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Take me time getting up....noticed I hadn't needed any major pain killers as of yet....but I am getting a bit stiff. Me shifting toe is getting a hell of a work out. Not in a rush so twaddle about getting packed up and had already decided to go to Barcelona. So not much thought required Its not to far up the road and its just hiway driving. So perform the usual rituals....hose off, grab some breakfast and load up.
I turned the tollway option on on the GPS as it was off when I started and I was hitting a roundabout every couple of km's....so figured heck with it. Soon as I turned it in...recalculating. She had me on a toll road in about 30 secs...probably tired of talkin to me....
It was a quick trip to Barcelona.....managed to get behind a guy that was smokin....so just kept him in eyesite....new land speed record for me shattered the old one. This must be what the autobahns are like....at one point wondered if the bike could handle sustained power like that...Temp gauge didn't even budge....those Germans....Shhhhhhhh
Its kind of a fun ride in as you are just entering mountains and you go through a lot of tunnels. The tunnels are huge and well lit but they seem to be paranoid....suppose to slow down and freak out prior to entering them. Didn't get that its a hole on a mountain the road doesn't change....and the roads are nice. But each tunnel entry has massive blinky lights and warning signs galore....its a tunnel...not sure why so much drama. Everybody hits the brakes prior to going in one usually...
Not seeing a lot of bikes on the roads.... In the cities but not In the country only seen one other RT to date....
The toll gate finally appears figured a few euro....pull up the the guy....23 euro..... frigggggg. No signs warned me about that.... Continued on... And the scenery is awesome. So just pulled over to sit in the side of the road for a bit..... Figured I'd put Sacrada Familia into the GPS as a target.... It should be in the cool part of town I figured.
Hopped on and twisted the wrist....crap another toll.... 2.85.... Ok.... Off I goooo.... Crap another toll..... Now at this on there is no manned station. Pulled up to what I will call the box...... All semblance of help annotations were long gone..... Just a beat up LCD screen and a gate... A slot and a green button. I figured it must take money... No coin slot... Strange people handout coins like crazy here...hmmmmmm.... Tried the button thinking it would spit out a ticket.... Nope. In the mean time cars keep coming up in the other lanes and zoom through in like a second.... Hmmmm can't let this box beat me.... Hmmm bikes to wide to squeeze by....hmmmmmm the gate looks kinda flimsy.... Could sorta bust it.... Hmmmm about another 10 cars go by.... Fortunately none behind me....maybe a bill goes in the slot.... Pull out a 20 euro note.... Too fat.....frig.... So I slowly back the bike up....so I can see the next gate that's probably let 20 cars by now.... Car pulls up I feign a stretch and rubber neck to see the trick ..... dangggg can't see.
Hmmmmmm only one thing left to try.... Pull out the credit card.... gave it a kiss .... Looks like it will fit...slowly I put it in the slot then phffffit! It sucked it in quicker than I could scream DON'T EAT IT! It spat it back and the gate rose....
Hmmm that was easy. Looked around dude beside me that just pulled in was lookin at me kinda grinning I suspect thinking something along the lines of dumb ass.... I feigned a stretch and lit the tire up.... Even with ASC on I cat walked outta there! I hate toll booths!
My gal really kicked in as I was taking off ramps left right and center. All good...I finally hit the city proper and....it's a bigggggg city. Seem hard to explain but there is a different atmosphere it would seem. So I pick up the drive like a local thing and just wander down the busy streets going between cars and you can go around them to the front of the line at lights.... Packs of scooters everywhere....the way to get around for sure...the roundabouts you just go around however you want. Staying in a lane is optional. No one honks or anything they just drive ....nooooo big deal...so all of a sudden there it is a big ass cathedral right in front of me.... So I park in front of it LOL... Bikes are great.
Look up way up.....it's a massive construction site...the Sacrada Familia..you need to google this bad boy. Little history....Gaudi was an architect who was sponsored by a super wealthy patron. Late 1800's his patron loved his art style so he let him do whatever he wanted it would seem soooo Barcelona was his canvas in a way.... All sorts of buildings monuments etc were done by him..... now most of you know I am artistically challenged some may say autistic even. His style is in my words "some kinda Wierd". The cathedral was to take two hundred years to build. Gaudi got hit by a tram so died in 1922 I think (no one was holding his hand when he crossed the street). But it's his design it was started in late 1800's. It's huge. It's the thing to see in Barcelona.
I could swear there are fruit baskets on top of some of the towers.... This guy was a devout catholic and even had a house at the site...it's his attempt at glorifying and paying homage to the big guy above. Not getting where the fruit baskets fit in though.... Again I am artistically challenged....the walls have carvings everywhere.....very modern like....
It's a little later in the afternoon so it's packed with tourists... Mostly teenage kids again. YAY. So I'm not going in today I spied with my little eye a cafe across the street. Cervaisa time I need a big Mahou to ponder this. So sit down order a big Mahou and some cool tapas..and just looked at this thing.got nuthing so another beer.... Still not gettin it. Ahh well time to find a hotel....
Find one nearby book it...and it's only about 3 blocks away awesome! Seems like a great area to explore. So find the hotel easy.... Go to check in ... They have no rooms....
WTF.... I go into the I have a reservation thing... even going so far as to explain the concept of the reservation idea. Soooo booking.com and the hotel are not in sync. So they scramble about looking for a room for me in another hotel. It's a Catalonyia ... big chain here. I think after his 5th try he found a room. So they gave a good rate explained its in a great area and threw in free breakfast. Ok sooo put it into the gps and off I go.
OMG!!!!!!!! I got so lost my gal was swearing at me! Narrow streets it was only about 6 blocks away but in the old quarter.... Frig..... I couldn't find it for the life of me...finally got off the bike and had to walk around. I drove wrong ways down one ways.... drove through pedestrian areas.... It was only a matter of time before a crowd formed and lynched me.
Found a friendly lookin bloke and asked him... He just pointed around the corner... Are ya kidding me? It was so not in an easy place. I park literally in the lobby as you really can't park on the alley k not right word but what's smaller than an alley that allows vehicles on it??
Pop the lid walk to the desk they grin... In english teh guy at the desk asks....Have problems finding the place sir? I musta had that look on me face. Ahhh you must be Mr Todd! I nod.... All is good. Bizarre hotel reminds me of a college frat house.
Okay awesome location but brutal to find .... It's in the middle of all the plaza's bars cafes cathedrals etc etc.
Settle in......no parking.... Crapppppp so I need to find a place. No prob I'm told 1 block away is a plaza I can park there .... so I go there. There are scooters parked everywhere so I pull in at the end of the line and park it, lock it up. All seems well and head back the the hotel to hose off.
After I get the helmet head sorted I head out to to explore. Counted 20 bars in 3 blocks. So I found a really cool one that was hoppin. Found a stool and parked it. The hopping ones have the best tapas!
Chatted with me neighbors and ordered tapas of all sorts was awesome!. Waitress was a hoot. She warned me to never put your cellphone on the bar as it will get stolen. Good ta know .... Sorta been there LOL. But time ta mozy and find another place figured I should try some desert.
This is where I discovered and I can't remember the name but it's liquid chocolate. Not like our hot chocolate..milk with some chocolate in it.. It's warm but liquid chocolate...that you drink.... Very interesting. You dunk pastries in it too. Quite tasty...couldn't finish it though. It was gettin late and I'm gettin older....so time ta try to find the hotel n crash. I sanunterd of in the general direction of where the hotel might be and I actually found it on me own....wow....was impressed!
I have all day tomorrow to explore as I'm talkin a rest day... kind of need it plus lots to see here.
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