October 15, 2017
To Nerja: Back to the coast
My night in the tent was okay. There were a lot of dogs barking in the distance, and my sleeping bag was too warm. I was cold without it, so opened it up and used it sort of like a quilt, with my feet sticking out. From sunset at about 8:30 pm to sunrise at 8:00 am, though, makes a long night. I got up once, and the dogs seemed to bark a bit more, so maybe they heard me.
I had a small breakfast of lemon cake from the British store (it was way too sweet) and instant coffee, packed everything up and got rolling. Well, sort of. The hills didn't seem any less steep, and pushing my heavy bike was hard work! I also found out why there were dogs barking last night. There was a large group of wild dogs on the road not too far from my campsite. The road flattened out for a short distance and I tried to ride, but the dogs gave chase. As soon as I stopped, they stopped too. A strong "no" sent them running, but they came back when I got back on the bike. So I pushed the bike past the dogs, and I pushed the bike up the hills.
As soon as I got to the bigger road it was immediately obvious that I had a choice. I could turn right as planned and push my bike up the hills and maybe make 20 miles for the day, or I could turn left and coast down the hill, and figure out what to do later.
Needless to say, I chose the route down the hill. It wasn't all coasting, as there were some small rollers. I stopped at the restaurant across from the British store for a proper breakfast. It was a Spanish restaurant, and I ended up with coffee and toast. Then I rolled past La Vinuela and on to the coast at Torre del Mar. Once there, I stopped at a cafe on the beach and spent some time looking at my map, and decided to head east to Nerja. I booked a hotel there using my phone, the Hostal Anna, primarily because the other one I was looking at became unavailable as I was looking.
I went on to Nerja, arriving in that dead spot between 2 pm and 5pm when my hotel reception was closed. I went into a restaurant and had a seafood grill, which was fried squid, fried eggs, French fries and salad. Together with a glass of Spanish wine, it was quite good. At 5 pm, I went and checked in. My room was small but nice and clean. The window was into an interior courtyard, and it was remarkably quiet.
After showering and washing out my riding clothes I went out to explore. Nerja is a larger town than I expected, with old churches and a busy beach-oriented tourist scene. There is a cave outside of town that also draws tourists, but I didn't go there. I did stop by the bus depot and found out the schedule for buses to Granada. Bikes can go on the busses for a reasonable charge, so I had my solution to the overwhelming hills.
Today's ride: 55 km (34 miles)
Total: 146 km (91 miles)
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