Fat Tire Bike Tour

Y'all, today Sarah and I did the number one thing on our Spain bucket list: the Barcelona Fat Tire Bike Tour. If you are ever in Barcelona, London, Berlin, or Paris, I really suggest taking one if you are looking for a fun way to see and learn the history of the major sights around these cities. We decided to take the 11am bike tour so we left our dorm around 9:50 to ensure that we arrived to the meeting point, Plaza Sant Jaume, by 10:45, as we weren't entirely sure where to go. We quickly found where we were supposed to be and we were immediately greeted by three Australian tour guides with crazy hair and sarcastic comments. We knew right away that this was going to be an exciting tour. We hung around the meeting point for a few minutes before heading up to the shop to retrieve our bikes and set off on the tour. We were each handed a beach cruiser (by the way mom and dad, that might be making an appearance on my Christmas list) and waited for the entire group to gather before beginning our four hour journey around Barcelona. It was a perfectly sunny day and we saw so many cool sites - sites that Sarah and I have been meaning to visit, and we got them all in one day! The bikes were awesome because they made it possible to see so much of the city in four short hours - I wish I had a bike to get myself from place to place. That, or rollerblades! I have seen so many rollerbladers around here and I feel as though I would fit right in - most of you know that I am quite the blader!

Anyway, back to the tour. We started off at Barcelona's Cathedral, and I heard many interesting facts about it, but I unfortunately could not even begin to remember right now. I do remember that each city has one major Cathedral, and this is Barcelona's! Sarah and I do want to go back and walk around the inside sometime, so I will let you know how that goes!

Spain may not be celebrating the same holiday that you guys in the States are celebrating, but on the way to our next stop, we got to experience people doing the dance of Catalonia, which basically looked like people doing the hokey pokey. It was so cute! Sarah and I got caught up taking pictures and had to bike fast to catch up with the group! Oops! The next site was our tour guide's favorite - it was some kind of music museum that I really was not paying that much attention to - I have to admit that I am not that into history, especially if it has to do with music because I am really not very musically inclined at all. It was very pretty though and what we could see of the inside looked beautiful. If we ever have some spare time, it just might be worth visiting!

After that, we left the old city and went to Barcelona's Arc del Triomf. Here is my  blonde moment of the week -- I thought that Paris had the only Arc del Triumph in the world, so I was confused when I saw a monument in Barcelona called the Arc del Triomf. I was quickly informed that there are about 300 Arc del Triumph's in the world and Paris is not the owner of the original -- Rome is. I learn something new everyday! Sarah and I had actually run through this area on our beachside fun run, but we had the opportunity to stop and take pictures today.

We then made our way over to the same park (Parque de Ciutadella) that we ran by on our run, the one that we found to be so beautiful. It was just as beautiful today and we got to see even more of the park today. There were tons of people running, relaxing, picnicing (is that a word?!), and even tanning. We also saw a pond (lake?) where people were doing something that looked like kayaking, and Sarah and I, being the outdoorsy people that we are, turned to each other immediately, knowing that we just HAD to give that a go. We find new things to do every day!

 This park is right next to the Barcelona Zoo (another place on our Barcelona bucket list), and our tour guide informed us that the Barcelona Zoo is home to the three wooly mammoths left in the world! The park had a giant wooly mammoth statue, so naturally Sarah and I had to take a picture with it.

We were holding up our group, so we ran back to them before heading over to our next destination: La Sagrada Familia. Now, I am not sure if you have heard of La Sagrada Familia, but it is Antonio Gaudi's legacy. It is a church that has been under construction for over 100 years, and is only about 60% complete. Word on the street is that it will be finished by the year 2026, though my tour guide seemed to doubt that statistic. If Sarah and I are still alive when it is finished, we are definitely coming back to see it! It was seriously breathtaking, the intricate detail was incredible, and the story behind it was the best. Gaudi had such wonderful intentions with La Sagrada Familia and I am so glad that it is going to continue to be built. It is a main tourist attraction in Barcelona and Sarah and I would love the opportunity to actually walk through it. Get this -- it is supposed to DOUBLE in height! It will stand 170 meters tall when it is complete. That is INSANE! It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip thus far!

After taking a couple pictures, we continued on to our final destination: the beach. Barceloneta to be more specific. It was just as beautiful as it was on our beachside run. We biked through the boardwalk to a restaurant called Ona which was absolutely fabulous. They are famous for their Sangria, and although Sarah and I didn't try any of it because we felt kind of dehydrated and opted for water and smoothies, we both agreed that we will have to try it. Sarah and I are not drinkers by any means, but we have both been told by multiple people that when in Spain, the Sangria is a must. Almost everyone in our party ordered a pitcher and drank down every last drop. Luckily, we didn't have far to go in order to get back to the shop, so no one felt too guilty about drinking all of it! Some people also ordered food and it all looked DELICIOUS! Sarah and I will most definitely be returning! We had a lovely afternoon biking through Barcelona and we both can't WAIT to hit the beach tomorrow after class. I have a really cute tank top tan that I really need to get rid of, so some time spent soaking up the sun will be much appreciated.

Speaking of, our first official day of class is tomorrow. As much as I am looking forward to getting into a routine, I have so enjoyed the past week of doing whatever I want without feeling guilty about it. I am hoping that my class won't be too demanding so that I can still do something Barcelona-y every day! The bike tour was both Sarah and my favorite part of the trip, and we hope to continue to do fun things each and every day! We are only here for six weeks and we want to make every minute count! Enjoy the rest of your Memorial Day!

By the way, I have been told multiple times that Fat Tire Bike Tour was started by a group of Aggies. I have one thing to say to that: Hook'em.