Category: –

Spain 2026-07

Spain 14,

Oct. 3, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

I woke up to a drizzle this morning forcing me to change my plans and wait for a change in weather. There are always emails to catch up on and I like to review my plans in advance for the next few days. As I am taking 3 ferry trips with a motorcycle, I don’t need any last minute surprises. I was finally able to download a new book so I sat out on the hotel terrace, watched the raindrops fall and read my book.

The weather changed at 1:00 and the sun appeared. I waited 1 hour as I don’t like to ride in the rain or if the roads are slippery. The sun dried everything up and I was off. I planned my trip in advance on my Tomtom and headed off to the west coast of the island. Ibiza is very small and it is easy to cross the island in 30-45 minutes. The centre of the island is mountainous and the roads go in between the mountains.

I arrived at a small port town on the other side of the island and took off my motorcycle clothes. I was over dressed and hot as the temperature had risen to at least 25C. I decided upon a cappuccino and a double but small gelato for lunch. A had a little chit-chat with 3 American students who were spending a ½ semester in Madrid. After refreshments, I continued my journey wearing only short pants, no gloves and my motorcycle helmet in open position to ‘feel the breeze’. I rarely wear short pants on a motorcycle as it could be dangerous in a fall. I usually keep the helmet closed but the weather was warm and agreeable and I was not going too go fast.

I continued onwards deviating from my route to follow the sea. The problem with doing that is that you often either wind up at a dead end at the sea, or on a small narrow uninviting cow path. Today was no exception. I enjoyed the scenery but the GPS lady was not impressed. She lead me round and round until I was able to get proper directions at a cross roads from 2 police officers in a vehicle. ‘Straight ahead’ and off I went. Eivissa is well developed but the rest of the island is rather undeveloped. All along the coast there are small hotels catering to tourists who come for a week or a few days of sun, drinks and beach. Although the island is tiny, it still takes time to get from one place to another.

I was due for a change of pace for dinner. I am at a touristi beach restaurant overlooking the Med., listening to the waves lap the shore and sipping a marguerita. I treated myself to a seafood platter and a copa of tinto to wash it down. It is a little chilly so I am wearing a fleece.

When I arrived at the restaurant, the hostess addressed me in Italian, thinking that I was of Italian extraction. May be it’s my sun tan or the way that I carry myself. Many years ago, my mother worked in an Italian bakery when she was 14, and taught me to count to 10 in Italian. The hostess laughed and we switched to English. My grandmother taught me to count the same in Russian. My waiter speaks 7 languages. Compare that to Mr. Legaux who speaks 1.5.

Love,

Brian

Israel 2026-06

Israel 1,

June 4, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

No matter where I want to travel, I always seem to have problems at the airport. This time is no exception.

I am going to Israel to volunteer as a physician/paramedic on a Magan David Adom (ADM) ambulance. This is the 3rd time that I am doing this in 3 years since the start of the Swords of Iron War. 2 years ago MDA accepted 150 volunteers mostly from the US with a few from Canada. Last year, I believe that only 2 were accepted and this year I think that I am the only one. This is probably due to the fact that I know Vicki personally. She is in charge of the volunteers and has been instrumental in finding me a place on an ambulance.

Once again, I will be staying at the Maxim Hotel on Hayarkon St across the street from the sea. Most of the volunteers stay at the hotel while in Tel Aviv. There are large round tables in the dinning room and you are free to sit at any table and introduce yourself. “Hi, my name is Brian, I am from Canada.” It sounds a lot like AA where you introduce yourself by saying: “Hi, my name is Brian, I am an alcoholic.” I think that alcohol and volunteering in Israel both become highly addictive.

I originally had a flight from Montreal to Tel Aviv with a stop over in Paris for 5 hours. The flight was supposed to leave at 5:00 pm but was cancelled. I usually don’t like to fly to Europe late in the afternoon, as it robs you of a night sleep and you arrive early in the morning sleep deprived. The flight was reschedule for 10:30 and then 11:30. I was able to obtain 3 seats in a row so I stretched out to sleep for the trip. Knowing that I would miss the corresponding flight to Tel Aviv, I was rebooked on a plane to Athenes and then to Tel Aviv.

I was woken up 1 hour later for dinner. The food was pretty good and I had a small bottle of red and a sleeping pill. I like to fly with Air France because they offer a glass of champagne as an apero. Unfortunately the glass slid on the table spilling half of the glass. I will be more careful next time.

