On to Sevilla. Our Journey Through Spain Begins

We truly enjoyed Portugal-the people, the food and especially the wine. But it’s also nice to finally reach Spain. Kelly is fluent in Spanish so that takes away one of the disadvantages we’ve faced the past two weeks. Our plan now is to spend a couple of days riding to Sevilla, where we’ll take some time to see the sights and take a break.

Day 1: Vila Real de Santo Antonio to Huelva, 37.6 miles

Our day starts with a ferry ride across the Guadiana River that serves as a border between Portugal and Spain. We dock in Ayamonte and it immediately begins to rain. Our route turns inward and we travel through a largely agricultural area, with lots of fruit and vegetable production. Our total miles to date since we began our trip in Lisbon 325.9.

Bikes on canal — Our road follows a canal for several miles and we find this a good place for a lunch break.

Bikes in Huelva — After intermittent rain most of the day, we make it to Huelva and park under the dry portico of our hotel.

Day 2: Huelva to Sevilla, 60.9 miles

Sevilla (Seville) is Kansas City’s sister city. The trip from Huelva is the longest day of riding we have planned for the trip. It also makes 10 days in a row we’ve ridden since leaving Lisbon. This is the largest number of days in a row we’ve ever ridden without a day off. Our max before was five.. We’re spending a few days in Sevilla to taste wine, eat tapas, watch Flamenco dancing, and learn how to cook paella. Total MTD 386.6.

Bike wreck — Just out of Sevilla, this tarp was partially blocking the bike path. Robin went by it thinking it was just a loose tarp but it was actually covering up a gate. Long story, short is that it knocked him from his bike and flipped him over. Fortunately, he was just briefly shaken up and his bike only suffered minor damage. Moments later some workers came by and drug it out of the bike path.

For the last several miles coming into Sevilla, there is a well-paved, separate bike lane.

Tapas — Spain made tapas famous and there may be no better place to have them than Sevilla.

Food tour — Once again, we take a walking food tour of the city. We taste several dishes that are regional specialties.

Cooking paella — Paella is a rice dish originally from Valencia but is well-known throughout the country. The dish takes its name from the wide, shallow traditional pan used to cook the dish on an open fire, We spend an afternoon in the market taking a Paella cooking class and get to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

Our Route to Sevilla

This is the route from Ayamonte to Sevilla on RideWithGPS with interactive map and elevations.

Krause Travels