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Spain, Portugal,
Paris
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We weren’t going to
waste a lot of time
going through Spain
and Portugal because
I needed to get back
to Changchun in late
March and we were
interested in seeing
Paris and hooking up
with Marie. But
like all plans there
always seems to be a
glitch somewhere.
The
first problem was
that we couldn’t buy
insurance in Spain.
“You must take your
moto to Germany
where you bought it”
said the
receptionist at the
Insurance Bureau in
Barcelona. “But how
do I get my
motorcycle to
Germany if I don’t
have insurance to
drive in Spain?”
“Yes, it is illegal
to drive without
insurance in
Spain.” “Thank
you.” I was
adamant about
driving without at
least liability
insurance on the
bike but I didn’t
really have a
choice. We had to
push on to
Portugal. Surely we
could get frontier
insurance in Lisbon.
We drove almost 500
km and finally
stopped at the
little town of
Almodovar and found
a room for the
night. As is
usually the case, we
turn on the tele to
search for either
the BBC or CNN to
catch up on the
events we have
missed over the last
few days. Jan
caught it first,
there was to be a
total eclipse of the
moon starting about
9:30. We were
lucky, the skies
were clear and we
had a wonderful view
of the eclipse.
“If you are refused
by at least three
insurance companies
and get that refusal
in writing, then we
will write a 30
policy for you”,
said the girl from
the Portuguese
Insurance Bureau.
“But I don’t even
know how to contact
an insurance company
here.” “I’ll send
you a list of
companies that have
offered this
insurance before.”
“Ah, thanks (I
think).” With list
in hand, Janet tried
to find the phone
numbers in the local
Yellow Pages and
then call the
companies.
Horizons Unlimited
had the answer. I
did a search under
Green Card Insurance
and found that one
of their sponsors,
Motorcycle Services,
could write
insurance (Gail
Goodman, the
International
manager is a real
gem and sorted
through all the
issues and made the
process of getting
the right
information and
policy very easy)
and would provide a
policy for three
months. With faxed
policy in hand we
left Lisbon after
three days and
headed north.
Janet has always
been independent but
I was surprised when
she asked me one day
if she could drive
the bike. I was
surprised because
she had always said
that she was happy
riding as pillion.
She really enjoys
the tour but thinks
she wants to play a
more active part.
At a gas stop on the
way to San Sebastian
she found this BMW
scooter and asked if
it might be possible
to ride this on
another ride that we
are talking about.
I’m not sure but I
will ask around and
see
what others say. I
have the feeling
that she would like
to ride the Troika
which would force us
to look for a second
bike for me
J.
425 km to the
Portugal/Spain
Border, another 325
and we were on the
north coast of Spain
and a final push of
500 km and we had
arrived at San
Sebastian, a
magnificent costal
town where the
weather finally
broke to give us two
full days of
brilliant sun, clear
nights and some of
the best food we
have encountered
since we left China.
San
Sebastian
 San
Sebastian is
something of an
enigma. It is a
reasonably sized
city that we very
much liked and yet
both Janet and I
have come to dislike
cities. It is a
tourist city which
we like even less,
yet we really liked
San Sebastian. It
is a city that we
could live in if we
could afford it.
Every year the most
expensive cities in
Spain are ranked and
San Sebastian is
always among the top
three, occasionally
making it to number
1!
As has so often
happened on this
trip, we got lucky.
We found the Record
Hotel which has been
owned by the same
family for many
years. We had only
planned to spend a
couple of days there
before heading to
Paris but when we
talked to Marie, she
asked that we hold
off until late March
or early April
before we visited.
It was decision
time; Janet could
stay in San
Sebastian with the
sun and sand or go
on to Paris and stay
there while I
returned to
Changchun to attend
to Perfect English
business. She
decided to stay.
The staff was
wonderful! The
three ladies, (Leire,
Ana and Marien) who
man the desk, take
care of tourist
questions, provide
directions to great
eating spots, make
coffee and provide
all of the expected
services along with
the unexpected
niceties should
start a school on
customer service.
When we decided that
Janet would stay,
they worked out a
rack rate to try to
minimize the cost of
our staying the
better part of three
weeks.
I’m not sure that I
can even begin to
describe the food;
even the memory
makes my mouth
water. There is of
course paella, a
dish prepared with
rice, saffron,
seafood, chicken,
and a variety of
other items cooked
and served in a
large, shallow pan.
We had been directed
to a restaurant that
served paella as a
special dish on
Sunday afternoons
and with a bottle of
white wine, our
seafood paella was
nothing short of
magnificent.
And then there are
the tapas (snacks),
pinchos (sic) that
are served in
virtually every bar
we saw. Some are
simple like olives
of pieces of cheese
served on bread,
others are quite
elaborate. One of
my favorites was a
combination of crab
and smoked salmon in
a kind of mayonnaise
sauce topped with a
boiled shrimp on
freshly baked
bread. Then there
are the hot
varieties like baby
squid served on hot
potato slices spiced
with onion and
garlic and a touch
of vinegar.
The
bar is covered with
plate after plate of
these elegant half
sandwiches. You
simply help yourself
and at the end, tell
the server what you
had and the bill
then appears. The
beer is cold and the
wine is terrific.
Add to that the
happy people we met
there every evening
that Janet and I
were there and it
makes for a
wonderful memory.
The other truly
amazing feature of
San Sebastian is the
people. They seem
to be happy. When
walking from our
hotel to a bar for
lunch or dinner we
would see people
holding hands,
engaged in
conversation and
smiling or laughing
– even older
people. When we
walked along the
beach we watched
parents and kids
enjoying
themselves. We
would sit at a table
and soon be joined
by others who would
engage us in
conversation (there
was always someone
who could speak a
little English). We
were bought drinks
and provided with
samples of their
favorite foods.
