Bike tour 2022: Tarragona
Saturday 15 Oct: evening walk in TarragonaIt was too late and dark too soon to visit anything in Tarragona. So I wandered around the old part of town, struggled my way through the medieval market taking place there and plunged into [...] around nine - stomach starting to growl - at [...].
Bike tour 2022: Barcelona
7-10 Oct: BarcelonaFour days in Barcelona, of which I had to devote a fair share of my available time to practical matters: arranging an overhaul for my bike, because with my tour around the Netherlands added I am now at 4,000km and 20,000 altimeters. The brake pads will probably need replacing. Decorate a dental visit, because there [...]
Bike tour 2022: Cycling in Barcelona
7-10 Oct: Barcelona's bike lanesI was dreading cycling in Barcelona. Wide and busy boulevards with many cross lanes because of the city's checkerboard structure, cars, trucks and mopeds flashing by, scattered tourists stepping in front of your wheel.... Only the latter came true: inattentive wandering tourists negligently crossing. From the [...]
Bike tour 2022: Kalsang Dolma from Casa del Tibet
Saturday 8 Oct: Casa del Tibet After my brief explanation of the #cyclingfortibet campaign, I asked 86-year-old Kalsang Dolma to tell us about her flight across the Himalayas in 1959. In the spring of that year, Tibetans rebelled against the Chinese. What began as a peaceful protest against repressive Chinese policies soon degenerated [...]
Bike tour 2022: Casa del Tibet in Barcelona
Saturday, Oct 8: Casa del Tibet in BarcelonaVen. Thubten Wangchen, the director of Fundación Casa del Tibet in Barcelona, had advised me to come to Tibet House on Saturday from 15:30. Some people from the Barcelona Tibetan community would be at Casa del Tibet then. At 4pm, a lecture for women began in which I was allowed to participate. Thubten himself would be there [...]
Bike ride 2022: Tushita Meditation Centre
Photos Tushita 30 Sept - 1-2 Oct: silence weekend at Tushita meditation centreFriday evening a little before 18:30 I arrived at the Tushita meditation centre, just in time for the welcome by director Alberto Gamez. Tushita is in the highest part of Viladrau and, as in most villages, a final, very steep slope awaited me to get there [...]
Bike tour 2022: Le Perthus - Barcelona
Photos Le Perthus - Barcelona 27 September: 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 over 2 km uphill to the Pirinexus cycle route. It was well worth that climb, I cycled through mighty landscapes without car traffic. At [...]
Bike tour 2022: Figueres
Watch photos as you read 28 Sept 2022: Dali museum and theatre and Sant Pere de Figueres church Before leaving for Girona, I visited the Teatre-Museu Salvador Dali in Figueres. I didn't think it would be super crowded by now, but Dali is a big crowd puller and the museum still worked [...].
Bike tour 2023: Salamanca
19-20 April: SalamancaSalamanca has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. I only had a day and a half to visit a major cultural highlight like Salamanca, so it was difficult to decide what to visit. I walked pretty quickly from one site to another, writing short comments under the photos I took. Some buildings I only [...]
