Spain's Oldest City - Cádiz, Spain

Coming from Rota, I had mapped out my route and with prior research, thought to myself that the trek to Cádiz would be quick and easy!  Well, naturally, the world does not operate on making the first day of my bike tour go as planned.  I read numerous forums and research about using roads in Spain for bicycles.  As long as it is not an Autopista or a high interchange area of an autovista, bicycles are allowed to go along their merry way.  Not in all cases.  N-443 proved that point quite quickly as bicycles are not allowed due to the bridge which then made what was going to be a 'less than four hours' ride into an eight hour spin.  Although, aside from the tribulations of getting to the ancient city of Cádiz, the struggle made the enjoyment of the area all the more valuable!  Once I passed through the city gates, I eagerly followed la Avenida del Puerto to my host's apartment for it was all downhill!  My host for the night, Vittorio, was truly incredible!  Once I arrived and enjoyed a small siesta as per the Spanish culture, took me out on his moto for a quick glance at the city and then we enjoyed the last few hours of beach time before heading to Casa Manteca.  The Spanish version of a 'hole-in-the-wall', this place was a corner bar themed with the history of bullfighting and had a great stock of local Sherry!  The next morning, I began my wanderings about the city with no set agenda for the day.  Riding about aimlessly, I discovered the unexpected!  The botanical gardens took me by the greatest surprise with the boundless beauty of this public park!  Pictured below in the enter is the southern end of the park that runs along the sea wall of the northwestern corner of the peninsula.  After knocking around the cobblestones on my bicycle, the time of day came for lunch and no better place to do that is on some random street in the heart of the city by which ever one smells the most appealing!  While sitting there enjoying my Iberian pork and house beer, I let the hubbub of activity surround me on all sides.  I caught the first image of the post from my table as the crowds were dispersing to head home for the soon-to-be siesta time.  But, before I headed back to relax myself, I found the public market and scouted out the various vendors for the fruit that look the most savory and the best deal for the day.  This was the day that I felt I absorbed the Spanish life to the fullest as I made my entire purchase of apples, bananas, oranges, and a cluster of grapes all in the native tongue!

Iglesia Mayor Prioral - El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain

As I nervously began my trek from Rota to Cadiz, in a land I have never been before and learning to wean myself off of technology and more importantly - GPS, I found my to the city center where I also discover 'la Iglesia Mayor Prioral' or Priory Church in the heart of El Puerto de Santa Maria.  After numerous traffic circles with limited signage and getting slightly lost in the single direction streets that were only wide enough for the standard European compact car and a pedestrian, which I was much wider than the average individual walking with my bike trailer in tow!  Needless to say, there were a few close calls on my way down to Plaza de España.  Once I say the opening of the plaza, I caught glimpse of a large tour group and a fair number of them had their cameras pointed up into the air and that had me wondering what they were so entranced by and then out of the simple stucco houses came a massive sandstone facade to my left.  Then I knew what had their attention for it had mine as well!  What I was looking at was what would be considered the main entrance known as the 'Door of Forgiveness', dating back to the original building of the current structure in 1486 - before Columbus set sail to "find India".  The doors were undergoing restoration but from what I could see, they were truly a piece of art!  As I continued on, I wanted to explore the interior of the church in the worst way but my stomach was telling me something was much more important and that was food.  I chose the cafe nearest the open door to the church for it was the closest and the aroma coming from the little cafe was quite appealing.  While I sat and enjoyed a cup of coffee and my meal, I scanned the entire face of the church looking at me in amazement of all the detail surrounding the door yet the barren walls of the outermost exterior but the more elaborate inner.  Reason being... various styles of architecture over numerous centuries.  This church is a museum of architectural styles from 1486 to the late 1600's which spanned the great eras of Gothic, Baroque and the height of the Spanish Plateresque styles.  Once I finished up my recovery meal, I was ready to see what await inside!  Stepping over the large threshold of the centuries old door, I was in awe of what I had just ventured into on the beginning of my World Tour.  Knowing that people had been bending knee to worship in this church as long as the Discovery of the Americas was amazing enough, but the beauty of the nave was beyond powerful!  As I was new to exploring Spain, I was taken by surprise by the organ and how variant it was from what I am accustomed to seeing and playing!  I was aware of how the Spanish love their trumpets, but the ornate decorations and amount of painting was a whole new concept to me!  All in all, this was most definitely a pleasant surprise for me to stumble upon on my first break along my bicycle tour of Europe!

Gone to the Beach - Rota, Spain

Arriving to Europe ahead of schedule, I had some time to kill!  What a better way to let time pass other than spending it on the beach trying to acquire any bit of skin tone possible!?  Well lathered in SPF30, I took on the beaches throughout the day, but nothing compared to how the typical Spaniard does the beach!  Around 2 o'clock, the hillside town of Rota nearly closes down entirely and everyone grabs their towel and beach chair in their arms then makes their way down to the sand for the next five or six hours.  I learned then that they while return to work for a small evening shift, close up shop again, and then return to the beach if they choose and watch the sunset while the children play some more!  Or, they go out on the town until near-sunrise the next day!  As my internal clock was trying to figure itself out, I was amazed by the fact at 10 in the morning, I nearly had a private beach with perfect weather!  The advantage over them sleeping in late from the night's activities that I feel some enjoy too much...  Of the two that I was fortunate enough to enjoy were El Rompidillo, pictured above, which I thought was the most scenic of the beaches with the old town surrounding the outer reaches of the sandy playground.  La Costilla is where you went if you wanted fun in the sun - or in the Atlantic!  My last night in Rota, I was blessed with the chance to watch the sun set over the Atlantic (quite the change for I am used to seeing sunrises over said ocean) on a rooftop where I had the most remarkable barbeque and great company to share the great sunset!

Finding Our Lady of the O - Rota, Spain

Once I had my bicycle back together, I began exploring immediately!  I found my way to the old town and meandered up a nearby hill to scout out what I could see within the skyline.  A bell tower adorned with a cross caught my eye and I then headed down hill to check it out!  Easier said than done.  Once I rode down along the shoreline drive, the maze of old streets began.  Finding my once easily spotted features became impossible in the narrow streets with buildings three stories high.  Not only that, a majority of the streets are one direction and I found myself much further from where I needed to be quite quickly!  After going in a few odd shaped circles, I decided to go the a way that I had not tried yet - the wrong way down a one way "path".  There was no way that cars could possibly use this street as narrow as it was but to my surprise about half way down comes a compact car.  I lucked out and came onto a large doorway and ducked in to let them pass by without an issue!  Then, after that, I continued down to come upon a plaza that I had not encountered yet and made my way down a few bending streets.  Behold!  What I had been searching for had finally been found after what seemed to be hours!  

But, naturally with my luck, I made this discovery during the siesta time and would have to come back in a few hours to see what await on the inside!  In the meantime, I found other ways that were more legal for my return route and decided to acquire some Spanish sun on the beach with a friend.  After our time on the beach, we headed back to her top floor apartment to relax when the sound of horse hooves filled the air.  I got excited as a kid on Christmas morning after we realized it was a wedding carriage!  Scrambling to get to my camera on the polished marble floor, I was skating in a fury to and fro!  In the end, I missed my opportunity to see the carriage in action but later found it at the church!  Sure enough, the couple that were ridding down the cobblestone streets earlier were committing their vows to each other when I passed through the old wooden doors of the Church of Our Lady of the O.  As I entered the church, the mix of architectural styles surprised me of what seemed to be a simple Hispanola Gothic style exterior.  The interior held styles from Gothic to Renaissance to Baroque all meshing together in their own way throughout the nave and side chapels.  Notably, the chapel pictured above is the one that truly captivated my attention as I was lost in the elaborate tile work and finite detail of all this incredible place held within it's small space.  Stepping out into the grand interior of the nave but remaining undetected from the ongoing wedding ceremony, the altar was what caught my eye from the opposite end of the sanctuary!  Tremendous craftsmanship went into the detailed paneling that fills the sanctuary with a warm feeling of the rich tones of the wood contrasting to the stone vaults hanging high above the witnesses to the marriage to two young Spaniards on their happiest day.