Lots of dogs in San
Sebastian. People
brought them into
the bars along with
their kids for lunch
and dinner.
Somehow, San
Sebastian is
different. The
streets are clean,
people cross at the
crosswalk. Leire
said it best when
she told her boss
(who didn’t want her
to leave) at the
Cinderella
Restaurant at
Disneyland in Paris,
“I love Paris in the
winter, I love Paris
in the fall, but I
prefer San
Sebastian.”
I took a part of the
time here to reflect
a bit on the last
eight months. I
tried to assess what
we did wrong; what
we did right.
I still have a
resentment towards
Jim Bryant and his
shop in Beijing; the
fact that neither of
the two BMW
converted Changs I
bought from him
worked but also his
refusal to take any
responsibility for
their failure. Be
that as it may, we
were able to
overcome this
obstacle with the
new bike which has
performed flawlessly
except for the
windshield mounting
brackets that keep
breaking. I will
take this up with
Heiner and BMW when
we get to Germany in
April.
At times I wish the
bike had a bigger
engine because of
the weight we are
carrying. Sometimes
it has to work a bit
hard to climb
through the
mountains or runs at
a higher rpm than I
would like because
of the 14” wheels.
But the bottom line
is that the Troika
has done everything
I have asked of it.
I am,
at times and not at
other times,
surprised at the
reaction of people
who, when they see
we are riding a BMW,
always give a big
thumbs up. For some
people who speak
English, they are
always surprised
that two “older
people” are making
such a long ride but
when they see the
BMW logo almost
assume we can make
the long ride
because we are on a
Beemer.
Not riding through
Mongolia and the
Middle East are
still my biggest
regrets although we
have multiple
solutions for these
problems. For
Mongolia, Janet has
suggested that I go
to Ulaan Baatar,
rent a Russian Jeep
and spend a month or
two beating my body
as I fulfill this
part of my dream.
All I need is to
find the time and
someone to make the
ride with me. As
far as the Middle
East, when things
quiet down a bit, we
can always go back
and catch up on this
section.
As of today, we have
covered just over
30,000 km and have
visited twenty
countries in eight
months (of course
almost three months
of that time were
spent in hotels in
Zamin Uud and Ulaan
Baatar, Moscow and
Kiev trying to fix
Max). The rest of
Europe will add
another 6,500 or so
and then its 5,000
to Montreal via
air. Our original
US route had us
traveling about
15,000 km but with
the addition of
Anchorage and
Prudhoe Bay, that
segment has added
another 10,000 to
12,000 km! This is
a little short of
what I had
originally
anticipated but that
can be chalked up to
inexperience,
overestimating our
capabilities and
unforeseen
circumstances.
Maybe I’m still
making the same
mistakes of
overestimating our
capabilities and not
accounting for
unforeseen
circumstances but I
don’t think so.
Also the experience
we have gained to
date will surely
help us as we
continue. One other
consideration is
that we will not
face the bureaucracy
of Russian and
Ukrainian Customs
anywhere else along
the route. For that
I am deeply
thankful.
Janet is now
comfortable enough
on the bike that she
is starting to nod
off now and then;
much to my
consternation. “The
Lawnmower” isn’t
like our old BMW
K1200LT that held
her in place with
the elbow rests that
were an integral
part of the top
case. Our current
top case doesn’t
have those
protrusions. If she
falls asleep, I am
fearful that she
will fall off. I
have even
threatened that if
she keeps falling
asleep I will buy
the dreaded T shirt
that says, “If you
can read this, the
bitch fell off”. So
far the threat is
working.
We still get into it
from time to time.
She doesn’t want to
talk to me, I unplug
the intercom, and I
guess we still know
how to act like
spoiled kids. But
the truth of the
matter is that Janet
is doing very well
on this trip; much
better than I had
anticipated but she
does tend to get a
bit cranky in the
afternoons.
I have just returned
from Changchun where
I spent about ten
days working with my
PETS (Perfect
English Team – Ella,
Susan and Helen) to
ensure that the
school is running
well. It is!
When I left San
Sebastian it was
sunny and the
weather was warm.
But once I left the
weather turned cold
and rainy which
meant that Janet had
to keep holed up
inside. Now, after
two days we head off
tomorrow for
Bordeaux, Paris and
Schorndorf.
Can’t wait to get
back on the bike, it
has been way too
long.
Paris
Paris
isn’t really that
far from San
Sebastian. In fact
we made the ride to
a small town outside
Paris in just under
a day and I suppose
that we could have
made it in one shot
except I really
don’t like riding in
a city unless I have
the time to get lost
and recover.
The next day
Tuesday, 3 April we
made it into Paris
with the help of
another BMW rider
who took a couple of
shortcuts and before
we knew it we were
passing the Eiffel
Tower. Knowing that
I didn’t want to
spend the day
looking for Marie’s
apartment, we
hired a cab and with
Janet riding with
the driver, we were
there in about a
half hour.
Paris is one of
those cities that
have to be visited
and there are
attractions that
must be seen. We
decided that we
would take a “hop
on, hop off” tour
which provided
transportation but
left us free to
explore on our own.
We saw all the
obligatory sights
but agreed that we
prefer the
countryside in more
remote locations.
We will drive
through some other
cities in Europe but
we doubt that we
will stop long.
We spent three
evenings with Marie
and it was good to
see her but time
demands that we head
off to Schorndorf to
see Heiner
Bye for now.
Jack and Janet |
