Grim aldi or what??

Sunday 20th, after a fantastic couple of days in Valencia and Gandia experiencing the festival of the Fallas, it was time to get our kit back on and set off for the port of Valencia to catch the Grimaldi ferry. Our ship ‘The Catania’ was due to sail to Livorno NW Italy at 2pm (for those that want to know, it’s just down the coast from Pisa and its leaning tower). The sky was pearlescent blue, the temperature well above 20 degrees, our steed chomping at the bit and us looking forward to the delights and mysteries of what Italy may bring.

So at just after 11.45 we hit the road to travel the 65km to the port, giving ourselves plenty of time to do the journey and enjoy the scenery on the way. The journey took us about 40 mins and we found the port easily (a sigh of relief from Ann). It took us another hour to actually find the the ship, what a feckin mission that was; But hey that’s all part of the fun of this journey, I just wish it wasn’t at times when the time was so critical. I have to say we were startin to panic a bit, but fair play we kept our cool (under severe pressure) and with a lot of help from him upstairs and Ann on the back, we got there in the end with about half an hour to spare, but with no great thanks to the Grimaldi Shipping Line and their port road signage.

There was just enough space for us to park the bike on the lower deck of the ship, after which, we were personally escorted off the car deck up to the reception level. I was beginning to think we were going to be admonished for our late arrival, but nothing of the sort, we were welcomed by the purser and each given a cabin key and told to enjoy the trip. Well, swipe me sideways with an elephants trunk, it turns out we’ve only got a cabin each, and along with another single passenger, we’re the only passengers on the entire ship, it was like the Marie Celeste, not a soul to be seen. We couldn’t believe it, the complete run of the ship, our own chef and waiting staff that seemed to appear then disappear for two days - Roman Obramavich eat your heart out!!

 We shed our bike kit, donned our shorts and T shirts and headed upto the Heliport deck where the sun was burning brightly waiting for us. We got hold of a couple of empty seats (as if there weren’t many) and made ourselves comfortable in preparation for our sailing. Before anybody asks the question, no there was no helicopter and pilot at our disposal, and we didn’t care to ask in case they might have thought we were taking the ‘P’ The two day journey was quite uneventful, we got to know the few staff that were on board and met the other passenger , Roman Obramavich, who told us he’d been reading our blog and had rushed out to Valencia to meet us. Actually, I’m telling porky pies – he hadn’t rushed LOL. The boat docked at 06.30 on Tuesday 22nd, the Italian sun was out to greet us along with the Italian Papparatzi,and although cool it was a lovely morning. We were up and at it, our steed had switched to Valentino Rossi mode and was eager to feel the tarmac on the rubber (I had to calm and throttle him back). We headed into Livorno to find breakfast after which we mooched around Livorno before taking off to Firenze (The beautiful city of Florence).




Kit removed and Shorts on in Florence



A view from Cathedral tower 464 steps! Ann's workout
for the day



First impression of Italy, was how similar it is to Britain, the congestion, the aggressive and impatient motorists, the roads, which are appalling and probably even worse than ours, the very green fields and the general appearance of the beautiful countryside. We arrived in Florence at 11am having covered the 110km in just under two hours. We found excellent accommodation in the centre of Florence at an incredible price, so good in fact we opted to stay for two nights, allowing us to get to see the tourist hot spots and the many works of art.

We removed our gear and changed into shorts and t-shirts, it was very warm and sunny with temperatures in the early twenties, but I have to say the Italians are still wrapped up in their long and stylish coats, for them it’s still cold, and probably winter.



An optical illusion; is the tower
leaning, or is it Tony?



We spent the entire day being constantly amazed, each building and work of art better than the last; we even had our own wierd and wonderful Damien Hirsts infamous diamond skull, on display in the Palazzo Vecchio! Of course there are many churches, each quite beautiful and significant in their own right , but nothing in Florence could surpass the magnificent Cathedral Di Santa Maria del Fiore, in the Piazza Del Duomo, where the bishop celebrates mass. It is also known as the ‘Duomo’, a word that comes from the Latin domus, meaning house – The Duomo is the house of God. It was an awesome building, one which we hope we have captured in the pictures.



Yo Paul Moore, this is better than your home brew
Not Nelsons, but Tonys Revenge

After a long day, we found ourselves a cafe bar, not too far from our accommodation, where we ate some local cuisine and washed it down with some Italian real ale (can you believe it! Though Ann, miserable cow, only drank water), and reflected on the wonders of Florence, before retiring back to our room for a well deserved sleep.

