Traveling the roads of Spain…… Notes from a solo road trip in Spain…..

Friday November 02, 2012

Up early in Madrid, the sites and sounds of the city are muted in the early morning but as the morning wakes up, the city’s constant hummm gets louder and louder, more traffic, the streets start to hold a flow of people and we are off to a cheaper breakfast than the hotel just down the street. 4.95€ all you can eat with eggs….we act like bears preparing for winter and get a bit too full……Gabby is hopping on a flight to the States and wants to avoid the airplane food and I simply don’t know when I’ll stop to eat…..we have planned just right with time yet I decide I may not exit where I think we are and we decide to trudge our luggage to the parking garage. I was going to pick Gabby and our luggage up on the street, saving the stair trek and stopping in the bus lane, ignoring honking; while we load……if I make one wrong turn though????!!!!……the way back around is time-consuming!!! So, yes, basically I am scared!! Whatever! Our timing is fine and we bid farewell to our two-week jaunt over the ocean as Gabby returns stateside newly 30 years old…..
Now I am alone…..set the GPS to a town north, as I want to get out of the city as soon as possible.   While I have gone on road trips alone, they are usually planned out and I’ve never done it in anther country, especially one I do not speak the language!  What was I thinking? I suppose the rule to never fly over an ocean for less than three weeks kicked in and then I couldn’t think of going back early and not really having enough time to go home to Mendocino before I turned around to have Thanks Day with my folks near Vegas, where I land. Hang out in the desert or hang out in Spain…..kinda an easy decision with no one really waiting for me at home. Hummmmm……
After a brief talk with my brother he gets me a hotel in nearby Salamanca for 25€…..and as it turns out free wi-fi! I get a clerk that speaks no English but we somehow communicate and I get my room. I ask if there is wi-fi and she doesn’t know what it is until I pronounce it wee-fee! That works, she circles the phone number and tells me it is the pass code…. The hotel has stairs only so I pack a small bag for the one night and walk up the two stories to my room. It is surprisingly very very clean and newly remodeled.   The bath is small but not cramped and has a half tub with shower; perfect. No frills, yet everything I need and free wi-fi. I am pleasantly surprised, it’s a good value.   I get a lot done, pay some bills, put out a fire (property issue-gmail chat helps and email) and post my blog finally…I also research for the trip (it’s about time!). It’s funny how much you can focus on when alone! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Well, perhaps it is just my way, I didn’t need to know where I was going until now….the weather is somewhat inclement so I choose not to camp yet.   I want to walk to the plaza as I hear it is nice at night yet before I know it, it is 11:30 and my bedtime….while Spain wakes up, I want sleep.

Espana….a travel journey…..

November 05, 2012. Monday

Up relatively early to blue skies; I get in the hydro shower to my hurricane like shower.   I should be clean for two days!   I have a breakfast of yogurt and juice and am off; Bilbao bound.   I plug it into my GPS and begin what I believe will be an uneventful trip.  Along a major highway it suddenly comes to an end due to road work, we are simply routed off the highway and I do not see a detour sign!  Screw it, then I’ll take a country road!   I look at the map and plug-in a town on the way through the country!   All is well, loving the scenery and suddenly as I start to exit a small town I see road work!   A huge paving machine is blocking the road!  No detour sign, warnings or workers diverting the traffic!  Just closed!  I go around thinking I can do that…. but no, the asphalt is new and the road I want is simply closed!   I am behind a Spaniard and he gets out to talk to me.  I don’t understand a thing he is  saying, except I get the gist the road is closed!   I pull over after turning around to plug-in another city into the GPS and he stops to further help me in his language I don’t understand; except when he says he doesn’t live here either.  (I didn’t take much Spanish in high school-35 years ago!).  I gather he is going to stop and ask the way around and he says to follow him.  I have no choice at first, small road and town but when he stops at the local store,  I figure I still won’t understand, so I keep on going; GPS to lead me out!  Funny thing is, after a while, him and another vehicle I see in town are behind me.   Ah, the marvels of our times, that little GPS unit!!    Eventually I get back to a main road for a while when my quest for a bit of country takes hold again as I near Bilbao and I choose another country road.  This one is totally awesome.  I wind up going through Urkiolako National Park, a wonderful mountain range consisting of large masses of  limestone rocks. It’s a beautiful area lined with forests of  pine and beech trees, grasses, shrubs and plenty of rock!   It is a small windy road I am blessed to find.  Almost 15,000 acres of Park.  The mountains of rock are gorgeous up-swept, reminding me of Yosemite National Parks views, yes that nice!   (In retrospect of course).  Surprisingly as I leave the park I see a large quarry with a terraced mountain being harvested.  Well, Spain is built with rock roads and buildings, I suppose it’s got to come from somewhere!!

Making my way to Bilbao, my brother has booked me an inexpensive 2 star hotel in the middle of the city.  Not able to find on street parking I am forced to use their lot at 9€ a night!  So much for savings!!  The hotel s nice, clean, basic with the room numbers written on the doors in big black magic markers!!   It is clean though and I am lucky enough to get the room right above the bench outside the smokers frequent.   After the long car drive I walk to town, later finding out I walk the wrong way, it is all city none-the-less and I do a bit of window shopping and buy some beading supplies.  (I don’t need).  Along my walk, a middle-aged man (which I suppose I could be considered too-ha!), starts talking to me asking me where I am from, he sounds pleasant enough; I just don’t understand most of what he says!  We communicated vacation out of it and where I live and have a good time!  If ya wanna feel real alone in the middle of a big city; with a ton of people, go where you don’t know the language; any other ‘aloneness’ pales!!   Good thing I like it!   It’s not like I can turn around and talk to anybody!!  Almost 4 miles is good enough for me, I’ll head the right way tomorrow!  Checkout at the hotel is noon, so plenty of time!   Time to write, check email and research my next move.