Bike ride to Orihuela

On the road

This weekend, I decided to stay in Guardamar. I'm tired from traveling so much. And after seeing the Sagrada Familia, everything else seems to pale in comparison.

A bunch of people went to Morocco, some to Bilbao, some to Madrid. I took a bike ride to Orihuela!

It's a 36.73 mile bike ride, round trip. I rode along the Rio Segura. I ended up biking more than I planned because when I got to Orihuela, there was a bridge with train tracks blocking the bike path. I was expecting something like a highway exit straight into the city... boy was I wrong. I had to cut through an orchard of orange trees to the highway, and bike on the highway into the city!

It was so hot. I killed so many bugs just by smacking into them while riding. I stopped at the Mercadona (I've never been so happy to see a grocery store!) and walked around in there for a good 30 minutes because there was air conditioning. I left with Gatorade and 1.5 L of water for the trip back.

I didn't do much in Orihuela. I arrived around 1:30PM, so most places were starting to close for siesta. I found the Tourist Information and got a map. The cathedral was small but beautiful from the outside. I took a break in a gelato shop and drank horchata.

I started my ride back around 5PM. It was still really, really hot! I almost got lost trying to bike out of the city too. Every 15 minutes, I had to stop and sip some Gatorade. By the time I got back to the edge of Guardamar, the only thing keeping me going was the thought of dinner.

But I saw some great sights. The river, though mostly overgrown with plants, was very, very pretty. The mountains, as they got closer and closer, were majestic.

Panorama of a part of the river

About a block away from the bike rental shop, I stopped and tried to wipe myself down, but my bike was covered in sand from the riverbanks. I told the owner, "Orihuela, muy bueno!"

(Edit: On the Tuesday after this weekend, Alex was stopped by the bike shop owner, asking if Alex knew that one of his students rode all the way to Orihuela. His wife said it was too far! That made me smile.)