The next leg saw us mostly along the WA coast with our first rain, lots of mudflats, oysters (mmmm), and crossing the Columbia River into OR at Astoria. Today we took a day off and relaxed.
Lots of cranberries growing
Oyster shell piles all over
My trusty steed
The Astoria waterfront and the bridge we crossed yesterday.
I spent two nights in Porto and enjoyed it. Here's the view from my room... The long roofs below are port houses where it's aged. I tried several... Besides having a washing machine in my room (easy clean clothes!), my favorites were the incredible tile work and the sunset watching party just above my room. Yes it's heavily touristed. Porto is a popular starting point for a Camino de Santiago and I decided to follow the Central route to see what it's like. I passed about 100 walkers by lunchtime over 35km to give an idea of how many are walking. The Camino uses old Roman and medieval routes that had bridges. Many km of cobblestone riding is tough on the wrists. Spring views and primo weather compensate though. I ended up today at the border with Spain in Valenca so it'll be goodbye to Portugal in the morning. First we (with Camino walkers) relaxed and had a nice dinner.
A Khmer Happy New Year from Siem Reap in Cambodia! Noel and I are almost recovered from our 39-hour trip to get here and are enjoying a new region for both of us. We're here to start a 16-day supported bike tour to Ho Chi Minh City. From there we fly to Laos for a week+ before returning to Cambodia for a few days of island time. We did not try these fried goodies at the spider market en route from Pnohm Penh to Siem Reap. The food's been very good, even if pictures are lacking so far. We spent the first day wandering around Siem Reap getting used to the tropical heat. In a park we found this pro-peace art project. Fortunately Thailand and Cambodia implemented a cease fire before we arrived (we're staying far from the conflict area along the border). Display of 1000 Buddhas in the Angkor National Museum. Today we got up early for a birding ...
From Haro we rode east and north to San Sebastian. The cycling infrastructure has been very good to excellent in Navarra and País Vasco with nice rail-to-trail routes and cycle tourism support, which we needed when Stephen broke a spoke. 20+ tunnels one day. Longest was 2.5 km and quite chilly. We stopped by a bike shop to check out Stephen's wheel and the mechanic Pedro Lopez worked with local 5-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain! There have also been many more riders and evidence of past pro races on climbs. The area is known for its pinxtos (tapas) 😁 We enjoyed San Sebastian and have rented a car to get to Barcelona via the Pyrenees. Sand art between tides.
What fun!
ReplyDeleteSo fun to see your photos and to see everyone having such a good time! Thanks for sharing and have a blast.
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