There are times in a life when against received wisdom, we take ourselves away from responsibilities and entanglements and into a challenge of our own choosing because it simply feels like we must. We feel depleted. We’ve lost our internal compass. Our bodily tuning is off. What’s needed is a cosmic course correction out of our daily lives. If we are very lucky, the means and opportunity to embark on such a voyage align with a willingness of those in our lives to let us go.
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| decorative plaque, Cordoba |
Thus did the Northport Muse bring her sluggish body and tired heart to sunny Portugal and Spain for a 16-day odyssey that began with a 10-day bicycle trip from Lisbon to Grenada and ended with a family visit in Madrid and Barcelona. Travel to find oneself is a cliché, but using one’s body to propel a bicycle through countryside studded with Roman ruins, olive groves, sheep and cattle, castles, Celtic standing stones and medieval towns with stories from the ages does hone the muscles and oxygenate the spirit.
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| Arraiolos |
Day one, October 16, was the shakedown ride with introductions of the 10 cyclists and 3 guides, fitting of bikes and an easy 14 miles from Arraiolos to Evora. Arraiolos is a small town north of Lisbon that is known for its long history of artisanship in the making of needle pointed carpets. At 300 Euros/square meter, it's more expensive than most house construction. Pedro, Luis, and Jorge are our guides; young, knowledgeable, avid cyclists, and fine looking. They ride with us, tell us about the towns and regions, their history, culture and flora, and then deliver our luggage to our rooms, order our dinners, (banquets really) and otherwise see to it that we enjoy our adventure. I am introduced Andy (On-dee), my roommate; we are the two “singles” of the 10 riders. Andy is from Austin Tx, where she works as a corporate trainer and recruiter in the IT department at National Instruments, a global company that produces technical testing devices. She has just spent two weeks in Hungary doing training for her company.
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| Roman Temple to Diana; Evora |
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| View from Cathedral Roof-Evora |
There’s a Moorish influence here as elsewhere all across the Iberian Peninsula. I will come to understand and appreciate the depth of that influence. Evora has more churches than one can count, including the chapel of bones; built entirely from human skeletal remains, a grisly reminder that our time on earth is limited and we are obliged to make it worthwhile. Tempus fugit, carpe diem etc.
A buffet lunch and wonderful dinner featured garbanzo and black-eyed pea salads, cod and swordfish-like fish and lamb dishes; all traditional and delicious.
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| Tasty lunch in Evora |
Evora is a center of cork growing and production. Cork is made into everything; hats, belts, bracelets, ties eve n. The flavor of Portugal is mellow, warm, tasty, low drama yet complex. The exploration of the new world is still its finest hour; 400 years ago. The tug of war between Moorish and Christian influence is embedded in the national character, with Christianity the poor victor. Jorge tells us that the Portuguese invited the Crusaders to stop by and get rid of the Moors on their way to Jerusalem: shocking but interesting.
Day 2- October 17. Evora - Estremoz - Alter do Chao
Estremoz, as promised, is a lovely little medieval town surrounded by vineyards and famous for its many white marble quarries that supplied the stone for Evora's Roman temple as well as its 13th-century Cathedral. Portugal is the world's second leading exporter of marble and it is this same crystalline rock that appears in many of the region's cobblestone-patterned squares, sculptures, monuments and fountains. Prominent in the town is an outsize marble statue of Santa Isabella; a queen of Portugal who devoted her life to the poor. King Dinis and his Queen Isabel lived in the early 14th century. The king disapproved of Isabela’s giving alms to the poor, so she hid the bread she was carrying for them in the folds of her skirt. When the suspicious king asked her to show him what she was carrying, the bread had miraculously turned into white roses. The marble statue of the queen now stands on the castle terrace. There is a simple timeless beauty to the obelisk shaped work of art and her face reminds me instantly of a young friend at home whose name is: Isobel! Uncanny.
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| Recently harvested cork tree |
We ride 30 miles through rolling, open Alentejo landscape, the power arising in stroke after stroke of the pedals; the progress up long hills, the wind created by speed on the downhill. Today’s ride is with Barb and Paul, a veterinarian and her cell biologist husband from New Mexico. They are experienced bikers and adventurous travelers.
Tomorrow will be the hardest climb of the entire trip, and this is good preparation. A wonderful metaphor arises during repeated hill climbing. Step back and then step back again, until pain takes its place in a picture big enough to cope with it. Barb calls it “rubbernecking,” and intentional distraction from the painful work at hand. The hills do not stand alone; they are in a landscape of great beauty and power.
We make our way to the small village of Alter do Chao. Our rooms are in a restored 16th century convent. Late lunch is a tomato soup with vegetables, bread and a poached egg in it; lots of garlic, something hot and peppery and some bay and oregano. This hotel is known for it. Guilt free eating, and the food is out of this world. We have an evening cocktail party by the tiny ice-cold pool.