We got up early the next morning, had breakfast at a cafe up the road, and felt sufficiently fortified, ready to do what visitors do best in Florence – sight seeing and taking pictures. We enjoyed the day taking in as many of the sights as time permitted, we even met four sisters over from England who were also enjoying the wonder of Florence. I even went as far as eating a pizza, which I have to say, is not a type of food I’m particularly disposed towards. However, I absolutely loved it and suddenly realised what I had been missing all those years; blimey,there was a strong risk that I could get to like them. Hey Georgio I’m becoming Italian - Pizza’s, olives, even artichokes, I wonder what the chuff will be next – a Duccatti??

Look, who's the geezer trying to get out of Tonys backpack?



Yummee 'Just one Cornetto'. Ann & Tony singing a duet.
The cloth cap on the floor is conveniently out of shot!!



 

And so friends here endeth this blog, tomorrow 24th March,we will be heading south to Perugia......

Love and best wishes to everyone back home The Easy Riders xxxx

Here are a few more pictures.......

  



Back View of potential new JP Outlet- Florence Branch

 

 

   

Front View of proposed JP Unit, at a very advantageous Lease
Negotiated by the 'Master' Ballingerbob.





Hey Smithy Look a real Brooks Saddle
probably worth more than the bike



For all the purists, A modern day take on the traditional beer cellar, eh by gum
Hope you guys don't mind warm beer



A Sting in the tail!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got up early to another beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky. We packed our things and loaded them onto the bike. We needed to collect our tickets for the ferry and then take off to Gandia some 210kms away. It was gone 3pm by the time we left for Gandia, after picking up our ferry tickets. We’d pre-booked our accommodation over t’internet, so there was no big rush, just set the cruise control and put our feet up. Oops, Sorry Ballingerbob, that was almost unforgiveable, cruise control on a BMW GS1200 motorbike, Whatever next?????? We arrived in Gandia after dark about 7.30pm (once again, experiencing the major benefit of our satnav). This late arrival was not due to us taking our time, but actual significant traffic ques, the first we had experienced since leaving ole Blighty. We must have been stuck in very slow moving traffic for the best part of an hour or so and all sorts of things go thru your head about what might be up ahead. As we got closer we spotted the Flashing lights, lots of them and kinda breathed a sigh of relief, at least we wouldn’t be too much longer, but both of us, still apprehensive at what we might see ahead .

Being on two wheels we were managing to move a good bit faster than the four wheel variety, so the delay for cars was considerably longer. We got closer to the front and started to pass the policea standing in pairs at staggered intervals of approx 20m and looking menacing and very regimented. This all seemed very odd to us, but hey all sorts of things are odd in Spain, so we didn’t think too much about it until Ann whispered in the mike, that all the police were holding guns and rifles. Bloody hell, there was no accident, this was a police heist.

I knew we’d avoided an odd toll booth, but sh-t, were they really lookin for us? We fell back behind a car and throttled back, I pulled down my sun visor, dropped a gear, I was ready to make a break for it in case it really was us they were seeking! We moved forward, almost into the open highway ahead and out beyond the policea cordon, but there was still a last line of three police. With their guns out and only a chuffin ‘stinger’ in their hands. They separated and stepped aside to allow us thru but then closed formation immediately as we passed them, all the traffic behind us came to an abrupt halt. Jesus , I opened the throttle and didn’t look back, I knew Ann would get it first so I would be all right, but if I weaved a little that might help Ann from taking a direct hit. Thank God , no gun fire, it wasn’t us they were after, but it certainly was somebody very close to where we were. We didn’t hang about, but were conscious of the speed limit, It was only a short distance on that Ann complained about a nasty odour, I suggested we must’ve been passing a farm!!!!

Our hotel, The Los Norangos (The oranges), was just round the corner from the town centre, so we quickly changed out of our kit, and went out to discover what the festival of the Fallas was all about (hopefully the pictures will give you an idea). The structures are made out of polystyrene and papier mache with a metal frame holding them together and in place. They were awesome, all different; they were comic book and Disney characters and even caricatures of some of the local dignitaries, and some of these structures were standing higher than the adjacent buildings - incredible.


 

oops don't know where she came from!



We made our way to the town square where all the festivities were taking place, singing, dancing, Andalucía dress competitions, with fireworks exploding all around us. We kinda experienced what it must be like in a war zone, there were literally explosions going on all around us and Ann & I kept ducking and jumping and diving for cover, it seemed we were the only couple doing so. However, all was not lost, for all of our ducking, jumping and diving was rewarded; the judges thought we were a late entry for the dancing and were so impressed, they awarded us first prize for a modern take on the traditional way of Spanish dress and dancing in the Andalucía region – what a result LOL. We continued our walk about, taking in all the magnificent scenes along with hundreds of people, all out enjoying themselves with their families. We found ourselves a local restaurant and enjoyed some tapas and wine before retiring back to the hotel - a welcome refuge from all those bloody firecrackers.