I arrived in Paris late, just in time to see my corresponding flight to Athens take off. I am now booked on a plane to Vienna with a correspondence to Tel Aviv, arriving at 5:00 am, 14 hours later that my original itinerary. If everything else goes as planned, door to door, I will have travelled for 35 hours.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day. I was hoping to see the Canada – Morocco game in Tel Aviv but will obviously miss it. Perhaps I can catch up with the news in the airport.

Love,

Brian

Spain 2026-07

Spain 14,

Oct. 2, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

I woke up this morning, well rested, although I didn’t do much yesterday, and partook of the hotel buffet included in the price per night. Other than the size of the room which is only slightly larger than the bed, I am certainly comfortable here in my renovated well, to good taste and modernized 3*. The day started off with a few drops of rain enough for me to wear my new Pantagonia rain jacket but not enough for an umbrella.

I decided that today would be devoted to a walking tour of Eivissa. The island is called Ibiza and the town is called either Ibiza of Eivissa to confuse the tourist. I walked through the down town area which has more stores than downtown Montreal. The area caters to the locals rather than the tourists and contains shops that you would find in most downtown areas. I have found over the years with my many travels, that the 2nd impression of a town is very different than the 1st impression. A 3rd impression would only be made after spending some time in the area.

The night time crowd differs considerable from the day time crowd. The locals here resemble the locals in any small Spanish Med town. Young and old, rich and poor, in good shape or not. Compared to the evening and night time tourists, most of the people are middle aged, with the smattering of grey hair but no white haired ones like me. Ok so be it. I continued through the area eventually arriving at the old town. Here everything changes. The streets are narrow, windy and cobble stoned. The area is pedestrian only. Unless you have a good sense of direction, you can go round and round and arrive at the same place that you started from. This part of Eivissa caters 100% to the tourist trade. Stores, cafes, restaurants one after another selling everything that a tourist thinks that he/she must have. Everyone must have a beer, margarita, pizza or tapas at mid day. You must consume something as the restaurants only open later after 9:00.

Eivissa has a history that dates back 2700 years to the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders etc. There is a mountain in the centre which has a fortified castle at the top. You can walk up the narrow winding streets or take staircases or any combination of the later. Once at the top the view of the Med is sensational. I walked around for several hours eventually arriving back down at the port. At his point my phone was running out of battery from taking so many photos that it was a challenge to return to my hotel, the address I had forgotten.

I am currently sitting at a hotel terrace overlooking the beach. The weather is warm enough but the beach is small and the water is rough. I saw 1 girl wading and 2 windsurfers out. There are other better beaches on the island that I will explore tomorrow.

I am anxiously awaiting the results of the Quebec election that everyone says will result in a PQ victory. Legaux really helped them with his poor government. The Liberals have no chance. The best that we can hope for is a minority government for 4 years. The Israeli elections are another problem. There are 38 parties running in a government formed by proportional representation. After everything is settled, the prime minister is left with the task of forming a government from several often extremist parties.

There was an attempted highjacking of a plane by an Islamic terrorist bent on crashing the plane into probably a densely populated area. There were Israeli tourists on board, so instead of calling it a terrorist act, CBC, CNN and the BBC are calling it an altercation between pilots in the cockpit. At the same our own beloved PM is handing another $100 million to the Palestinians making a total of $700 million donated to the cause since 2023, in order to continue building their subway (tunnel) system. Their billionaire leaders are raking it in living off the fat of the land in palaces in Qatar. Meanwhile we now have 120,000 homeless in Canada who are left to fend for themselves. One need only to read the latest version of the Concordia University Handbook, (manifesto) which severely criticizes Canada’s colonial background. If they don’t like it here, why do they come here to study?

I will finish off my afternoon beer, continue gazing at the Med, finish writing my blog and prepare myself for a ‘busy’ evening.

