Day 11: Layover Day in Guadalupe - Traversing the Iberian Peninsula from South to North - CycleBlaze

May 3, 2023

Day 11: Layover Day in Guadalupe

A layover day!  Rest or ride was the first decision to be made.  Our route options were either a 39k loop or a 107k loop.  Well, the short route had too much climbing in it for a rest day and the long route was too long.  But the geology on the long route was something we really wanted to see.  We opted to ride out to the first village on the long route and then ride back.  It was perfect!

But first we had to retrieve the tandem.  The bikes were parked in a locked garage about 300 meters UPHILL from the parador.  And its a cobbled street that we needed to climb.  Up top we were surprised with the flowers and view.

Bougainvillea
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A different view of the monastery.
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Red bottle brush
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Chuck wheeling the tandem back down to the parador because we have to return the key before riding off.
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The ride was great and started with a climb followed by a fantastic long downhill.  We found ourselves cycling through pines, sweet chestnuts, cherry, holm oak, and olive trees.  

View as we were climbing up
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And up
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Grapes on the edge of an olive grove
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The hills are full of rocky crags now. There is a series of parallel rock ridges like this one.
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Olives everywhere
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The crags remind me of a blunt saw blade - all jagged, but not pointed.
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This was our turnaround point.
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This time we stopped at the top of the main climb to read about the hermitage that was close by and then we saw this sign. We are so happy that the tour director hadn't told us about this ride option. I fear we would have tried it and then be sorry because the next couple of days are going to be long.
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Up here there was a trail head for hikers - great signage.
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Looking down upon Guadalupe before we begin the descent.
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La Puebla where pilgrims would fall to their knees in thanks at the first sighting of Guadalupe. They were now very close to seeing the Virgin Saint.
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All four sides of La Puebla are open.
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Once we were back at the parador and the bike was back in the garage up on the hill, it was time to explore the Basilica de Santa Maria and the Monastery.  The basilica is open to the public, but the monastery is a guided tour in Spanish and no pictures were allowed past the courtyard.  We turned on Google translate and sort of understood pieces here and there from the tour.  It was stunning inside!  

A side alter
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The main alter with the Virgin of Guadalupe
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Up close look of the Virgin. During our monastery tour we were able to touch her talisman. We are no longer allowed to kiss her because of Covid.
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The choir chamber - the acoustics in the basilica were terrific!
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The doors to the basilica were 3 times taller than Chuck.
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On the outside wall of the basilica
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Inner courtyard of the monastery.
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The colors today were spectacular - greens and blues.
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Another street in Guadalupe.
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A secondary plaza with fountain.
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This building intrigued me.
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There is a horse parade happening in town tonight at 8 pm.  We made sure we had tables at the cafe on the corner of the plaza that the horses will be coming through.  8:30 and still nothing, but the Civil Guards are on the corners.  8:50 the action started.  However, the horses aren't parading.  They are racing up the street, across the stone covered surface of the plaza and up the street.  They came in groups of 2 or 3 at a time.  Now we know what the guy was doing with his horse last night!

Sadly I missed the first two horses, but it was a blessing as one of them fell. The hooves were sparking on the cobbled streets and footing was precarious with the slight corner and slight canting of the road.
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This guy had to come back and start the run back up the hill for some reason.
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This guy was gong slower.
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Speeding through
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Full speed ahead
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Here comes the horse from yesterday. Now we know why he was working with the horse on the speed bumps.
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Women participated, too.
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How she stayed on we don't know!
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After the race was over, all the horses came back down for a drink in the fountain where we were standing.
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Maybe it was the young lad's first time or it's a congratulatory hug.
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There was a wagon, too. It was the first to come flying up the street and across the plaza.
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The horse from last night again - we all were partial to him.
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kath vowlesGreat photos of the horse race. Did you find out what the occasion was or whether it happens often? The grey horse reminds me of how Safi use to look when we first had her.🙂
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1 year ago

That was enough excitement for one night - a Spanish horse race!  

Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 1,403 km (871 miles)

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Rich FrasierYou two have way more exciting rest days than we do!
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1 year ago