On the way... Vitoria-Gasteiz

Finally I'm taking some time at a cafe, while charging my phone and having a coffee with a "pintxo"(tortilha) at the sound of some good heavy metal music at the "Etxe-Zuri" Restaurante from a small village called "Landa", near the big "Ullibarri - Gamboa" reservoir. It's a beautiful water feature and to honour the history and personality of the people of these lands I will remind us that these were built within 10 years, during Franco regime (1947-1957), with a very high cost for the local people, land and all the beings living in it who were flooded. You can read more on this picture I took in Vitoria-Gasteiz .

630 inhabitants We're forced to abandoned their homes, good farmland and a good and balanced lifestyle. This plaque on the picture is to honour those who had to sacrifice ( possibly forcefully) in behalf of the bigger community.

I know of similar stories all over Portugal where the big dams were built in places where thriving communities were making a living. All to supply water for industry and big cities and also for electricity. At least that was a sacrifice made for local needs and for local development that most people desired. What we are seeing now with the Mega projects of Solar Parks, from BP and other companies in Beira Baixa and other parts of the country is much worse than big dams. These foreign companies are only thinking of easy profit, wanting to use not only good farm land that they think it's abandoned (which they are not), but also amazing natural reserves and ecosystems that exist for centuries or thousands of years. The energy that would be produced from this Mega Solar Parks would be mainly used for more industries and to the north of Europe. It seems to be the plan of EU for the sunnier countries like Portugal and Spain.

That's one of the things I like from Basque people and others who want their regions independent from centralised decisions of the richer and more urban interests.

This has been an obvious difference I have been noticing in people. The urban versus the country people. That's why I didn't even want to stop in Vitoria-Gasteiz and kept on pedaling until I found a nice natural spot on the side of the dam. I set my hammock between two Portuguese Oaks (Azinheiras). It has been amazing to feel so at home everywhere simply because I know the species of the trees, the plants, the fungi and the animals that surround me... Regional boundaries are much more subtle.

It's been amazing so far and I feel very grateful all the time, for the opportunity to take this time and for all the support I have been receiving from the ones I love and even from strangers.

Emma, my dear wife, is obviously the one I'm most grateful for.

She met me at my first stop at Meimao dam in Malcata Natural Reserves. It was hilarious. After all I was only 1.30h away from home. 

Here she is making me a Saint Brigid's cross with reeds for me to take on my journey.

She left around 5pm as I still wanted to go to Sabugal to sleep there with the river Coa with which I have a special connection. Maybe because this river meets Douro, which goes to the sea in the city of Porto, where I grew up until I was 21.

My first camp at the river Coa dam. Beautiful oak forest with few pines.

It was worth the effort. I arrived already in the dark. The Uphill from Meimao was a killer...more than 300 meters uphill over 10 km...at least the following 5km were mainly downhill...the beauty of cycling.

Lunch stop, not far from Sabugal actually. I had a few detours around the dam as the river kept calling me to swim. I'm also doing this to enjoy myself, so I will.

I set up camp for the night near a small village called "Aldeia Velha", a Picnic area near "Nossa senhora dos prazeres" sanctuary.

Next day I entered Spain and made my longer stop to charge my phone and rest at a very friendly village called "el bodón", where the owners of the café-bar "Van Gogh" welcomed me and I was even paid for  couple of water bottles and a piece of bread with "presunto". The guy, Sergio, who arrived later for his work break, gave me some nice tips for places to visit as he loves traveling with his van.

Even though the tip I was given to stay at a park in Ciudad Rodrigo for the night was not my favourite. But it was definitely an experience and a learning to wake up at 3.30am when the sprinklers came from under the grass to give me a showers... Hilarious! I felt I was in a sort of survival training or something. I reacted fast and got immediate solutions. My canvas tarp was thrown on top of the sprinkler under my hammock, the other 2 sprinklers that could reach me I quickly covered them with duct tape and thank God it worked. I was wet and so was all my sleeping gear. I was kinda laughing at myself and the situation while enjoying the moonlight and hoping the watering would be over soon so I could pack and go. It was my best option to pedal through the night on the next leg which was mainly uphill and that way I also warmed up... It was actually a good idea. 

