Don't Give Up

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I have become fond of hiding behind the term 'I've got nothing to prove' but it only works in certain situations.  Had I changed the route for an easier one today I could certainly have excused that with 'I've got nothing to prove'.  Having NOT done that, and finding myself in hilly country with a long way to go, I definitely had things to prove:

1/ That I'm not so stupid as to commit to a ride that is beyond me

2/ That I'm not going to have to spend the night in a ditch on a Spanish hill

I did prove point 2 but if you saw the state of me when I got to our hotel I think point 1 is very open for debate.  It was a hard day!

But first to finish up on last night's stop. Laying siege to the restaurant proved ineffective.  This obviously wasn't their 1st siege, and they were ready for the us.   In fact, so confident were they in their defences, they didn't serve dinner until EIGHT THIRTY!!!!  The hotel was busy with contractors, drinking and smoking after a hard day wearing hi-viz and we sat with a glass of tinto waiting for the drawbridge to be lowered.  When they eventually opened, the service was brisk and the food good but EIGHT BLOODY THIRTY!!!

The same contractors were on the same bar stools this morning when we had our 'breakfast'.  I don't know what they were planning on doing today but I hope it wasn't hard physical labour because you would get precious little of that done on what they served us!

Today WAS lumpy, mostly just up and down but with a vertical wall at mile 65 which was a bit of a kick in the unmentionables.  It was cool and overcast but that was a bonus as the forecast had promised a 100% chance of showers.  Had there been some sun, and had I been able to lift my head to look, it would have been very pretty.

We are now in Almaden where our hotel gets a 9.8 out of 10 rating on Google.  It is a 15th century building oozing with charm and low beams.  Our beds are romantically draped and very close together but after a day like today I'm really not in the mood.

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