Day 3- October 18
This was a day to ride along in the cooler earlier hours. (with a GPS, cell phone, food, and almost enough water) On the 3 km climb to the spa town of Castelo de Vide with its 14th century castle and medieval Jewish quarter, water reinforcements appeared in the form of Luis and the sag van, making the remaining climb possible. A short break allowed for a cerveza, and a hike through the magical streets of flower bedecked medieval whitewashed houses with beautiful wrought iron windows and a spectacular fountain, all built by Jews in the 14th century. Their legacy vanished during the Inquisition and expulsion when most Jews were forced to convert.
All that remains are their names; all made up by the Inquisition, and the traces of Jewish customs that found their way into the pageantry of Christianity in the country. A restored synagogue has become a museum, highlighting this history including the fascinating ways that Jews hid their identities and customs: architectural, linguistic, and musical. 
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| The Jewish Quarter Castelo de Vide |
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| Fortress walls - Marvao |
The day ended with a 4 km. killer climb of more than 1000 feet with Andy and Barb. It was the stuff of vision quests, and a sweet victory. We made it to our evening meal and lodging in the enchanting village of Marvao. Set on a 2400-foot granite pedestal, its castle walls surround the village and the elevation affords views of the entire countryside. After a shower, there was time to walk the wall all the way to the castle and watch the sun set. Magnificent. Yet another wonderful meal of soup and two different tureens of magical combinations of shrimp, monk fish, potatoes, vegetables, and a tomato based garlic and herb sauce. The wines have been out of this world.
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| Sunset in Marvao |
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| View from Marvao |
Day 4 October 19
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| Roman Amphitheater- Merida |
Today was all about the ride; a “recovery” 34 miles after a two-hour transfer ride from Portugal into the Extremadura region of Spain. A change of time zone, but not of landscape; still arid, but mostly flat with more downhill than up; a welcome relief for tired quads. The road was mostly well kept two-lane with zero traffic; perfect biking and fear of speed abated enough with the good road conditions to allow flying down a couple of long long hills. We cycled along part of the Via de la Plata, one of the ancient pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compaostela. The prize at the end of the ride was Merida, another World Heritage site with the greatest number of well-preserved Roman ruins in Spain. They date from 25 B.C. and include an amphitheater, circus, aqueduct, and the longest Roman bridge still in existence. There are remnants of statues and gardens. The structures are hewn from local marble that is just exquisite.
Dinner was at Tabula Calda, a restaurant in a 14th century building run by a local Jewish man by the name of Manuel. He was so excited to have 3 American Jews eating there that he kept bringing every Jewish connection in the entire city to our table; articles on his niece who is doing doctoral work in Israeli/Arab relations, the flier from a conference on a Roman Jewish doctor from the year 500 and a newspaper article by a woman named Barbara Probst Solomon. Meanwhile he presided over the serving of the best food we’d had yet. A cod/potato/egg dish, lamb, (and also pork), and fresh vegetables all grown himself and roasted perfectly. A dish of oranges (grown here) in olive oil mixed with sugar with pomegranate seeds. Heavenly. We toured Manuel’s extensive art collection in each room of the restaurant. The group of cyclists has now jelled into a fun and interesting group. We are all very different, but have found some good intersections.
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| Olive orchards and hills! |
This is the day of hitting the particular wall of "yes this is beautiful and interesting, but my body hurts so why am I cycling instead?” Why do we do things that are very hard when there's an easier way that taxes us less? Which led to some thought about those back home (there is a lot of time to think on this trip; much riding on one’s own to maintain a pace that works). Loved ones are stepping up to serious challenges in one way or another. Whether we succeed or not, trying to do the hard thing that makes us better is a very worthy goal in life. This ride is to honor all of those trying to do hard things. Never mind the curses over 4 kilometers of steady steep climbing in the Sierra Moreno Mts which create a natural border between the central plateaus and Andalusia to the south; some hills today were climbed for others…. We were treated to a delicious and welcome picnic in the Parque Natural Sierra Norte. A further reward for today’s efforts was a great dinner of tapas in Carmona, a fortress town with a long history of Moorish, Roman and Christian importance as a strategic gateway to Andalusia.
Day 6-October 21
An unremarkable 40-mile ride through orange groves, olive orchards and up and down hills was made remarkable with the interview of cyclists Lois and Ron. Lessons from Lois’ story.
Where one begins in life is not always a good predictor of where one ends
It only takes one person’s belief and encouragement to change the course of a life for the better.
There really is such a thing as a life-long loving relationship
Hard work is hard work
Children make people have to stretch
Families need to stick together
Taking care of others is good.