Love,

Brian

Spain 2026-07

Spain 13,

Oct. 1, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

I have had great luck in choosing my hotels during this trip. Last night and this evening the hotels are once again exceptional with great atmosphere and reasonable pricing. I booked a table later in the evening after a shower and a brief nap. Riding a motorcycle is wonderful, adventuresome, tiring and of course just a little bit dangerous. I met a lovely couple from England and we had discussion of my recent volunteering for 4 months in Israel. They showed interest in my blog and hopefully will purchase my book. Dinner consisted of a 4 course meal including an entree, a main course, a salad, a dessert a beer and a glass of wine. I was definitely full at the end of the meal and will perhaps decrease my consumption tomorrow. (Or perhaps not)

I awoke well rested and partook of the morning buffet breakfast. The problem with buffets, is that one tends to overfill several plates and consume more than is necessary for a breakfast. I formally checked out of the hotel, but was permitted to remain at a table in the garden for the rest of the morning and the greater part of the afternoon. It took me 3 hours to catch up on my emails and another 3 hours to book the remainder of my hotels and train tickets in France. I gave up trying to book a hotel at CDG as I refuse to pay 400 to 1000 euros for 1 night in an airport hotel. I will take a TGV from Reims to CDG, check my baggage overnight at the airport and take an RER to Paris. I booked a ‘reasonably’ priced hotel in Montmartre allowing me some time both to visit with Remi and Marie-Christine and to spend the evening in a wonderful arrondissement of Paris.

Later in the afternoon, I rode to the Dania port. I proudly lined up with the motorcycle guys and gals waiting in line to board the Baleares ferry boat to Ibiza. On the boat, I stayed on the back deck to view the port of Dania and the town. A rough count allowed me to estimate the number of motor yachts and sailboats at over 1000. I love to watch the swell that a ferry boat makes coming off the back of the boat. We arrived in the port of Ibiza 2:15 hours later. I drove off the boat with the bikes and continued down the Main Street to my hotel.

My 1st impression of Ibiza is that this is a real party town. The Main Street, which I will explore tomorrow is filled with high quality shops. There are people walking everywhere. The population resembles the population at the triathlon. In Pontevedra there were 4500 athletes and tens of thousands of onlookers. As I have mentioned before, there were 29 athletes in the 75-79 age group with 3 from Canada. The tourist population that frequents Ibiza is no different. If I look around me, I am definitely the oldest here. The island definitely caters to the 20-30 year olds. Great, I feel really at home here.

My hotel is situated less than 50 meters from the beach. The beach area has a long boardwalk boarded with cafes, bars and restaurants. The atmosphere resembles the board walk in Tel Aviv but the beach is much more narrow here. I am sure that there are other more secluded beaches in other parts of the island which I will check out tomorrow. I am sitting at a bar/restaurant overlooking the beach, drinking beer, eating tapas and writing my blog. The weather is pleasant permitting me to wear only a tee shirt and shorts.

Love,

Brian

Spain 2026-07

Spain 12.

Sept. 30, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

After taking pictures of the tapas, I decided to forgo a formal dinner and just engorge myself with tapas. I selected several, which you can see from the pictures were all delectable. The tapas, accompanied by beer and wine made for a most pleasant evening. Spain appears to have a male dominated culture if one can deduce from the population at the hotel bar. There were about 20 males present in groups of 3 or 4 arriving from 9:00 to 10:00 pm. Everyone was watching the soccer game and there were no females present.

I awoke this morning perfectly rested and prepared myself for my ride today. I had planned all my rides in advance with my TomTom GPS. All my rides leave from my hotel and bring me door to door to my next hotel. I usually allow for 2 stops for coffee and several stops to take pictures. My route was supposed to be 4.5 hours long and 6 hours with the appropriate stops. I arrived at my hotel 8.5 hours later.

When riding a motorcycle, there is always an adventure at every turn. Today was no different. On planning my route, I forgot to eliminate dirt roads. On leaving Albecete, I immediately found my self on a dirt road. On engaging a dirt road, I usually hope that the road will improve in 15 minutes. I hour later I was still on dirt. The problem with a dirt road is that I can only use the 1st and 2nd or 3rd gears as I don’t want to go over 25 km/hr. This also burns a considerable amount of gas which brings me back to my usual problem of running out of gas.

Eventually, I found myself on a reasonable terciary road. At that point, probably due to all the shaking, the electric wire from the GPS to the bike gave out. It is impossible to drive in Spain on secondary or tertiary roads without a GPS. You will be lost even before you start. Several cars stopped to help but no one had a solution. I played around with the wires for a while without success. There is an unwritten code among those who ride motorcycles, that if a bike is stopped at the side of the road, you must stop and offer assistance. This has happened to me on multiple occasions.

