coffee trip to chiclana, pit stop in media sidonia
trip on 19 Sep 2026:
departed around 0815 and headed towards chiclana.
thought occurred to me: if i don't like to ride in the summer because it's too hot, or in the winter because it's too cold, am i ok with only riding in the fall and spring? nope, this won't do. if conditions need to be near-perfect all the time to ride, then better to be okay with not riding. or.. just ride. change how you approach it. buy winter/ rain gear. leave earlier in the morning if it's too hot. augment yourself to the conditions. you'll figure it out. always do.
traffic was light all the way to chiclana. had a great cappuccino at daniel de maria coffee. most bars in southern spain don't make good cappucchinos. they have their way of making coffee here, cafè con leche mostly, and nobody is going to change that. so i go out looking for coffee joints that provide choices which are more my speed. this works out pretty well for me down here in andalucia, as it provides an avenue (excuse) to ride my moto to more remote places which i otherwise woudn't have known. i research coffee spots, and different villages and towns, and make my way. it's a dope way to visit the area, learn about the geography and culture, have good coffee and food, and ride.
(i'm going to figure out a way to make a map of all the cities and villages i visit. if i remember).
while sitting at the cafè the tv in the corner was playing replays of live music from different concerts. first it was the verve's "bittersweet symphony" (had to be from the last 5 years, the stage banner said it was from the isle of wight festival, and the other one i caught was alicia keys and john mayer in times square doing a mashup of her "if i ain't got you" and his "gravity", with questlove on the drums. this one made me tear up, as is my way with music that moves me. it could be the sounds, the emotions, the feeling. this time it was all of that but also the non-verbal communication between alicia and john, both who i consider absolute masters of their craft, and it's captivating to see them playing together, jamming, and having a good time. that to me is what playing music is all about.
after the coffee and breakfast, some notes in the journal, i headed for a small town on a hill in the countryside, called media sidiona. i saw it on a map the day before as a waypoint to arcos de la frontera. as i was driving towards it the church steeple stuck out in the sky from far away, and immediately became a beacon. it was a helluva steep climb going up, saw tons of cyclists (sure they got their cardio). i drove around the city on cobblestone roads, had to make an emergency biological stop, and then headed out. it was getting to be late in the morning and, since there was already obligations planned the rest of the day, i headed back home.
this is the second saturday i've decided to do this kind of short trip. takes me about 3-4 hours in total. really enjoying it. haven't ventured too far away yet, working my way up, gaining endurance. learning a lot about riding, required items i still need. i've been purposefully heading to bed at normal time on friday nights, watching my drink consumption, so i can wake up before dawn, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and head out just as the sun is peaking over the horizon. this solitude, these micro-trips, are worth sacrificing a few hours of sleep, worth the work and preparation. with the risk of being a clichè, it's good for my soul. and that's what i am looking for right now.
later: lunch with friends at the house (wife made amazing lasagna) and finished the day playing smash bros with my kiddo. working on playing better with snake and lil mac. he uses sonic and a self-designed mii-brawler. kicks ass too.
