Zumaia 0 Bilbao

Today as we all got ready for our 56 miles there was a bit of aprehension because we knew there were going to be lots of bollock busting hills.

Just as we leave the town we start to climb, with Tom trying to sort out his gears. As the tandem reaches the top everyone is out with the toolkits to try to mend Tom´s chain and Hazel´s seat. Bill must have known there were going to be problems because he shot off in front and managed to reach the Scran Van half an hour before the rest of us.

Drama of the day was most certainly supplied by Hazel when the tandem did an emergency stop at a traffic light and she went up the back of it, ending up on the side of the road in a heap. There were many volunteers offering to massage Hazel´s bruised body but she resisted the temptation and bravely carried on.

Throughout the day the roads were busy with heavy traffic. Noisy, smelly, and dangerous but there were no alternative roads so we had to put up with it.

On arrival at Bilbao, a large industrial city, massive amounts of traffic making the cyclists feel very vulnerable as they pedalled past the Guggenheim Museum and many statues, fountains and plazas. Luckily Mike chanced upon a passing stranger who was not only multi-lingual but also very knowledgeable about the location of our hotel, so we cycled straight to it. The hotel was really excellent, nestling alongside Bilbao F.C.´s ground it fully justifies it´s four star rating.

The traffic around Bilbao is so intense that the Sat Nav equipped Scran Van was unable to find the location and had to be rescued by Bill running out to him to guide him through the final three lanes of siesta bound traffic.

Once settled in our palatial rooms there was a chance to explore the facilities available via room service. Tom needed to vet the room bills to see which has an excess charge of 9.20 Euros applied for the Pay (porn) TV channel!

Everyone had a great night out in Bilbao. The contrast from France is very marked, but most people made their way to the old quarter to enjoy the local cultural scene. It´s a lively place full of bars and restaurants and accessed by an ultra modern tram system which our aching limbs appreciated. On the return home we were entertained by Tom´s broom balancing skills, a skill not much in demand!!! but improved by administering of copious volumes of vodka and lemonade....these Spaniards certainly know how to pour generous measures.

 
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