The park was indeed beautiful, but I don't think I want to be in urban places unless I really have to. There were some nice "cat tail rushes" that I added to my dinner, together with the bread and sardines a guy gave me on another café that morning. The rushes were delicious, fried in our olive oil I brought, with a bit of salt and pepper. Delicious! I have been using edible wild plants I know as much as possible, like plantain, dandelion and the other one that looks like it but is less bitter. I also collect medicinal plants for tea, like camomile and wild lavender for a relaxed sleep. Emma also gave me some rock rose she picked in Malcata. It's amazing to see abundance everywhere in Nature.

This was my camp just before "la sagrada", another God given provision near a small stream I shared with a small deer I saw as I arrived, some storks who would come to eat and the cows on the park next door... I respectfully entered a private field, but I didn't do any damage apart from some grass being stumped and I obviously left the gate properly closed.

Before private properties, the earth was all free for all those who needed to use it.

One of my questions in this journey is "how wild is it possible for humans to be in Europe today?" ... I'm finding that out. So far. So good.

Salamanca was another interesting experience and another learning. The city is indeed beautiful, with lots of green spaces, the beautiful river Tormes with its many bridges and  bike lanes everywhere which was very helpful.

I first wanted to find a place for a rest...I eventually came off the proposed bike lanes into a dirt track that would go under the Roman bridge , right under the Big and famous Cathedral.

I actually needed to pee and poo and I couldn't find any toilet. I needed to get water from the river with my folded bucket and a hidden spot to dig my hole. I did find it and it was perfect. I felt much better. I heard a noise coming from the reeds and went to have a look. There was a big cage with 3 wild bores inside. Oh no. I didn't even think twice, I set them free. They are probably causing some "trouble", but heck... This was their territory before humans came , and there has to be place for the wild ... Not only animals but humans too.

I went to a place further on the dirt track where only locals seem to go. It was perfect, more wild. I could collect water just in front of me to wash my dishes and I had shade from this massive poplar trees.

I exchanged greetings with a guy with a guitar who was leaving and had my lunch before adventuring into the city.

That was a bit mad. The tourism I mean. Cafés, bars, souvenir shops and restaurants, dressed up people with very strong perfumes on streets filled with huge buildings, once the symbol of the once growing Catholic church Empire, possibly on the expense of all the peoples, cultures and lands that were savagely exploited and destroyed in South America.

I did enter a museum that was playing a promotional video about the local artisans and that felt like I was in a oasis in the middle of all that spiritual desert.

Here, Maria who makes beautiful embroidery. She could be one of the grandmas from Póvoa de Atalaia and their famous "lerias". Actually, the whole documentary reminded me of Fundão and the similar cultural richness we still have from the local artisan's and their villages. I feel very blessed to live where I do.

I had enough of the city and the big buildings, I was almost feeling sick.

Again, I needed to pee and no toilet anywhere, only if I would go to a bar and buy something. I went back to the wild park and it was the best I could do. The lovely man with the guitar was there, José. He was born and bred in Salamanca, roughly my age and he was so pleased to hang out with me as it is more and more difficult to find people who trust strangers. Even among friends. There is a lot of mistrust and fear everywhere he said. It is a sad fact of these days we live in, but there are also a lot of good and beautiful people.

I didn't want to bike this next section which was very dry and hot, and severely damaged by bad farming practices.

Until here it was a pleasure to bike through hunting reserves, and the famous "Dehesa", "montado" in Portuguese, which is a good imitation of natural systems and the original biome of this Peninsula, the Oak Savannah. Clusters of  predominantly "portuguese oak" ( Azinheiras), with grazing animals who feed from the highly nutritious acorns, mainly black pigs, cows, horses and wild animals too. Between these clusters there was extensive and lush grasses that now are framed to produce cereal feeds for the animals, but honestly, if it would be kept wild it would be much more nutritious because of it's diversity, and obviously more resilient. But, as it is managed today is already amazing. I give thanks to the farmers who maintain it. 

My way of supporting these practices was with a purchase of an amazing " Iberian pork" chorizo fed by this system. It was expensive for my budget but I also want to support local farmers as much as possible.

Speaking of expenses, if anyone feels like dropping a contribution for this journey you can find the 'donate" button on the top right corner of this blog and goes directly to my PayPal account. Expenses will be mainly for food supplies, water, for the ferry and possible things I might need to fix.

I will try to take a train or bus to skip the sections I want to fast forward, but hitchhiking is also an option. Here's my first experience.

