Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland - Spring '16

Spring 2016. Yes, still on holiday. Oops wink

Quite enjoying the Costa Blanca (can certainly recommend this as a winter cycling destination) but as the weather warms it's time to head back North.

Trip to Germany for the snail's safety inspection - can you believe it's a year already?! Which leads to the obligatory stop with friends both there and in Switzerland. Passing through an as yet unexplored part of the Black Forest & home via the Giant of Provence. Lovely stuff.

We really love the Pyrenees though so this is where the majority of our time will be spent this year I think. Ahem wink And why not - a dream come true to ride the Tourmalet through walls of snow above one's head is just one of the benefits!

Tuesday 8 March 2016

Delta de l'Ebre. Quite time of year, but couple OK-ish bird in flight shots. Ducks, Flamingos, that kind of thing wink

Tuesday 22 March 2016

Evening stroll. Is cloudy but warm. No sand, but on the plus side, won't be find it in every orifice for hours! wink

Wednesday 23 March 2016

Shots from today's ride. Lovely roads but a bit arid around here. Higher you go, greener it gets though. Oh well! wink

Thursday 24 March 2016

Beach front at Villajoyosa. This one's sandy: note the palms wink Can't say it's not colourful enough & rather like it!

Thursday 24 March 2016

Is tricky to find a good curry in Europe so just this once happy to enjoy some 'Brits Abroad' dining wink tongue Cheers! grin

Friday 25 March 2016

Feeling very lucky... this was on the table 5 minutes after I got home from cycling! Yum! smile grin tongue #Refuel #Hydration

Saturday 26 March 2016

Today's ride: Deserted Costa Blanca roads. Surprisingly good riding here & it's almost hot! #TanLines #FullyPro wink

Thursday 31 March 2016

More fun in the Costa Blanca hills today. Around 90km with 1800m of vertical. Lovely & warm too. Niiiiice smile grin

Monday 4 April 2016

Today's ride: Same route as last time, reversed. In 3½ hours riding only 34 sec difference - faster! smile #Consistency

Tuesday 5 April 2016

Lunch in Villajoyosa. 12€ menu included a 'small' glass of sangria. This & my entrée the highlights. Yum! tongue smile

Wednesday 6 April 2016

Spanish supermarket: Jamón a serious business here! There's a guy hand slicing it for your tasting pleasure too smile

Wednesday 6 April 2016

Not all jamón here is cheap. This 440€ leg most expensive I could find. 49/kg? Anyone in Sydney want to comment? wink

Thursday 7 April 2016

Passed lots of orange groves yesterday. Paid 7 bucks for a bag of lovely, juicy fruit as big as Pratiwi wink Bargain grin

Thursday 7 April 2016

Ride from the Med coast up brutal climb (20%+ ramps), past vineyards, a castle & lakes. You know, the usual stuff wink

Friday 8 April 2016

Old town of Sitges: narrow alleys and... erm... interesting shopfront props wink

Friday 8 April 2016

Great tapas bar in Sitges. Fresh kebabs, sausages, etc. came round regularly. Yum! tongue Sangria seems effective too! wink

Friday 8 April 2016

Outside bar in Spain. Cold day: I'm wearing sweater & Goretex shell. 3 pommies walk out in tee shirts & shorts & say, "Oooo... Tropical" LOL

Friday 8 April 2016

Post lunch walk home along the beach. Think that sangria is still working on someone wink grin

Saturday 9 April 2016

Haven't done anything touristy for a while so: Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. Yes, it's tough being a tourist! wink

Saturday 9 April 2016

Green grass & warm evening sunshine - nice smile Even better: found a bottle of Czech beer in the garage. Cheers! grin

Monday 11 April 2016

Today's ride: up a lovely little - 1,200m at the top wink - climb. Parc Natural del Montseny. Just North of Barcelona.

Tuesday 12 April 2016

Sadly this is a Spanish baguette. But... it's still warm from the oven & I only had to walk 50m to find it. Result!

Tuesday 12 April 2016

Back in France so lunch supplies are easy: Find boulangerie, buy quiche &... no idea what the other is but was tasty!

Thursday 14 April 2016

Plenty of scope for CX training on today's ride wink By the beach & through wetland. And yes, those dots are flamingos!

Friday 15 April 2016

Still working on that bag of oranges. So sweet & juicy. There are worse things to eat morning, noon & night! wink

Friday 15 April 2016

Welcome to Lyon! This is why we usually avoid cities, but GPS says it's best way North. Doh! cry Cool clouds though.

Saturday 16 April 2016

Love French obsession with bread. We might be in motorway services miles from anywhere, but there's still fresh warm baguettes available! smile

Saturday 16 April 2016

After bit of a long day on the road... simple things sometimes make the best treats. Ahhhh...

