Pedro

Very rare occasion that I used a cafe's bathroom before going there, wasted opportunity really, as the cliff on the other side of the river to that was a nice location.

That looks nice! My brother's friends with someone that won a portuguese championship dedicated to amateurs an open class bikes with something very similar to that. He's also a big and tall guy, says a big twin like that suits him a lot more than a 4 cylinder bike. His has two exhausts, though, here on the corner of this picture.

Couple of pictures Sofia took when riding pillion with me on a couple of roads she wasn't too keen on going with the Speed Triple, accessing viewpoints

Near the portuguese village of Paradela, where the Douro river enters Portugal, there is a tiny place called Poblado del Salto de Castro. That was built for the workers that built the dam there, on the Spanish side, and has since been completely abandoned. It's got a church or a chapel, etc. Right up you alley, I couldn't care less and didn't bother to go see it

Actually, I do plan on going either end of September or start of October

I’ll give that a try!

Has anyone used plastic over gloves on a trip? I keep carrying my winter gloves whenever I go somewhere, in case it rains. However, if it's not winter they're just too warm, and also I hate riding with thick gloves. Does anyone like those plastic over gloves you put over your leather or summer gloves to get through a rainy day when out on a trip?

As if they’re not unfriendly enough!

Was that a BMW?

There’s a reason why people like those bikes for those roads. But there’s also a factor of old shocks allowing the wheels to float and make you feel overly confident over bad surfaces, there’s this speed most bikes are good at absorbing bad roads, slower you feel every bump and faster you’re floating and out of control.

Yes, they are great! The balance on them, It’s just right for our roads. I still miss my 1150 and it was a bag of problems, even today as I’m contemplating a second road bike, another GS is the only thing I keep coming back to Face it Pete, you’re a beemerboy, you belong on Advrider and Bruce should never had left

I don’t know. There’s quite a bit of History between Portugal and Spain though, one of the oldest in Europe. @Sofiais the one to talk to as she knows everything there is to know about our History and kings. It might have something to do with our side of the border always being the prettiest from what I’ve seen, or them being simply water hoarding twats, who knows? We’re just cooler and I think they resent it…

They don’t like us?

You need a nice GS A 1200, it’s the best engine BMW ever did …

No you don’t, get them to get you a nice VStrom instead

Get it traded, Pete, the chinese bike proved to be a more faithful companion.

Lobster caviar pate, I dig that!

Not sure how that can be explained either, but looks weird.

They make a very cool sound when they're in the nest, like a clanking of their beaks. Used to be a feature of the south only, but they're establishing a strong presence everywhere.

Because this part of the world is going through a drought, and instead of helping keeping ecosystems balanced, the Spanish management of water flow ing out of Spain is done by a bunch of greedy gillipollas, or twats. You see the same thing in the Douro although not so clear on the pictures because the river is less wide, on the ride report I did a few weeks ago with Sofia. Our two most important rivers are basically being held hostage.

High winds and dry heat, sheets were dry in minutes!

Great tip, Pete!

I would recommend winter or autumn, though, if it's nice it's perfect motorcycling weather. Summer can be amazing, but a bit harsh. Spring will drive you insane from the hay fever.

Thanks! Even though I'm not from here and don't have many friends around, it now feels like home. When it gets clearly over 30º my coastal blood shows, though, and it's a bit too much for me, it feels unreal at over 40º

Whale blubber?