Wks 3 – Still In Spain

Monday 8th to Sunday 14th April

Monday 8th – we catch the train from Sitges to Barcelona and book in to our highly overrated and expensive Hotel Best Western Alka.
I’m tracking the ship and the container – they’re now in a holding pattern off Barcelona Port. We are anticipating our bike by Wednesday 10th – we have a ferry booking for Italy so we’re hoping it’s on time.

Tuesday 9th We do the tourist thing in Barcelona. A bit of ‘Hop On – Hop Off’ bus stuff.

If you look closely, that’s our boat with bike doing laps. It’s to the left of the left hand palm tree. I like to think it is anyway.

Team New Zealand’s Americas’ Cup headquarters Barcelona – no boats in sight.

Then wandered around Barcelona.

These guys belting out some sweet ragtime.

The Market.

This little coffee shop where we’ve had coffee on every trip – 2016, 2019, 2022 and now 2024.

We hear our bikes are delayed, again, to the 11th, so it’s a scramble to change the ferry booking to Thursday 11th. No problems. That’s a relief.

Wednesday 10th – we move hotels to a much more affordable place closer to the airport. We’re now assured the bikes have cleared customs so Friday the 12th is the day. Another catching of buses to the port to change our ferry booking once again to Friday the 12th (the last allowed change with no refund) which is our cut off day for a number bookings in Italy if we don’t want to lose a our bookings in Rome, Naples and Amalfi – all of which are not cheap.

Thursday 11th – we hang, waiting, waiting. To hear there’ll be no bikes until Monday. That is just so disappointing, and a A$1500 loss in ferry and hotel bookings, not to mention missed anticipated ‘things to do and see’.

Friday 12th to Sunday 14th – We take the train back to Sitges for the weekend. It’s a nice place to stop, especially over the weekend with the locals enjoying the early spring weather. Today is Friday, that means ice-cream, or more precisely Gelati.

Doing it tough.

There was a vintage car rally that came to town. There had to have been at least 40 of them. Quite impressive.

Monday 15th to Sunday 21st April

Mon 15th – At Last!

Only 3 weeks late.

Then to hear that Spanish Customs hadn’t cleared our bikes – there were 8 of us. We waited a couple of hours then just left. I haven’t heard anything so I guess they’ve sorted their paperwork.

We’d managed to book the last cabin on the ferry to Italy – the Owner’s Suite.
There were about 1000 schools kids on the boat so it was pandemonium and hence the lack of cheaper cabins.

Wed 17th – Naples to Amalfi

Last night we’d docked at 6.30pm, on time, and were the first off the boat and headed for Naples 300klms away and hoping to beat the forecast rain – missed it by 30klm. So arrived in the back streets of Naples in a torrential downpour – not the best thing to do.

Today we took a quick walking tour of Naples – you could spend a week wandering these streets and alleyways I’d think. But we only had a couple of hours because today we’re headed for Amalfi.

And then it was off to Amalfi for 2 of what should have been 4 nights. We’d been here in 2019 and it hadn’t lost any of its charm. We stayed in the place as well.
And got a parking ticket to boot – goodness knows how they’ll get their money.

Thank you Amalfi, we enjoyed your beauty. I don’t think we’ll be back though.

Fri 19th – Cetara

Cetara is a mere 15klms around a windy and picturesque coastline from Amalfi. With a host of perfect Mediterranean villages along the way, and traffic that is terrifying one minute and ridiculous the next, any wonder it takes just on an hour.
It’s a beautiful little fishing village with hardly a tourist in sight – and it’s Friday – again.

From our balcony – personal bike parking as well, bottom left.

I like these places.

Sat 20th – Isernia – 170k

Now the trip begins.
Today is overcast and threatening to rain – but doesn’t quite manage it.

We stopped in the tiny crossroads hamlet of Vado della Lota just north of Benevento, where we’d stayed in 2016 with some friends from Melbourne. The neighbours were curious of these folk on a motorcycle.

Then got totally lost in Morcone. Believe me, that street is steeper than it looks.

Before stopping in Isernia for the night. A fairly inconsequential town really.

Sun 21st – L’Aquila – 185klms

There was a lot of snow on the nearby mountains as we headed north.

Stopped in Barrea for morning tea with the sun shining. Clear roads ahead.

Mmm. Not quite – we had to go over the top of the mountain in the previous picture. About 15klms of this stuff. A few vehicles coming our way and no slide marks so I wasn’t too concerned about black ice. But it was 0 degrees so rather chilly. Pretty as a picture though.
Down the other side to Scanno where we found a little café with a sunny window and thawed out.

A squiz at this

On to Sulmona.

Then Succiano

So to L’Aquila where our delightful B&B awaited us. We took a stroll around town which has an enormous amount of reconstruction happening from the severe earthquake of 2009.

Close up I’d think a lot of it is irretrievable.

This

With its dead saint on display – true story.

We’re headed that way tomorrow – hopefully we’ll pull a left before hitting it.

See you next week.