lot of pain. I cannot walk barefoot on hard and uneven ground.
And now into a quiet night without earplugs, at least if the Spaniards at this campsite don't keep partying too late. It's someone's birthday, and it's the weekend....
Sunday 23 Oct: Nules - Valencia (54.1 km - 300D+)
No sea today. Komoot sent me all the way along rural roads inland. This time I did not see any tipplers, but I did see two foxes. Also nice.
Tons and tons of tangerines and oranges I passed. Soon they might be shining in Belgian supermarkets.
At one point, an irrigation canal ran about 30 metres across the roadway. I cycled cautiously through the flowing water as I felt the road surface underneath was slippery.And now into a quiet night without earplugs, at least if the Spaniards at this campsite don't keep partying too late. It's someone's birthday, and it's the weekend....
At that spot, I also noticed something curious: the water that flowed over the roadway ended up in a channel that flowed under a cross road a few dozen metres away. Just below the road surface of that cross road was an opening from which a thick gush of water gushed. I walked up to there and did not see a supply channel anywhere at that height that could feed that gully??! Who will solve this riddle (see photo)?
The churches and even cemeteries I encounter here on the road are always locked. I find that a pity, because in France I enjoyed those cool quiet reflection breaks while cycling.
At Les Valls it was Tanatorio (funeral home) did open. From the outside, I had already seen that it had special stained-glass windows, definitely worth taking a look inside.
Along the way I came across another splendid specimen of the aurocaria heterophylla (Els van Vlimmeren) which I was able to photograph up close this time.
The last 10 km to Valencia suddenly fell very hard on me, so much so that I had to rest on a bench in a park five kilometres before the city. Maybe it was because of the light wind that I was against the whole ride, but I have already cycled against heavier winds. Or else because I have been cycling for six days in a row. My body apparently needs more recuperation than before.
I am now staying in Valencia for four nights/three days, long enough to get a good night's sleep in a real bed.
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
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