Saturday 16 April 2016

Lunch stop in the Alsace region. Very traditional looking restaurant has Italian specials. Who are we to argue? wink tongue

Saturday 16 April 2016

Post lunch constitutional. This little village is Barr, & although it's still France the German influence is obvious.

Saturday 16 April 2016

Evening stroll around Deidesheim before dinner. And a bit of... ahem... silliness wink Warmer than it looks... honest!

Sunday 17 April 2016

I'm sure jamón slicing is a very earnest business... just no-one thought to tell these two! wink Oh dear! grin

Sunday 17 April 2016

So now the girls have finished messing about (ahem!!), it's time to get serious. Hand me a knife! grin

Sunday 17 April 2016

I did say we couldn't get a whole leg due to lack of slicing equipment in the snail. Lucky we're visiting friends! smile

Sunday 17 April 2016

My first attempt at jamón slicing. Should be thinner, but still tasted great. More practice required. On no! wink tongue

Sunday 17 April 2016

Typical afternoon in Germany? #DoingItTough #ThesePretzelsAreMakingMeThirsty grin

Monday 18 April 2016

German breakfast. Well... Only part of it to be fair. Because we didn't eat enough swine last night! wink Yum! tongue

Monday 18 April 2016

Even up here in Germany, spring is coming... yay!

Monday 18 April 2016

For somewhere called, 'Beer World', these guys seem to have an awful lot of whiskey! wink Love this place! grin grin

Monday 18 April 2016

Spotted in German drinks store. Lost in translation? No! It's 'hell' beer named after the Austrian village, 'Fucking'

Tuesday 19 April 2016

Sunrise from a German vineyard. You have to love the random parking spots they lay on around here (Rhine valley).

Tuesday 19 April 2016

Snail's in for it's TÜV (can you believe it's been a year!) so what to do? Lucky we know this restaurant close by smile

Wednesday 20 April 2016

Frosty Black Forest morn. Quite a shock as we were by the Med few days back. Can feel a beautiful day coming though!

Wednesday 20 April 2016

Quiet, smooth, twisty, rolling roads through beautiful nature & charming villages. I love riding the Black Forest! grin

Wednesday 20 April 2016

Back from an awesome ride, evening sun & few bottles from local monastery at hand. Hmmm... decisions, decisions wink grin

Thursday 21 April 2016

Short walk into the local village. Through the forest, naturally smile

Thursday 21 April 2016

Hearty lunch under dappled shade in a beer garden next to the Abbey & old brewery where that beer originates. Cheers!

Thursday 21 April 2016

Part of the beer shop in Alpirsbach - next to the Abbey which founded this brewery. 2l bottle of beer anyone?! wink grin

Thursday 21 April 2016

Dessert time: Black Forest gâteau & more local beer. Like there's another choice?! Love a bakery that serves beer! grin

Friday 22 April 2016

Today's ride: bit grey but always something interesting to see. This is on the dam wall at Stausee Kleine Kinzig.

Friday 22 April 2016

Evening forest walk & a few trees are blossoming. Been great but allegedly it will snow here tomorrow! Time to leave!

Saturday 23 April 2016

Time for lunch so pick a spot to park up. This is Eglisau (Switzerland) on the banks of the Rhine. Wet but beautiful.

Sunday 24 April 2016

Swiss motorway services: beautiful, clean, modern, efficient... and rather expensive. Luckily we don't need any fuel!

Monday 25 April 2016

Random view from the road en-route to Provence. This is on the hill above Puy-Saint-Martin. Lovely day smile

Monday 25 April 2016

Yes, we did just squeeze though that archway, somehow defying the laws of physics! Love medieval French villages! wink

Monday 25 April 2016

Passing through Vaison-la-Romaine. In 2012 I spent several hours on an IV drip 100m from this square. Fun times! wink

Monday 25 April 2016

Rosbif lunch. Désolé monsieur, it's better in the UK wink Mousse for dessert was to die for though. Nom, nom, nom! tongue

Tuesday 26 April 2016

When in Provence... grin 3° up top + 70kph wind chill equals completely numb fingers on the descent. Fun times! wink grin

Tuesday 26 April 2016

Post ride snack. Despite it being a bit nippy up Ventoux looks like I got a bit sweaty somewhere on today's route! wink

Wednesday 27 April 2016

Lazy day so will just walk into village. Someone is late so forced to sit & wait on sunny terrace. #Hardship #Sigh wink

Wednesday 27 April 2016

Awesome table spotted outside a bar in Bédoin.

Wednesday 27 April 2016

So... another difficult day draws to a close... Ahhhhh... smile

Thursday 28 April 2016

Random lunch stop in Remoulins. Not the prettiest of places, but this corner was still photogenic.

