We ride 5 km to a ceramics store in the town of la Bisbal d'Emporda. Apparently, this regions known for its ceramics. It is Sunday so everything is closed but a ceramics artist has opened her store and workshop just for us. She is the artist and also runs this quite large store all herself. Philipp translates as she describes the process of making her pots and other ceramic pieces. She has been doing this for 40 years and is preparing for a 40th anniversary exhibition which will be a retrospective of her work as she is quite well known. The store is filled with objects she has created. She tries to keep a balance between making sellable objects for common use and doing more creative, innovative things. This I can understand completely. She throws some pots for us on the wheel making it look very easy! We know differently. (See pictures below.)
After we leave the ceramics store, we ride through a lot of cornfields on quiet country roads. Every few kilometers we ride through a small very old Iberian settlement most of which do not appear to have any stores or services, just homes. We go another 10 km or so and come to a town square where we stop for coffee with some of the rest of the group. I love doing this, stopping for a cafe con leche, observing the people and their lives going on around us. We stop to watch some kind of tractor event in a field. There are many tractors and it looks like there are different kinds of competition. Dave takes a video to send to Kai.
It is quite a long ways to find a lunch spot open and it is almost 2:00 by the time we do so. I am really hungry! The rest of the group is already there as it really is the only place around open. We sit with Philipp and Alex and decide to order a variety of foods for sharing including something called "Grandma's Surprise." Our choices result in a delicious assortment of tasty bites. We get the idea that the proprietor is delighted to have our business. At the end of the meal, he offers us an apple and/or peach liqueur served in small ice cold glasses. With my full stomach and the good company, my mood is considerably improved as we start out for the remaining 20 km of today's ride. We are within 8 km when it starts to rain. It isn't bad though and we are almost home. We do opt, however, to skip going into the ruins the leaders have marked on the route. I actually have enjoyed yesterday's and today's rains since I haven't seen rain for such a long time. We have ridden 51 km today.
We are on our own for dinner tonight. We walk to the medieval town of Peratallada from the hotel, a ten minute walk. It is a love.y little town and has several restaurants. We go to one that is open relatively early for Spain and run into Jeannie and Frank, Jeanne and Bob so sit together at a table outside. We have a delicious meal. We see Chas and Linda and Sari and Jim eating inside.
Leaving our hotel in the morning
Philipp translating what the artist is saying about her work
She makes it look easy!!
Bikes parked in the town square while we have a cafe
One of the many medieval Iberian villages we pass through
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