4th December

Up at 6, couldn't sleep. Tent smells like "sweaty chips". Breakfast was good. Fresh eggs and salty, smoky bacon - just what you need for a day's cycling. Breakfast was made all the more enjoyable by Jitka moaning about the fact that no one buys any fresh food and the butter contained additives - I took great delight in translating the packet (verbatim and in front of 5 others) and announcing that this brand specialises in natural, organic ingredients with nothing artificial added. Can't stand whingers.

Picked the bikes up at 9 and slowly made our way to the Etchart vineyard. I apologise if I am running our of adjectives and superlatives to describe the scenery but you do have to see it to believe it. Huge mountains, blue skies, green vines... Folks, if you are reading this you could do worse on your next trip than to sample the delights of Argy, without Bargy.

We had a very interesting tour of the vineyards, the factory and, obviously, the shop. The good wines were cheap (from 5 to 10 pounds) and the great wines about 15 pounds a bottle. Bought a bottle of Torróntes and Malbec for about 16 in total. The tasting was great fun if a little childish. More swallow than spit - always a good sign of quality.

We spend so long there our next stop was lunch. Back in the plaza, a plain toasted sandwich but was made complete by the brief dialogue I had with the waiter (W) in Spanish...

S: "Waiter, do you have any salsa de tomate?"
W: "Ugh?"
S: "Ketchup?"
W (laughing): "Ah, si, si, si. Benfica."

And that was that. No sauce or promises thereof, just a Portuguese football team as a reply.

After lunch we went to an ice cream shop. They blend wine with the cream to make something truly special. I didn't actually try it. The girls did and were enthusing. I redeemed myself on the Spanish front with the owner and just plumped for chocolate and vanilla. Nice though.

Next bodega was "La vasija secreta" - the guide was nice, but the wine sadly was lacking. We bought a bottle of white between 6. (Me, Shanon, Rob, Tina, Ed, Karen), it was ok, but the company was better. We drank in the shade which was nice, as it was about 30 degrees.

2 final stops - the Nanni Bodega (originally Italian) was ok - the photos were great but the wine samples stingy and not much cop. The last place, however, was really good - El Transito. La mosa was really helpful and knew her stuff. The decor, although a bit like an All Bar One, was relaxing and as a result we all bought more wine. This time I plumped for the Cab Sav. I have about 8 more days on the truck and 3 bottles to go - barring any BB mishaps all should be good.

Had to go for a walk after dinner - too many "chiefs" on the truck. It is like being back at Cofunds.

In other news Villa have got Man Utd in the Cup. Again! Second year running. Grrr.