UKRM vs ECHM

It started as a dare[1]. So after much faffing, emailing, worrying about
ash clouds, buying stuff and organizing, I headed off to Barcelona and met
up with Domenec of both parishes. We went to the rental place so I could
pick up a BMW F650GS[2], and we set off for the mountains.

You know when you have an image of what you think something is going to be
like (OK, sometimes helped by memories of a trip some 15 years before).
Well, we had that and more. Beautifully laid tarmac winding its way next
to rivers in deep ravines, mountains either side. Switchback after
switchback as it goes up one side of a mountain, and down the other side
again. Brilliant.

We then headed down to the Teruel region for the annual dago group
meeting. We watched the Assen races, drank (some) beer, ate lots of food,
cursed at the thunderstorm, and played the highland game of tyre throwing.

After some reasonable early throws by others, I had a go and am proud to
report took the lead. "Inglaterra - UNO" I exclaimed, which perhaps
wasn't the most diplomatic of things to do. The best translation of the
response is perhaps "you cheeky fucker". Whilst my lead held for many
hours (we had dinner), it was regretfully (or even thankfully) eventually
beaten by one other. So unlike the 125s, at least a Brit came second
amongst the Spanish contingent.

The next day was down to Valencia, and after watching Webber trying a
backflip in a car, we had a nice paella for lunch. Finally a blat up some
twisty roads, a particularly nice section near the Ebre delta and a race
with an Audi A4, before hitting the motorway to get back to Barcelona
where they welcomed us back with fireworks.

Suffice to say I had a fucking brilliant time and cannot thank Domenec
enough for being a great guide, host, food suggester and all-round
pleasant chap.

I intend to write more about the trip with some photos later. I'm
knackered and have work to do.

[1]
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.rec.motorcycles/msg/a95ac105d3b75e09

[2] It's everything I was told it would be: underpowered with an
uncomfortable seat. Yet for all that, I was able to ride it for more than
1200km without pain. Something I'd not be able to do on my ZX9R.

[3] Because it was getting late, we were tired, it was dark and I only had
a black visor.

 

Bugger !

I was in Barcelona last week Tues/Weds/Thursday - The fireworks for
the Festival of San Juan were spectacular, especially the view from my
suite on the 28th Floor of Hotel Me.

I was suprised at how big the city itself actually is - very sprawled
out - not that we actually managed to get out and see much of it. I
think I'd like to go back and spend some non work related time there
and get a chance to explore the proper sights and sounds.

Food at the two restaurants we visited was absolutely fantastic, both
on a similar theme - lots of courses of tapasy type stuff followed by
a fish course. First night was a fantastic piece of sole that just
fell of the bones, second night was some lovely big plump sea bream
baked in a mound of salt.

Only let down for the trip was Queasyjet right royally fuppin us about
from gate to gate and then delaying the flight by 2 hours, but we can
blame the cheese eating surrender monkeys for that.

 

I flew in on the Thu to a city sleeping off the hangover. Really though,
you should have gone to the beach with the thousands of others.

I don't think it's big as cities go. It's worth seeing though, I like the
place. Except when it's 28C at night.

Yeah, there was an hour delay getting out due to that excuse.

Coming back, I was running late due to getting the wrong train (doh). The
station is then a fair walk to T2, until you find out the EasyJet desks
are even further still, to then have to walk through security and all the
fucking way back you've effectively just come, literally to the very last
gate possible, where a bus then does a u-turn back the way you go in the
first place. I'd like to meet whoever organised that to personally thank
them. ****. Not fun when one is late, it's over 30C and in one's biking
clobber.

 

Oh we did, well, not actually on the beach, but overlooking it from
the sea wall.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=183422&id=715546495&l=85eb08087a

Heh.... I had exactly the same rant on FB on the day. Thankfully the
taxi driver knew where the ejet check in was, and dropped me outside.
But the pisstake is that you walk to the opposite end of the airport
to the gate, only to be bussed back past where you walked from to
clamber on to the friggin plane.
** And then at Bristol Airport ejet had a stand/gate which was in
fuckin Wales, another good 20 minute yomp to get anywhere near
ArsePort control.

I'm planning on riding down to my Uncles place in Los Romanes on Lake
Vinuela later in the year. Now that should be fun. Makes another
mental note to buy some warm weather clobber.

 

Brownz escribió:

Depends what you mean by later in the year. Gets cold here in the winter.

 

I've got the Held Summer Airflow mesh jacket and it was great. We hit
temps of 37C and I was fine. For me with only a t-shirt underneath, it
started getting cold at 24C and 75mph. Going through a 5km tunnel where
the temp was 12C was freezing.

 

"Switters" <> escribió en el mensaje de noticias

[snip]

Good to know

I'll pass the satisfaction poll in order to see what is more interesting to
a furriner.

 

Ah, well, if you could:

* Control the weather
* Fix EasyJet's gate allocation
* Stop the French going on strike

You'd be very close to 10 / 10.

 

Em... let's see what I can do on climate change.

 

Concerning this, AFAIR, low cost companies from now on will use the
older terminal in BCN (now called T2), leaving the newer terminal (T1)
for the non-pikey passengers. Hence, the old A, B and C buildings are
called T2A, T2B and T2C.

http://www.castelldefels.com/aeroport/ingl/terminales_aeropuerto_1020.htm

Easyjet desks are in T2C, which is the old corporate terminal. You had
to walk from the shite olde train [1] station to T2B (the original
airport), then to T2C, then check in, then walk all the way to T2A in
order to pass the out of Schengen space controls, innit? :/

It is a bit tricky. T2C is certainly nicer (old corporate terminal),
but travelling out of Schengen forces you to do all the walk down to
gates 46-49. Civilized Europe travellers using gates 1-39 DGAF, tho

[1] In a near future, accesses will be sorted with the new Metro line,
the longest underground one AFAIK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona_Metro_line_9

 

That's quite funny.
Considering the French are the only developed country who have it sorted.

 

I see you've chosen to tackle the easy option first.

 

Blimey, that will be useful. Sort of puts the bus company and RENFE into
second place.

 

Domenec escribió:

Reminds me of Malaga airport's new terminal 3. To use terminal 2 (just about
everyone has to use terminal 2) one has to go in via terminal 3, walk the 17
miles through the building to terminal 2 (which we have already walked past
because the old entrance is now sealed off), check in, then walk the 17
miles back to terminal 3 to go through security, and then walk the 17 miles
back to terminal 2 to get on the plane. All this so everyone has to see the
wonderful new (useless) terminal which cost 320 million euros. One of the
first things one sees is a huge advert for duty-free (in English, as most of
the international passengers are British), which is worded "Large Bargains".
They couldn't afford the 30 or so cents it would have cost for a native
translation.

People down here are not generally very intelligent.

 

That will wipe RENFE out. The bus company... may be not. The L9 stops
at many (pikey) places, it is not like Madrid express link from city
center to the airport.

 

We know you choose it in order to

 

I guess only R2 Sud though. The other lines will be needed.

Unfortunately it doesn't stop the pikeys using the Madrid line. Prime
picking to be had.

 

heh, nicely cut short.

 

This would be a nice flame for the political Dago groups, but who
cares here?

 

Domenec escribió:

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