Friday 29 April 2016

Ride from Lac du Salagou into the hills. Wonderful area with huge vistas & beautiful villages - like Lunas seen here.

Sunday 1 May 2016

Driving along that road from Capvern to Mauvezin. Always amazing views here, even on a cloudy day.

Sunday 1 May 2016

Local couple gave us the tip to go to this spot & collect wild garlic. Tasty in salad & cooking they said. We agree.

Sunday 1 May 2016

First evening back in the Pyrenees. Little walk around the new neighbourhood & introductions with the locals. Mooooo!

Monday 2 May 2016

Busy day, but got out for lovely spring evening's spin in the Baronnies: tiny, quiet roads & plenty of punchy climbs!

Monday 2 May 2016

The scene from our doorstep tonight: last rays of sunshine on the Pic du Midi. Yes, yes, with a very long lens! tongue

Tuesday 3 May 2016

Cyclists should know this guy: He spends summer atop Col du Tourmalet but prefers to winter in the valley it seems wink

Wednesday 4 May 2016

First Tourmalet ascent of the year. Last 3km closed to cars, but not bikes! grin As usual, sucks to be a car driver! tongue

Thursday 5 May 2016

Today's ride: foothills then Chiroulet, which is in the valley between the 2 main peaks in 1st pic. Beautiful day smile

Thursday 5 May 2016

Impromptu dinner invite. Lots of excellent Asian food, especially that beef rendang! Nom, nom, nom! tongue :P

Saturday 7 May 2016

Rest day done right: just lounging around our 'garden' - aka. the campsite wink - in the evening sunshine. Ahhhhh... smile

Sunday 8 May 2016

Big week of riding ends with loop to next valley & home over this little climb. Stayed dry despite the clouds. Phew!

Monday 9 May 2016

Rest day stroll. Got a little carried away & ended up going 8km to the next village & source of the Crastes. Oops wink

Tuesday 10 May 2016

What passes for an easy local loop these days wink Couple of hours smashing round beautiful, empty roads like this! grin

Wednesday 11 May 2016

Impromptu dinner. French moule frite very nice, but sorry, still not as good as the Belgiums! Great dessert though tongue

Saturday 14 May 2016

Indonesian's don't drink, huh? The one's in France do! wink grin What I had to endure at a local 'Arisan' gathering wink tongue

Tuesday 17 May 2016

I never do coffee stops but beer & pizza is mid-ride break I can get behind wink 122km & Hautacam PR today. Love it! grin

Friday 20 May 2016

Things to do this arvo, so little spin up the Aspin & to Lac de Payolle was all there was time for today. Oh well! wink

Saturday 21 May 2016

Toasty today at 34° in the Baronnies! View back to the snowy peaks from near Capvern. Hmmmmmm.... snnnnooooowwwwww wink

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Col de Beyrede (some dirt & gravel on the climb) & Hourquette d'Ancizan. Cos you can't do famous cols ALL the time wink

Tuesday 24 May 2016

A few locals obviously thought phone I pulled from my back pocket was food. Sorry! Will bring carrots next time! wink

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Schoolboy error: Out riding & remembering there's only 1 bottle of beer in fridge! Masterful save: It's a 3 Monts! wink

Tuesday 24 May 2016

... some time later... smile Just enjoying the evening sun with a few tunes & amber refreshment. It's a hard life! tongue grin

Friday 27 May 2016

Accidentally plotted a cycling course up the wrong hill & ended up here: Plaine d'Esquiou. Could have been worse! wink

Saturday 4 June 2016

More French hardship: tough choices to make in the patisserie wink BTW, we went the gateaux fraise & it was to die for!

Saturday 4 June 2016

All I could find in the fridge... Leffe & Duval. How terrible! wink Cheers! grin

Tuesday 7 June 2016

Another back to back tasting test. Duval v St Bernardus Tripel. Verdict: too close to call. More testing required! wink

Thursday 9 June 2016

Bit of a struggle up the Tourmalet today. What with heat & running out of water after going long way round. Oops! wink

Thursday 9 June 2016

Salt on jersey is normal but I took ass-sweat to whole new level today wink 100km Tourmalet loop & still 30° at 1700m!

Friday 10 June 2016

Fresh baguette delivery in France. Bread here is seldom wrapped & clearly throwing it in an old pipe isn't an issue!

Friday 10 June 2016

Helping friends collect cherries from this beautiful tree in their yard. Yuuuuuum! tongue

Friday 10 June 2016

When you drop round to friends for lunch... and are served a four course gourmet meal! Nom, nom, nom tongue Thank you! smile

Friday 10 June 2016

Evening 'snack'. Nom, nom, nom... tongue

Sunday 19 June 2016

Last day of spring evening ride with my beautiful - if a little slow... ahem! tongue - riding partner. Niiiice! smile grin