JUNE 17 2013 5PM
Bike touring tends to jade you about doing the Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona tours and just visiting the smaller cities and national parks/. I only wanted to spend one or two days here, but Im on day four. Im really impressed with this city, Im slowly learning my way around BY BIKE! I haven’t ridden the bus or subway, yet.
I wasted my first day on a GAUDI walking tour, that never happened. The free tour is given by some transplants trying to eek out a living here. We meet and they vote to do the GOTHIC TOUR. I have a serious case of plantar fasciitis, walking is the last thing I want to do. Well they have 2 tours and the guide promised me the 4pm tour would be the Gaudi Tour. Its 1pm so I eat shop and walk, at 4pm they repeat the gothic tour. By this point my foot are over the top in pain, Ive taken my second percocet (pain killer)by this time.
Why Im telling this story, is to show the power of the bicycle.
BARCELONA CATHEDRAL
THIS IS A DAWING PICASSO USED TO PAY FOR DINNER ITS ON THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE BUILDING
So I decide to visit GAUDI SAGRADA FAMILIA on my own. What a religious monument, the story of the bible is everywhere. I took a few pictures.
HE USED NATURE AS HIS GUIDE FOR DESIGN AS YOU CAN SEE IN THESE SUPPORT PILLARS THAT LOOK LIKE TREES.
The museum cost $25 so I stayed a read everything I could read. They had a plaque that said GIVE US OUR DAILY BREAD, in 50 languages. He also used the bees honeycomb for design concepts.
He died being hit by a tram, he had no ID on him, he was dressed like a homeless person, at first people didn’t know who he was.
Its time to bike around some, I kept riding by Gaudi buildings.
CASA MILA BARCELONA OR LA PEDRERA
CASA BATILLO
I saw/found these GAUDI BUILDINGS by just riding my bike around. So F the tour guide, get a bike and explore, you can always save yourself with google maps!
Then I saw this tram, so I road to the hilltop where it landed, but not before going through the international arboretum on the way up. At the very top was the nicest castle I’ve seen and Ive seen about 10. It was a great bike ride, the bike path had enough switchbacks you could pedal the whole thing.
THERE ARE 8 HUGE CRUISE SHIPS DOCKED, THE STREETS ARE PACKED.
AND SO ARE THE BEACHES
THIS IS TORRE AGBAR TOWER It uses LEDS to change colors Im going to dinner by there tonight,. cant wait.
So my wheel was a little out of true, I went to this bike shop and had it fixed. They had the Surly Long Haul Trucker, the bike I originally bought for this trip. The had panniers basically everything for touring, it was like home. They had an awesome t-shirt collection.
I bought this one, I HAD TO.
So on the streets are the purse sellers, who move around town. I sat and watched for awhile, they sell a lot, I thought.
THEY TIE ROPE TO ALL 4 CORNERS SO THEY CAN PULL UP SHOP IN A MOMENTS NOTICE.
THIS IS A PICTURE FROM THE ARBORETUM.
Ive been wanting a Barcelona football jersey, the NIKE one cost $100, the fan one $40.
for a little more $
YEP ITS OFFICAL NOW
TILL NEXT TIME
JEFF
6/18/2013
Several people said I had to visit Parc Güell so I got up early & biked UP here. Though I did find an escalator to help at the end.
It’s overcast today, heading back to the Hostal to pack up and start riding again!
You should go to Park Güell. You would like that!
Too bad about your feet but glad you are enjoying Barcelona! I think those street vendors have the pull-up sheets is because it is illegal for them to sell on the street and as soon as they get the word that the police are coming, they can pack up and leave. Gaudi is wonderful, of course. These were the days of Darwin and all of the natural forms that came into awareness because of his work. In 1899, Earnest Haeckel (the guy who coined the term “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny” that I learned in high school and still can’t tell you what it means) put out a beautiful book of illustrations called The Art Forms of Nature. When you look at Gaudi’s architecture and these beautiful illustrations, you can’t help but see the influences of these times. I hope you get to tour as many of these buildings as you can.