We set off from Cardedeu about 0930hrs. Yesterday’s ride put us about 23 miles from Barcelona so it shouldn’t be a tough ride in – at least not physically.

Once we hit the edge of the city we were caught up in the insanity of accessing every major centre in the world. See the video below and screenshot of one section of our route. It totally reminded us of the route into Manhattan in ