2024 10 Spain

Spain 15,

Oct. 27, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

I had choice to make today, either take a 4.5 hour ride through the mountains, which knowing my pace, would take me 6 hours, or visit Granada and take a 1.5 hour ride on a secondary road. I chose the latter. Life is filled with choices and we, unfortunately, only know if it was the correct choice or not after we have made it. The only time I was shown the future was in Greece many, many, years ago when a Gypsy read my hand. Years later, I understood that what she read, came to pass, just as she said it would. Or, is it just my own interpretation of what she said. Or, did she look into my eyes and when I blinked, did she then make her interpretation of the lines on my hand. Even today, I don’t know for sure…. But that is a story for another day.

I could not get a reservation for the Alhambra today, so I decided to walk up to the palace which is situated at the top of the mountain in Granada. I asked the lady in the hotel if I could walk there and looking at me, with my white hair she told me that the road was very steep and that I should take a bus. Not to be put off, I took the challenge and started up the hill. After going a certain distance, I asked a nice young man for directions. He pulled out his i-phone, consulted google maps, and told me that I was on the wrong road. ‘Go down 500m, turn left and cross the bridge’. ‘ How long will it take?’ ‘Looking at me he said ‘30 min’. So it took me a little longer! But I stopped to take pictures, made a slight error and climbed the wrong stair case, (oh yes, there are stair cases) and it is hilly, but I did arrive in almost less than an hour.

The Alhambra is a palace-fortress built by the Moors over 1000 years ago when the Moors overran Spain. I visited the palace in 1970 and again with Dominique 10 years ago. Then, you could walk up to the ticket office, and purchase a ticket the same day. 54 years ago, it must have cost 1/2euro, I certainly could not have afforded more. The price has changed by a factor of 60 and the wait list to have a ticket is 2 months. Oh well, I got enough exercise walking up and down and took some great pictures of the outside of the walls. Those Moors really knew how to build things in those days. Mind you, a good man with a whip, with no unions to answer to, and you could really get things done if you had a century to do the work.

On the way down, I went through the old section of town. Granada is built on a mountain and the old city is an incredible place to visit. The whole section has stair cases rather than roads. The roads, when there are some, resemble narrow passage ways about 10-12 feet wide. The people that live there, either walk up and down stairs cases or have small, small cars that resemble golf carts, to get around. I took a lot of pictures with tourists taking the same pictures. It is very hard to get a good photo without 100 people taking the same photo unless you are willing to get up at 5:00 am to take the picture.

I left Granada for Malaga and as I said previously, opted for an advanced secondary road. It was supposed to take 1.5 hours but I ride slower than the GPS lady. The road was a secondary road, 2 or 4 lanes wide and eventually lead onto an autoroute with tolls. So what. I have never driven that fast on an autoroute before. Smooth, clean, no pot holes, banked turns, beautiful scenery, safe, fast, 4 lanes, well marked, polite drivers, clear blue skies….what more can I say. 6 Euros, who cares.

I arrived in Malaga, circled around a few times and eventually arrived at my hotel just outside of the pedestrian area. I had dinner in a taverna and became friendly with a Dutch couple sitting at the next table to me. Seeking company for my last night, I invited them for drinks. We chatted for a while and they were quite impressed that my Dad had spent time in Holland during the war. Dutch people have a warm heart for Canadians as the Canadians liberated Holland at a time when things were very bad for the Dutch. They have 2 children of their own and have adopted 5 or 7 other ones. Hopefully one day I will see them again in Rotterdam.

Tomorrow I will be up early to return my bike, fly to Paris and take a train to Reims. I will stay at my friend Patrick’s for a few days and see Dominique’s family. I have a 2k ride to deposit the bike at the Triumph dealership. Whenever I get onto a bike, I always say to myself, ‘this could be my last ride’.

Love,

Brian

Pictures to follow, I promess

2024 10 Spain

Spain 14,

Oct. 26, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

Today, I was lucky with my tourism. Rising early, and after a hearty breakfast, I was able to secure same day tickets for the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. This was my third visit, the 1st one being in 1970 and the 2nd 15 years ago with Dominique. The M-C is magnificent, much as I remembered it to be from my recollection of my last visits. The only thing that changed is the price and the crowds. It is impossible to escape the tourist crowds although probably everyone is thinking the same about me. Everyone is taking the same 100s of pictures that they may look at once and then leave on their i-phones for eternity or worse still, try to impress their friends and family who have the same 100 photos.

The ceiling of the mosque is held up by a least 100 columns which gives a different perspective each time that you take a step. You will see this in my pictures. The mosque is at least 1000 years old and has easily stood the test of time. The Moors invaded and stayed in Spain for 700 years. Their influence can be seen in the architecture all over southern Spain. Their conquest was eventually stopped at the Bataille de Tours, by Charles le Marteau if I remember correctly from my grade 8 history. Had Charles lost the battle, the history of Europe would have changed completely and Europe may have become Muslim. And now a mere 1000 years later…… Finally, after pushing the Moors out of the Iberian Peninsula, the good Christians, not to be out done, built their own Catholic cathedral right smack dab in the middle of the mosque. This was obviously done to show once and for all their domination. The more things change, the more we arrive at where we began. I guess that we should be glad that they didn’t destroy the mosque altogether. The cathedral built in the middle of the mosque is actually quite cute.

In Israel, British Mandate Palestine, Ottoman Province, Crusader conquest, Arabian Southern Syria, Mamaluk land, Roman Palestinia, Greek conquest, Israel, Judea, Canaan, Philistine land, (forgive me if I have forgotten a few) the Israelites built a Temple, the size of which rivalled the Alhambra or the Vatican. It was destroyed by the Babylonians (modern day Iraq) who carried them off as slaves. The Jews, as they became known, were then liberated by the Persians (modern day Iran) who allowed them to return to Judea where they rebuilt their 2nd Temple. The Romans, (modern day Italians) conquered the land and after 2 revolts, destroyed the Temple and dispersed the Jews……1800 years later, my great grandparents fled Russia due to the pogroms, which is why I find myself in Canada. The Arabs-Muslims arrived and built their golden mosque exactly on the same site as the Temple, leaving in tact the Western Wall, the Wailing Wall. Had they built their mosque 6 inches to the left (I exaggerate) the modern day Middle East conflict may not have occurred. And so we have the definition of a hurricane, ‘what goes around, comes around’. In 2024, I, as a Zionist, an atheist and a Jew felt compelled to to return to Israel to defend what I feel is the right of the Jewish nation to claim a sliver of a piece of land, 15k wide that we call Israel. You may read all about this in my blog on Israel.

All over Spain, at 7:00 everyone finishes work and goes out for a drink, tapas and later a dinner. This evening is no different. The streets were packed with people. I came across the cathedral, and was entertained by a short concert by a 60 piece orchestra outside in the courtyard. I am now seated in a Spanish taverna, sipping rose and eating tapas. I ordered 3 tapas, which probably is too much as the proportions are more than generous. 1 of my choices was ‘dog fish’. I am not sure what that is, but I hope that is more of the latter than the former. It was fried and came with a sauce. which was delicious. I will look up what I ate when I get home.

Today I changed pace as well as my route. Instead of taking my usual very very windy and very very hilly tertiary route, I opted for a secondary route avoiding of course the autoroute. The road was 2 lanes wide, well paved with just the right amount of curves to make the route interesting. I bombed along at 80k which is a great speed for a motorcycle. I could observe the scenery and not be overly concentrated on each turn as I was on my last 3 days. I rode through the country side where I saw miles and miles of olive trees. I one point I came across a group of 6 bicyclists riding along in a pack, taking up the entire width of the lane. They were travelling along, downhill at 70-80 k. I could not overtake them so I followed them along until we arrived at a hill where they were forced to slow down and I could pass them.

The weather has changed from 25C in Torremolinos to 12C today. It was chilly on the bike so I will add another layer when I ride to Malaga tomorrow. I am staying in a 3* hotel tonight in the Old City. One of the differences between a 3* and a 4* is the size and power of the hair dryer and the thickness of the bath towel.

Love,

Brian

Gold stolen from the Incas, and they are not ashamed to show it!

2024 10 Spain

Spain 11,

Oct. 24, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

‘If you can’t always get what you want, then if you try sometimes, well, you just might get what you need’. Thanks Mick.

Today was an exploration day to walk around and see what I could in Sevilla. Sevilla is arguably one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever visited. I know, I say that about all the (girls) cities. Every thing in the Old City has been cleaned and renovated to perfection. There are pedestrian walk ways every where. The cafes, bars and restaurants are plentiful. The only problem is the volume of tourists. It is Oct 24 and not too crowded, but there are tourists everywhere. My old adage, ‘if you have heard of a place, so has everyone else, and it may not be useful visiting unless you don’t mind ‘tourists’, rings true.

I started my day by spending several hours trying to change my telephone number on the SNCF website. The security is just too thick. Not having one of my daughters or grandchildren with me to help me, made it impossible for me to navigate the site. SNCF needs a telephone number to confirm a trip and they only have my Canadian number. I now have a Spanish sim card and I can not use it to book a trip. So, I will just have to wait until I get to Paris to book my itinerary in France.

I walked around aimlessly in the Old City and just visited what ever I came across. The Sevilla Cathedral is worth a visit for sure. I first visited it in 1970 when there was no entrance fee. The second time I visited it 10 years ago there was a small entrance fee but you were not allowed to take pictures. This time, the entrance fee had quadrupled but because I am a French (EU) citizen over 65, not only did I get a reduced rate, but pictures are now allowed. Wow, what progress. I was a little disappointed as I could not find a quiet place to pray. I have the sneaking suspicion that the place is kept open to serve the tourist trade rather than the worshipers.

I am always impressed when ever I enter a European cathedral. First of all what strikes me is the enormity of the building. The planning that must have taken place to construct the building which took place often over 300-400 years. You must overlook the fact that slave labour was used and certainly more than 6000 people were killed in the process. 6000 workers died in the construction of the stadiums in Qatar for the World Cup and I have yet to hear any protest by the authorities in the UN. They are obviously too busy with passing judgement over …….I won’t go any further. I saw the tomb of Cristopher Columbus. Very impressive. Rumour has it that the old boy was Jewish. If so, I wonder if he and I are from the same tribe. I also climbed up the steeple to get a view of Sevilla. Great view from the top and well worth the 34 ramps to get there.

I next wandered over to the Palace. I had visited it twice in the past and wanted to see it again and take some photos. Unfortunately, everyone else in town had the same idea as me. Tickets were sold out. This never happened in the past. Those darn tourists…… I walked over to the University of Sevilla. What magnificent place. It rivals any other university in Europe such as Oxford or Munster. The students are really lucky to study here. I hope that the education standard matches the magnificence of the surroundings. The campus even has a moat which is quite deep but dry.

I am sitting in an out door restaurant, in the middle of a plaza sipping wine and writing my blog. I ate seafood paella for the first time in my visit to Spain.

Tomorrow I will ride to Cordoba.

Love,

Brian

cigarette making machine invented here

University of Sevilla

2024 10 Spain

Spain 10,

Oct 23, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

I left Gibraltar under cloudy skies, damp, British weather and journeyed on to Spain, just around the corner. The weather is not the fault of Gibraltar as it is at the cross roads of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, with tides and currents going in and out, so what would you expect. You have to navigate, back and forth, through not busy lanes, eventually arriving at Spanish customs. They were more impressed with my Triumph than me and commented on the beautiful Triumph exhaust noise. That is why I ride a Triumph, for the noise… I rode for 2.5 hours and stopped at a roadside cafe for tapas and a cappuccino. My tank registered that I had 230k to go on the tank of gas after riding 100k. This seemed impossible so didn’t take a chance and road back 12k to a gas station. I filled up the tank with 3l and my bike computer gave me 350k until empty . The bike really does not burn gas.

The Spanish country side is very barren. Yesterday, I rode through mountains that looked like a rocky dessert. Today, I rode through mountains that were covered with large bushes, as tall as small trees, but bushes all the same. When the mountains flattened out, there were small farms. The villages are few and far between. This is a remarkable contrast to France where there is a village every 10-15k complete with a cathedral, several restaurants and cafes and a memorial to the fallen soldiers of WW1.

