R O I S
TRAVEL MAPS
Take a photo, tell about the photo.You who will read what you read, but where is it?
Unpretentious, ready to read
and go, without navigator, just a pinch of adventure,and a splash of probable unexpected.This is traveling. One click, a Moleskine, and a map.
WRITE WHILE TRAVELING
Writing, imprinting on an moleskine an event, a sensation, a place.
I composed a diary for every trip,where I wrote down what I saw through writing.I have told the places with our eyes. I have written about particular places where you should go at least once.Of course they are only fragments of life, crumbs that can enrich a trip even just by reading.
TRAVEL IMAGES
.. that's right, it's a journey
made of images of our do you travel around for the world.The photo, for those who observe it for the first time,can give rise to curiosity, amazement, and much more.
For us who publish them are our memory,that memory that over the yearsit can fade it can blur.
Images are salvation,love of discovery.click on the camera
will take you to the photogallery.
Travel diary Portugal 2009
Holidays 2009
Italy,France, Spain, Portugal
Motorcycle tour of 4 countries
OUR CREATIVE HOBBIES
Below is our showcase on the world. We liked being able to share our creations with the web objects, all completely handmade. For each object you will find a description and its use. It is obvious that being unique pieces, they cannot be identical, because precisely created one at a time, with patience and passion.if you have any ideasacome up when you see them, just contact us and your project will be carried out together.
THROW AN OKKIO
.... if you have come up to here, we thank you with this latest gem.Take a look inside this room and you will find little stories from our life.
This morning (km 14919) our adventure began that will take us around Europe.
16.02 on 21/6/09
we are enjoying the last Italian coffee in Claviere. (SS24 Montgenèvre)
The wind becomes more intrusive and gives us no respite. Now we take the climbs that will lead us on Montgenevre to Mt. 1854 (open all year). We arrive in Gap at the Ibis Hotel (hotel chain also very present in France) We are a little tired, but after dinner we decide in any case to have a promenade in the center. Just this week there is the music festival. At every corner you can see bands playing their own genre. Colored light effects illuminate everything, creating a very particular city stage.
Monday 22/6
Our enemy is also present this morning. The wind. Because of it, we have to vary our plans by choosing more sheltered roads. The national teams are fast and comfortable for cars. They are not for two wheels. Aeolus swells his cheeks until they turn black and then soffaaa !!!! Cartel of Le Puy-en-Velay and also here we stay at the Ibis en center-ville. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just behind the hotel we see two volcanic rocks that rise towards the sky. On the first there is the statue of the Madonna of France. Exactly opposite the other peak is the monastery. It is the destination of many pilgrims who have to face 134 steps to reach it. Inside there is a Dolmen where the sick lie down to ask for healing.
Tuesday 23/6
Still road to reach the goal. We leave the Vaucluse and arrive in Auch in the Midi - Pyrenees region.
Wednesday 24/6
Also today transit day. My position is comfortable.
The problem presents itself, to get off. My extremities are wedged between Roberto's suitcases and legs. When we stop, the petrol stations do not always come close, sometimes they remain closed in their closets with ball air conditioning. To dismantle I have to: disconnect the intercom, remove the glasses, remove the helmet. Then I can finally come in and pay. We stop for a sandwich in a village near Biarritz. Let's open the map. We are in the French Basque country on the Atlantic coast. We have mounted the navigator, but it is always advisable to take a look at the map. Another motorbike arrives and seeing us with the map open on the saddle he asks us if we need any indication. Then they say that the French are rude. !!! Next target Spain. Basque country. We travel. The weather is mild, but the wind does not go down. Here is the Basque coast. The impact is devastating not for the ocean. For the rest. The houses are peeling, the old and bumpy cars, the coast has only rocks and the vegetation is untreated. We pass S. Sebastian chaotic city. We decide to look for a hotel just outside. Desolation !!!! One cannot understand anything. All the signs are in their own language, not even the shadow of Hotel Restaurants. After a wander around, thanks to the navigator, we find one. The town is called Bermeo on the signs and Txaraka. We follow his directions. At the top of a slope we see a 4-storey apartment building. It looks like a private house. I enter. On the left of the atrium, the guardhouse and in front of the classic stairs, with the elevator next to it. The elderly spouses who run it are very kind. After some initial misunderstanding everything ends for the better. The room is cozy.
