May 6, 2022
El Tranco to Orcera
Maybe the easiest thing to do is to just copy paste yesterday's blog. Today was another day of similar stunning scenery of the beautiful turquoise reservoir beside us as we coasted along.
However, every day is indeed different, so here goes: leaving our peaceful Hospederia Rural, we cycled the 1.5km back uphill to the impressive dam, this time riding across it. There were a few uphills and inland curves taking us away from the lake but we spent more than an hour cycling beside it before we sadly turned and headed inland. We passed through pine groves and deciduous trees and came to the smallest of villages called Canada Morales. It did look a lot like the Canada we know from home with fields, pine and leafy trees. We looked up what Canada means in Spanish with Goggle translate and it said it means glen or ravine. That made sense as there was a deep ravine just beside the village. And well you guessed it morales means morals.... not sure together what it might mean.... Glenmorals?..Glenethics?
Soon the olive groves reappeared along with the heat at this lower level. Today was a short 34km, so we took our time. We did have one serious climb to our destination in the town of Orcera. As we spun uphill the owner of our B&B called Steve and tried to tell him where the key could be picked up. Steve thought he said that it would be at a gas station. Luckily as we pulled into town there was a gas station and yes the attendant seemed to know about us and after much chatter we thought he might be trying to tell us that yes he would have the key, but the owner hadn't brought it yet. We said we'd go for coffees and come back. We settled into a happening bar/cafe and ordered coffees and tapas like everyone else. We ordered a tapas combo - French fries, deep fried calamari and two fried eggs. Strange combo but delicious. We really haven't tried these bar/coffee places for much more than coffees but we think we will more going forward.
Before picking up the key, we went to the grocery store at 1:55pm and they were closing. The two young men graciously waited for us to pick out a few things. Everyone we have met has been super helpful and kind. By 3pm we had our key and moved into our cottage with its full kitchen. Ann made a huge green salad to balance out our "hor d'œuvres" from earlier.
It's a lovely spot. We feel very fortunate how all our accommodations have been good if not great. We especially like having a kitchen a couple of nights a week so we can cook more vegetables, and at an earlier hour. We are loving Spain but cycling the next day after a full dinner that finishes at 10:30pm is challenging. But most days we are up for the challenge ☺️ as we adapt to Spain's wonderful culture and traditions.
Technical note: Daydreaming on today's ride, the team programmer (finally) figured out how to embed proper maps that readers can zoom in and out! See below.
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2 years ago
Today's ride: 34 km (21 miles)
Total: 1,235 km (767 miles)
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