Looking for December Tour

I think there's a non-stop flight from Newark Liberty to Barcelona, Spain
that takes around 7 hours. Supposed to be some nice riding on the seacoast
around there -- could take a ferry from Barcelona to the island of Mallorca
(highly recommended for bicycling) for a few days -- or some people spend a
whole week riding on that island (which seems a bit small to me). The main
reason we're not going there ourselves this November is because we're saving
it to do with a person we know who speaks Spanish. Another possibility is to
fly non-stop to Madrid in 7 hours, then drive south to Sevilla and ride in
that area.

If you can extend to a one-stop flight, you could get to Marseille or Nice,
and ride in Provence, France which is popular with lots of cyclists --
including Sharon + me. I haven't ridden there in December, but here's some
photos from the trip Sharon and I did last year in late November over
Thanksgiving week (after flying from Newark Liberty):
http://roberts-1.com/t/b06/p/k
Once there in Provence you can also take the overnight ferry to the island
of Corsica / Corse . . . photos from a different year in late November:
http://roberts-1.com/t/b04/fr/k/a

This year for Thanksgiving week we're thinking of flying from Newark to ride
on the island of Sicily -- but sounds like that's beyond your flying time
range. (We were also thinking of the island of Sardegna / Sardinia -- but so
far we've found that even more difficult to get to -- so we'll save that for
a different year or a different month.)

Ken

Ken said:

... Barcelona, Spain ... The main
reason we're not going there ourselves this November is because we're saving
it to do with a person we know who speaks Spanish. ...

Aqui! Yo hablo espanol!! Quiero ir!!

--Karen D.

On Aug 14, 9:57 pm, "Ken Roberts" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I think there's a non-stop flight from Newark Liberty to Barcelona, Spain
that takes around 7 hours. Supposed to be some nice riding on the seacoast
around there -- could take a ferry from Barcelona to the island of Mallorca
(highly recommended for bicycling) for a few days -- or some people spend a
whole week riding on that island (which seems a bit small to me). The main
reason we're not going there ourselves this November is because we're saving
it to do with a person we know who speaks Spanish. Another possibility is to
fly non-stop to Madrid in 7 hours, then drive south to Sevilla and ride in
that area.

If you can extend to a one-stop flight, you could get to Marseille or Nice,
and ride in Provence, France which is popular with lots of cyclists --
including Sharon + me. I haven't ridden there in December, but here's some
photos from the trip Sharon and I did last year in late November over
Thanksgiving week (after flying from Newark Liberty):http://roberts-1.com/t/b06/p/k
Once there in Provence you can also take the overnight ferry to the island
of Corsica / Corse . . . photos from a different year in late November:http://roberts-1.com/t/b04/fr/k/a

This year for Thanksgiving week we're thinking of flying from Newark to ride
on the island of Sicily -- but sounds like that's beyond your flying time
range. (We were also thinking of the island of Sardegna / Sardinia -- but so
far we've found that even more difficult to get to -- so we'll save that for
a different year or a different month.)

Ken

Thanks for your reply.

Since you brought it up, I realize that unless I go with a group, I
will need to go someplace where they speak English.
At the end of my second year high school Spanish, the teacher went
around the room asking each student individually if they were going to
take the third course. She skipped me. I pick up programming languages
quickly, but spoke languages, not so much.

Rick wrote

Quoted message said:

I realize that unless I go with a group, I will need
to go someplace where they speak English.

I will respect your own judgment about yourself, but Sharon and I have done
several bicycle tours in countries where we almost no conversational
capability, and not much reading comprehension, of the official language.
Like we know barely 20 words of Spanish we did several days of unguided
bicycling in Spain in late November:
http://www.roberts-1.com/t/b03/spain
My point about postponing a trip to Barcelona + Mallorca until a particular
person we knew was available to join us was not because _we_ didn't feel
capable of handling those areas of Spain -- but rather because we thought
that _person_ would find it an interesting opportunity to try to use their
Spanish.
.. (btw I sorta remember that one of the British cycle touring clubs used to
do a Christmas trip to southern Spain).

When I talk about going to Sicily this November, it's not because Sharon or
I has anything more than a laughable capability with speaking the Italian
language. Of course most American bicyclists should not try this. Sharon and
I have developed strategies for getting around in western Europe without
knowing the local language very well -- though we at least have a pocket
dictionary or phrase book. There are certain risks with that approach, which
we accept. But great reward in creating and managing our own trip and taking
responsibility for solving our problems, instead of ceding responsibility to
an organizer.

Anyway it's not as if _nobody_ speaks English in Spain or Italy (though the
percentage is much higher in Switz, Germany, Netherlands). Part of our
touring strategy is in figuring out how to find local people who speak
English, so if we get into trouble we might have somebody to call on our GSM
mobile phone.

Sharon + I have come to love bicycling in western Europe so much, that it's
gotten hard to develop any interest in traveling to anywhere else. But it's
not for everybody.