I booked a train ticket online from Salamanca to Miranda d'Ebro. 34€. I got to the station that night after spending the rest of the day at the river wild park with José.

I entered the train station with the bike that looked more like an airport to me. I saw a guard and asked if I could stay at the station as I had a train at 7.20am. He was very friendly, checked my ticket and said it was ok. I was still not sure I could go with the bike. I slept on a bench with my sheep skin and sleeping bag. In the morning, before 7 I saw the ticket man arriving for his job and went to him to ask if it would be possible. He immediately said no and told me to go to the ticket booth to see if I could change for another train that would allow my bike.

The woman there was very friendly and she exchanged my ticket for one to Madrid and there I still had to get a train north to Miranda... I was not sure about this...apart from anything else, the pope would be in Madrid that day, and I can only imagine the extra amount of people around. I was going to get to my platform and I had 2 options, either lots of steps, or an elevator that I still tried to come in, but immediately saw it was not big enough. I went back to the lady, thanked her for her trouble and said I would hitchhike instead. 

I was not far from a petrol station on the way out of the city towards the highway that would take me north.

I spent most morning there with the lovely Sonia who was working there on her own. She was very helpful, let me charge my phone, take water from the tap of the toilet sink, gave me some pastry from the previous day that she couldn't sell anymore and she even helped me asking people for a ride.

In the end, a young woman stopped and asked if I wanted to go to another petrol station where more trucks stop. Perfect!

On the way I was saying I would visit a Bolivian  friend, Alejandro, from my local hometown who will make a film in San Sebastián, and she said her brother in law, Argentinian, makes films in San Sebastián. I exchanged a few messages with Alejandro and guess what? He knows Guido, the brother in law of the generous lady who took me and my bike on her very small car. So small I had to tie the trunk door with a rope.

I spent the rest of the day there, and the night. No luck. I was praying, singing and keeping my spirits high as I was quite peaceful about it. I sent messages and asked people to pray too and I was looking forward to meet my good samaritan.

Well, maybe my patience had to be tested.

At the end of that day waiting, and just before the restaurant and shop would close, a man came in, speaking directly at me as I was sitting on a table charging my phone. He seemed almost angry, not at me I felt, but because nobody told me all day that I would be better on the station across the other side of the highway as that's where the trucks going north stop. I was so grateful. I had been all day on the wrong side of the highway. Or maybe not.

My good samaritan, Juan Diego, would arrive next morning. Well, more like lunch time. I was on my spot, just on the road before the entry to the highway, in front of the petrol station so I could see who would go in and out and visible to the cars coming from the national road and local villages. It was indeed so much better than the other side.

It was 10.30 and I was hungry and wanted to change my clothes. Even putting my cycling shorts as I was starting to think I might need to start pedaling on the smaller roads and maybe that's where my good samaritan would be.

I bought a bread and made myself a big sandwich with olive oil, oregano and the lovely chorizo from the "Dehesa" pork.

I went back to my spot and a bit after 12, a man approaches, very gentle and discreet and said from the other side of the road: " where are you going?"... " At least to Tordesillas", I said, which was 70km away, and added:  "but I really want to go to Miranda d'Ebro", almost 400km further ... "I can take you" , he said... I couldn't believe, my heart was jumping with gratitude and a tear almost fell from my eyes.

Speaking with him. I asked why he picked me and he said he was watching me for a while to see if I could be trusted, then a voice came to him and said " go and help her".

I' m indeed very grateful to Juan Diego and his generosity, and risk as it is also illegal for them to take anyone, specially caring a bike with his load. I'm grateful to all who prayed and send their blessings on my journey, and of course to God and the Great Spirit whom I know is guiding and protecting me all the time.

Back to the wild...I feel so much better. I had a lovely swim at the river Ebro and a good rest in the morning before heading towards "Vitoria-Gasteiz"... After my previous experiences I didn't want to stop in any urban settings anymore if I had other options, so I kept on pedaling and slept at the dam as I already shared at the start of this post. 

It's 1.27pm already. 51% charge on my mobile. I will go to the toilet, buy a bread, wood oven backed, and back on the road towards San Sebastián. I will not reach there today, but surely tomorrow. Let's see if it works to see Alejandro. 

Blessings and happy days to all.

Thanks for reading and supporting this journey. I write mostly to keep a journal myself, even though I am writing daily on my notebook with more details, but it's nice to share pictures too, and share with those who already know me instead of public social media platforms.