Saturday, October 23, 2021

Barcelona: Born Area Beautiful Flat Old Town Centre (Airbnb), Day 1 of 8

Bike Route: Alcudia to Port de Alcudia, 1.5 miles, 30 feet of climb

Ferry Route: Port de Alcudia to Barcelona

Bike Route: Port de Barcelona to apartment in Old Town, 1.5 miles, 30 feet of climb

Our very last day of cycling on this trip. It feels strange to be done.

We had very strong headwinds cycling down to the ferry port in the morning, but the ride was short. While waiting in line for the ferry, we chatted with a guy named Amory, from Copenhagen, who had spent the past three weeks cycling with his wife on the island. They do a lot of cycling like we do, throughout Europe and at least once a year on Mallorca. On the ferry, we joined Amory and Jytte for a while and shared stories. They own a holiday rental in southern France, and we agreed to try to meet there for a day of riding next summer. After an hour or so, Ken and I excused ourselves and made our way to the lounge where we had reserved seating for the journey.

It was a rough crossing. I spent most of it in the WC. Ken does not get seasick and was able to stay in his comfortable lounge chair. About an hour from Barcelona, the seas calmed a little and we found seats near the middle of the ship where it was rolling a little less, and I was able to come out of the WC. Remind me never to book a cruise.

We found our apartment in Barcelona with no problem, just as it was getting dark (about 7:30). After our host let us in and showed us our rooms, we headed for a restaurant he had recommended. It looked like a great place, but the pair ahead of us in line got the last table. We bought groceries and returned to the apartment to make a simple pasta dinner, shower, and turn in.

The apartment is great. We should be quite comfortable here for our last week in Spain.

Our ferry looked pretty big, but it didn't handle the wind very well during our crossing.