September 27: Le Perthus - Figueres (33.2 km - 130 D+)
From the border post at Le Perthus followed a long descent to La Jonquera. Then Komoot sent me uphill for 2 km to the Pirinexus cycle route. It was well worth that climb, I cycled through mighty landscapes without car traffic.
At a shepherd's hut I stopped to eat something. It was so peaceful and quiet there, just sounds of nature and a wide view of a plain with rocky outcrops and the hills in the background. Pure enjoyment.
Some parts of the Pirinexus were on rough gravel on which I skidded with my packed city bike, but I enjoyed walking those.
On the way I passed the villages of Capmany, where a café with a terrace was open (but I didn't stop), and Vilarnadal, with just outside that village the tightly secured Castell de Biart. No little castle of a pauper winemaker, by the looks of it....
I also passed some large pigsties from which screeching of those poor heaped pigs echoed. I did not find that pleasant. Why do we continue to consume masses of pork and inflict so much suffering on those intelligent animals? A pig has the intelligence of a dog and is very stress sensitive. Why do we do that to them?
September 28: Figueres- Girona (46.2 km - 520 D+)
On Tuesday, 45, according to Komoot, tough kilometres awaited me. They would be less difficult if I followed the N11 all the time, but that is not pleasant cycling. If the Komoot route proves too tough, I can always switch to the N11.
The first 20 km were along the N11, and it was much less busy than I expected. Then Komoot sent me onto a quiet country road, but as expected I was immediately treated to steep climbs. I followed that road for about 10 kilometres, but at a fork with an opportunity to swing back down to the N11, I did so. I had not slept well and my legs quickly became (over)tired.
On the N11, I also got to digest a long, fairly tough slope.
On arrival at hostal 'una cama en Girona', I had to drag all my panniers and the bike to my dormitory on the first floor, just to be on the safe side. After that, I was too tired to go into the city in daylight. I will have to pass by the cathedral with the widest nave in the world (22.5 metres).
September 29: Girona - Sant-Hilari Sacalm (46.5 km - 900 D+)
If I want to get to Sant Hilari Sacalm on Wednesday, I will have to swallow 900 altimeters. Komoot qualified the route as 'tough'. GoogleMaps described the same route as 'mainly flat. Which app is fooling me!
GoogleMaps, it turned out, for the last 20km. The first part to Angèls was via a 'via verde' in the valley of the Riu Ter. In Angèls, I went for a coffee and the barman warned me that from now on the road would go up steeply, pointing out a frightening gradient with his flat hand.
Indeed, I changed rivers after Angèls: no longer the tame Riu Ter, but now the fast-flowing Riera d'Osor, with a much bigger gradient. And the roadway next to it therefore also much steeper. I had to cycle on my smallest blade at the front all the way up to Sant Hilari, but almost never in the smallest gear until Osor. Comfortable climbing, then. Moreover, I feel I have more energy on winding mountain roads than in plains. No idea what this could be due to: the gurgling water a few metres below, the cliffs alongside, the shaded road?
From Osor, with 16 km to go, it suddenly did get much steeper and I had to downshift all the way to the smallest vitesque. The road also now rose to more than 100 metres above the riverbed. Fortunately, the last 10 kilometres were less steep as the road was only about 30 metres below the ridge. This was not only beneficial for the legs, but also for counting down the kilometres, because 16 km at 6 km per hour, that takes some time.
That GoogleMaps lists these last 16 climbing kilometres as 'mostly flat' is totally off the mark. Electric cyclists better make sure their battery is well charged before starting this stretch.
The last 3 kilometres I got another downpour over me, so I arrived in Sant Hilari well refreshed. A rain probability of 70/80% had been predicted all day, so I can't complain. By the way, it is only 9 degrees here now (10pm) er very foggy. The location at 800 metres altitude will have something to do with that.
September 30, Sant Hilari Sacalm- Viladrau (17.7 km - 380 D+)
Ven. Kalden of Nalanda Monastery in Saint-Georges Labastide had recommended me to visit the Tushita meditation centre in Viladrau. Last week I took a look at their website and saw that they still had places for a silence meditation weekend this weekend. Since I normally always follow a silence week(s) in autumn, I immediately signed up. Hence the two unforeseen fairly tough 'climbing' rides today and yesterday. Viladrau is at an altitude of 821 metres.
Between Sant Hilari and here, I had to climb to an altitude of 1,000 metres. From the highest point, I could see the Mediterranean Sea.
There are a lot of natural springs in this region. On the way, I passed two big spring water factories: Fontvella and Font d'or. And I also passed a spring to fill my own drinking can.
When I arrived in Viladrau, another shower came over me. That's already the second day in a row. I was still an hour early to report to Tushita and ducked into a hotel to kill time and rain for a while.