Finally, I arrived in Sevilla. What a beautiful city! Visiting Sevilla is an absolute must on anyone’s bucket list. I am staying in the old section on a small narrow street next to the Cathedral and not far from the Palace which I will visit tomorrow. Sevilla is ‘tres, tres, chic’. The stores are incredibly well decorated. Even the lesser quality stores appear chic. The amount of merchandise available to the consumer is endless. What ever you want to purchase in clothes is available. Everyone here is well dressed. Shabby-chic would not cut it here. At 7:00pm the streets were packed with people. The center of town is a pedestrian walkway. There are cafes on the side walk everywhere. Everyone seems to be out for a drink after work.

I am staying at a 1* hotel in the old section of town which is really is a 3*. After my long ride today, I was somewhat tired and took a siesta. I don’t think that I have ever done that before. After all my life is usually go, go, go. The hotel has a bistro where I just finished off some tapas, beer and wine. I feel much better.

Love,

Brian

2024 10 Spain

Spain 9,

Oct. 22, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

Today, I spent 8 hours exploring Gibraltar. I left the hotel at 10:00 and only got back to the hotel at 6:00. I walked along Main Street which is as the name says, the main street. You have just left Spain, you are still on the European continent, but you are in England. Everything here is just like it is back in ‘jolly old England’. The main street is filled with wall to wall typically English shops. There are small lanes crisscrossing the main street which have more of the same. It is really fun to be here.

The main part of the city is surrounded by a defensive wall. Gibraltar was chosen by the British to control the gateway to the Med. The Spanish tried to take it over forcibly 200 years ago but were driven back. We are much better off having the Brits controlling the strait. Can you imagine Spain and Morocco controlling the gateway to Europe and the Med?

Thousands or millions of years ago, what was Europe at the time was joined with North Africa by a land bridge. At some point in time, the earth moved and Europe and Africa separated. What is now the Mediterranean was dry land. The movement of the land created the biggest waterfall ever known to the world. Eventually the Med was filled and the Med was joined to the Atlantic eliminating the land bridge. On the other hand, Greek mythology tells a different tale. Hercules, seeing the mountain in his way, pushed through the land mass himself as he wanted to see the sun in the west and stop it from setting in the sea. Hence the Pillars of Hercules with Gibraltar mountain on 1 side and a Moroccan mountain on the other side of the strait. Seeing the Pillars of Hercules, for myself, is 1 more tick off my personal bucket list.

I walked over to the port but there is not much to see there unless I missed something. It is mostly an industrial port with some sections full of fishing boats. I saw very few sailboats, unlike Torremolinos which is just the opposite.

I spent the rest of the day climbing the Rock of Gibraltar. The Rock is a serious mountain rising 500m directly from the sea. For the greater part of the day I could not see the top as it was covered in a cloud. 2 days ago I was in Spain with 25c temperatures and blue skies. Today I am in England with British weather. There is a steep road where only taxis and small tour buses are allowed. You walk up and eventually arrive at the gate to the park on the mountain which is strictly controlled. There are many paths to choose from. I visited the Cave of St Michael which had stalagmites and stalagtites and a nice sound and light show.

Eventually I arrived at the summit. Here you had a magnificent view of the strait leading to the Atlantic Ocean. Across the way, looking south you could see Morocco. The water varied between dark blue to Mediterranean turquoise. The clouds had cleared, the sun had come out and the view was to die for. At the summit you could go down by the road or take the Mediterranean stairs, steep and carved out of the mountain. The sign described the stairs to be difficult and not for people with vertigo. The stairs were not that difficult for a triathlete unless you were wearing high heels or sandals. I was wearing sandals… I took many photos.

On the way down I met 2 Brits climbing up. They told me that they were practicing for a charity race next year where you go up and down the stairs 5 times, 1.5k each way, in a day. When they saw my Worlds number tattoo on my arm, which I have not washed off yet, they asked me to join them telling me that it would be a piece of cake for me. I swallowed my pride and declined the offer.

I arrived at the bottom of the mountain, not far from my hotel. The human body is an amazing machine. If you sweat all day and don’t drink water (1 cappuccino does not count) you don’t have to P all day. That in itself for a 75 year old is an incredible feat.

This evening I am dining at a British pub. I have been travelling in Europe, including England for 44 years and this is the 1st time that I have tried fish n chips. My French friends always order fish n chips at least once when we sail to the Channel Islands. It’s really not bad but nothing to write home about although that’s what I am doing now. Fish n chips used to be served in England wrapped in a newspaper. That has not been allowed for over 20 years. When they stopped wrapping the fish in newspaper, people complained about it saying that the taste was not as good.I guess that the newsprint and ink leaching off into the fish changes the taste.