These were the runners up

Saturday 19th we got up reasonably early and ate our breakfast, over which, we had agreed to catch the train into Valencia to spend our last full day in Spain. The train journey took about 1 hour and it was nice to sit back a see a bit of the Spanish countryside. It was another beautiful day, temperatures in the mid twenties and we were really looking forward to experiencing the Fallas in Valencia. We were not disappointed at what we discovered. The Valencia Fallas, was Gandia multiplied by 100, the whole city was rammed, it was incredible, you literally couldn’t move, there were thousands of people.

 

 There were groups of street musicians who went around performing in different areas of the city, children and their parents dressed up and doing their party piece, and the ever present statue figurines all trying to outdo one another, it was all massively entertaining and a thoroughly enjoyable experience.



Ann 'Pulls' for two Knights

  

We finished a long day at Burgerking, eating a big burger and fries and I had a large beer, can you believe it?? We’d never crossed their threshold before, & I have to say that I’m not entirely sure we’ll cross it again. However, hunger can be a strong driver, I suppose I should never say never. We left Valencia at around 10pm arriving back in Gandia at 11ish, we had a walk about in Gandia before eventually retiring back to the hotel for a good nights kip ready to face, the following morning, the next stage of our tour.

 

This is all thats left after the Fallas are burnt.








That’s it for now, we have our fingers crossed for the next stage of our journey. Italy here we come!!

Lots of love The Easy Riders xxxx



Our first Paddy’s day in Spain.

Thursday 17th March. After much indecision and nashing of teeth we plumped for Murcia as our next destination - approx 75kms inland and SW of that well known British holiday resort of Alicante. We tried very hard to travel to Valencia (which was our ultimate destination for Saturday 19th) via the inland and countryside route taking in two rural and ancient towns, Ubeda and Albacete. For reasons unknown to us we could not book accommodation in either town and so decided that maybe somebody was telling us to use a different route.


Ann looking cool & relaxed in her Kit




Tony looking distinctly uncool next to a local
 Policea Geezer



We set off quite late from Granada, leaving just before 1pm knowing that we had to cover some 270kms. We typed the coordinates of our next hotel Legazpi, into the satnav, and with the weather much improved, our spirits high,( nearly as high as the temp at about 21 degrees), we set off for Murcia hoping to complete the distance in a reasonable time, and in any case no longer than half hour ten minutes (specially for Georgio) lol. We arrived into Murcia at around 4.30pm in glorious sunshine and temperatures of 24 degrees. It was quite remarkable that mid-way between Granada and Murcia the cool wind that had been blowing, suddenly changed into a warm balmy wind. Such was the change that when Ann mentioned it to me over the mike, I too had noticed a distinct change. Not trying to tempt providence or being overly optimistic, maybe summer is on the way?

We unloaded our bags and parked the bike , changed our kit and set off for the City centre no more than five minutes walk away. . We had discussed our plans and decided that we were ready to move out of Spain into Italy and sailing from Valencia was a good option, cutting out those areas of Spain and France that we had visited previously. We had tried to book the ferry operator direct over t’internet, but were unsuccessful, so our aim  was to find a local travel agent who could book our passage on the Grimaldi- Line, the ferry operator from Valencia to Livorno in Italy on Sunday 20th March. We also discovered that accommodation in Valencia for the Friday & Saturday night was impossible (within our budget) as they were about to celebrate the festival of The Fallas (Fireworks) and literally there was no accommodation available. However, we did manage to secure a two night stay at a two star Hotel, Los Naranjos in the lovely coastal town of Gandia about 65kms due south of Valencia; just outside our budget of 10 euros for the two nights (Yes, I’m joking). After which we were able to relax knowing that we too would be in town to experience and enjoy the festival and all it’s celebrations, we now just needed to secure our ferry passage. I wont go into the details of the ferry, but the travel agent we found was superb. That ole Tony Cronin charm worked wonders (I don’t think) a young lady,(Raycar, Agencia de Viajes) Marrian Lopaz (no relation to Jennifer),worked extremely hard for us and by 1.30pm the following day (Friday 18th), almost 24 hrs later, our tickets were confirmed by Grimaldi .There was no turning back now, next country - Italy.

The Cathedral Square - Plaza de Belluga, with the Bishops
Palace just on the right.