Ken

Thank you so much for your reply. The pictures are really neat. Maybe
I can convince someone to join me, but right now I am planning for
just myself. I would consider a non English speaking tour with one
other English speaker along with me.

Thanks again.
On Aug 17, 12:26 pm, "Ken Roberts" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Rick wrote

Quoted message said:

I realize that unless I go with a group, I will need
to go someplace where they speak English.

I will respect your own judgment about yourself, but Sharon and I have done
several bicycle tours in countries where we almost no conversational
capability, and not much reading comprehension, of the official language.
Like we know barely 20 words of Spanish we did several days of unguided
bicycling in Spain in late November:http://www.roberts-1.com/t/b03/spain
My point about postponing a trip to Barcelona + Mallorca until a particular
person we knew was available to join us was not because _we_ didn't feel
capable of handling those areas of Spain -- but rather because we thought
that _person_ would find it an interesting opportunity to try to use their
Spanish.
. (btw I sorta remember that one of the British cycle touring clubs used to
do a Christmas trip to southern Spain).

When I talk about going to Sicily this November, it's not because Sharon or
I has anything more than a laughable capability with speaking the Italian
language. Of course most American bicyclists should not try this. Sharon and
I have developed strategies for getting around in western Europe without
knowing the local language very well -- though we at least have a pocket
dictionary or phrase book. There are certain risks with that approach, which
we accept. But great reward in creating and managing our own trip and taking
responsibility for solving our problems, instead of ceding responsibility to
an organizer.

Anyway it's not as if _nobody_ speaks English in Spain or Italy (though the
percentage is much higher in Switz, Germany, Netherlands). Part of our
touring strategy is in figuring out how to find local people who speak
English, so if we get into trouble we might have somebody to call on our GSM
mobile phone.

Sharon + I have come to love bicycling in western Europe so much, that it's
gotten hard to develop any interest in traveling to anywhere else. But it's
not for everybody.

Ken

Quoted message said:

Since you brought it up, I realize that unless I go with a group, I
will need to go someplace where they speak English.
At the end of my second year high school Spanish, the teacher went
around the room asking each student individually if they were going to
take the third course. She skipped me. I pick up programming languages
quickly, but spoke languages, not so much.

Don't let language skills get in your way. Language and communication are
related, but not synonymous. Even your incredibly mediocre two years of high
school Spanish may serve you better than you think; I didn't take Spanish
seriously at all during junior high, nearly failing it (which is difficult
since they're trying to encourage you at that point), but when in France,
somehow, when I don't know how to say something in French (which is nearly
always), the appropriate Spanish phrase comes to mind. Never did when taking
a test in school, mind you, but now, 35+ years later, there it is. Not that
it does much good.

But I should get to the point. It's not languages that make places
different, it's systems. Different places work different ways, but nearly
always in a logical way. Once you figure out the systems and stop being
intimidated by a language you don't understand, you can get by very well.
Just work on the basics, like how their transportation system works (road
signage, traffic signals), currency (the Euro has made that one easy in
Europe!), and always, ALWAYS remember that you are never lost if you can
find a bus station, because bus stations nearly always have maps showing
where you are and what's around you.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"Rick" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Aug 14, 9:57 pm, "Ken Roberts" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I think there's a non-stop flight from Newark Liberty to Barcelona, Spain
that takes around 7 hours. Supposed to be some nice riding on the
seacoast
around there -- could take a ferry from Barcelona to the island of
Mallorca
(highly recommended for bicycling) for a few days -- or some people spend
a
whole week riding on that island (which seems a bit small to me). The
main
reason we're not going there ourselves this November is because we're
saving
it to do with a person we know who speaks Spanish. Another possibility is
to
fly non-stop to Madrid in 7 hours, then drive south to Sevilla and ride
in
that area.

If you can extend to a one-stop flight, you could get to Marseille or
Nice,
and ride in Provence, France which is popular with lots of cyclists --
including Sharon + me. I haven't ridden there in December, but here's
some
photos from the trip Sharon and I did last year in late November over
Thanksgiving week (after flying from Newark
Liberty):http://roberts-1.com/t/b06/p/k
Once there in Provence you can also take the overnight ferry to the
island
of Corsica / Corse . . . photos from a different year in late
November:http://roberts-1.com/t/b04/fr/k/a

This year for Thanksgiving week we're thinking of flying from Newark to
ride
on the island of Sicily -- but sounds like that's beyond your flying time
range. (We were also thinking of the island of Sardegna / Sardinia -- but
so
far we've found that even more difficult to get to -- so we'll save that
for
a different year or a different month.)

Ken

Thanks for your reply.

Since you brought it up, I realize that unless I go with a group, I
will need to go someplace where they speak English.
At the end of my second year high school Spanish, the teacher went
around the room asking each student individually if they were going to
take the third course. She skipped me. I pick up programming languages
quickly, but spoke languages, not so much.