In order to get to know the city and the history of Andalusia better, Eberhardt, Barbara and Daniel had already decided in advance to go on a guided city tour. Daniel's buddy David spontaneously wanted to come along and so there were five of us in total. 

We started in the central market hall Atarazanas. It was still early and we were able to marvel at the fresh produce in peace and without the crowds. A small tasting of the tropical fruit chirimoya was enlightening.

Afterwards, our walk full of insights into Andalusia's bustling past took us along the port and the Paseo to the start of the Gibralfaro castle, but the climb was too steep and so we decided to take a cab to the top.

We were rewarded with a magnificent view over the city and learned a lot about the fortress. Further down the mountain, we entered the old Muslim palace. The Alcáza.

The sun finally came out and we were able to try various tapas on the Placa Merced for lunch in glorious weather. A well-deserved break.

Afterwards, we visited Pablo Picasso's birthplace and admired some of his sketches. A wonderful little insight into the artist's world.

Finally, we went to the city's landmark, the Cathedral de la Encarnación. Impressed by these heights and works of art, we left somewhat flattened. Unfortunately, time was running out and we wanted to be back in time for the motorcycle handover. So we made our way back, with a better understanding of the region and a beautiful time together.

Welcome on Day 2 our Tour 

Today our first riding day will guid us down south the coastline and than we will dive into the mountains towards Ronda. But before - there will be a stunning road!!! The twisty road up to Ronda is one of the famous roads down here in Spain and you should not miss the opportunity to enjoy this peace of art. Well in our case we have been not totally lucky because Petruse did not like us that much in the morning so that rain and fog has been our copilot along the ride. Arrived in Ronda we parked the motorcycles and went to one of the oldest bullfight arena of Spain and of course we went to the Puente Nueva which is the old bridge between the old part and the new part of the town. On top we had lunch in one of the small restaurants in one of the little charming streets. Well and than we had to move on because there are still some kilometer's to our final destination - Sevilla where will stay for 2 days. The afternoon ride himself was on some stretches a really nice fun run - why? simply because the tarmac has been dry and no traffic at all. 

Now we are in Sevilla and lets see what the next day brings up so stay tuned and we see us tomorrow her.

Sebastian and Axel

Day 3 Sevilla

The deep gray sky and stormy, wet gusts outside the window do not promise good motorcycling weather early in the morning. So we decide to take a tour of the city to get a feel for Seville. It's a rest day, so everyone can sleep in or spend the time as they wish. 

Axel and I start by walking through the tranquil Triana district with part of the group. Today is Maundy Thursday and the first Easter festivities are already taking place. Fortunately, the market hall is still open and so we try a few Spanish delicacies.

Our walk takes us across the iconic arched bridge to old Seville. Of course, we take a look at the replica of one of the ships Christopher Columbus used to discover the western route. Marvel! 

Along the Toro del Oro and into the maze of alleyways. After a few minutes, we arrive in front of the Real Alcazaba and the cathedral. Here we have a short history lesson and understand the complexity of the last 1500 years. Now some of us set off to wander around the city and others visit one of Seville's two highlights.

In the evening we meet up for a special cultural experience. Flamenco!!!

Day 4 Sevilla-Faro

So now the time has come. We are going to Portugal. Our topic of the day. But first we have to grit our teeth for the fourth day in a row and drive through rare rain in Andalusia.

We stop in Niebla for a really delicious coffee. Fabulous! And it gets even better: the rain is supposed to stop in 10 minutes and in fact it is only drizzling lightly as we make our way to Huelva intoxicated with caffeine. 

It's actually an unspectacular Spanish town, but here we admire the Christopher Columbus Monument under a bright blue sky and learn some interesting facts about this historical figure. 

It's not quite lunchtime yet, so we ride a little further to the beach village of Punta Umbria. Here we enjoy good Spanish cuisine and sit together with all kinds of locals for Easter Friday lunch. A huge pot of paella marinera was happily shared. 

But now we are actually heading for Portugal and cross the border over the huge bridge. We gain an hour here and can stop briefly for an afternoon coffee. 

On the last section to Faro, we unfortunately catch a short but heavy period of rain, but that doesn't dampen our spirits. The group slowly grows together.

Now we are looking forward to a nice evening together in Faro, the gateway to the Algarve.

Day 5 Sevilla-Faro

New day, new luck. In the sun-drenched south of the Iberian Peninsula, we are hit by heavy rain again on the first section in the morning. However, we are now tried and tested and make good progress through and along the southern coast of Portugal. 

After an hour or so, it clears up and we decide to drive into the Monchique mountains to finally get our driving money's worth. And what a joy it is. Beaming and grinning, we reach our first café stop in Monchique. The route continues through the mountains and back down to the west coast. Small empty roads demand our attention. We see the sleepy Portuguese hinterland. Wonderful. Shortly afterwards we reach our lunch break. A small but nice restaurant. 

From here, we continue north along the cliffs to Sines. We make a stop in Milfontes and enjoy this wonderful bay and the beaches. A small bar invites us for a coffee before we finally head to Sines.

