Intro


The departure and a first part of the crossing of Spain rollerblading. From Madrid to Cordoba. As a reminder, this is a 5000km rollerskating trip between Madrid and Dakar. Video equipment, tools, clothes, food, water ... Everything is transported in a bamboo trailer and refueled during the crossing which will take several months.  The housing budget is voluntarily nonexistent, the vast majority of the time I spend my nights under the stars. Couchsurfing and Warmshower are however authorized tools and are additional help to meet and thus discover differently the different regions crossed. (And if in addition I can take a shower, it's the best!)

Back on track


After the changes made to the trust "rollerblade travel trailer" Misty is now Mysty. Well, she still does not go through the doors, but now she's closing, is wearing new wrists and mumbling a semblance of aerodynamics. BastardsTechnical control passed easy (because inexistant), we will take the bus together as two lovers towards Madrid the night of 20th to the 21th of August. Noted the scare at the time of loading in the bus, it was almost necessary to get angry with the drivers to let me load the trailer. It must be said that this kind of luggage is not the most common ... In any case they will not make pocket money this time. Vamanos!On arrival in Madrid I have the honor to be welcomed by the consul of France. Our interview before the big departure is more of the meeting of two passionate travelers than anything official, a very good memory.At the time of departure, of course the first technical problems arise, it will take me a few hours to fix everything and finally be able to leave, but what does it matter; time has not had the same value since I was once again in Iberian land. I have been waiting for this moment for months, and even if the idea seems paradoxical: I know that I will finally be able to rest. Grandpa and his smartphoneAs for the exit of any big city, that of Madrid is a little "challenging". Not too accustomed to the use of GPS, using both the modern technology and the map does not make a good mix. But again, it is not very important, this first part of the trip is precisely there for this kind of improvement. For NowAlways in the search for a certain balance between daily distance and physical condition, the first days are going really well. The impression of much less suffer is very clear, it's been two years now that I had not really hit the road and it's a very good surprise.In my opinion, this overall improvement in the level of well-being is linked to several factors:

  1. Improvement of the cart and skating equipment that Powerslide is providing.
  2. The improvement of the comfort of the nights thanks to more adapted camping material.
  3. A route easier than that of the east coast of Spain at the mercy of wind and unstable altitude.
  4. And then I also stopped smoking ... So it's almost cheating now actually!

The others and me


The family you do not chooseA real stroke of luck, the evening when I landed in Ciudad Real I am told that a rollerskating competition will take place the next day in the city. This is the opportunity in my opinion to meet Spanish skaters and talk about the project!I have the opportunity to get acquainted with very enthusiastic enthusiasts who sometimes offer me points of fall at home. It will be for next time, it is way too far from my path but the intention is enough to warm my heart.Every skater's attention being obviously into the race, Mysty does not attract more interest than that, but she holds the attention of the small local TV crew that is there to cover the event:

"Ostia, pero que es eso ?!"Yes, even if Gaia is no longer part of the crew, the team as a whole is not the most common, I concisely. So, yes, I put myself in the shoes of people. And yes, I must admit that if I did not know myself, I too would find this weird ... Strange ... Suspect ... and also ask : "What do you sell sir?"Anyway, it is not easy to make real friends when traveling in this way, that's for sure. There is real support and trust only in the people who have experiences themselves in the field, the others are most often dominated by fear. It's a shame, especially for me. The family of heartsJe fais une fois du couchsurfing pendant la traversée de l'Espagne, je suis acceuilli chez Manu à Fuencaliente, juste après Cordoba. C'est tout d'abord un vrai plaisir de rencontrer quelqu'un d'aussi amical, le deuxième truc extraordinaire c'est la douche, pour sûr ! Et je dirais qu'en troisième c'est la famille de Manu.The members who compose this family spend most of their free time together. This is the case during this weekend that I spend in their company. All grouped in the shelter of the leaden sun of Andalusia, the afternoons go smoothly, punctuated by the sweet waves of delicious dishes (olives, almonds, sausages, honey, melon ...) harvested and prepared with family, for the family.Although each lineage has its own story, which makes it a unique entity, this family model is still common in Andalusia, and I find it very beautiful. The confort zoneWith Mysty as in a big backpack, the golden rule in these early times of being back on the roqd is that the thing you're looking for is automatically at the bottom ...This kind of password is also of course 1000% to put in the box "rehabilitation". It's important to set up a storage routine again, nothing special here. Apart from this and some light bulbs, again, it is with great surprise that I draw the map relatively easily compared to the memory of the sufferings that I had in my past travels. aventures précedentes.So I feel good in the designation that had been given to this first part of Spain: a big warm up.