Fiesta de la Utra - Rota, Spain

Upon my arrival in Rota, I was expecting a small and quiet little coastal town with sleepy streets.  Little did I know, the night I arrived the entire city was preparing for their annual festival celebrating 'urta a la roteña' which is a very popular fish dish for the city.  Needless to say, the city was filled with everything but tranquility!  The old quarter of the town was decorated with lights, paper lanterns and sequin fish hanging all throughout the streets.  Being the fiesta was about the 'urta', what a better way to celebrate it than have a food tasting competition between all the various restaurants of Rota!  Using the fish in traditional ways to modern and even cross-cultural, the aroma of fish, spices, and more filled the salty air and of course, I tried more than I probably should have!  Aside from the food, there was a small carnival for all the children to partake on rides and bungee jump on a trampoline, which I will admit I wanted to do in the worst way!  All in all, I found a pleasant surprise in what I thought was going to be a quiet, little sea town of Rota.

First day on Spanish Streets - Rota, Spain

Stepping out onto the streets of coastal Spain and seeking new sites to discover, mostly everything was new to me.  I say that because a few friends that have been stationed at the Naval Base in Rota told me about "the hands in the middle of a circle - you can't miss them" as a landmark to find places that they recommended and sure enough, the hands are an easy find and impossible to miss!  Aside from that abstract art, I found the streets themselves very beautiful yet strange.  Having spent most of my time here in Europe in the German-speaking world with precise engineering and efficiency in their cities, the streets were a new twist for me to wander about!  For the first night after landing, I stayed at a hostel that was "beach front".  I thought it was just a way to attract people because the price I paid for a night's stay could not be beach front.  I stand corrected.  The picture centered below is the street that the hostel is on and ends at the beach!  While winding around the corners of the maze that is Rota, I came across some creative graffiti which I can appreciate for the artistic value that it holds far more so than the American attempts of (illegal) street art.  On a final note, the picture below and to the left was taken on the street leading out to the Puerto de Rota and the lighthouse.  Two of my friends got me a birthday card that fits me perfectly and they told me I HAD to take it with me and take pictures of the card in strange and unique places and that was the first of any snapshots of the card to come for World Tour 2015!

Beginning of my WorldTour2015 - Rota, Spain

As the time has come for the end of my active service in the United States Navy, I have begun what numerous people have stated as a "trip of a lifetime".  Driving away from Augusta, Georgia, early in the morning with my new Specialized AWOL and all the belongings that I will have with me one this trek in the back of my car and my roommate of the past three years and best friend throughout my entire Naval career, we set out for Fayetteville, North Carolina.  Upon arrival to Pope Air Force Base which was going to be the first leg of my journey to Europe, I learned the real regulations for flying with a bicycle and had to get a quick breakdown of my brand new bicycle.  Not being all to comfortable doing the disassemble myself, we headed to the city proper to get someone that knew what they were doing have at my AWOL.  After making a few phone calls, Hawley's Bicycle World said they could help me out and Jen is the one that came to my rescue!  She worked her magic and got my ride in parts and wrapped up for the journey ahead!  After that, I was on my way to Dover, Delaware, to cross the pond to the Iberian peninsula.  Once on the ground on a late afternoon in Rota, Spain, I was ready to get ready for the WORLD TOUR!  But, that would have to wait being the bicycle shop in Rota had closed for the day.  The next morning, I lugged the long and awkward box bearing my beloved bicycle up the winding and hilly streets to Antonio's Bicycle's, I was one the last step to having my bike set to begin WT2015!  In closing of this post, I am excited to tell the upcoming tales of my travels for I created this blog when I joined the Navy to share my stories throughout my six years and now comes the biggest adventure of my life!

Giraffe-ing Around - Columbia, South Carolina

My roommates and I made an morning adventure of going to the Palmetto State's capital zoo on my last weekend in the South.  Out of the whole zoo, my favorite were the giraffes!  First and foremost, feeding this characters is always an amusing part to visiting a zoo.  Secondly, they are one of the most expressive animals and are slightly awkward!  

From the Bell Tower - Augusta, Georgia

I had a rare opportunity to go to the top of the copper topped dome of Saint Paul's Episcopal Church and take in the view of the Garden City of Georgia!  The climb to the top is an adventure in itself as the stair gradually become more and more confined until the hatch opens right underneath the small bells.  But, being hunched over and dust covered hands is worth the bird's eye view over the most historic place in Augusta.  Standing as the fourth church over the grounds that was established as Fort Augusta by Georgia's Founding Father General Olgethorpe.  The Celtic cross pictured below is the marker of the location of the original fort and holder of the cannon Olgethorpe had brought over from England to defend the growing river trading post.  As the city grew outside of the bounds of what was Fort Augusta, the church has remained despite destruction over the centuries.  The last time misfortune struck was in 1916 as fire engulfed the walls of Saint Paul's.  The large bell is in memoriam of the 1916 fire as it's inscprition reads:

"To the Glory of God

and Thanksgiving for the 

Restoration of this Church

Destoryed by Fire 1916

Rebuilt in 1918

Glory to God in the Highest"

Una buona notte in Italia - Bolzano, Italy

As I departed the known German speaking world and made my way into the northern reaches of Italy, I had a smooth transition in the Deutschsprachig, Dolomite city of Bolzano/Bozen.  The area of South Tyrol has been a mix of Romance and Germanic cultures from the beginning and continues to be so to this day.  I made my arrival to Bolzano as the sun went down over the Alps of Austria and therefore I did not know exactly what to expect the next morning when I woke up in the heart of the Italian Dolomites.  My first priority after throwing my pack on my back was to get food and what a better place to get pizza than Italy!  I followed my nose down the cobblestone streets to a food vendor in the center of one of the plazas near the main station to this glorious aroma of fresh breads and cheeses filling the air.  Basically a euro per square foot of pizza I dropped two euro for this "snack" and kept on trekking southward in the narrow streets.  After devouring the pizza, I was near the central plaza when I stumbled upon a very common place German site: Beer tents.  I can not remember the names of the brewers but they were local and they were delicious!  Mission accomplished with my stomach full, I was now ready to make my way to Sylvia's apartment to crash for the night.  Reminiscing one this night, it was truly a 'bella notte'.  Waking up refreshed and ready to go see where I landed myself with my own eyes, I opened the door to a mountain paradise!  Not only was the scenery beautiful, the tarts and breakfast rolls were heaven-sent!  Breaking my morning fast with plenty of pastries, I started my morning by stepping into the stunning structure of Assumption of Our Lady, the gem of Bolzano.  Rising above the rooftops of the city, the cathedral is much like the city a blend of Italian and German influences.  The green and gold tile-roof cathedral is a mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture coming together to make a commanding landmark among the outlandish peaks surrounding the city.  I decided to go rogue after leaving the sanctuary of the cathedral and took Via Castel Roncolo to go about the vineyards and small farms terraced on the hillsides.  Here is where the true wonders came into play when I was following this winding path and looked up to see the old fortress of Runkelstein (Roncolo in Italian) crowning one of the hill tops.  Giving the trek a quick glance I made the executive decision of "next time" and made a left hand turn onto Via Rafenstein.  This path led me to something I did not expect to find.  The remaining ruins of the Treuenstein Castle stands among the rows of grape trellises with the 13th century tower mostly intact to this day! Continuing up the gorge, I came to a dirt path that took me up to a small waterfall that tumbles down from the heights above and over the tunnel of SP99 as it corkscrews through the rocky canyon walls.  Once I reached a bench to take a breather and enjoy the view, the time had come when I head downhill and onto the train station with Florence in the scope! 

