There was much excitement about getting to Barcelona....with only 90 kms to go, Grant was looking forward to an easy ride on relatively flat track and only 750 m of climbing planned for the day, but with more blustering wind, it was anything but a relaxing day on the bike.
Leaving Tarragona at 9.15 am Crazybikeguy chose to travel on the coast line until he was close to Barcelona where he traveled on an inland route to make the access to the city easier. Leaving Tarragona was relatively easy as he was staying on the outskirts of the city.
The Arch of Bera...a reminder of the Roman presence in the town that was once known as Tarraco, a preserved archway on the way out of Tarragona.
The AIDS Memorial - just outside Barcelona.
The way was littered with memorials, beautiful churches and beautiful coastal scenery and quaint fishing villages, vineyards and artistic tributes by famous artists.Lots of North African traders selling fake handbags and even a bull fighting ring!
Barcelona was also hosting a huge motor show, the graffiti was amazing and Crazybikeguy even found a South African braai reminder - nothing like being transported back to where you came from while being in this bustling history filled metropolis.
A fascinating discovery in Barcelona - the La Teva Bici.
A bicycle storage facility on pavements and sidewalks. It's a metal box that is lockable and has a flap that allows one to place the bike in the box and lock it for a fee for safe storage instead of using a bicycle chain attached to a pole or immovable structure as one usually does. Another way that the Spaniards make the cycling experience so easy in their cycling mad country!
Getting into the city was extremely difficult- avoiding the freeways and trying to deal with the traffic and the roads where cyclists are not allowed made this quite a harrowing experience...some of the regional roads would become freeways after kilometers with no signage as a warning and then there would be a "no cyclist/no pedestrians/no donkeys/no tractors" sign and no way to get off the road!
Grant had to get off the bike and walk or back track into oncoming traffic until it was safe to exit and find an alternative route.
With the prospect of a rest day tomorrow and an opportunity to soak up the sights and sounds of this interesting city, Grant found a place to stay that allowed him the freedom to explore the city on foot. Lots of beautiful photos to follow in the next post as Crazybikeguy takes in Barcelona for the day.
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