People will rise to goodness when they meet goodness.
Buy sodas from good-looking boys.
Day 7- October 22 - Cordoba
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| Square in Cordoba |
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| Market in Cordoba |
It is famous for the Mezquita (Great Mosque), surrounding Jewish quarter, and impressive Roman bridge. The Romans originally founded Córdoba because of its strategic on the Guadalquivir River. The city reached its peak of importance in the 10th century when it became the capital of the Moorish kingdom of Al-Andaluz. The spectacular Mosque later became a Catholic cathedral and the combined structure is enormous, spectacular, and a little confusing.
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| Mesquita detail |
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| Imam's "echo chamber" |
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| Mesquita detail |
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| Mesquita- Cordoba |
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| Maimonides statue- Cordoba |
Cordoba is the birthplace of Maimonides, a most revered Jewish scholar, physician and philosopher who was born in 1135 and lived in Egypt, Iraq and Morocco. His works are a cornerstone of Jewish scholarship and also of western Medicine. The statue in Cordoba has a legend. If a person rubs the statue’s foot, some of the wisdom and understanding of Maimonides is transferred to the person.
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| Synagogue- Cordoba |
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| Detail of synagogue: Cordoba |
The Museum of Sephardic Jews contains recreations of typical rooms from the days when the Jewish community thrived here, with kitchen implements and a wonderful exhibit of goldthread embroidery that was a specialty of widows. This handiwork was one way in which a woman could support herself.
The town is like a little Jerusalem; the history of Muslim, Christian and Jewish influence is very intense and very beautiful. A tapas dinner for our group of 9 was delicious and interesting.
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Day 8-October 23
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| En route to Montefrio |
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| Montefrio |
Our ride today begins in the village of Luque and proceeds through terraced hills of olive orchards and stone farmhouses. Long climbs and beautiful vistas meet us at every turn on this 40-mile ride. "Granny gear" has new meaning; first gear for 30 or 40 minutes at a time followed by white knuckling it downhill and around curves. But it is an absolutely spectacular ride. Every hillside is covered with olive trees; they look like puffy green buttons and they are everywhere; this is the largest olive oil production area in Europe; The white farmhouses dot the hills, but mostly it's just the trees and the white chalky soil between them. The day concludes in Montefrio, a mountain town outside of Granada in the Sierra Nevada Mtns. Key word; mountains. After a hot bath, it doesn't get much better than this.
Day 9- October 24
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| view from Palace Alhambra Hotel- Granada |
The first and only rainout day was actually welcome. We transferred to Granada to the elegant Palace Alhambra Hotel high above downtown Granada and close to the Alhambra complex. We had an afternoon of free time to explore the lovely city of Granada and prepare for our final delicious dinner at a small restaurant tucked under the wall of the beautiful Alhambra palace, lit beautifully in the night sky above us. It’s a last dinner with special Spanish guitarist and singer, local specialty dishes, and the warm sadness of knowing a treasured experience is coming to an end.
Day 10- October 25
As the bicycle tour brochure promises, the Alhambra is a sublime example of Moorish architecture and landscaping. It is indeed an enormous palace/fortress complex constructed mainly during the 14th century by Spain's Muslim rulers. Considered by many to be one of the world's architectural wonders, a morning’s tour allowed an appreciation of its ingenuity and aesthetic. The importance of water and the brilliance of engineering its flow, sights and sounds was evident everywhere, particularly in the magnificent gardens, fountains, pools and irrigation with beauty as important as function.
With goodbyes said, last hugs given and received, and bicycle relinquished, it was time to head north to Madrid and Barcelona.
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| Walking the wall at Alhambra |
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| Ceiling stone work- Alhambra |
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| Light and stone play- Alhambra |
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| Views from Alhambra gardens |
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| more stonework- Alhambra |
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| Waterworks at Alhambra gardens |
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| The "palm" pillars at Alhambra |
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| reflecting pool- Alhambra palace |
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| Room with a view: Alhambra |
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| Spectacular Bougainvillea at Alhambra |
Days 11-16
Highlights:
Mother-son exploring, conversing, dining, relaxing.
The Prado
Meeting and playing with friends in Barcelona- planned and unplanned
Meeting a native Barcelonan who gave a wonderful synopsis of the European finance mess and promised it would all be OK. Then provided executive seats for the football game where Lionel Messi scored a hat trick in the first 16 minutes of the game. Then introduced his wife; an author in the making writing stories about the soul…
The Joan Miro Foundation
The Picasso Museum
Shopping for shoes
And finally… looking forward to traveling home
The pictures and the writing could each stand alone as wonderful depictions of your trip. That you are able to weave them together and create something even better is a testament to your creative abilities. I love you Mom.
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