• Helene Rimberg
  • Helene Rimberg

The Grand Adventure

A bike trip with no end Read more
  • Amongst the expats

    November 5, 2023 in Spain

    Quickly find ourselves in a bizarre part of Spain - chock full of high rises and Brits (and many other northerners). Go from one seaside town to another finally settling in Calpe - though finding a spot at a campground was not easy. Walk to beach and Doug finally makes it in. I don’t even try. Paella dinner as it is SundayRead more

  • More beautiful coastline

    November 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Short day to another warm showers host. Winding road out of Calpe, eventually making it to Morirá. Go for walk along coastline and eventually up hillside - amongst elaborate villas. Finally get gelato and it’s quite good. A few big ups and we arrive at our first American warm showers host. Have our own little apartment.Read more

  • Onto Gandia

    November 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Nice walk around the neighborhood before setting off. Incredible vistas from cliffs towering above. Ride along a hillside and then cruise down amongst oranges and pomegranates. Great paths to Gandia and campground. Find many cat friends eager to share our dinner.Read more

  • A day to explore

    November 8, 2023 in Spain

    With Doug having a reoccurrence of his stomach bug, opt to stay put. After enjoying morning cuddles with a few cat friends ride off to the town of Gandia. Nice Rambla and historical buildings to explore. Towns in Spain have been putting up Christmas lights but are not yet lit. Only have 4 cats for dinner instead of 7.Read more

  • Up to Bocairent

    November 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Short ride further up into the hills. Return to El Cid route and head south. Pass Pou Clar - lovely falls and then wind through a canyon towards hilltop town. Great family run campground with all the amenities.Read more

  • Xativa

    November 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Get to ride down the canyon we came up. Though a ride with more down than up did have a bit of windy ups as we we made our way over a ridge and to the beautiful town of Xàtiva. And because it was there, had to hike up to the castle. Well worth the extra elevation. Wander into a street festival.Read more

  • There’s a first for everything

    November 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Nice morning coffee and find a place to replace Doug’s chain. Gather up food supplies and head out of town. After quite a bit of clanking, his chain comes apart. Sadly discover we are missing part of the chain fixer tool. Almost 4 hours later, we are back on the road- surviving our first major mechanical issue of the trip. Perhaps there is a lesson or two to learn.Read more

  • Back to the sea

    November 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Two big hills stood between us and the sea. Sadly one was a rock path. Beautifully arid and deserted countryside. Very windy windy downhill into the orange groves. For miles. Arrive at the beach too late for a swim and there were some nasty creatures.Read more

  • Valencia …. Finally

    November 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Enjoy coffee looking out at the sea. Jellyfish still guarding the water - and it’s a tad bit chilly. Easy ride along a “bike highway” - so many cyclists out for a spin. Cycleways as soon as we will the city which take us almost all the way to our host Dasha’s flat. Wander the city a bit.Read more

  • Prepping for the pause

    November 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Spent the morning get everything clean and settled in for a 3 week pause. We had the flat to ourselves as Dasha had left for Germany. Back out to further explore - spending time in the market and then in the uber modern arts and sciences area. Out for an ok paella meal and gelato.Read more

  • A long journey

    November 18, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Early morning departure necessitated an Uber to the airport. Relatively quick flight to Frankfurt. Huge airport and long walk to international gate. Board much bigger plane and we are on our way. A few movies and meals and we touch down on US soil - SFO. Take BART to Oakland and wait for flight #3 and then #4. And we are back - for a bit. More to come.Read more

  • The journey resumes

    December 10, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Early morning fight to San Francisco. Left the pouring rain behind and had a nice day to walk around. Board our very big and crowded flight to Zurich and continue the journey back.

  • Travel - Day #2

    December 11, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Made it across the pond, passing the time with movies and a bit of sleep. Arrive in Zurich with little desire to venture far. Navigate the confusing airport and settle in with food and manage to find a quiet and relatively dark spot to sleep.Read more

  • And we made it

    December 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    It a horrible night of sleep in the airport. At least we had time horizontal. More hours waiting-at least in the snooty lounge and board last plane back to our bikes. No plane issues but hit metro mechanical problems trying to get into Valencia. Finally get to the flat. Manage a quick outing to see Christmas lights lit up.Read more

  • Back in the saddle again

    December 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    After a real night sleep, we are packed and ready to ride again. Well established bike lanes lead us to the EV8. Lose the path at some point and wind through marshland and over rough road for a bit. Meet back up with the route and return to the Med. Long day of riding but it’s good to be back.Read more

  • Windddyyy

    December 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Windstorm during the night kept us up and threatened to take the tent down. With more predicted, opted to stay put. Day spent doing repairs and beach walking.

  • A rocky ride

    December 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    A quiet night and morning - thankfully. Great paths take us out of town to a via verde - a converted railroad path. Ride through a few pretty coastal town and then into a National Park we go. Very rough riding but very scenic and quiet. After what seemed an eternity, popped into Peniscola.Read more

  • Racing for the train

    December 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Chilly morning. Pack quickly to give ourselves lots of time to get to the train station. Miss a turn and end up climbing steeply to hilltop town. Nice view but unnecessary climb. Rejoin the route and quickly cover the remaining miles. Arrive at the station with an hour to spare. Board the train to Barcelona. Evening arrival yet the bikes lanes are well protected and cover the few miles to the hostel safely. Nice tapas dinner.Read more

  • Barcelona

    December 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Spent the day walking all over Barcelona. Highlights included Olympic stadium, Cathedral, La Rambla and many Christmas lights. A last tapas dinner before heading down to ferry dock. Finally board close to 2 am.Read more

  • Out to sea

    December 18, 2023, Western Mediterranean ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    After a bit of chaos trying to find a place to sleep, managed to get some zzzs. Spent the day reading as we passed along the coast of Spain, viewing many of the places we had been from a different vantage point.Read more

  • Welcome to Morocco

    December 19, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Another half day spent cruising along the coast - finally passing through the Straits of Gibraltar. Patiently wait to disembark and pass easily into Africa. As we landed in a different port than we had expected have to get ourselves to Tangier. Too far to go by bike so late in the day so cram into a taxi. Tad bit scary 🫣. Check into hotel and then go explore. Nice tagine dinner.Read more