The 1st bike to come by, and therefore the 1st to stop, was ridden by an English fellow and his Ukrainian girlfriend. Great, at least we could communicate. He was a retired industrial mechanic and an expert on motorcycles. He unfortunately could not get the wire to work. He had multiple tools with him and suggested that we remove the seat and search for a burnt fuse. Still no success. In case of emergencies, I always carry an external battery pack. Needless to say, I did not have the correct wire attachment. He suggested that we go to a ‘China shop’ similar to our Dollar Stores, run by Chinese people; which are present in every small town.

He accompanied me to the next town where we found the store. There, we went through several isles, eventually finding the correct wire attachments. He then skillfully rewired my GPS to the power bank. I don’t know what I would have done without him. I don’t know if I can call CAA from Canada here in Spain! After taking pictures and telling him that I would include the storey and pictures in my blog, he lead me back to my route. They then took off at a speed that I could not follow.

The rest of the route was a motorcyclist’s dream ride. After leaving behind the arid, mostly flat land from Albecete, I arrived at the costal mountain range. The GPS lady told me that the next 73 km would take 2:15 hours. She was wrong. It took me almost 3 hours as I had to stop to rest and occasionally take breathtaking pictures. There was a hairpin turn every 30 meters. There were ‘S’ shaped turns, curves, hills and steep slopes. The views were spectacular. Many times I stopped to take photos peering down cliffs. The weather was warm, sunny with cloudy periods, occasionally threatening but no rain.

I arrived at Dania, a seaside port which I will explore tomorrow. I am staying at Hotel Rosa, a 3*- 4* resort hotel a few hundred meters from the port. The hotel is wonderful, resembling an older hoscienda. My room has a balcony overlooking the garden and the pool. My ferry boat leaves tomorrow at 5:00 pm so I will take the entire day to relax. When I consider the jet lag, 2 triathlons in 3 days, my trip to the ER for treatment of a UTI, my hair raising 2 days of intense motorcycling, I think that I need a break to reset. After all, I am 77.

Love,

Brian

Spain 2026-07

Spain 11,

Sept. 29, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

I have been a little under the weather for the last few days. Jet lag, 2 triathlons in 3 days, trip to the hospital, unexplained GI upset, but with an 8 hour sleep last night I think that I have completely recovered.

Get your motor runnin’, head out on the highway, Looking for adventure in whatever comes our way, Born to be wild. Thank you Steppenwolf

Upon hearing the song in 69, I went to Europe, bought my first motorcycle, and travelled for a year. Motorcycling was in my blood and life has never been the same since then. I set up my Honda 500 Rebel, with the GPS and saddle bags and set off on the 1st day of my 10 day motorcycle journey this morning. I took only what was needed and left 2 suitcases with the hotel with a promise to return for my belongings in 10 days.

The Honda is a modern Japanese bike with all the conveniences. My 53 year old Triumph 750 Tiger is a different bike completely. You cannot compare the looks. The Triumph is hands down more beautiful than the Honda. When I am working on it on the street, cars stop to admire it and even take pictures. At cafes where I stop for breakfast, crowds gather to tell me how they had a bike this and travelled all over the back roads of Quebec with their ‘blonds’. On the other hand, the Triumph has a kick start (when it decides to start) and vibrates like crazy when you hit 90km. The Honda has an electric start and the ride is as smooth as butter even over 100km/hr which I rarely hit. The Honda has multiple safety features. It won’t start if the stand peddle is down. The speedometer is digital. The bike tells you what gear you are in. There is a wire to simply connect the GPS. I have wires running all over the place in an effort to modernize the bike. I love the Honda for the narrow windy roads that I take in Spain but don’t get me wrong, I would never trade in my Triumph for a newer bike.

On my bike trips in Europe, I usually plan to ride for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon, with a break for lunch. I also usually take the next day off to see the local sights. This time, I want to reach the coast and spend 3 days on each of the islands. Ibiza and Majorca. I planned a 5 hour ride for today. I made a mistake on a turn and the GPS lady wound me back to my point of error costing me 1 hour. I stopped twice for breaks and stopped multiple times to take photos. In all, the trip took 7 hours which is a little much for 1 day.

Spain has 2 major beautiful cities, Madrid and Barcelona. There are also many smaller cities worth visiting such as Malaga. Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and Toledo to name a few. The Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean coast are also very built up for tourism. On the other hand, in between these cities, the land is barren with villages few and far between and not really interesting to visit. During my journey today, I saw very few cars, even less bikes and almost no restaurants or cafes to have a bite to eat. Although the land is tilled with many fruit trees which grow in an arid climate, I hardly saw any local farmers.