Tomorrow I will ride to Sevilla.

Love,

Brian

2024 10 Spain

Spain 5,

Oct 18, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

Last evening I sat on the beach at a restaurant overlooking the water and licking my wounds. What the hell. I shouldn’t complain too much. I made a serious personal mistake by making the decision to swim with a wetsuit when I swam all summer in Israel in colder water without one. I let myself be influenced by my peers when I should have made my own decision as I really do know my own body. Too bad. Next year I am on the team to go to Australia for the worlds. Either I will train more with a wet suite or skip it altogether unless it is an absolute requirement.

I went to the brunch with the team at 11:00 but I was just not in the mood to stay too long. Everyone was disgusted with the officiating. Complaints will be make but they will go no where. There was one sobering announcement. 2 fellows died yesterday in the race. Both had heart attacks, 1 in the swim and 1 in the run. I didn’t see the accidents or I would have helped out in the attempted resuscitation. All of the athletes feel terrible. I can’t imagine how badly the families must feel. 1 was a Brit and the other was Mexican. I probably met both of them at some point in the day.

The air conditioning in the room didn’t work so I complained to the staff for the 3rd time. I stayed up late and watched an old version of ‘the Saint’. I didn’t feel like watching the races so I took a bike ride to Malaga. I took tertiary roads and often road on dirt roads along the beach. The sandy beach goes on for miles so it took me a while to get to Malaga. I went to my motorcycle rental shop to confirm by bike. I rented a 400cc single cylinder Triumph, a new bike that just came out this year and has had a good success. I don’t remember Malaga at all. Everything has changed so much. Eventually I rode over to the old section of town which has been made over into a pedestrian mall with no cars. I had a cappuccino and an ice cream in a small cafe.

I took a lot of pictures and stupidly forgot my bag. I rode back at whirl wind speed and found the bag where I had left it. People here are very honest. I am sipping a draft beer in my hotel bar while writing my blog.

Love,

Brian

2024 10 Spain

Spain 3,

Oct 16, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I was exhausted. I had travelled for 12 hours, 2 plane rides, 1 train ride and then 1 relatively short walk to my hotel dragging 2 suitcases. For this trip I had decided to pack lightly and wash my clothes as needed. I am staying at an older but well renovated 4* hotel right in the centre of Torremolinos. The main entrance to the hotel is half way up the mountain on the 8th floor. I am staying on the 9th floor. I have a nice view of the Med if you twist your head and turn 90 degrees to the left. If you take the elevator to the 1st floor you are at ground level which is really beach level. I am 50m from the beach.

When I first came here in 1970, Torremolinos was a small village with 1 cafe and maybe 1 or 2 restaurants. It was the hippy capital of Europe. Kids came here from all over the world and slept on the beach. It was Franco time so the Guardia Civil came by every 2 hours or so to check your passport. As long as you were not drunk or doing drugs, they really didn’t hassle you. Most or us slept in sleeping bags and cooked our food on a camping gas stove.

It was in Spain that I really learned about myself and how to travel alone. I had a motorcycle, a 200 Lambretta scooter that could to 57 mph all out. It was very reliable and except for my 3 motorcycles accidents, I really enjoyed it.

Spain is a great country. You can eat and drink well and relatively cheaply. There is a lot of history to be seen as for many centuries, Spain, ruled the world. Except for wine, there are very few natural resources. The country relies a lot on tourism. Torremolinos obviously caters to tourists but somehow the atmosphere does not give you the impression of being touristy.

I ate out in a restaurant on the beach last evening, finishing the meal off with an Irish coffee topped with whipped cream. I don’t eat much during the day to keep my calorie intake down. This morning I slept in rather late and had the buffet breakfast in the hotel. I picked up my rented bike today and was surprised that they gave me a bike computer. I then registered for the race and got my race gear. There are 4000 athletes so it took the greater part of 3 hours. The line up was pleasant as every one talked to each other. I took the bike for a 20k ride to get used to it and the terrain. It is a high quality bike and I am pleased with the ride.

