BARCELONA. I do like Barcelona. Yes, its a big tourist trap and its very busy with all the visiting cruise ships and cheap flights, but – if you venture off the Las Ramblas there are so many good things to see. I caught a train into Barcelona on the first day, leaving my bike at the station in Blaines. The journey was about an hour, and incredibly cheap, but the problem I had was when it was time to go back. I could not find the station where I was going to catch my return train. Most of the train stations in Barcelona are actually underground, and the only identification is an orange and grey sign on a post with a stairway that leads underground. I was in the right area and went down some steps, but ended up in the metro instead. Eventually I caught the metro to a bigger station and then caught my train back to Blaines. It was all a bit confusing.
After that, and for the next few days, I used my bike to travel from Blaines to Barcelona. It an easy ride and arriving in Barcelona, the streets and boulevards are wide and the driving is really good. I was on my best behaviour here, and to be honest, I didn’t need to be pushy as the driving was respectful and easy. Again, just like Italy, there are bike bays everywhere so bike parking is not a problem. I spent a few nice days wandering around and seeing the sights, the Basillica, the City Museum, Las Ramblas, but mostly just wandering around the Gothic Quarter.
GIRONA. Girona is a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long while, as I wanted to see the architecture in the old town. It was only 26km east of Blaines and is known for its medieval architecture, it’s Roman ruins and the Old Quarter’s medieval walls. It was a Sunday and the town was quite busy with lots of people selling antiques and brica-a-brac from tables on many of the streets. I saw the same thing when I was in France, but the problem with this is when you start wandering along the antiques tables you invariably see things you want to buy. Being on a bike I have no extra storage space, so I had to avoid them. You cant buy what you can’t see. Its a nice town and I really enjoyed the day spent wandering around the old streets.
BARCELONA
GIRONA
