Jerez to Seville

October 25, 2022

Longest ride of the trip

This is our longest planned ride of the trip, at 100 km. So we were up early enough to be out the door just after sunrise, which is just before 9 am at this time of year. Spain really is in the wrong time zone.

For the first time this trip, we were caught up in morning traffic, but rather than cars, it was all the local kids on their way to school. And we saw a tiny street cleaner and guy with a pressure washer - now I understand how they clean up after all the dogs that pee all over the streets. We had an easy exit from Jerez, and perfect temps all day.

The first part of the ride had a few easy rolling hills. We stopped for coffee in Tebujena, which was the last of the gentle hills. We were barely above sea level for the rest of the day. The cycling was flat and a bit dull, but we had a nice tail wind for much of the day, and the time passed quickly. One bit on a highway had signs that we think said we could only bike there on Sundays and holidays. But we had no alternative, so pretended not to notice. The highway wasn’t busy, and it had a wide shoulder, so it was no big deal.

Considering how sunny it is here, I thought we'd see more evidence of solar power. This was our first solar farm.

After exiting the highway, we were on a packed gravel road for a bit. Near the end of it, we met a fully loaded French couple headed our way, and had a long chat with them. They are photographers, on a four month tour to look at farming practices along the Guadalquivir River and the Tagus River. They are pessimistic about Spanish farming practices - they said that people they've talked to are in denial about climate change, even though 2022 was too dry to plant the tomato crop in this area, and the olive harvest is terrible. The farmers are still adding thirsty crops like almonds.

Here's their website: Thomas and Helene Chassaing photography and blog

Thomas and Helene are on an interesting journey, and doing it on a low budget. Note the duffel bags as luggage.

We also saw 2 other sets of cycle tourers today going the other way, but didn't stop to chat. Both groups were fully loaded.

We had a hard time finding somewhere to have lunch in the town of Los Palacios y Villafranca. We ended up having a delicious falafel and patatas bravas, washed down with an orange Fanta. Thank goodness for the kebab shops being open when everything else is closed.

Entering Seville was pretty easy - we were routed through a newly developed industrial area (including a massive Amazon warehouse) with big wide shoulders, and then a long trip on bike paths right into the heart of the city. I'm not sure why Komoot didn’t route us onto the paths, but they were easy to find.

The biggest menace of this city, and other cities, was people on E-scooters as we approached the centre of town. In fact, we decided to call them 'menaces' instead of scooters.

Our hotel is in the old town. We got a reasonably priced small twin room at Hostal Sierpes, with our own bath. We're happy with 2 stars, but don't want to be traipsing down the hallway to the toilet. No exterior windows, but I can live with that because the location is so fabulous. We had dinner at two different tapas places. Another yummy bowl of salmorejo, plus pork cheeks, and also cod in tomato sauce. At one spot, we were seated in view of a very tricky corner for cars to navigate - it was very entertaining to see them try.

Entering Seville through a new industrial park. This section of road hadn't yet opened to traffic.

Our hotel was classically Spanish looking, with a central courtyard.

Hmm. Not sure I'd recommend this ladder setup.

A typical narrow street. Not much margin for error.

This table provided us with a great view of cars trying to navigate a tight corner, without being in the line of fire. Where's everyone else? We were unfashionably early, of course.

Salmorejo, before it's stirred up. So delicious!

The bikes are across the road locked in the hotel's storage area/garage.

Today's ride: 99 km (61 miles)
Total: 619 km (384 miles)

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