And here you can find the “planned” track, Actual track may have varied 🙂
1 – There are hundred of Kms of beaches, some wild and some conveniently tamed…
2 – The food is awesome
be it a “Secreto Iberico”, a “Calamar a la plancha” or a simple tostada con Jamon Iberia, you will be delighted, just make sure you are not vegetarian 🙂
3 – The sea of plastics really exists and it is humongous!
Not gonna put any photos here, but the region of Almeria is full of greenhouses, Kms of them! and that is where your tomatoes come from 🙂
5 – Malaga has had a major urban development upgrade in the past years!
6 – The floods in Valencia and the tragic loss of life and property are present in everyday life
Alerts from the civil protection are pushed to all phones, do not take unnecessary risks, take the bus instead and pray for the victims of the floods.
7 – Granada and Alhambra are a gem! and must experience!
just make sure you take the bus (ALSA.es) from Almeria or Motril 🙂 you will thank me later for enjoying the Sierra Nevada from the bus. And you can take the bicycle in a bag for 5 Euros.
PS: trains south of Murcia are very rare or dysfunctional (Almeria)
Bonus track: Traveling with the bicycle and gear
for the flights, Swiss considers bikes as a normal piece of luggage, but you have to put it in a box. In Zurich and Geneva they offer boxes for free at the “Supervisor desk” on checkin. you would need 30 minutes more than usual. and don’t forget to register online 4 days prior to departure (I did not do that and had no issues). Of course you have to pick up the box at the “Sperrgut / Bulky Items” belt.
for Malaga, I bought a bike box from Bike2Malaga.com. They are really pro if you want to rent and they have very good boxes that do not take much space (remember, you have to carry it to the hotel :))
For buses and local trains, I highly recommend a “bicycle sock” I got mine from amazon it’s lightweight and small, ideal for gravel bikes.
For Panniers, I only recommend using the Ortlieb (was very disappointed with Vaude), for Gravel a pair of Back Roller CITY (40L) they are lighter than the normal backroller and do the job. I prefer panniers to backpacking gear specially if you stay in hotels :).
And finally for the fun and shooting, the new DJI Neo drone is awesome, It fits in any bag and does great follow me, circles and much more in 4K…. I am still discovering all the features.