View from the Train - Western Austria

After spending two (very short but fun-filled) days in Switzerland, the time came for me to traverse more the Alps, but this time through the "Eastern Realm" that is Austria.  My trip was split between the Swiss train and Austrian train systems at Buchs, Switzerland.  I was afforded nearly an hour of wait time to explore around Buchs where I walked about the beautiful neighborhoods and the quaint downtown area.  While meandering back to the station I came to a bridge with the four flags of the German speaking countries.  I wish I had looked at the map more attentively for on the other side of that bridge was the Principality of Liechtenstein, more so the capital city of Vaduz as what I had laid out in front of me!  I did get to go to Liechtenstein though even if it were just a train ride, I can say I have been there!  Once I returned back to the station, I stepped on board the Österreichische Bundesbahnen or more commonly seen as ÖBB's RJ train.  For your information, "RJ" stands for 'RailJet'.  I whipped across western Austria at speeds up to 140 miles per hour (230km/h)!  I started to contemplate the questions of life and death as the train wrapped around bends looming over drop off cliffs below, but nevertheless, Alpine Engineering pulled through with my survival!  I had been through the Bavarian and Swiss Alps, but what Austria holds in her borders are mountains unlike no other!  When I arrived to my Austrian lay-over destination of Innsbruck, the looked in awe up at the curtain of a sheer rock wall that fortified this ancient alpine metropolis.  Everywhere that I could see from the train, the valleys with their small towns are locked in by the staggering heights of the peaks above.

Salü Speicher! - Speicher, Switzerland

The commune of Speicher bears the name of my paternal grandmother's family name and is where my Swiss family history began!
As part of this blog, I like to share my experience of these places that I visit from the people I meet, the buildings or that I explore, the food that I eat and the lessons that I learn.  This one I compiled the pictures for this post but could not find the right words to describe this realization of a dream.  In all honesty, it was a passive dream.  Seeing all the photos from when my grandmother spent time in this country and finding of fellow Spicher relatives that stayed in the "Old Country", I knew that I would want to go back to those origins as well.  I had just not planned to make this homage to the verdant countryside above the blue waters of Lake Constance for this trip, but there was a feeling in the back of my mind that I should do it.  So I did.  After my stop in Zürich, the train wound east through the Alps to the canton of Sankt Gallen where my curiosity was intrigued, my wonder climaxed, and a dream coming true.  A dream of coming home to a place that I have never been in my life, but knew about since I was a small boy via photographs and books of this alpine hamlet.  

Arriving in the capital which shares the same name as the canton in remembrance of the Irish monk, Saint Gall, that left his home of Ireland with a band of brothers to spread the Gospel and found sanctuary in the forested hills the Bodensee, or Lake Constance.  After learning that the monks chose this place being it gave them a sense of peace, I could feel the same harmony that I felt as I stepped out into the mountain air and terraced streets of the old town of Sankt Gallen as the sun was settling in the west and that is when I made my fortuitous decision to take the S-Bahn 21 line "up the hill" to the enclave canton of Appenzell.  I purchased my ticket from one of the kiosks and looked about the main station for the platform but to no avail!  In my best attempt of Alemannisch, I asked "Chönd Si mir säge wo d'Gleis isch?"  The lady smiled and kindly directed me to the platform for the Speicher-Trogen line outside in the plaza.  My train had it's own special platform! As the train tugged up the hill, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as the sun cast golden light over the deep blue waters of the Bodensee and the green fields.  I watched with anticipation as I watched "Speicher" edge it's way to the top of the monitor as the train ascended the hill and made a wide turn that opened the valley up to me like a sunrise onto a new day.  Sadly, the day was coming to an end for the day so my time for exploration in the mountain town was limited... until the morning!  

