Day13 - 15/05/10
End: Toledo, Spain
15km / 2426km (Day / Total)
Woke up to blazing sunshine and a temperature induced headache with the change from yesterdays high of 7°C to 27°C at 9am here!!
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I decided to postpone sightseeing until I had investigated the rough running of the bike and discovered that the footpeg mounting bolts had worked loose and the countershaft sprocket was floating freely in the shaft. It transpired that the garage that had fitted the new chain and sprockets had installed the keeper ring 180° out so that the chain was eating into the frame of the bike!!
Feeling very pleased with these easy repairs I set off into the town in good spirits to investigate.
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Toledo was making the most of it's weapon-smithing heritage with shops full of reproduction swords and armour everywhere. Had a look at the numerous and excellent sights of the town and then bought some supplies and went back to the campsite as my head was only getting worse. Lying in the tent after some tablets I was disturbed by repeated fireworks going off close by so I set off to investigate and ended up crashing a wedding in the grounds of the ex-convent next door.
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Back at the campsite I found what can only be described as Spanish chavs having a disco / barbecue in the previously remote and empty corner that I had been occupying. This went on all night with up to 20 of them blundering around drinking, shouting, fighting and generally pissing me off. As the night got colder they abandoned their tents and got into their cars, with the engines running and stereos switched on, booming out ethnically tinged Euro-Disco, with their kids whining constantly through the din. They managed to persevere with the torment until 6am when they bundled all their shit back in the cars and fucked off!! Headache not improved!!
Had a good conversation with a Dutch author and RTW traveller in the town and as I was carrying a bag containing bread and water he did comment that I was slumming my way round but being able to more or less subsist on bread, cheese and salami is one of the joys of travel and a positive choice, rather than a low cost option imho.
I asked him what the high- and low-points of his trips were, to which he replied 'the freedom, but also the loneliness'!
Well timed words, like so many other conversations so far this trip. At least it has finally stopped raining!!