Thursday 25/6
Today we will not go far. Bilbao the beating heart of the Basque country. We take the curvy BI631 then the autovia, not for a fee, and finally to Bilbao Centro Tunnel (take it, even if you pay € 1.15 it will be worth it) Before taking the tunnel, prepare your camera. The panorama will be magnificent. I don't reveal what it is. Trust me. Let's see the Guggenheim. Wonderful construction entirely in titanium imported from Russia, remarkable is the continuous restoration due to oxidation. It is the architectural firm of Frank Gehry who in 1997 designed such a modern building. In front of the entrance, as in all Guggenheims in the world, is the giant spider by Louise Bourgeois. It is certainly disturbing, but once you appreciate its long legs it seems to tell us"I want to wrap you in my canvas, and with the patience that distinguishes me I will pamper you until the exit of this wonderful path, which is the museum". I look around.It looks like an overseas city. Modern, clean, industrious. There would be other attractions of equal interest, but the road awaits us. We will return with more calm.We proceed with our itinerary towards Santander and then Coruna. So far we have found several construction sites open, with few indications for alternative routes. It is time to find a hotel. We stop in Tapia De Casariego The hotel is on the street, but our attic room is inside towards the vegetable garden so quiet, € 88 with breakfast. In the evening we have dinner at the restaurant where I tasted the first tasty (Spanish) baccala .Then walk to the ocean.
Friday 26/6 17150 km
After breakfast for the trip, we are obliged to put on the waxes. The sky threatens water. Santiago. Terrible heat. The passing clouds quickly left us an indicative sky and an incandescent sun. The city is lively. A ups and downs of roads and traffic lights mean that we do not visit it. Another reason are the miserable reports and the few even confusing ones. We stop a little further on at Trattoria del Pellegrino nothing special but with 7.50 € eat the Milanese with french fries water coffee pudding. Finally Portugal. We head to the coast. Viano Do Castelo the landscape has changed considerably. Here the scenic roads are non-existent. Only a few condominiums overlook private condos, no hotels. There is not much to choose from and we stop at a 4-star hotel so yes the prices here are very low. A coffee for 030 cents at the bar !!!! Incredible !!! And how good it is !!!! In fact, the room costs € 60 with breakfast. We are looking for a place to eat. We find a pizzeria called Portobello and it is in Vila Praia Ancora. Known with pleasure that in the meantime they immediately bring snacks. We said to ourselves "what a beautiful thought", but then in all the dining places they behave like this. Usually they are based on fish. If you do not touch anything, however, it will not be calculated in your account. It is worth it to taste them, they are always appetizing and have very little effect on the final expense .. However, 2 pizzas, wine, fresh water, coffee, € 28, excellent !!!!
Saturday 27/6 17608 km
Let's update the clocks back an hour. In this state there is no summer time. In Esposende we finally find a hotel on the coast, the holl is very elegant. The room is decorated in a marine style, therefore dark furniture with shiny brass. For the modest sum of € 60 including breakfast. With € 3 more we also have a covered motorbike parking in their garage. In the afternoon we go to visit Braga. The presence of a whole series of churches makes it special. The cathedrals in Portugal are all called SE 'or (Sedes Episcopales) so look for them with this name. Let's go in. We see that the basilica has undergone many renovations. The predominant styles are now Gothic and Manueline, typical Portuguese. Behind the sacristy, along Rua Cruz and Sanchez north of the SE. We find a 1700 garden dedicated to Santa Barbara. The fountain is squeezed between hedges and flower beds. During Easter you can witness continuous processions and always in the same period in Bom Jesus Domente you can see the pilgrimage of the penitents who climb the steps on their knees.We return to Esposende and it starts to rain, but we are not impressed. For dinner, we decide to unsheathe the umbrellas and walk to the square where there should be a party. Under torrential water, the actors in carnival clothes dance undaunted Caribbean music. We take refuge in a restaurant on the seafront.
Sunday 28/6 9.45
After a hearty breakfast we decide to go to Porto. The SE of Porto dominates the old city. A wedding is being celebrated inside. While waiting, we take some photos. The pavement under our feet is irregular and shiny. There is a rancid smell. Some pigeons land on an old wall corroded by time. A thin little man approaches and in a rickety Italian, like his teeth, invites us to a tour on the train. For € 14 we should visit some typical areas of the city and a port wine cellar. We accept. We sit on the acid green wagon. We are alone. A hoarse man's voice begins to tell of the area. This is the city of bridges.
