Bike tour 2023: Golegã
6-8 April: Golegã, capital of horses and pioneer in photographyThursday evening I arrived at the Parque de Campismo Municipal da Golegã. On a road sign, I read that Golegã was the 'horse capital' of Portugal. I would stay here for two nights, but I was intrigued by the horses and also by the very special photography studio of 19th-century amateur photographer Carlos [...]
Bike tour 2023: Lisbon
27 - 29 March: Staying in LisbonA few days of soaking up culture in Lisbon. 27 March: Day 1 LisbonToday I took it easy. I went to the tourism office and bought a 48-hour city pass, which I will activate tomorrow. For the rest, I strolled around the Baixa district, took a look at [...]
Bike tour 2023: Villa Ducal - Osuna
March 2: Villa Ducal in OsunaThursday night I unsuspectingly landed in Osuna having found a cheap hostal there. What a surprise! Osuna is a beautifully preserved historic town with many baroque gems, picturesque streets with snow-white houses, cosy squares and - very pleasantly - not (yet) overrun by tourists. Actually, I had better ended up here first to visit after [...]
Bike tour 2023: Granada
After my winter stay in O Sel Ling, my first stop was Granada. A fairly large and very touristy city, so that took some getting used to after the peace and quiet of the Alpujarra mountains. I allowed myself three days to visit the city at leisure. Friday 24 Feb: First, I had to look for a new [...]
Bike tour 2022: Visit Órgiva
Tuesday 22 Nov: walk to and visit ÓrgivaWind wind wind wind, it still doesn't give up! So I chose to walk the two kilometres to Órgiva via the Ruta de Los Olivos. There is not a whole lot to see in this regional capital of the Western Alpujarras. The 16th-century 'Casa Palacio de los Condes de Sástago', a [...]
Bike tour 2022: Visit Almería
Wednesday, 16 Nov: Highlights city tour AlmeríaA day is not long to do some clothes shopping for my winter stay in the Alpujarras, where it can be brisk winter, and still see something of the city too. I mapped out a route that passes some highlights within walking distance, as my bike was at the bike shop. First [...]
Bike tour 2022: Elche city and Palm grove
3-4 November: glitzy visit to Elche - ElxThursday evening I cycled up to the old town to soak up the atmosphere. The basilica had just closed, but the Gothic façade was handsomely lit and provided a nicer photo than the shadow façade the next morning. Ditto for the town hall with its beautiful inlaid [...]
Bike tour 2022: Valencia - Jardin del Turia
Thursday 27 Oct: Through the 'Jardin del Turia' to the 'City of Arts and Sciences'The last day of my stay in Valencia, I didn't feel much like going to the city centre because the air there is very polluted with exhaust fumes. Therefore, I decided to take my bike in the afternoon and go through the [...]
Bike tour 2022: Valencia - Museums
25-26 Oct: Valencia - Museum of Fine Arts and IVAMTuesday I visited the Museum of Fine Arts, which is just opposite my hostel on the opposite side of the Turia Park. It holds a rich art collection from Gothic in the 14th-15th centuries to Impressionism in the late 19th-early 20th century. I photographed several [...]
Bike tour 2022: Valencia - City tour
Wednesday 26 Oct: city walk in ValenciaWednesday morning I took part in a city walk organised by the organisation 'Guruwalk'. The guide was a playful fellow who debated an arsenal of funny anecdotes. Unfortunately, I did not catch all of them because he sometimes spoke Spanish very fast. For instance, he managed to tell me that every Thursday at noon sharp in front of the Gothic [...]
