Our trip is almost done. A relaxing ferry ride from Santander to Portsmouth (we saw dolphins leaping, and whales spouting), a stop in Bath, and a few winding roads through Wales brought us to cousins in Ireland. Joan and Malcolm showed us a wonderful time and we even got a repeat visit to the Ulster American Folk museum, where they still burn turf in the fireplaces. It smells quite strong: almost like burning petroleum products.
Potes
Our friends have gone home, but we had a few extra days just to return to the amazing Picos de Europa, and stayed in the village of Potes, its heart. Here, we even saw a cattle drive through the streets. Wonderful!
Oviedo
We met up with friends from home who rented motorcycles from IMT Bike, and we all went on an IMT Bike self-guided tour through the north of Spain, including the Picos de Europa National Park. One word: WOW!
Barcelona
More amazing riding in the Pyrenees, where Virginia Hall had to hike on her prosthetic leg in the snow to escape capture. Yes, these are high, cliffy and snowy mountains, much like the ones I know at home. I had thought they were more like tall hills, so if I need Spanish escape routes in the novel, I know what these mountains are like. But, not wanting icy (slippery) roads for the motorcycle, we zipped south to the warm weather, spent three days in Castelo de Farfanya, and today, we go to Barcelona!
Carcassonne Castle
Although I’m not currently working on a medieval fantasy, Carcassonne Castle is the perfect place to research for my Laksa Media series. We got a hotel room inside the Old City walls! And of course, I toured the castle itself, as well as taking tons of video in the early mornings when the tourists are not in the streets!