First we go through that of the Infant. Then we go to the Cellar to taste the Real Companhia velha tinted wine. The houses are decrepit, peeling. The rusty balconies. Some Azulejas barely noticed, they have seen better times. Tiny windows hung on brick walls outside the walls of the house. Maybe toilets built later. We deduce that it is the oldest part. We also cross the St. Louis bridge built by a disciple of Eiffel, in fact, the structure is completely made of iron. By now our bones are broken due to the pavement and the lack of shock absorbers. Let's get back on the bike. "The porphyry cubes these cursed". This type of flooring, characteristic of the major historical centers, is not very recommended for two wheels. It makes you lose grip on the tires, if you can it rains, you don't even talk about it.
Monday 29/6
Guimares Castle is closed and we have to settle for the outside.
Tuesday30 / 6 - Wednesday1/7
Next stop Lisbon. The sky as always in the morning does not promise anything, in fact it is gray, but towards midday the wind brings the gray and threatening clouds with it. Leaving us a wonderful day. Today the stage is not demanding, in fact, we stop in Figueira de Foz at the Hotel Tamargueira in Buarcos. The room furnished with 20 different styles, but repays the panorama (paid € 5 more than the amount € 50 with breakfast) right on the ocean an uncommon natural spectacle. We allow ourselves two days to rest and take a dip. The beach is endless, the umbrellas put at random and all colored decorate it, but she always remains immense. There are algae also these of giant size, the shells are thick and large. Here mother nature has been generous in every respect. Looking up and carefully observing the shoreline, you can see the mist caused by the saltiness. For me it is water and it is cold. On the contrary, Roby is refreshed. Another habit different from ours. Before 9 pm you cannot have dinner. There aren't many places to eat, we see only a few high-rise buildings and 5-star hotels. These few draw attention with smoking. That is, they installed a brazier on the sidewalk and with that they point out to customers that the shop is open.
Thursday 2/7
Today to Coimbra called as the city of universities. We stop
in the Botanical garden to recover from the tour. It is an island, a lung of greenery
in the suffocating afternoon heat. We stroll. It was built in 1772 and is a place where students can always concentrate on studying. We cross Ficus Hacrophylla, highly perfumed Eucalyptus, Aralcardia. The fountain in the center makes all the paths converge. Going up the worn marble stairs, you arrive at the tropical plants pavilion. Closed, we continue and meet a majestic Ficus. After leaving this tranquility of the past, we enter the national team. We take for Luso and then for the Bucaco Forest or Mata do Bucaco. This forest has an extension of 100 hectares. The Benedictines jealously preserved it and so for decades it was cured up to Urban VIII. They still live an indefinite variety of trees, of all origins. It is said that the Benedictines spent their days among its branches and its paths, also leaving them with a veil of mystery. The street is all paved with old pink bricks. Once you probably paid to visit it. In fact, at the entrance there is an old hut, with two bars, now rusty and almost completely covered with vines. After a short stop to observe the beautiful swans and fountains that intersect each other forming a single stream, we continue to climb towards the top. Here we find a French garden. Cultivated with roses in the central circle and with aromas on the frame. We see a five-star hotel (exaggerated !!!!) dotted with curls and knots, with embroidery and flowers, rigorously in Manueline style. Tourists arriving in this place cannot help photographing it, alongside a Benedictine abbey still inhabited and not open to visitors. An ice cold drink refreshes us. Despite the forest and the hill, the heat is with us.
Friday 3/7 km 18585
We breach south. We stop in Peniche and find ourselves close to the dunes
a newly built sand colored hotel. We have decided that this will be the last Portuguese stop (too bad !!!!) it is called Soleil and it is a 4 star 78 € with buffet breakfast. The beach as always around here is endless.
We walk by the ocean. The waves crash on our legs.
