Día de los Reyes Magos

Spending time in Spain during the festive season means that we’ve had a good share of public holidays and this week has been no exception.

On the 6th January Spain celebrates the Dia de los Reyes Magos - Three Kings’ Day - which is a public holiday. The eve is usually a time for celebration and we were lucky enough to spend some time with Luana for the festivities.

Blog Followers, you may remember Luana from when we met in Bocairent at a campsite. As a fellow cycle tourer in Spain (we haven’t met many) we kept in touch and knew that we were heading in the same general direction. So, on the 3rd Jan Luana got in touch with her latest plans to travel down the coast on EuroVelo 8. We had the same plans and kept in touch.

At an early lunch stop in Puerto de Mazarrón we realised that we were only a few km behind Luana and that it was likely we’d join each other soon. The ride through seaside towns was easy going but then we hit a stunning but tricky gravel section between the mountains and the sea which had some technical parts and some short but severe climbs. We had been thinking of Luana ahead as we travelled, knowing that with narrower tyres, off-road posed more challenges for her.

Then in the distance (as we passed through a commune of motor homes and live-in vehicles) we saw a cycle tourer ahead. With big hugs and smiles we greeted each other once again.

Joyfully, Luana had just had a swim in the sea but frustratingly, was having some mechanical issues. With little discussion or hesitation we decided to share the load and ride together in the rain in the direction of Aguilas. This was the beginning of a storm that had been forecast for the coming days so we had planned ahead and booked accommodation there.

In Bocairent we had spent time chatting but knew there were more stories and experiences to share with each other. We were so glad to meet again and relished the company. A 400 metre climb in the cold, rain and fog seemed like nothing as we chatted continuously about all sorts!

The descent into town was cold so we took a short break in the Decathlon store to enquire about bike repairs and wandering around the shelves of outdoor equipment (but had nothing we were actually looking for). We three damp and cold tourers must have been quite a sight.

As there were no quick fixes for Luana’s bike we offered room in the apartment we had rented for two nights. This would give us all a chance to warm up, wash our clothes, shower and plan the next steps.

More importantly it gave us the opportunity to chat, exchange information, knowledge and experiences and learn more about each other. Sightseeing in Aguilas and running errands were all made more enjoyable with Luana’s company. She’s also a great cook - much to our delight!

The more we learnt about each other the more we were inspired by Luana, her trip, her reasons for the journey, how it came about, and her great go-getter attitude. It became clear that we had many shared values and principles. As we’ve written about on another blog, stuff happens, and she had worked through some stuff herself including waking up to find a rat in her tent after it had gnawed its way in!

So for our Three King’s Day we celebrated with good food, and even better company. The next day we would part ways to continue our separate journeys but it’s wonderful to have made a new friend on our bimble. Connecting with people and sharing love and kindness is central to what it is to have a good life and ours was made all the better for this time together. We wish Luana all the best with the next part of her own adventure and who knows if we’ll meet again…