Tossa de Mar to Barcelona

Our final day of riding on the open rode.  We typically get some idea of our route the night before we ride.  There were lots of sources saying that riding into Barcelona is pretty rough with heavily traveled streets, few bike lanes and fast-moving impatient drivers. We decided that after covering over 2,000 km, we don't need the last 50 or so to be filled with tension.

Adios to Tossa de Mar

So we climbed a hill out of the Tossa da Mar campground over a headlands and then rode swiftly downhill to Lloret where we stopped for coffee.  The tourist buses were everywhere even though it was only 9:00.  We continued down the coast road to Blanes and the traffic was already very heavy -- in fact, at one point we missed a turn and had to ride about 3 km up the road to a roundabout to turn around.  The traffic was so heavy that we could not cross the road.   

We found the train station and caught the commuter train to Barcelona.  Most of the route followed right along the coast, at times less than 30 feet from the ocean.  The scenery was great, the ride took about an hour and a half.  At one point a guy boarded the train with his amplifier and wireless mic and serenade the train.  The first song he sang was “What a Wonderful World” in English.  Most of the bored commuters looked away, but the guy had a great voice and a lot of moxie; we gave him a tip.

La Rambla, Barcelona

We managed to get Das Bike out of the metro station in Barcelona using the escalators since the lifts were too small to hold our bike, and relatively easily found our hotel.

We've given up any hope of getting our bike case returned from Spanish customs/Correos.  Dealing with bureaucracies is a very frustrating thing to do, especially in countries where we lack familiarity with language and local ways of doing things.  But losing the bike case is a big loss, in addition to being a big pain since we now have to devise a Plan B for packing Das Bike and getting it on the plane.

In addition to Gaudi, Barcelona is filled with unique buildings

The Harbor

Bari Gotic

Bari Gotic

 

 We have a few days, though, so first a shower and a stroll around the city –  La Rambla, through parts of Barri Gothic.   Duram and doner in a restaurant near the Plaza and grab some beers to enjoy while we watch the Brazil-Columbia match.