In front of us, the salt also forms the mist here, so much so that you even feel the salty lips, This is immensely satisfying. We want to watch the sunset show in a particular place. It is a promontory communicating with Peniche from a strip of land and sand about 30 meters long on the right water to the left ditto, the low white and blue houses decorated with the riches of the sea further enhance the panorama. We also find a hotel. It's called Surfcastle, it has 10 rooms. Surfers usually stay because this is the ideal place for them. Access to the island is also allowed for cars, but the paths are narrow and the islet is very small. The last corner, and here is the sun that gradually drops on the horizon, the light is ideal for taking photos at will. After a while sitting on a rock we see him disappear into the ocean, leaving us in the cloud of his blush for a few more minutes.
Friday 4/7 km 18585
We breach south. We stop in Peniche and find ourselves close to the dunes
a newly built sand colored hotel. We have decided that this will be the last Portuguese stop (too bad !!!!) it is called Soleil and it is a 4 star 78 € with buffet breakfast. The beach as always around here is endless.
We walk by the ocean. The waves crash on our legs.
In front of us, the salt also forms the mist here, so much so that you even feel the salty lips, This is immensely satisfying. We want to watch the sunset show in a particular place. It is a promontory communicating with Peniche from a strip of land and sand about 30 meters long on the right water to the left ditto, the low white and blue houses decorated with the riches of the sea further enhance the panorama. We also find a hotel. It's called Surfcastle, it has 10 rooms. Surfers usually stay because this is the ideal place for them. Access to the island is also allowed for cars, but the paths are narrow and the islet is very small. The last corner, and here is the sun that gradually drops on the horizon, the light is ideal for taking photos at will. After a while sitting on a rock we see him disappear into the ocean, leaving us in the cloud of his blush for a few more minutes.
Saturday 3 / 7km 18800
Today Batalha The cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic art and maunelina was built in a square that looks like an airstrip. We visit the interior and the tombs (€ 5). We find the sarcophagi of all rulers, we also see the tomb of the unknown soldier. I am looking for the imperfect chapel, the entrance is located outside the SE on the right side is not paid. Wonder. It is an octagonal chapel, but without the dome, very exciting. Duarte and his bride have found rest on this site. Observing it is a pity to let bad weather alter its appearance. It is a riot of styles. You can see the miniature laces for each arch (8) reproducing the chapel. The coloring of the marble is veined pink and gray. The characteristic of this area is the embroidery that women make while waiting for their men who have left for the sea. Fatima has a square that can accommodate 300,000 people. Peace and modesty reign here. The church is large but not exaggerated, in a corner there is a chapel where they constantly recite mass and it is the place where the miracle took place. Tomar city of the Templars rather seat. The convent of Christ (€ 5) is also a UNESCO heritage site. There is the cloister finished in 1537 thanks also to the Italian Terzi. There is no staircase or column where the Templar cross is not reproduced. On the upper floor we admire the famous window in pure Manueline style. We go down and go to visit the refectory then the cells where the friars / templars observed the waking / sleeping hours.
Sunday 5/7
Finally today we leave and go to Lisbon. Km 19082 magnificent weather.
From the sea of Peniche we arrive to a sunny and heated Lisbon. We are in Placa de Comercio where I find the Information. On the window I read the presence of the Italian language. Not a single word from my tongue. Map in hand we proceed towards the SE '. We climb through paths with uneven San Pietrini and avoid slipping on the famous 28 rotai. We park and decide to take the tourist bus. Excellent choice, given that the time is not long for us. For € 15 we choose the path that best suits us. Ours is the Tagus. For two hours we will visit the city comfortably seated on the upper floor of an open bus, complete with an earphone in Italian. Via Anqueiros next to it there is a very particular lift, all made of iron, built according to the Eiffail Tower criterion. It rises up to 45 meters and is narrow between the buildings, the cabins are made of wood, they go up and down relentlessly. . We find ourselves in a tree-lined avenue then we cross the National Theater the Park of Edward VII the garden of Estrela and so we arrive, between one stop and the other, to skirt the sea ending in Belem where we find the monument to the Conquest 1960. A little further on the fortress of Belem built by Manuel I for the discovery of the Indies by Vasco De Gama. Unesco heritage We visit it (8 €) From the balconies you can admire the statue of Christ the King placed on the other side of the Tajo this monument is 110 meters high and weighs 40,000 tons and was designed by Salasar who could not complete it for lack of funds, the other visible work is the Vasco de Gama bridge. We return to the city and take the bike to retrace some stages of the trip. Belem with its Pasteis is a break to be respected and not to be missed, with its mysterious secret for the recipe, still kept by the owners. The sweets are entirely handmade one by one. After this appointment we want to see modern Lisbon. Skyscrapers, wide streets, all paved with marble, trees sacrificed in concrete flower beds, cars everywhere. The cableway that runs on a rocking cable as it passes over the Tejo and at the bottom you can also see the bar on the tower, but it is closed because they are building a hotel next door. All this is in the Parque das Nacoes renovated for expo 98. We decide to have dinner along the Tejo where there are wonderful gardens. Jardim Gardia De Orta are well kept and overlook the ocean. Many small restaurants with tables outside await customers. We choose one. I take Acordade Marisco (sea fantasy) it is served in a steaming pot where garlic, oil and fish of all kinds splash around. Good. Roby Camarao Atlantico. They are giant prawns laid on a crock dish, surrounded by tomato and paprika sauce. For dessert Toucino do ceu one of the many Portuguese specialties. Divine: Before returning we want to cross the Vasco de Gama bridge. 17 km all suspended on the sea, you do not pay anything for the return journey, the toll booth asked us for € 2.35.