After a teaser trip, I returned back to St. Gallen for the night for I had made my lodging arrangements near the beautiful abbey in the heart of the city despite all the Gästehäuser or guest houses along the ride back over looking the picturesque valley that looked more than accommodating!  I woke refreshed and ready to begin a morning's worth of wandering about this treasure chest of living history for me!  As the train hiked up along Speicherstrasse and crested the hill, the sun was rising over the Alps and giving life to the beautiful autumn day.  Stepping of the train with the blue sky above me, this was the beginning of an adventure that I did not want to end. I traversed about the alpine homes to the Reformierte Kirche.  Set up on the crown of the central hill, the church tower stands tall with its copper topped bell tower.  As I ventured around the open park leading up to the church, there was an elderly woman clad in a simple woolen jacket and skirt that noticed me as I was taking random images of the area.  She came over to me and called out "Guete Morge" to me and I light up and geared my mind to Alemannisch and had a lovely conversation with her while enduring the never ending learning of new words and phrases!  She then led me over to the church office for one of the attendants to give me a tour of the church and that can answer any questions I have in English if need be!  Funny thing about Mari, the church attendant, her sister is married to a Spicher!  She told me there were a few Spichers buried in the graveyard on the north side of the church grounds.  After getting my full tour of the grounds and an invite to come to that evening's service, I departed the early nineteenth century church to the graveyard where the most splendid view unfolded in front of me.  The feeling of the warm morning sun on my face, the fresh alpine air and the sound of the bells ringing in the air of the milk cows moving about lifted my spirits as it reminded me of my farming background and life back home in Montana.  For most, this spot would not be a "must-see" stop on for a Swiss getaway, but for me, visiting the small commune tucked away in the rolling hills beneath the Appenzeller Alps just above the shores of Lake Constance was a form of paradise that I got to enjoy for a day.  A day that I will remember forever.

Grüezi Züri! - Zürich, Switzerland

Panoramic view of Zürich from the eastern tower of the Grossmünster.

My visit to Zürich can be labelled with carpe diem to the nth degree.

Once I made the trek to my host's hillside apartment from the bustling central station, my journey about the alpine lake city began!  I did not really plan to spend very much time in Switzerland being I had dedicated most of the trip to exploring Italy, but it is amazing what can be done in the matter of a single day's time!  After taking in the view from the plaza overlook of the ETH library, I made my way down the web of staircases down to the banks of the Limmat.  I could not have asked for a more pleasant evening to be walking along the tranquil river walk in the heart of Zürich.  The night was as crisp and clear as the star-studded sky above as I trekked about the cobble stone streets filled with the ever-so-sweet smells of chocolates and Swiss cuisines of every liking!  As I stood at the stone railing overlooking the Limmat on the south side of the Rathaus setting up for a night shot, I was taken by surprise as swans passed by at an effortless stone's throw and just in time to capture them in a shot with the Fraumünster Church. What more could I have asked for on my first night of my second European tour, you might ask?  How about a flat-bottom boat leisurely floating down the river with a live band because that is what happened!  Not only was I feeling a sugar rush from the twenty Swiss francs worth of chocolate I devoured but the mere euphoria of this city had my heart racing and my wanderlust peaked.  All the excitement set aside, I did take some down time from the vantage point of Linderhof park for a few minutes and admired the hill that I had to hike up for that much needed sleep and recover from jet lag that I had been too busy to realize I had!
 

Once recovered and refreshed, my hostess Marti made me a cup of stout coffee and a light breakfast as she gave me a long list of things to do on my daytime endeavor!  By the advice of Marti, I found myself at the massive bronze doors of the north portal into one of the most significant places to the Swiss Confederacy.  The Grossmünster today dates back to 1100 and twin towers are said to be the most recognizable landmark and lasting treasure of Zürich.  Stepping into the ancient halls that Huldrych Zwingli once walked to preach his word to the citizens of Zürich that led to the Reformation of Switzerland.  The historical value set aside, the adventure of winding up the winding maze of stairs up to the south tower to the panoramic view was priceless!   I highly recommend paying the two francs to make the climb of the 187 stairs to the top for the best view of "Downtown Switzerland".  Another must-do of Zürich is to taken in the sweet aroma of all the "Schokoladenherstellern" or chocolatiers and if I had to recommend one, that would be Läderach and the picture below says it all!