A day in Sevilla

I flew to Sevilla to meet E, where we wrapped up work and spent the day exploring the city. Like many Spanish cities, the historial center is best savoured on foot. We didn’t end up going inside anything (most sites required tickets, which were all booked out!) but it was a treat to wander around. The winning pattern I’ve found for multi-day cycling trips is to bookend it with fabulous cities, so there’s an exciting arrival location to switch to holiday mode and a destination city for some celebration and pampering. With its architecture, showing the staggering wealth of days past, and the abundance of orange trees, heavy with fruit, Sevilla certainly fit the bill.

The excellent luggage service by the Spanish Post for Camino pilgrims isn’t available on this route, so we shipped our city luggage and laptops to our final destination. We also swung by the local Decathlon to pick up a pullover—I had unpacked my cycling jacket at the last minute at home, but it was quite chilly in the morning. Grabbing our panniers and saddle bags, we hopped on the 2hr ALSA bus to Mérida.

Day One

I slipped out for a quick breakfast—café con leche and a big piece of toast with homemade tomato paste—before coming back to the hotel to get the bikes ready. We were eager to get on the road but we couldn’t leave Mérida without visiting the Roman Theatre and Amphitheatre! They’re next to each other, making it a kind of ancient entertainment complex. Theater and sport, no need to choose. Both sites emit such vibrant energy. I’d love to come back to see a performance at the theatre, which is still operating after 2,000 years.

Day Two

Day Three

Day Three promised to be a sunnier day. Leaving Galisteo behind, we cycled an hour to Carcaboso. There I ordered not one but two cortados, and we had a second breakfast in the form of small platters that come with the coffees—servings of paella and tripe. Yum. Bolstered, we enjoyed hours of excellent cycling in the Extremadura countryside. It seems to be a “best kept secret” kind of region, and we barely encountered any cars or people. This stretch was one of my favorites of the trip.

After a grilled lunch at a trucker restaurant, we got onto the Camino Natural Vía de la Plata. This road runs parallel to the carretera (which runs parallel to the autovia) but high enough in the hills that you can’t hear the cars at all. It’s an old railway track converted into 300+ km of well-maintained gravel pathway for hikers and cyclists. What a great idea! The views and the weather were beautiful for the 30km stretch till Baños de Montemayor, a tiny town nestled deep in the valley. Around 7pm, we pulled into a beautifully renovated inn. There was even a bathtub! After a long soak, we walked to a nearby restaurant where we had the most amazing tomato salad and a big plate of grilled vegetables.

Day Four

Breakfast was available from 8:30 so we packed our bikes beforehand to save time, and got on the road by 9:00. It was daunting to have a 80+ km day in front of us. But our last day of cycling promising to be another sunny day! The success of yesterday’s route made me optimistic enough to try another offroad route, even though Strava recommended the carretera. The first part turned out to be part of the Camino and Eurovelo 1, quickly taking us away from car traffic and through isolated farm fields and rocky descents. It was a novel experience for me as a road-biker—a different kind of fun. We fuelled up at Fuenterroble de Salvatierra, and continued on our merry way through gravel bike-appropriate roads. We barely saw anyone, other than fellow cyclists all headed the same way. Just when we were mentally preparing for the last 20km stretch, we hit the longest stretch of straight pavement I’ve ever ridden on. It had some undulations, so the downhills pushed us up the uphills, making it a super easy ride. The road kept going and going, with open fields on both sides. We coasted with relish, and before we knew it, we’d reached the suburbs of Salamanca! There were comfortable bike lanes, and we rode to the center, in near-disbelief that we’d made it with such ease before it got too dark. We had fueled well, our legs still felt strong, and we took a bunch of congratulatory selfies on the Roman Bridge.

Last but not least, a few pictures from our weekend in Salamanca. We rested, walked all around town, and feasted our eyes and stomachs. It’s surreal to me that such a place exists, in such condition. Hurrah for the fun routes, plentiful bars and extraordinary scenery along the way!

Bonus: Packing list