This evening I met up with the Canadian team for a photo shoot. We are one of the biggest teams with 350 participants. Hopefully that will translate into multiple medals. We then lined up for the parade through the town. Spain lacks the organization that was present last year at the Worlds in Germany. In the end it all worked out. There were many photographers and the parade was on the internet. I was standing next to the Canadian flag when we sang O Canada.

I am disappointed in the recent statement by the Spanish Prime Minister. He has asked that the EU stop free trade with Israel. He seems to have forgotten the history of the Spanish Inquisition that lasted for 400 years and only ended with the invasion by Napoleon. He also has no clue about the Maranos, the Spanish Jews who converted to Catholicism but secret practiced being Jewish. If caught they were burned at the stake. 25% of Spanish people have Jewish blood. Spain now places itself into illustrious catagory of nations with Ireland, Algeria and South Africa. South Africa, that beacon of democracy has more rapes per hour than any other country in the world. UN stats.

I am writing my blog in the same restaurant as last evening. I ate dorade that the waiter told me was a filet. It was delicious but was full of bones.

Tomorrow I will race at 200pm Spanish time in the Age Group Sprint 75-79 years of age. It will be televised on the internet. I will cross the finish line even if I have to crawl to do so.

Love,

Brian

2024 10 Spain

Spain 1,

Oct 15, 2024,

Hi everyone,

The greater part of this post will be a general review of what circumstances brought me here today. For some of my readers, this will be a review that you may wish to skip through briefly. I graduated from Mcgill University in 1970. My marks were above average but not good enough to get me into medical school. Some of my patients reading this blog may not wish to know this fact. In any case, I decided to go on a trip to Europe with my friend Bram. Our first few days in Paris were a bit strange as we didn’t really know what travelling was all about. Eventually we decided to hitch hike to Marseille. Hitching was legal and safe in those days in Europe, everyone did it. We split up for various reasons on the way and met up at the youth hostel in Marseille. The rules for successful hitching were simple: 1. Always hitch with a girl. That provided her with safety. Motorists would easily pick up a couple. 2. 2 guys alone would never get a lift. 3. You could get a lift as a single guy but it could take a little longer.

We stayed in Marseille for a few days, drinking cheap wine and lying on the beach. It was my first taste of meeting youth travellers from all over the world. Youth hostels in those days were cheap, safe and a good method of meeting people and learning the ropes of successful travelling. We decided that hitching was time consuming and that we need ‘wheels’ for the trip. Many kids bought old VW vans if they were travelling in a small groups. They often slept and cooked in the vans. We hitch hiked to Milano and bought 200cc Lambrettas.

I had my first of several motorcycle accidents in France. I was riding alone in the dark and it was raining heavily. I slid off the road on small stones and went over the handle bars. I was not wearing a helmet as it was not obligatory. I was scraped everywhere except for my head. A French teacher came by and took me to his house. He gave me oily salve for my wounds. I stayed with his family for 3 days while he arranged to have my bike fixed. This was the first of many kindness’s that I got from strangers over the year that I travelled.

I met up with Bram several days later. Bram then had his own motorcycle accident, a little more serious as he was taken to a hospital and the bike was destroyed. That put him off on travelling. He went home in 6 weeks and I returned home in 6 years, with 1 year spent travelling, 5 years in a French medical school, French friends whose friendship I have maintained for life and a beautiful French bride.

My time in Spain was a real eye opener. I had never travelled alone in my life and had no experience riding a motorcycle. Necessity is the mother of invention and I learned fast. I was in Spain and Portugal for 2 months. I loved Spain then and am happy to be here now again. My budget then was $3 a day. $1 for gas, $1 for food and $1 for a hotel. I slept out on beaches, parks and often in a ditch on the side of the road. Anything to save money. I road across North Africa and took a ferry to Italy. The bike was stolen in Italy. I hitch hiked for 6 months. I skied for 2 months in Austria, Italy and Switzerland. I hitched through Italy and Greece eventually ending up in Israel. I slept on the beach for 1 month and worked on a kibbutz for 2 months. At the end of the year, I went to France where I stayed for 5 years studying medicine.

My parents and my girlfriend kept my letters, eventually giving them to me and one day I will write my memoires.

Love,

Brian