Day 5 – Hic!

No rush today, want to see if I can get a brackety thing to attach my phone to the handlebars. Several shops later it seems my iphone 6 is too big for the brackets available… I give it one last try and do get something.  It doesnt really fit but a few cable ties later and et voila!

Looks a bit pony, (rhyming slang… pony and trap), but it’ll do the job til I can get the gps sorted out.  I also got the tools out and fixed the phone charger thing so that’s working now yippee.

Next stop Andorra Harley Davidson, which just happens to be on the way to Spain, how fortunate.  With the phone on the bike it’s so much easier to find my way so arrive no prob.  No helmets for me here either 🙁

Just by the bike is a pile of dog poo… And I thought Andorra was so clean. Just sorting my stuff out ready to go and… Yep you guessed it… Right into the grooves on the sole of my left boot… Lots of swearing follows, as I’m sure you can imagine.  Manage to clean most of it off… And then it starts to rain a bit, of course, so that’ll clean the rest off.

As I pull away I see that some of the functions on my speedometer aren’t working… The speedo is working but not the trip counter etc.  I’m not sure if it was like that when I left the hotel or it has just happened.. Will have to take a look at it later.  So at last I’m back on the road… And it’s only 3pm.

It’s not too long before I am at the Spanish border, stop for a couple of piccies…

As I ride through the customs shed on the Spanish side a young gardia civil woman pulls me over.  As I get off the bike I hear something about camera… She is speaking in Spanish of course… I think she is referring to the gopro on top of my helmet so point at it and she says si si.  I take my helmet off and she says something about off… So I turn it off… She then beckons a colleague over and he has a few more english words and says I must delete the recording as it is illegal to record them.  To be honest I didn’t realise it was still on.  Anyway I delete it and they seem satisfied, she tells me if I did not delete it and used it then I could go to prison…. Oops

Back on the bike and start to make my way towards Tarragona.  Interesting bell tower… Weight watchers or the 5:2? Discuss…

I didn’t sleep very well last night so am very tired.  After a while I feel like it isn’t safe to continue so break out my trusty booking.com app and find a nearby room.  I ride to Belltall where the hotel is, only 6 miles further on, and arrive to find it says Hostel Cal Feliuet over the door…. err not sure about this.  Still it’s somewhere to sleep and only €36 so better get on with it.  I go in and the chap behind the bar looks a bit surprised… needless to say, I’m sure he doesn’t often see anyone like me.  He doesn’t habla inglese and my spanish is still crap but we manage to communicate and he shows me to my room.  It is pretty basic, but clean and spacious so am happy… At least it’s not a dorm.

Turns out he is a real sweetie… he comes back up to my room about 5 minutes later and asks if I want to put the bike in his garage.. oh yes please, safe and dry again.  I manage to arrange dinner for 7pm and he shows me into the restaurant, I’m the only customer.  The food is excellent and I order a glass of wine, or I thought I’d ordered a glass of wine, he brings a full bottle.  I can’t refuse as he has opened it so end up drinking about 3/4.  Now I don’t drink as a rule so am pretty squiffy after the first 2 glasses, hence the Hic! in the title.  In fact I am so pissed I just go straight to bed and am actually typing this on Day 6, (Saturday), when I discover that the film of the customs didn’t delete… shhh don’t tell anyone.

Discover the ‘hostel’ has a website… http://www.calfeliuet.com