Von Kastilien-La Mancha nach Andalusien, von Brihuega nach Jaén, Tag 32

Friday, 8/18/2023, Day 32
Today, one month ago, on July 18th, we started in Refrath. This morning, we started early by rinsing the completely dirty bikes at the nearest gas station, so that we could continue riding with shiny bikes. Today, we cycled very sportily with an average speed of 25 km/h to Guadalajara, Greater Madrid, and thus reached Madrid after 1600 km on the bike. There are no trains from Madrid to Córdoba that allow us to travel with bikes. Unless the bikes are packed in a box (damn, we threw away our folding boxes before the Pyrenees due to the weight 😂😂😂). So we are taking a small detour because we rely on trains that can transport bikes (media distancia). Now we are riding from Madrid to Jaén and tomorrow from Jaén to Córdoba. After that, we will be back on the bikes until the ferry. So, the main insight of today's day is: traveling with bikes on trains in Spain is a greater adventure than riding the bikes themselves. We enjoyed the landscape passing by, La Mancha with about 40°C dry and barren. We would probably have expected countless "unpaved roads with loose ground" that we now have no desire to ride on. Then we took the train over the Sierra Morena, where Don Quixote de Mancha was hiding, and saw a rocky, dry, dusty landscape. Shortly after, we crossed the border to Andalucía and promptly discovered the first palm trees, the change in landscape was impressive. It wasn't until the evening that we reached our destination town, Jaén, and checked into our next accommodation. Now we are sitting in a classy restaurant and having a little celebration.