Product Description

After working for four years at a leading London book publisher, Polly Evans moved to Hong Kong where she spent many happy hours as a senior editor on the city's biggest entertainment weekly. But fighting deadlines from a twizzly office chair and free use of the coffee machine seemed just too easy. So Polly exchanged the shiny red cabs of Hong Kong for a more demanding form of transport - a bicycle - and set off on a voyage of discovery around Spain. From the thigh-burning ascents of the Pyrenees to the relentless olive groves of Andalusia, Polly found more adventures than she had bargained for. She survived a nail-biting encounter with a sprightly pig, escaped over-zealous suitors, had her morality questioned by the locals, encountered some dubious aficionados on the road and indulged her love of regional cooking. While she pedalled, Polly pondered some of the more lurid details of Spanish history - the king who collected pickled heads, the queen who toured the country with her husband's mouldering corpse, and the unfortunate duchess who lost her feet. And wherever she cycled, she ate and ate and yet still she shrank out of her trousers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #253855 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 302 pages

DAILY EXPRESS (Book of the Week)
'A hilarious account of her epic adventure around bike-mad Spain'

OK!
'This true triumphant tale of her travels will appeal to anyone who's eager for adventure'

CHOICE
'Related with an infectious gusto and humour'

Customer Reviews

Couldn't hope for a better introduction to Spain
This is a wonderfully humorous introduction to Spain, not just in geography but also in culture and mood - I bought it before a recent holiday there and loved matching things I saw in the Spanish way of life to episodes in the travelogue. It is also particularly refreshing to have a travel writer who does not take herself over-seriously; she doesn't glamorize her destination but wraps you inside its amusing quirks and foibles. You come to understand and love rather than be amazed and impressed by Spain.

Absolutely brilliant - a joy to read!
I COMPLETELY disagree with the two reviews below - they couldn't be more wrong about a book. They must have been holding the book upside down when they read. I bought this book to go on holiday to Spain with, and LOVED it. It's hilariously funny, informative, interesting - and I see has been short-listed for the WH Smith new author's prize, quite rightly so. The two reviewers below are obviously severely lacking a sense of humour as well as intellect. This is a humourous travel book, not a conquest over potentially insurmountable odds as Lance Armstrong's "It's not about the bike" and so to compare the two is simply ridiculous. If you need a fun, light book to read and enjoy travel books, I highly recommend you go and buy this. Beats Bill Bryson hands down!

Travel writing at its best
I only bought a copy of 'Not Just the Tapas' as it had been recommended by a magazine. I am very glad I did so as the recommendation was spot-on. This is the hilarious and enlightening tale of the authors trip around Spain on a bike. Even if you have no interest in cycling or the usual travel literature fodder you can't help but be charmed by Polly's narrative of her epic journey. Weeks after finishing the book, I still chuckle at the scenes where the author is chased by dogs, wild pigs and her various encounters with colourful characters along the way. Any references to Spanish history are either humorous or, suprisingly, interesting.

This is a highly enjoyable read and a great page-turner.