The stats add up to 12 days and 2200 miles of riding, but that wasn't our only goal this trip... at least not for the pillion!
We chose the Edelweiss Spanish Castle Tour to get great riding for John and the romance of castles for me. That's just what we got - along with a great group to ride with, perfect weather and sinfully good food. Almost too cool for words.
With no planning or effort, except to write a check (that one small catch), we got on a plane for Spain and let Edelweiss show us the plains - and mountains. This is the way to travel... just show up and have a great time.
Spain is fantastic. It's a traveler's paradise these days, after a history of turmoil and violence. Add restored medieval villages and friendly people to a Mediterranean climate, and you get a quaint, lively and interesting place to visit.
The tour started in Barcelona, a historic, cosmopolitan city on the Mediterranean. After a coffee break at a seaside resort, the route took us right into the Pyrenees, with stops at ancient monasteries and cathedrals for photo ops and more coffee. The days were about 120-240 miles per, but many roads were slow going. We'd start around 9 a.m. and end around 6 p.m. each day. This was not lightweight touring!
All nights except two were spent at Paradores, which are government-owned hotels. They are literally built onto medieval monasteries, castles or palaces, using stone hillsides as walls in some cases. Some are like museums, and some actually ARE museums. Most are up on hills, like all good castles, and have three foot-thick walls, with exposed stone and thick wood beams throughout.
The buildings are fortresses and the interiors are covered with tapestries, paintings and chandeliers, with heavy wooden chairs, sets of armor and swords displayed all around. You can't help but feel transported back in time, yet there's a hair dryer in every room.
Spanish culture is quite unique as well, and just plain likable. The people are relaxed, pleasant and friendly. Breakfast started around 8 a.m. and shops opened around 10 a.m.. Most places closed between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. for siesta, and then stayed open until 8 p.m., when the early-birds started dinner. The locals ate around 10 p.m., but we were mostly Americans, and were lined up at the door when the restaurants opened. What touristas! The food was always Spanish, and always good.
Language was a problem at times, such as the time I got four cups of coffee when I thought I ordered two, and a fellow tourist got three scoops of ice cream for dinner one night when she ordered a combination plate. That's when I appreciated being with a tour... except for two rest nights on our own, at least breakfast and dinner were safe!
The group consisted of ten Californians, one German, two Israelis and two German tour guides. Each day ended with a hot shower and a tradition of kicking tires and telling lies over drinks before a meal fit for a king... and queen.
The bikes were not in great condition. Ours had lousy tires and worn-out shocks. The K1200RS master brake cylinder failed (at very low speeds). One R850R lost its clutch, the K1100LT manifold screws loosened and the clutch cable on the GS snapped. The tour guides did their best to fix and return the bikes, spending long painful days at local dealers, but bike maintenance is clearly an issue for Edelweiss.
The first four days of the tour were spent in the Pyrenees, crisscrossing passes in perfect riding weather. We made a stop in Andorra, a tiny country which houses huge discount stores. Bargains galore, motorcycle gear included. John saw his $700 Ohlins shock for $450. This did not make him happy.
About two days into it, John and I negotiated our speed down to something we could both enjoy, (swats and punches not withstanding), and we got into a pleasant daily routine that felt like the ultimate vacation - the antidote for civilization. For hard-core riders there was a longer route with extra twisties, which we invariably took, and every day except for two were spent in the mountains or foothills.
But it wasn't all smooth riding, so to speak. Some roads were freshly paved and untouched, but others were just untouched. Herds and herds of cows and sheep live in the mountains, so if you're not faced with a herd crossing the road, you're faced with their "remains". Sometimes there were patches of remains and sometimes there were patches of road. Some called these roads cow paths, and took the straight routes after one dose.
We headed west to Leon (near Madrid), and on the fifth day we rested - I mean shopped. But even the rest days offered beautiful day rides. The second rest day was two days later, up north on the Atlantic coast, with rides along the ocean in cool breezes.
John and I spent the second rest day alone, wandering through the Picos de Europa. We wound our way up to the top of the mountains and stopped to enjoy the scenery, but found the sounds as beautiful as the view. Cows with cowbells covered the hillside and serenaded us with clinking and clanking in stereo. There was no one around for miles, so we just sat and gazed and listened. It was a magical moment, but one of many. Most days were spent looking at lush green hillsides dotted with ancient walled cities. Even jaded tourers were dazzled.
Later that same day we came around a fairly tight curve too fast (in the author's opinion), and hit a bump. We somehow bounced off the center stand and avoided a low-side by the skin of our teeth. I missed a chance to file my nails on the pavement, we were so leaned over!
The next day we shared a picnic with fellow riders up on a hillside at an ancient monastery. On the way out we came across a small pack of short, black, wild horses. They stopped and stared at us, and finally went on their way. Other days there were seaside lunches and dramatic rock formations and remains of castles to photograph.
We covered enough ground so that the scenery changed often, and each day felt like a new adventure. (Even castles become humdrum when you're in them every day!) We never lost interest and we never thought about home. It was great riding for John and the romance of castles for me. Hassle-free, and worth every penny.
Notes from the rider: If you decide to take this tour, here are some recommendations based on our experiences. Bike selection: most of the roads in Spain are extremely twisty, (imagine riding Deal's Gap all day every day), and many roads are poorly paved or under construction. The BMW RS and LT bikes are not well suited to these roads. We recommend you select the R1100GS, R1100/850R or the R1100RT, in that order. The wide bars of these bikes give you the leverage you need for the slow, tight Spanish curves, and the supple suspensions soak up the pot holes.
Until Edelweiss improves its maintenance (this was the first year Edelweiss did their own work), we recommend you take the Spring tour when the machines are newer.
Request new tires. One tourer did this for his K1200RS and they mounted MEZ1s front and rear. Of course that didn't help the master brake cylinder failure, but his tires were good.
The weather during our Fall tour was too warm for leather suits. Most riders favored Aerostitch and Kalahari suits. (Our Kalaharis were perfect.) Electric vests were not needed, but warm gloves, and of course and rain gear, were.
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