Day 57 Calp - Alicante 67 km (1000 meters altitude)

Scratchy throat? Yesterday I had swallowed a fly, to cough it out of my windpipe cost me a lot. Shortness of breath and tears and a lot of water, eventually it went again. However, the next morning I had a strange feeling in my throat. No pain or difficulty swallowing, just weird, so I went shortly after the start at a pharmacy past and got me what to gargle and this also made again and again (maybe too much?). Then it went off in the rain, to say it right away it rained all day until 4 o'clock, sometimes in streams and sometimes only drops. At some point I realize that I was getting wet. At first I thought I was sweating a lot? I stopped and changed my bottom jacket, maybe the new one wasn't as absorbent? Who knows? And slipped into the thick cotton jacket and the Gore jacket over it. The Navi led me also again on a side road, first a powerful slope up, directly above immediately again violently down to end then before a gravel road also led up a steep slope, which flowed down a stream. I looked at it briefly and decided despite everything against it and turned back again, a mega steep slope up, then down again, then on the shoulder of the highway. It was getting colder and a grab in the jacket told me wet. Not good. Further! Along the highway, it became more and more uncomfortable. At some point I came through a town and a police barricade blocked the way. I drove into a side street, with the ulterior motive to bypass the barricade. Continue driving on a closed federal highway, is there anything better? A few hundred meters further, the next barricade. I looked at the policeman and asked if I could go through, he nodded. I drove through and looked around again, he gave me the thumbs up! Okay a few meters further I suddenly stood in a crowd of people, many with sticks in hand with a tuft of grass on top (I did not pull out my phone, too wet). I circled around the people and drove down the street. People upon people. I was getting curious. At some point I was able to change to another lane, the highway was four lanes and one had separated this so that 2 lanes are for the people and two for the traffic. I drove on, kilometers long people. At some point I came to Alicante, the barrier stopped before a tunnel that was closed to cyclists. I wanted to make lunch anyway and looked for a covered place and was found at a tree. I still thought/hoped I was just sweating all over. I took off the jacket, and found that the cotton underjacket was totally wet, just like my two lower layers, that could not be just sweat. The gore jacket was leaking. It was shortly after one and I was glad and had nothing more to change and rain did it still. So I called my wife if she also thought it was good for today. The answer was yes, especially she gave to consider that I must also dry my clothes. So I looked for a place to stay and found it, check in no earlier than 2 o'clock. So another strong coffee at a bar in a park. The people were first a bit reserved, but when I asked the two what this is for a procession it bubbled out of them. One of them knew English, the others (a female guest too) started chattering in Spanish, he translated this too. So it was a regional holiday, I just say Stanta Faz (sweat cloth of Veronica), had to google it afterwards, something Catholic. I got a lot of information in a short time. When it was time direction accommodation (still wet and freesing) I said goodbye and went. Hardly arrived, check in and off to the room, undress. I had to re-impregnate the jacket and a dryer I did not have, all the stores closed (well, some are open, I already noticed on Easter Monday that in Spain the stores open on holidays as they are funny), at least those that have what I needed to impregnate. In the hotel room I found first only the air conditioning, I had hope for a hair dryer or iron, both not there. But much better, an ancient heater in the bathroom. Perfect, so I can re-impregnate the jacket (by heat) by pulling it little by little over the door and bring piece by piece in front of the heater. So first washed in the sink and then under the heater (In fact after now 4 hours of heat treatment, the water beads off again). So lucky?! Otherwise, as soon as a laundry set was dry again, I went, there was a castle on a mountain (Castillo de Santa Barbara). Nothing like up, stormed up all the stairs, so if I have something in my throat, then that's funny, arrived without heavy puffing or sweating up there. So I am fit and sick? I still have a strange feeling in my throat, but it's not a cold. I don't know, maybe I gargled too much with the antiseptic stuff? Maybe it is just an irritation because of the fly and the chest muscle soreness from the day before yesterday? I don`t know. Tomorrow I may know more. At the top I was rewarded with a view, free admission and a special exhibition. After an extensive tour and before running down I went into a vault and lo and behold, an elevator that led down to the sea. Even better, as always running up I love, down not so. Down I noticed that the elevator ride up costs 3 euros, down no one wanted something from me. What a day and in this sense I say thank you and good night. And Putin, all are against you.