Barcelona Sightseeing and Bike Prep

Barcelona, Spain – Monday, May 30, 2016 -- Day 3

Today was dedicated to proper sightseeing, with the primary focus being the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.  It is truly amazing; so totally different in style and layout from any other cathedral I’ve ever seen.  It has been under construction since 1882, and, even now, is still 10 years from completion.

When done it will consist of 18 towers or spires: four along each of three sides (the birth, death, and resurrection facades) representing the 12 disciples; one for Mary on the fourth side; four at the center for the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John); and finally, the largest and tallest of all at the exact center, for Jesus.  

Hard to see model of complete cathedral

Today, only eight of the disciple towers are complete on the birth and death facades.

Though I’m sure I’ve seen a picture or two of the exterior, I was totally unprepared for the interior.  It is awe-inspiring; the size and height of the gigantic columns that cleave like tree limbs as they climb to the ceiling some 210 ft. up.  I took at least a hundred photos over the couple hours we were there.  

At 2:00 we took an elevator up one of the towers and got some amazing views of the city and the exterior. 

Although we had paid for the Hop On Hop Off bus that morning, we aborted trying to find the pickup point near our place (at Barcelonetta) and instead took the metro to make sure we were on time.  So, it was around 3 p.m. when we finally got on for the first time outside the Sagrada Familia.  The next stop was Park Guell, which we’d seen for the first time the night before.  Since it had been getting dark then, we decided to take one more look.  A stop at an ice cream shop on the way there gave us the extra energy we needed. 

After a quick hike up to the high lookout point in the park, we decided just to ride the bus back to the hotel.  I had already made arrangements to re-assemble the bikes in the small common room at the hotel.  The jolly man at the desk had said that nighttime was best, presumably because I would not bother any of the other guests.  I got going about 8:30 p.m. and finished the yellow bike at around 11:30 p.m.  

I was more than ready to call it a day, but decided to push through anyway.  That would make tomorrow a lot easier. Despite the time and effort I put into wrapping every painted surface of the bikes and paying special attention to the bike chainrings, which had wreaked havoc during earlier shipments, the culprits this time were the stainless steel couplings that allow the frame to come apart.  Arrgh!  By 2 a.m. the green bike was bolted together including front and rear racks.  Final adjustments and tuning would have to wait until tomorrow.

Barcelona, Spain -- Tuesday, May 31, 2017 -- Day 4

Realizing that tomorrow (Wednesday) we would finally be beginning the biking leg of our journey, we started a to-do list: ship bike suitcases to our endpoint in Sweden, get additional items for first aid kit, figure out tomorrow’s bike route, and find a place to stay.  Originally we had planned to ride all the way to Girona the first day, which is ~60 miles.  The next decision was whether to take the inland route or stay by the coast.  Riding along the Mediterranean might be prettier and less hilly to start, but would be less direct and end up taking longer.  In the end, we found a potential Warm Showers host in Lloret de Mar, only 43 miles away on the coast, which finalized the decision to make it a shorter and bit easier first day.

As often seems to be the case, the adults' to do list was much longer than kids'.  We quickly realized we needed a diversion, so suggested Dex and Kylie head out on their own to the beach we’d stopped at the first night we got into town.  They were all for it, so we gave them 20 euros and detailed directions on where to go and when we would meet them.  And, Kylie, whose navigational skills are challenged, was to rely on Dex to get them to the beach (and back, if for some reason we didn’t show up before 3:00).

After a half hour of searching the web for shipping options, we opted to find the closest Oficina de Correos (post office).  Fortunately, what I’m sure is one of the worlds most impressive post offices, was just a couple blocks away.  

A very nice woman at the information desk helped us fill out the forms.  In the end, we settled for the description, maletas vacias (empty suitcases).  When we got to the teller window, the very friendly, but quick-talking attendant, helped get everything official and typed into the system.  The total damage was €86.40 each, or about $384 total!  Wow, I can hardly wait to see how much it will be when there is actually something inside them.

To our relief, Dex and Kylie were exactly where they said they would be when we got down to the beach.  We ate a tasty lunch of lentil soup and tomato macaroni on one of the plaza benches, and, as I had promised Dex, found a place for ice cream on the way home. 

As it was our final night in town, we walked into the more commercial section of the city for dinner at El Nacional – a fancy, upscale, food court with six different restaurants.  As it was 10 p.m. we opted for the restaurant with the shortest wait.

Mr. Monster and Nipper

The kids' constant travel companions joined us for the special dinner (and nearly every dinner, actually....)  Our meals were great, and we finished off with three very sweet dessert crepes -- lemon, strawberry, and chocolate.  Hopefully, that will give us some extra energy for tomorrow's ride.

A Day at the Beach

Barcelona, Spain -- Day 2

Today was a bit of a vacation day from our “strenuous” travel day yesterday.  Also, once the kids spent some time on the beach, there was no question what was on top of their list for today.  It was another beautiful day, and we decided to walk north of the Barcelonita area to what we had read were nicer beaches.  We made a detour through the Ciudadela park, which used to be a fort built by Phillip V after the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) to keep an eye on the Catalonians.  

The architecture and feel of Barcelona are clearly different from that of Madrid – much more modern, less formal, and a bit more random.  Unlike the uniform, classical architecture we’d seen in Madrid, there are some pretty unusual constructions here.

We kept walking north, eventually ending up by a casino and a bustling promenade along the beach lined with shops and restaurants on one side and the beach and stunningly blue Mediterranean on the other.  We had to keep reminding ourselves that it was Sunday... and we were on the beach... in Barcelona!  Pretty cool. 

Although the beach was crowded and we hadn’t had breakfast, the kids broke out in a run and headed for the water as soon as we were close.  The European custom of bathing topless didn’t elicit more than a passing comment from them.  (One of the 30 facts I had regaled them days earlier was that in Spain, nudity is legal).

I figured, when in Rome, do as the Romans, so took off my top to fit in.

Since we couldn’t pry the kids away from the sand and water, Meg and I headed out to find food, coffee and a Diet Coke (or at least the closest Spanish equivalent, to Meg's chagrin).  The views were amazing, and I finally got a got picture of the shining brass fish sculpture that was part of the preparations for the '92 Olympics.  Somehow I strained my left foot yesterday carrying the suitcases and bags up the stairs at the hotel, so I acquired a pair of very stylish Brazil flip flops.

It's amazing how much time the kids can spend playing in the sand, which gave Meg and I a few hours to walk around.  They found an unclaimed ball floating in the water, so we all had fun trying to bat it around in the wind and waves. A nice lazy walk back to our hotel made for a pretty nice first day full day in Barcelona.

The final activity of the night was heading out on the Metro to find Park Guell, one of the main tourist attractions designed by famed architect, Antoni Gaudi.  The land for the park was originally intended as a housing development.  When that project failed, Gaudi was asked to design a public space in this upscale and hilly area of town.  In his typical original, quirky, and slightly bizarre manner, he created Park Guell.  

Since we didn’t arrive until just about 9 p.m. we decided to be cheapskates and not pay the 8 euro per person entrance fee.  The souvenir vendors pointed out the side entrance where we could enter and explore the areas of the park not requiring a paid ticket.  Once the sun set, we were so famished we settled on the first restaurant we found, a nondescript, Chinese-run diner.  Kylie ordered steak, french fries, and an egg... and ate every bite.