14 December 2021 “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu Thick fog overnight. Everything is wet. My arse is saddle sore. My legs fine. Throat still a problem. Only…
Category: Spain
Day 1 – Lessons
13 December 2021 “Sal, we gotta go and never stop going ’till we get there.’ ‘Where we going, man?’ ‘I don’t know but we gotta go.” ― Jack Kerouac 6.00am start. 7.00am depart. Clear skies. Little wind. Wake up with razors in my throat. Getting sick. Nevermind. The ride through Barcelona was smooth. Little traffic…
Ready
12 December 2021 Last gym session for six months. Not a great night’s sleep. Mind racing. Details. Logistics. If we lose GPS we are lost. I need a map. “Only I have no luck any more. But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I…
Bike Day
Gym worked. Slept to a reasonable time. Porridge for breakfast. Satan’s for a Cortado. Watching the clock waiting for the bikes. I was awake last night thinking about the logistics of the trip. Water. How much will I need? Will we be able to refill on the way? And so on. Walk to Castro bikes….
Pause
10 December 2021 Up early. Barcelona time lasted a day. The gym won’t let us in. Tags don’t work. Nevermind. Walk the streets. The city is ours this time of morning. Barri Gòtic is even better in the dark and everyone asleep. Home for porridge. Make some notes for the blog. Satan’s for brunch. Cotardo’s…
Generosity
8 December 2021 John and Tina taught me to sail. Not really. John told me which sheets to pull and when. I loved those evenings. The sound of wind and water and nothing else. Advice given. Listening. Kindness shared. Support I am forever grateful for in a difficult time. Ali is Tina’s son. I met…
Pulse
8 December 2021 Barcelona has a slow heart rate. Measured. It won’t be rushed. You bend to it. It won’t change for you. I love it. It slows you down. “The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology…
Leg Work
7 December 2021 Found a gym nearby. 6.00 am session. Consistency is king. A few bike items we needed. A quick 5km walk through El Born and Barri Gòtic. You slow down on foot. Walking gives you a true sense of a place. El Born and Barri Gòtic need to be walked. Ancient. Tight winding…
Eldiset
6 December 2021 Previously- Showered. I sit down feeling better. Exhausted and happy. Hungry. It’s lunchtime and dinner time and almost breakfast. I peer out the window. Is that a tapas bar across the lane? I have eaten at tapas bars. I have never eaten in a tapas bar in Spain. We get changed. It…