Somehow, where ever I go, I almost always miscalculate the gas situation and often come close to running out of gas. This happened in the UAE of all places and New Zealand. Today was no different. The GPS was not up to date with gas stations. 80% were closed and many others had switched to electric. Luckily I found a gas station just at the last minute. I was wondering if I was going to have to hitch hike to the next gas station. In Morocco, 56 years ago, I siphoned gas from a generous motorist. I will never forget the taste of gas in my mouth.

I am staying in a small town, Albecete, in the Hotel Europa. It is wonderful 3* hotel in a 100 year old building that has been completely renovated to modern standards. I am writing my blog in the hotel bar, sipping a well deserved beer while eating delicious tapas. The restaurant opens in ½ hour and I will stay for dinner.

Love,

Brian

Spain 2026-07

Spain 10,

Sept. 28, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

Today was a travel all day type of day, just to get somewhere and sleep during the trip. I was tired after the race but was really happy with my team mates. We bid each other good-bye after a beer and hopefully we will meet again at the Worlds in Hamburg next year. I will be 78 at the time of the race and might be getting a little old for these tests of endurance. We will see next year when the time comes to register.

I dropped my bike off at the parking lot as arranged and drove back to Pontevedra to pack. You can’t get served in a restaurant in Spain before 9:00 pm so there is no point even in trying. I spent the time packing and left the hotel at 9:00 to go to the same restaurant as last time. Unfortunately, I did not memorize the route or the exact name of the restaurant. After driving around on small roads and getting semi lost, I realized that my search would be in vain. I stopped at a roadside taverna and the owner was kind enough to serve me. I consumed the biggest ham and grilled cheese sandwich that I have ever seen, accompanied by chips and a smaller empanada. The sandwich was half a bagette long overflowing with cheese and lettuce. With a beer to wash it down, it really hit the spot. I spoke at length with the owner about the race as well as my blog and my book. I never pass up a chance to publicize myself.

I slept from midnight to 5:30 am and drove to Vigo 1 hour away to drop off the car. I then took a local bus from the airport to the train station where I boarded a train to Pontevedra. The roads and the signage on the roads is incredible. The speed limit is 120 km/hr but people tend to drive even faster. On the other hand, the signage to get you from the bus station to the train station leaves much to be desired. I was lucky to meet a young Egyptian fellow who was doing his PHD in engineering in Vigo. He helped me with my luggage and guided me to the station. I must make quite an impression with my white hair and 2 pieces of luggage because even young and middle age women offer their help to me.

I boarded the TGV equivalent to Madrid which moves along at 3:30 km/hr. Wow. I tried to take pictures of the countryside but the train was moving too fast so the pictures got blurred. I promise to take pictures of the route tomorrow. It was a struggle to get from the Madrid train station to T4, then to T1 where I took a taxi to the Crown Plaza Hotel. I slept on and off on the train and managed to do my final bookings of trains and hotels for my trip. I am having some trouble with bookings in Paris as it is hard to book an airport hotel, for my dates, for less than $500 a night. It must be a holiday weekend.

My motorcycle, a Honda 500 Rebel, was delivered right to my hotel. Great service. I inspected the bike and it is exactly the same one that I rode last year so I am familiar with wth the controls. I packed just enough for the 10 day trip as I prefer to wash clothes rather than carry extra baggage.

Although it drizzled all day today, tomorrow will be partially sunny, 25C, just perfect for riding.

Love,

Brian

Spain 2026-07

Spain 9,

Sept. 27, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

I was up at 6:30 in order to drive to Pontevedra which is 20 minutes away. I wanted to get a parking spot in the huge free parking lot close to the start. Despite the size of the lot, it fills up rather quickly. Sign in was from 8:00 to 10:00 but I was concerned that there could be a line up. There was no line up and I picked up the race kit for the group.

We are 4 our group, 2 girls and 2 boys averaging over 70 with me being the oldest of course. Our team members, Andrew, Alice, and Janice were great sports and fun to be with. We all came from different places in Canada beginning in NFLD and finishing on the west coast. When introduced, I put on my Newfie accent which impressed the Newfoundlander, explaining to the group that I spent 1 year in St Johns as an intern in 1976.

