14th June, my Birthday. Woke up on the beach at Calarbardina the night after Spain got beaten in their world cup opening game. Renas gave me a birthday present, one of his cotton shirts that he’d not worn much with long sleeves. I had no shirts with long sleeves to protect my arms from the sun so it was a really great present.
We rode out heading along the coast and as it was my birthday decided to have a quiet day on the beach near Mojacar. Coming out of Mojacar heading back into the mountains, after reaching the pass, the descent ahead looked fantastic!

Cabo de Gata

Carboneras was the last town on my Birthday, time to buy a big meal, burger with bacon and a fried egg! Renas had a 48cm sandwich and Norman went for the pizza. Norman being vegetarian, had some difficulty ordering pizza with no meat in a shop that specialised in kebabs and burgers.

Birthday burger or burgusa for me

A 48cm sandwich for Renas

Veggie pizza for Norman

Heading through Almeria was interesting, lots of growing houses, a city of plastic for miles. Check out Google Earth, it’s all white with plastic greenhouses.

Riding through the mountains through Albuñol through clouds and back out again was amazing. A lesson in how not to prepare for climbing 1,280 Metres of mountain on a loaded touring bike.

Mountains!

1. Do not eat 4 x rice puddings and a load of other snacks so your stomach is totally full.
2. Do not go to the shop at the bottom and buy lots of food and water that you have to then carry all the way up the mountain.
3. Do not choose to start climbing at 2 in the afternoon. The hottest part of the day!
Even with doing those three things, it was still fantastic. And yes I’m the slowest up the mountain on Strava!

More Mountains

Breathtakingly beautiful

After the mountains, time for a couple of days off in Suspiro Del Moro near Granada.
Granada day out, Tapas and beer.. And lots of it.

Beer and Tapas

Hot natural springs near Alhama de Granada, free, nice!

In Fuengirola with Salva and Marco being given a lesson in Olive Oil tasting (yes it looks like whiskey, I promise it’s not).

Marco was Italian and had just ridden round Morocco looking at Olive farms and knew a lot about Olives, oils and its history.

Last night and Morning in Spain saw the best sunrise so far at Playa Cala de Sardina

Had a quick look around Gibraltar and an English Breakfast before heading for the ferry to Morocco.

And arrived in Morocco with Warm Showers host Hamza at his place by the beach.