Loved Spain, hated France

[snorri]

Never go to the coastal areas of France in July and August and expect to get in a campsite / hotel / space at the side of the road

................and never go to the coastal areas of France in May and June and expect to get in a campsite as they will not have opened following the winter closure.
It really is simpler just to cycle tour elsewhere and avoid France.

 

[snorri]

[QUOTE 3825036, member: 259"]...and their mountain regions are too echoey! [/QUOTE]
Yes, and your posts echo too.

 

[JMAG]

I'm from america. To me, that little thing is a village. I was being polite calling it a town. Now you're telling me its a city?

Erm population 696 thousand - probably more than many American cities.

Oh and hosting the Olympic Games seems like a fairly good claim to being a city.

I believe our American cousin was joking. Some of them even understand sarcasm lol.

You also forgot to mention the rich cultural history of Seville which predates modern North America, if not the native Americans

 

[User169]

Seville is my favourite European city, it's beautiful and don't get me started on the tapas and the amazing view from the rooftop bar at Hotel Dona Maria by the Cathedral.

I had ortiguillas in Seville - shudder!

 

[JMAG]

Good for you for trying them. Percebes (goose barnacles) are one of my favourite seafood, but not to everybody's taste either.

 

[robing]

I don't hate France, but due to food poisoning my trip got postponed and I ended up in France a lot later than originally planned.

But I went from this in Spain:

To this in France:

 

[mustang1]

I believe our American cousin was joking. Some of them even understand sarcasm lol.

You also forgot to mention the rich cultural history of Seville which predates modern North America, if not the native Americans

Yes, I enjoyed being in Seville. While visiting, there was, what appeared to be, a religious festival. People were dressed up in rather fine clothes, many women wearing a dark green velvet dress. The guys wore something not too far off from what the KKK might wear and it got me wondering if they were feeling the heat like I was.

I loved the cobbled roads, the stream running alongside, the old bridge, the food. The kids were a little bored so I couldn't explore as much as I would have liked to.

Saw a few nice bikes there too, some Orbea road and mountain bikes.

Weather was lovely but hot if you didn't stay on the shaded side of the streets and some guy on a scooter who saw we were tourists offered to show us the car park (the satnav was still talking to us in Spanish at that point).

Edit: that last part about the scooter rider should have read,
"The scooter rider asked us if wanted a car park then wanted us to follow him. When he took us to the desired location, he asked for money. First starting off at 10 Euros and eventually going to 20 euros, and all the change I had."

 

[MarkF]

I love Seville, but it really needs a seafront. Glad the OP enjoyed his trip, the empty roads of Spain, and sun, make it my usual touring destination.

 

[robing]

Ronda was a great town too. Stayed at a brilliant hotel, just under €20 a night inc breakfast! Lots to see and cheap to eat.

 

[Shauna power]

Hi Robing
Just read your post regarding your trip to Spain as i was contemplating touring either Spain, France or Italy. Can I ask is it safe for a woman to cycle around Spain as you did solo or would you need a cycle companion? Im pretty independent and a confident cyclist but have doubts about cycling through l countryside alone.

 

[robing]

Hi Shauna, I would say Spain was pretty safe. The Mediterranean Coast is pretty built up and busier. As soon as you head inland the roads get quieter. The drivers are much more cautious than in the UK and usually give you plenty of room. I felt safe in the cities. The only place I didn't like was La linea near Gibraltar which is a bit of a dump and the place I stayed at in Burgos was in a slightly bad area. Obviously I can't speak for a woman but I felt very safe, certainly more than the UK.