Supertramp Rules

Day: 392
Sant Cugat to Barcelona
Time: Tapas Time
Distance: Not Far
Avg Speed: 150 kph
Terrain: Highway

We all rolled out of bed around the same time this morning. Fernando had been missing his workouts with work and visitors so he excused himself and ran to the gym for a good sweat. Leslie and I decided that we had better get ourselves in gear while we had time and got our things situated to travel and send home. When Fernando got home we all walked into town to mail our camping gear home. We struck out in France with camping, and most of the campgrounds we had seen in Spain were closed as well. We were glad to see that our camping gear weighed in at 10 kg, that is until the mail lady told us how much it would be to send home. The slow boat was fine with us and now we are a little lighter with our loads. We hit the store for a little lunch and then cruised on back home where Fernando whipped up some vittles. We were in full Spain time mode so after lunch we all relaxed with naps and TV. Leslie and I also received our ballots via fax and took care of voting. We had to set it up before we left the US, but it was pretty painless and now we can say we did something when we wave our righteous finger. Around 8:30 we decided that we wanted tapas for dinner. Fernando had taken us to a great little tapas joint in Barcelona a few days earlier, so we just headed on back there. We all loaded into his little Peugeot, dropped the top, cranked the tunes and rolled through the night. Tapas was a lot more involved tonight where we sampled 10 different yummies (pimientos padron, patatas bravas, bocadillo con chorizo y queso, mini hamberguesas, bacon y queso, langostina con brocheta, solomillo, montadito jamon, tortilla patatas, and finally crema catalana). It was great to go with someone who knew what was good, and what stuff was called. Sadly we were only able to sample 1/10 of the menu. After tapas we loaded back in the car, dropped the top and sang eighties tunes on the radio the whole way back to Sant Cugat. At one point I looked in the back seat and watched Leslie singing Jefferson Starship at the top of her lungs (with her eyes closed). The crowning moment was when “Give a Little Bit” by Supertramp came on and we all belted it out. It was a very fun last night in Barcelona.
Hasta luego
CK

The Way Tapas Was Meant to Be

Day 390
Barcelona City Tour

If you recall, we had a “tapas incident” way back in Slovakia on day 324. Chris had purchased some cured meat from Spain for the rock bottom price of $2 and we spent the next day resting in close proximity to a bathroom. Today we redeemed ourselves by going to a lively establishment in the heart of Barcelona. With the help of our friend Fernando, we enjoyed a “real” tapas experience.

We’re slowly changing our schedule to match the up late, sleep in culture of Spain. After breakfast at 11:30 we did some laundry and then headed into the city. We had our personal (and very gracious) tour guide driving us toward a very exciting afternoon in Barcelona. We had a few sights we wanted to see and were otherwise open to whatever Fernando could think of.
Barcelona is a city of over 1.5 million and is the second largest city in Spain. It covers just over 100 sq kilometers and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea on the southeast and the Collserola mountain range on the northwest. It’s the kind of city that looks very overwhelming from the outside. Fortunately, it is more than welcoming once you’re inside.
Aside from it being one of Europe’s principal ports and an important economic center, Barcelona has a rich history in the arts. One of the major attractions we wanted to see today was La Famalia Sagrada, a church that started construction in 1882 and is still not finished today. The structure was designed by the legendary artist, Antonio Gaudi. For forty years he worked on the project, even devoting the last 15 years of his life to it. It’s really hard to describe La Familia. If you know anything about Gaudi you know that his work was…unique.
Anyway, I should back up and describe the rest of the afternoon. Before we got to La Famalia Sagrada we had already seen some of the other highlights of Barcelona. Fernando was a most excellent host and guided us through the historical, cultural, and gastronomical aspects of the city. Memorable moments include the bustling, tree lined Las Ramblas and seafood paella with views of the ocean.
Our tour concluded with grand views from El Castell Montjunic (Castle Montjunic). Overlooking the ocean on one side and the city on the other, we were able to piece together our different stops on our personalized tour. It was a fitting end to a fantastic day.

LK

Day 389: Badalona to Sant Cugat

Time: 2:00
Distance: 24.5 km
Avg Speed: 12.25 kph
Terrain: Rolling cityscape
Location: N 41° 28' 0", E 2° 5' 0"

We had a short ride to a good destination today. The only thing that stood in our way was the bustling metropolis of Barcelona. A friend of ours lives north of town and was kind enough to offer us a bed and a shower for a few days. We couldn’t pass that offer up, so we left our little hostal under the cover of rain and clouds. Riding in the rain isn’t our favorite way to travel, but when you can get a home cooked meal the goal outweighs the journey. Getting through town was not as straightforward as we thought and we stalled out a bit running into one-way streets, hills reminiscent of San Francisco, and highways that didn’t allow bikes. We eventually wound our way to a river and got on a recreation path that took us in the direction we wanted to go. A few more correct guesses and we were like rolling wet blankets heading towards the town of Sant Cugat. Our friend, Fernando, gave us his address and with Leslie’s sense of direction (with the help of google maps) we got within a couple blocks before I broke out the cell phone for help on the final approach. We found the place easy enough and before we knew it we had cold beers in our hands and a hot meal in our bellies. A little wine and some little Spanish pastries rounded off our meal before we turned in for a little afternoon nap. Our host’s graciousness and thoughtfulness quickly made our experience of the wet city dash become a distant memory. We will spend a couple of days here taking care of some business, making Fernando play tour guide and resting up before venturing further south towards Seville.

Smelly like a wet dog,
CK