Sines to Lisbon

Let´s put it this way – Today was the day- What does it mean is: We started into the day as usually with some rain and it was not clear how Petrus plan in terms of rain would be. But on the end we all parked our bikes in Lisbon and as soon the helmets came down you could see in the smile of our faces how this ride has been today. In the morning himself we started our ride towards Grandola through the Cork Oak forest and on top this roads has been like we like it – nice and curvy. After an coffee and a look at the weather radar I decided to ride another curvy road towards Sines to avoid a rainfront which was moving towards us and it was working. After all this fun it was time to move on to Setubal where we had lunch and visit the Fortress with a stunning view over the bay of Setubal. From there on we went towards west where we enjoyed a sunny ride to the Cape Epichel. After an coffee and some smale snacks we went to Lisbon where will stay for two days. All in one that was a day where we was waiting for - almost no rain great roads and a lot of fun in the heart of Portugal.

I just like to thank you for this day – it was awesome to ride with you today – Axel

So tomorrow is Rest Day and we will discover downtown of Lisbon, so stay tuned 

Sebastian and Axel

Lisbon

Decission of the day: Ride or Hike through the town

Welcome to the rest day here in Lisbon. The town is built on 5 hills and is The City of Portugal which you should see. When you walk through the streets, and you listen to the street musician and on top you enjoy some of the sweets from the almost 500 bakeries on each conner – well then you have arrived in Lisbon. But on the start, you should think about how you like to explore the town!!! You could do it like I and you walk, what means that you got a good exercise which allows you to eat everything with no regret or you take the tram 28 to get around. And of course, there are heaps of Tuk Tuk´s which will bring you to the hot spot of the town and will give you a nice city tour. Eder way you will have a great day. And in our case, we will go after all this hike and ride to a Fado dinner which you should do - if you are once in your life over here.

Well and after all that impressions we got to sleep - because tomorrow our journey will carry on - back to Spain. So that was another day down here and now I will let the pictures speak for them self – and before you ask yourself: No riding???? Well, you can ride today as well but in our case, we decided to discover the town.

So, see you tomorrow.

Sebastian and Axel

Lisbon to Zafra

Here we go again – Today we will leave Lisbon and will ride almost 2000 years back in time, because we visit Evora and Elvas. But before we had to leave Lisbon over europs largest bridge which is the Vasco da Gama bridge (over 17 km long). After managing to get out of town we took the highway to have some more time for the old city’s. After all the impressions in Evora it was time to have lunch and in our case Sebastian had a surprise for us and that has been a Picknick. Right after the Picknick we moved on towards Elvas where we enjoyed a coffee and where we get ready for the last part of the day and this part has been such a pleasure!!!! Why? Simply because the sun was shining and the road was winding through the Olive tree hills. And before I forget we cross the border from Portugal to Spain. What a fun run to the end of the day!!!! All in on I would say, it was another great day and this little Edelweiss Family has been grown together and it feels like we know each other for a long time.

Tomorrow there will have a great ride through the mountains and it will be a really good riding day – but more you will see tomorrow here on the Blog

Sebastian and Axel

It's wet in the courtyard. And it shouldn't be. We get up early for this beautiful day of driving and are greeted with rain. Meanwhile, normality.

We set off from Zafra at around 08:30. Banks of fog lie over orange groves. After a good 1 1/2 hours, we reach beautiful Llerena and enjoy a coffee with a view of Plaza Espanha. Even a local radio station wants to know more and asks us questions. We catch a glimpse of a few rays of sunshine and continue south into the Sierra Morena.

We are rewarded with idyllic valleys and enjoy the ride until midday through the Sierra de Hornachuelos. As Córdoba awaits us in the afternoon, we don't take too long a lunch break. Another half an hour on the beautiful road out of the hills and into the historic city. Here we still have time to visit the Mezquita or simply enjoy the small streets. Fantastic!

In the evening we enjoy an excellent meal in an Andalusian ambience!

Cordoba to Malaga

One last Dance as family of the Christopher Columbus Tour

We will never forget this riding day!!! We started with sun in our faces out of Cordoba and then well then the morning fog and clouds try to annoy us for a while – but no chance. After awhile they disappear and we enjoyed until the first coffee stop the beauty of Andalusia. Olive trees all over the place and we are just in the middle of it on a stunning road. In the morning I promised that we will show them what Andalusia is for me and this started right after the coffee. We dived deeper into the mountain range towards south on small really curvy roads + a wonderful paved road and after each corner you could stop to take a picture. In the middle of the ride we had a lunch what we needed and some of us ask more than less if this ride is real ? And yes it is, for me has been this day by far the best riding day on the tour. Not just because of the ride! It a simple formula: You need a great group which like to ride, look after each other, having great conversations besides the ride – well and all of this we had and that why we loved this day so much that words could not reflect this ride. And even if this day has been our last day and tonight we have our last dinner together we enjoyed every moment as much as we could.

Arrived in Malaga it was time to return the keys of the bikes and we all started already to chat about the moments what we had. Ahh this group fits so well together – it was a family feeling during the tour and at the dinner table. All the birthdays the ride the rain the places what we have seen and so much more. 

Well each tour comes to an end but the end of a tour is just before the next one and so we hope that we will see each other again to share more moments like that.

Thanks for a great tour from

Sebastian and Axel