 So after our visit to the travel agent we left to explore the central area of Murcia. It was a beautiful warm late afternoon with temperatures in the twentys, we found ourselves in the Plaza de Belluga, filled with people sitting enjoying the late sunshine and chatting at tables drinking their cafe Colechy. Standing immediately in front of us was the magnificent and imposing 14th Century Cathedral which according to history, took four centuries to complete and contains many differing styles of architecture – sounds a bit like the Sagrada Familia Cathederal in Barcelona

We were informed by the local Tourist office, that Like Ireland celebrating St Patricks day, they too in Murcia, were celebrating the festival of Virgen of the Fuensanta where the statue (opposite) is carried in a procession on the shoulders of men from a village 5kms away to the Cathederal. We witnessed this unexpected surprise along with the many other hundreds of local residents as the procession entered the Plaza de Belluga and then disappeared through the main doors, into the Cathedral. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and finished the day off with a meal and a couple of glasses of wine, drinking a toast to all you folks back home for St Paddy’s day, before making our way back to the hotel for a well earned kip.





Big Tone preparing to hear confessions
in the Cathedral (cost 1 euro per sin, straight into
Tones pocket!!!!)



Inside the Cathedral

 

Loads of Love, and missing everyone from
The Intrepid Easy-Pisa(y) Riders xxxx

Greetings from Granada.

Tuesday 15th March, the weather had improved sufficiently to enable us to set off on the bike, heading in a North Easterly direction towards the Historic city of Granada, approximately 220 kms away. With our heart rate increasing we said goodbye to Puerto Banus, glad to be back on the road and looking forward to arriving at our next destination, some two hours or so down the road, weather and traffic permitting.


Making sure our trusty steed was settled for the night.



 The sat nav (Oh so incredibly valuable)helped us to quickly locate our hotel in Granada (arriving at about 4pm),helping us to safely negotiate all those chuffin narrow one-way streets, which can, on the odd occasion, cause us a little angst! The hotel (The Granada Centro), was in a good location just off the historic central area, with safe parking outside for our trusty steed, and the room - an excellent large bright and airy room with the requisite steaming hot water.



The Albaycin Quarter looking back from the Alhambra



Once changed, refreshed and armed with a map of the city, we set out to discover the delights of the highly acclaimed Unesco World Heritage site known as The Alhambra Palace and the Historic medieval Arabic and Moorish quarter known locally as Albaycin. However, due to the time of day and the advice given by the hotel reception, we decided to visit the Moorish quarter first and leave the Alhambra Palace till the following day, before we moved on to Murcia, our next destination

The old cobblestone streets
and a' Bizzarre' trader

 Granada is a truly remarkable city that boasts a university - the 3rd most important in Spain and the home of traditional Spanish guitar making. What is so remarkable about the city is how the old and new fit seamlessly and comfortably together; At one point we were walking through some very narrow and inclined cobblestone streets rising up to the old Albaycin (Arabic quarter), the usual ‘Bazaar style’ shops, with all their goods and paraphernalia hanging up outside; Then back down the hill and a little further on it was like we had been transported to Oxford street in London with all the glitz and razamatazz, the modern shopping area with high risebuildings all beautifully clean and pristine in condition, and teaming with people and life, even at 10 in the evening - A real joy to witness











The Albaycin area with its narrow streets and tall buildings, Moorish in archeticture, being so close together, allowed for little light to permeate through to ground level, and could, I suspect, be quite intimidating particularly in the dark of evening, and the residents, though not unfriendly, were not welcoming either. But no such problem occurred for us as we explored the area in daylight visiting the numerous tourist attractions including the beautiful church Iglesia del Salvador, and from outside the Iglesia san Pedro y San Pablo we took pictures across the valley to the Alhambra Palace and in the distance the beautiful snow clad Sierra Nevada mountain range(see pics), which has quite an
extensive ski area. Which coincidentally, (for our ski friends in & around Netherseal) is only approx 40 minutes or so down the valley to Granada - perhaps one for the future?

You can just see the snow clad Mountain range.



We spent the entire late afternoon into early evening walking around the old quarter soaking up the wonderful sights. As evening fell we moved seamlessly into the modern part of the city and were wowed by everything around us. The bright retail outlets, the wonderful architecture and what struck us most was the cleanliness of the streets and the condition of the buildings, there was no sign of decay or deterioration, a vibrant and seemingly very busy retail centre. We absorbed as much of it as we could in the time we had, we even enjoyed a pizza and a couple of glasses of wine at a local restaurant before crawling back to our hotel for a very welcome kip.



A Beautiful sunset to end a Beautiful day.

