Hola Tandem Followers!

The latest update is brought to you from central Spain, Calatayud to be precise.  We are currently enjoying our second rest day which means that we have safely reached the halfway point of the journey. 

The few days since our last blog have proved dificult for a number of reasons but we have come through them unscathed and are looking to press on into the Spanish sunshine with a new vigour and determination as we realise that we are now just 2 weeks from completing the task (fingers crossed) and still have much to achieve and even more to experience.   

 Since our last update we have traversed the Pyrennees with some help from the weather and two days of light drizzle rather than the blazing sunshine that has proved to be a constant of the last few days.  We have visited the City of Pamplona (where all the famous Bull running happens) and made headway into the barren interior of Spain. 

 The feature of recent nights has been couch-surfing and we have made the most of generous hospitality througout northern spain, the range of hosts have been eclectic in character but the general feeling is that of overwheming warmheartedness (if that is even a word) and a kindness that both of us would one day hope to repay.  It is fantastic to know that as we complete the journey for charity, people who we have never met (and may never meet again) are willing to provide charity of their own to support us along the way.  From what we have experienced so far, we would recommend the system to everyone, it´s a great way to meet some pretty interesting people too. 

 The bike (no longer called Tierry but rechristened El Toro at the border) has not been without some problems.  We carried on over the Pyrenees regardless of of a ´wobbly wheel` that has since been fixed but the persistent rear wheel puncture still features heavily in our day and we are rapidly running out of inners and are having a few difficulties locating decent bike shops to help.  Let´s hope we can sort this soon.   

 From here we will head South East towards Valencia and then begin the long (overly tourist) coastal route to Gibralta/Tarifa to catch the ferry over the water.  We will hope to update you again soon, but the likelihood is that we will too busy fighting chavs in Benidorm to bother with computers.  For now, here are a fw of the highs and lows of the last few days. 

Highs:

• Conquering the Pyrenees 
• The Vista around the French/Spanish border between Biarritz and Irun
• New Tandem speed Record of 73 km/h
• Meeting our hosts through Couch-surfing
• Eating our weight in Tapas and then ordering a steak each. 
• Good beds.

Lows:

• The language barrier (proving to be really difficult)
• Punctures, punctures, punctures
• Al Fresco toilet visits
• Cycling in 37C
• Flies (absolutely bloody millions of them and the persistence to annoy us)
• Small sleepy spanish towns with a rubbish shop, no water and unfriendly locals
• Joe being crowned as the sweatiest man in Europe!

All the best and lots of love.

Joe & Andy

P.S. Keep sending us emails, jokes and messages they really do make a difference and if not at least provide more to talk about. jba.gray@gmail.com or andrewvoysey@gmail.com