Fai Tira Blog Sunday 06/09/09

Fai Tira still in La Coruna 43.22.03N 8:23.13W

So to make the most of to-day and the fab weather, we’d given it some thought and hatched a cunning plan. Once more it centred around the bikes, that had spent the night tethered to the electrical relay box on the pontoon. We’d been looking through one of the magazines collected from the tourist office and I was taken by the photo of Betanzos, a location further up the river. It showed lovely rambling traditional Spanish dwellings on a hillside setting overlooking the river which was crossed by a bridge.

The bikes were already primed. We’d had a great day on them yesterday, so this seemed an ideal opportunity to venture further. After all it only looked to be about 10 miles, we had to be capable of that even though much of it was on the main road.

Not absolutely sure that Pete was convinced, but hey this is an adventure, so he was up for it anyway.

That was it then, up early finish off the domestics with a trip to the laundry, which was then, hung to dry from just about every available bit of wire we could find on the boat.

                    Pete in domestic mode

Then with helmets and rucksacks donned, we were off ( not quite so early as envisaged ) best laid plans and all that.

It was hot, very hot, the roads we busy, they were all up hill and the wind against us and we had no water. An hour and a quarter later, and not quite at the top of about the fifth monster hill, we stopped at a garage for ice cream and water.A great lady served us. She must have thought us mad as I dripped sweat all over her floor, but in phrase book spanish, I managed ask her to confirm our direction, she did saying just another 9 kilometres to go agh!!!

We arrived in the town fairly exhausted,

                    Knacker old Pete

found the old part and headed straight for a bar. We sat and relaxed, took some photos, I managed a bit of sketching, then when Pete woke up we did some more exploring. Beautiful!! we both wished we’d had more time,

But it was now late and the bikes called.

We started the trip back at about 5pm. And guess what, it was all up hill and the wind was against us. True to form, when we arrived back we made for the nearest bar. Oh and the distance 45 miles round trip.

No wonder Pete’s the captain!!!

        Really Really looking foreward to the ride back!!!!!   NOT

Bye for now. 

Pete and John.