  The next morning we packed our bags and prepped in readiness to leave for Murcia later in the day, after we had explored the Alhambra Palace and its surroundings. The palace is built on the Sabika hill where the earth is notoriously dark red in colour, the peasants from the Granada valley called it ‘al-kalat al-Hamra’ (the castle built of red earth) and hence the Alhambra got it’s name. I have to say it was quite a climb up to the palace, but well worth the shortness of breath, and a little sweat. It is without question a tourist honeypot, here we were in middle of March, OMG, thousands of visitors (a complete surprise to us, from all over the world, with a surprising amount from Japan, God only knows what mayhem there must be in high season), all milling around like ants going in different directions.

Well, needless to say it didn’t take us long to realise that if we were to fully enjoy this experience we would not make Murcia in the same day. So with help from the Tourist centre at the Palace, we contacted our hotel and managed to reserve another room for an extra night stay.

I can only describe it as an outstanding and wonderful experience, completely and utterly unexpected, a haven, a place of great revere and peace with the most beautifully designed and manicured gardens with water featuring throughout, and all about ready to burst into bloom, (we can only imagine what these gardens would be like in the summer season.)

You can probably tell that we were completely bowled over by what we saw and suffice to say that we didn’t leave the Alhambra Palace till 7.30pm. If anybody does visit Spain, Granada is, in our opinion, a must visit city. We dined at a typical Spanish bar on our way back to the hotel and thoroughly enjoyed some local cuisine (full English breakfast) only joking, with plenty of the vitamin B (beer and wine).

We slept like babies and woke up the next morning with Murcia Fm in the air......



Thats it for now, but before we sign off I can’t help noticing the date and remembering that Cheltenham and Paddy’s day are imminent, so to Keith, this year I hope you don’t loseyour shirt at Cheltenham cos you lost me mine last year!!!!!!!! and to everyone have a great Paddy’s day, remembering there’s work next day......

Loads of love The Intrepid Bikers, back on the job xxxx

Rain Rain Go to Spain....

Olive and Reg (AKA Ann & Tony) on the bus

 


 Sadly the weather has taken a turn for the worse, a week of very heavy rain and storms. I’m afraid to say we’ve bin spoilt, 10 days or so with some wonderful Mediterranean sunshine on our backs. We’ve been so lucky with the weather to date that we forgot the reality, It’s March, and at this time of the year even this far south, it can get cold with prolonged periods of heavy rain.

Ann catching up on her gym work out

 As might be expected, the weather has impacted on our bike tour, we’ve had to batten down the hatches, so to speak and sit it out till such time the rain abates. We’ve even resorted to using local buses and the ‘el naturale’ - shank’ss pony, when the weather permits. It’s good fun and kinda exciting using local buses hoping that you’ll finish up somewhere near to your planned destination. There is a magnificent seafront walk from San Pedro to Puerto Banus to Marbella, probably a distance of 6 or 7 km, beautiful when the sun is shining. However, over the last week or so, very reminiscent of the seafront between Rhyl and Prestatyn in December, high winds and rain with the breakers crashing over the sea wall lol.

Meet Anns new friend 'Huga Tree'





Tony trying to look cool 

During the time we’ve been here in Puerto Banus, we’ve gotten to know one or two of the staff at a local department store- Cortes Ingles (similar to John Lewis),who have taken to greeting us each time we enter the store crying out ‘Hi Antonnio and Ann, we’ve missed you’ -only joking lol, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

We use the store to buy our provisions, it also has a restaurant cafe on the second floor that offers free wifi and it’s from here that we seem to spend quite alot of time accessing our computer and carrying out some of D I Cronin’s future investigative and dectective work. It’s really funny, on numerous occasions we’ve found ourselves leaving the store with the staff (it closes at 10pm), because we’ve been in the cafe that long using the computer, we lost track of time. I have to say there’s been a great temptation to stay inside the store and just retire to the bedding dept, right next door where they have some very fine beds. I’m sure they wouldn’t even notice or mind for that matter, but Ann isn’t up for it, can you believe it!!

We are now really looking forward to getting back on the bike and continuing our tour; We’re hoping the inclement weather will cease shortly, but according to the forecast it’ll remain wet and windy till next Tuesday 15th March, at which time we’re off, heading east, up the coast to Valencia - Our first destination will be the ancient City of Granada – bring it on.

We'd like to say a big thank-you toBarb and Chris for the use of their lovely apartment, which has been a great blessing and a safe haven after we aborted our planned visit to Morocco.

That’s all just now, and hopefully the blog will kick off again with our visit to Granada.

Lots of luv The intrepid Easy Riders xxx