The group for the relay race was put together by our general manager. The ages are all added together to give a total which gave us our positions for the start. In the relay, each of us does all 3 parts of the race. The different legs of the race are much shorter than a sprint, 250 meter swim, 6 km bike and 1.5 km for the run. Because the race is shorter, people tend to go faster risking to run out of steam for the run.

We stood around for a few hours as our group, being one of the oldest, was starting at the tail end of the race. It was chilly with a slight drizzle on and off. I was already shivering by the time it was my turn to start as being the oldest in the group, I was placed 4th for the start. As each person finished, he/she tagged up with the next member of the team. As I was the last, I didn’t tag up and proceeded straight to the finish line with the cheering crowd waiting for me. I got my medal right away while the others received theirs afterwards.

The water was not too cold, and the swim was only 250 meters so I opted to forgo wearing a wet suit. I waste a lot of time in the transition phase pulling the soaking wet wetsuit off. The swim went well for me and I was happy with my time. The bike part was short but I made the mistake of pushing a little too hard especially on the 1 hill. I was tired for the run, more or less gasping for breath. With 200 meters to go, I was exhausted. An American ran up beside me to give me the encouragement that I needed. ‘Come on Brian, only 200 meters to go.’ It could have been 200 miles for me at that point. ‘I will run next to you. We will do it together.’ My team mates watched me crossing the finish line and cheered me on. They said that I didn’t look too bad, at least not as bad as I felt.

The American, Mike, was way over 6 ft tall and 15 to 20 years younger than me. We spoke for a while afterwards. He is from the west coast of the US and played semi-pro hockey. Wow. I met the 2 girls, Alice and Janice and we went out for beers and a sandwich split 3 ways. By that time I was feeling better and had gotten my usual over confidence back.

I just finished drying my wet clothes and packing. Tomorrow I will drive to Vivo, 1 hour away, to return the rental car and then take a train to Madrid. I have an 8:00 train so I will be up at the crack of dawn. I need the relaxation of a 4 hour train ride.

Love,

Brian

Spain 2026-07

Spain 8,

Sept. 26, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

Last night and today were not great. I somehow developed a prostatitis/cystitis/UTI/lower urinary tract infection probably from the cold water that I swam in. I was up all night, peeing every 10 minutes with dysuria (burning), frequency, nocturia, but no hematuria (bleeding).

This is old man’s or a young women’s problem. Needless to say, I got very little sleep. I did my washing quickly as I was running out of clean clothes and headed off to find medical care. The local pharmacy would not give me ‘antibiotica’ without a medical prescription. Meaños where I am staying, does not have a clinic, so I drove to Pontavedra 30 minutes away. All the streets are blocked off due to the race, which made parking rather difficult. The first hospital that I went to specialized in gynecology and paediatrics. They laughed at (with) me as I was neither the correct sex nor the correct age. They sent me off to the university hospital.

The ‘University Hospital’ was situated at the top of a mountain overlooking the city. Obviously, they don’t expect a large walk in clientele. The efficiency lies somewhere between Israel and Canada with a tendency towards the later. The triage nurse saw me within minutes and immediately placed me on a stretcher. I got undressed and put on a hospital gown. 1 hour late a nurse came in and took my vital signs. 1 hour later a resident came to see me, took a complete history and physical exam and then went to give her report to the ER doctor. He immediately ordered a complete blood test. The resident told me that the results would be ready in 3 hours.

Everyone was very kind and helpful but I had no intention of waiting another 3 hours. I told the resident that I was a ‘urologue’ and that I really only needed some Cipro and I would be off. She understood, returned soon afterwards with a prescription and asked me to sign a form written in Spanish. It was probably a release form. The hospital took my insurance card and didn’t charge me a cent.

I took 2 pillS and am feeling much better. I finally found a local high quality restaurant, 5 minutes from my hotel. The food is very reasonably priced and very plentiful. I have learned to only order a main course which comes with a salad and bread. I order the local wine by the glass and have been very impressed. None of the restaurants open before 9:00 pm and most people come to eat at around 10:00 pm

I will be up at 6:00 am tomorrow to drive to Pontevedra and secure a parking spot. I must register for the relay at 8:00 and the hang around until the afternoon for the relay race. We are 4 participants in a mixed team and each of us must do the super sprint, 37m swim, 10km bike and 2.5 km run. I am the oldest in my group. Surprise! Surprise!

I had no time to take pictures.

Love,

Brian