Jerez de las Frontera to Sanlúcar de Barrameda

October 10, 2022

Another Great Ride

It was a short ride today. We have an interesting plan for tomorrow, and it was too much to do in a day and feel confident of a drama free outcome, so we have maneuvered ourselves to a good jumping off point.

Breakfast was a riot for me today. The buffet pickings were pretty slim. The room opened at 8:30 and we were the first (and only) people partaking in breakfast for quite awhile. I loaded up on muesli and fruit, far more than I would have ordinarily taken. I was reaching for the milk and told Keith I wished there was yogurt. My favourite with muesli. He said it was on the table, and while my back was turned a veritable feast had arrived at our table. Croissants, pan au chocolat, toast, yogurt, meats, jams, fruit and orange juice. I couldn’t indulge in much, now having a huge bowl of muesli and fruit in my hand! It did mean though, since this was all for us, breakfast definitely included lunch. It was also the best coffee this trip.

We did some more exploration of Jerez, to see the alcázar. We did see it in a fashion. We decided we didn’t want to spend the time exploring it that would be required to really do it justice. So a quick look and we were on our way.

There was construction which interfered with our planned route and we passed this little gem.

Keith went in and it was a beautiful and ornate interior.

Then we found the alcázar. An alcázar is a type of Islamic palace.

Looking back at the cathedral from the alcázar. We didn’t see the interior yesterday as there was a service taking place. We decided to pass today and keep riding. Sometimes I think we make very poor tourists, but, dare I say it, after awhile the churches get repetitive.

We rode by a number of huge bodegas. They looked simply amazing but it was a bit early for wine and sherry tastings. We had a bike lane through much of Jerez, then were on a service road, the only vehicle of any description using it. We rode behind the Jerez IKEA. The population of Greater Victoria is almost 400 000 and we don’t have an IKEA. The population of Jerez? 213 000. I am miffed.

Keith then routed us onto CA 3101. It was more magical bike touring. The road was virtually deserted. The views were amazing. This went on for 13 kilometres. Then for a very short while we were on a busier road, but with a wide and comfortable shoulder. Then back to a ‘where did all the cars go?’ experience. Just a great ride.

There were olive groves, vineyards, cotton ready to be harvested and empty fields. We suspect some of them were cotton because there was lots of cotton roadside.

Harvesting cotton. Actually he was playing on his phone. In the distance there was some harvesting going on.

The pictures simply don’t do it justice.

A vast area to plow. I hope he had a good podcast.

The CN sailing on ahead. It was glorious.

Sanlucar hasn’t grabbed us the way Jerez did. The town is one of the three pillars of the sherry triangle so there are lots of bodegas, but the main event seems to be the spectacular beach and Parque Nacional de Doñana. We haven’t really given it a chance yet though, having followed the bike lane from our deserted highway to the beach for our picnic and then the hotel. We will head out later to explore.

There were a whole fleet of these coming in, one after the other. Fishing boats I assume.

This guy motored by as we ate our lunch.

The ferry to Doñana National Park. Just drive on across the sand.

Well, our explore of Sanlucar consisted of a wonderful long walk on the beach, followed by a visit to Lidl so we have supplies for tomorrow. The most important thing was chocolate.

We walked about 3 kilometres in each direction.

We had a glass of wine in the room and headed out for an ‘early’ dinner. It was 7:45 PM. Nothing was open. As a result we were the sole customers in the hotel restaurant. We could have waited until 8:30 PM, but we were starving and the Dominoes Pizza and McDonalds options were off the table. I am looking forward to being back in Portugal where you can eat at 7:30!!!

Dinner, as it turned out, was delicious.

Today was one of those days where you marvel at your good fortune, your good health and the amazing blessing of a partner who likes to do this as much as you do.

https://www.relive.cc/view/vevYJDzRnJO

Today's ride: 32 km (20 miles)
Total: 1,280 km (795 miles)

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David MathersCan’t wait to hear what the plan is for tomorrow!
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1 year ago

Rachael AndersonWhat a wonderful ride. What a funny story about the rest of breakfast magically appearing after your loaded up on cereal.
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1 year ago