Monday 6/7
Homeward. Let's start with a bitter taste because we have to go back.
We take the N4 to Badajoz and then the EX100, 95 km of torrid pradera before entering Spain. Boundless expanses of nothing. Only earth scorched by the sun, in the distance some herd of horses make dust (I think horses, but they could also be bulls) and a strip of asphalt interrupted by some colored bridge, but otherwise an infinite desolation. Fortunately we had just filled up, otherwise it would have been a problem. We stop in Caceres at the NH hotel, the village is nice, but I think that after such a road, any place would have been lovely. At NH they do not have parking, but also looking for other hotels the parking is outside and you have to pay € 9. We decide to go back to the Statale where we find a Hsotel, we have to adapt, clean, with few pretensions, but with the parking place outside the door. With € 46 we sleep and also have breakfast at the bar. When we enter the bar in the morning we are speechless. A dirty one impressane. On the counter there is enough of that garbage to fill a dumpster. Then they told me that the more dirty it is, the more the bar is frequented and it means that it is the best. Let's take the way back. Now for Toledo. A tour of the city and then Saragoza last Spanish stop. Endless, endless roads.
Medinaceli is a village on the highway we stop to spend the night.
Tuesday 7/7
Before leaving, we visit it. We climb up to the castle, and discover that it is a medieval site. From the hill it dominates the whole valley. A golden eagle keeps us company, circling menacingly over our heads.
Wednesday 8/7 20476 km.
We take for Huesca the panorama has improved now it seems to be in the Monumet Vallay red earth wind with gusty jagged rock formations. We are 500 meters above sea level. We also see the wind museum, needless to say, in Pale sua Zuera. We turn to the A1604 which takes us to the Aragnouet-Bielsa tunnel this road is splendid (Laguarta-Boltana). All curves, the sun reflects on the mountains making the passage spectacular. You must always remember to fill up because there is nothing in these mountains. This route is about 50 km long. A must do if you are in the area. We stop to sleep in France at the foot of the Pyrenees precisely in Lannemezan, a rainy area, in fact, as always the weather is dull, a drizzle ruins the beautiful day we spent. The hotel is run by a couple. The hall is furnished with many white garden chairs and tables. For each chair the owner has made a life-size doll. In practice, at a glance, they seem to be many people sitting and you have tables chatting. Truly unique as a genre. The rest is a pompous decor with drapes and curtains, releasing embroidered tablecloths and covered chairs, in short, an unbridled luxury. (€ 53 with breakfast Hotel de Pyrenne).
Thursday 9/7
Let's dry the motorbike a bit, consult the map to calculate the road ahead. Now we take towards Mende we are in Languedoc-Roussillon. At I find an Italian boy from Milan in my area (incredible) We stay at Urbain V located in the center behind the cathedral (which we see from the balcony) with breakfast we pay € 84, the prices of Portugal are not here, the rates change, and the service is the same.
Friday 10/7 at 10
Mende Let's go. We decide to try a unique stage.
After several stops, coffee (terrible) lunch and endless road.
Saturday 11/7
It's 4 o'clock (in the morning)
and after grinding only today, 970 km here we are.
In total, we covered 7,120 km in 3 weeks.
SARTISA
R O I S