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Palma de Mallorca - January 28, 2013
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The First of a Few Bike Trails on This Trip in Santa Maria
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The Playa de La Jara (La Jara Beach) in Sanlúcar
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Wikipedia: Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or simply Sanlúcar) is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and 119 km from Sevilla capital of the autonomous region Andalucía. Its population is 65,805 inhabitants.
Sanlúcar has been inhabited since ancient times, and is assumed to have belonged to the realm of the Tartessian civilization. The town of San Lucar was granted to the Spanish nobleman Alonso Pérez de Guzmán in 1297.
Due to its strategic location, the city was a starting point for the exploration, colonization and evangelization of America between the 15th and 17th centuries.
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A Night to Remember
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It was getting dark with no camping site anywhere near. So we pitched the tent between the Piñeros and went to sleep early - around 7 p.m. The next morning at 6 a.m., we awoke to the most unusual reward I have ever experienced on a cycling tour - fog between the Piñeros that made it feel like we were on another planet.
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Doñana National Park is located in Andalusia, in the provinces of Huelva and Seville, and covers 543 km² (337.41 mi²), of which 135 km² (83.89 mi²) are a protected area. The park is an area of marsh, shallow streams, and sand dunes in Las Marismas, the Guadalquivir River Delta region where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It was established as a nature reserve in 1963 when the World Wildlife Fund joined with the Spanish government and purchased a section of marshes to protect it. There has been a constant threat to the eco-system, that of drainage of the marshes, the use of river water to boost agricultural production by irrigating land along the coast, and the expansion of tourist facilities.
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My Back Lawn in Germany - January 26, 2013
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Snow-Covered Mountains near Grenada, Spain
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Palm Trees instead of Apple Trees and Sunshine in Jerez de la Frontera
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Yours Truly Prepping my Bike for the 1000-Kilometer Trip
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After landing on the plane in Jerez de la Frontera (south of Seville near the southwest coast of Spain), we pedalled to El Puerto de Santa Maria, a suburb of Cádiz and then on to Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Rio Guadalquivil. On the third day, we headed northeast along the river, camped two nights in the wilderness and then stayed at a campground just ten kilometers south of Seville in Dos Hermanas.
The next day we spent in Seville. As you will see in Part 2, it is a city that I definitely plan to visit again.
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Looks Like a Good Place to Eat Lunch - I love ham sandwiches!
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City Square in Jerez de la Frontera
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On the Way to the Coast - Note the Bike Path -
Just a Line about One Meter from the Side of the Road .
Although there were few cyling trails, the roads were not dangerous for use.
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One of my hobbies has become geocaching www.geocaching.com which has added another dimension to my cycling tours. Cycling in itself is boring. I mean, all you do is pedal the bike and wear the rubber under your wheels while riding on monotonously long roads and trails. What makes cycling interesting to me is meeting people along the way -- and the best way to meet people is to stop now and then. These teenagers wanted to know what I was looking for, so I explained geocaching to them and showed them a small cache. They asked me for the URL of the Website and I gave it to them. While they were still watching, I pretended to replace the magnetic geocache under the metal bench. When they were looking the other way, I replaced it where it belonged. Fair? Of course! If they are serious about geocaching, they will get a GPS and begin the same way I did in 2009. In the meantime, I’ve found over 1300 geocaches.
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At Our First Destination - Campground Las Dunas in Santa Maria
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As the sun was beginning to set, we stopped in Santa Maria, Las Dunas Campground. Santa Maria is part of the city of Cadiz.
(From Wikipedia) Cádiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of Cádiz province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cadiz, the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain and one of the oldest in all southwestern Europe,has been a principal home port of the Spanish Navy since the accession of the Spanish Bourbons in the 18th century. The city is a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network. It is also the site of the University of Cadiz.
Despite its unique site — on a narrow slice of land surrounded by the sea — Cadiz is, in most respects, a typically Andalusian city with a wealth of attractive vistas and well-preserved historical landmarks. The older part of Cadiz, within the remnants of the city walls, is commonly referred to as the Old Town (in Spanish, Casco Antiguo). It is characterised by the antiquity of its various quarters (barrios), among them El Pópulo, La Viña, and Santa María, which present a marked contrast to the newer areas of town. While the Old City's street plan consists of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas, newer areas of Cadiz typically have wide avenues and more modern buildings. In addition, the city is dotted with numerous parks where exotic plants flourish, including giant trees supposedly brought to Spain by Columbus from the New World.
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Piñeros (pine trees) in Doñana Park
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Solar Panels on the Road to Sanlúcar
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On the Road to Sanlúcar - My Home is my Castle
In This Case - My Home IS a Castle
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Wikipedia: Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or simply Sanlúcar) is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and 119 km from Sevilla capital of the autonomous region Andalucía. Its population is 65,805 inhabitants.
Sanlúcar has been inhabited since ancient times, and is assumed to have belonged to the realm of the Tartessian civilization. The town of San Lucar was granted to the Spanish nobleman Alonso Pérez de Guzmán in 1297.
Due to its strategic location, the city was a starting point for the exploration, colonization and evangelization of America between the 15th and 17th centuries.
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The ATLANTIC OCEAN - at the Mouth of the Rio Guadalquivil
Far in the Distance are the Entry Buoys to the Guadalquivil River
This normally clean beach was muddied by two weeks of rain in January.
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The word “HOPE” appears at the base of this statue of Mary in Sanlúcar
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In 2011, an archeological team proposed that the lost city of Atlantis was once located in what are now the swamps of the Doñana National Park having been destroyed by a tsunami. - Wikipedia
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