October 3: Viladrau - Canet de Mar (79.9 km - 500 D+)
Last night I was allowed to stay overnight at Tushita meditation centre so that I could cycle to the coast in one trek on Monday. In gratitude, I cleaned our bathroom and dormitory on the second floor so that volunteer Alfonsina will have less work on Wednesday.
The GPS indicated a ride of 1,000 metres of descent and only 300 of climb. So I was expecting a smooth downhill ride.
The start turned out somewhat differently. I still had to climb a little higher than Tushita, and after a few hundred metres of asphalt, the road turned into a loose gravel road with terribly steep and, for my bike, slippery sections that would lead to a 'Mas de Marti'. I had already climbed quite a bit, so turning back was out of the question. It was going to be pushing up through this sour apple. The views of the Montseny massif made up for a lot, though. After about three kilometres I reached a lane and the pleasant descent would begin, or so I thought.
For several kilometres, this came true, I was on a track that took me to the Font de Viladrau, another large spring water factory owned by Nestlé. And at that factory, the tarmac ended and I could get back on a bad gravel road, this time thankfully a descending one. However, I could not enjoy the descent while cycling, as my bike slid under when braking. It became walking again for about two kilometres. The last kilometres of this gravel road were flatter and here I was able to get back on my bike, until I reached a track café where I had also passed on Friday.
And here at last began the long-awaited descent, over just 12 kilometres to Arbúcies. With stunning views of the mountains.
After a coffee in Arbúcies, it continued gently downhill until Hostalric. Then the beautiful song was over. Again busy and noisy traffic and a little further on a steep uphill with wind against. It can't always be party time.
After Tordera I was able to continue along a cycle route on a cinder track and was rid of the busy traffic , until I reached the coast at Malgrat de Mar. What an ugly coast here. Actually even worse than in Belgium. A fairly busy coastal road next to a railway line and behind it the beach. Rows of thick mega-hotels, apartment buildings and in between them brolling shops, eateries and discotheques. My God, who wants to spend their holidays here? Mass tourism at its most devastating. You see nothing of the original coastal villages anymore.
And then I had a farce ahead of me with the campsite I had contacted on Sunday. I arrived there at 18:30. Turned out it was against a very steep hill after all. The pitches were at the very top. It was impossible to get up there with a packed bike. The lady at reception agreed. Why didn't she let me know? I had said I was travelling by bike.
I didn't expect much trouble finding another campsite as the track was thick with them. But one after another turned out to be closed. In the end, I was able to find a campsite del Toro Azul in Canet de Mar, 9 km away, just before the reception closed. It is right up against the beach, squeezed between the coastal road and the railway. That train literally crosses the beach here.
I'll just plug in my earplugs tonight....
4 October: Canet de Mar - Mataró (8.24 km - 40D+)
In the previous coastal campsite, I fled. The train almost ran over my tent. The thunder penetrated even my best earplugs. And the pitches were oppressively close together, not cool to sit quietly in front of your tent either.
Eight kilometres away, just before Mataró, I found a quieter campsite that lies behind the coastal road and railway line and extends deeper inland. I asked for a spot at the very back, where I would not be bothered by the traffic noise.
And it's still weather here for now to make a splash too.
Here I will stay until Friday, then cycle on to Barcelona. It's going to be a little quieter on Facebook for a while, unless there's something to say about Mataró.
7 October: Mataró - Barcelona (33.8 km -270 D+)
There is nothing to say about this ride, except that the route followed the busy NII almost all the time.
I had arranged to meet Mar and Paul, former president of Ehipassiko, at a vegan restaurant in Barcelona at noon and had to rush a bit to get there on time.
It started drizzling around 8 o'clock, and by the time I was ready to leave a little past nine, it was raining solidly.
I had agreed with cyclists Alain and Christine the night before that we would take a photo with the packed bikes in the morning. My phone was still charging on an electricity pole about 20 metres from my tent. I grabbed the phone to take the photo, said goodbye to Alain and Christine and then went to continue packing the last things.
A little past noon, I arrived soaking wet at the little restaurant where we had agreed to meet.
A little later, when I wanted to continue charging my phone at Mar and Paul's place, the cable was missing. After reconstructing my morning actions, I realised it was still hanging on the charging pole in the campsite.
I planned to go get it by bus, but called first to verify it was still there. The super-friendly receptionist agreed, but said I didn't have to come all the way back. She would take the cable with the campsite's last bus service, which was going to pick up another load of camping tourists in town at 7pm. I only had to cycle 5 km to the bus stop in the city centre.
Thank you very much for this fantastic service, Camping Barcelona!
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
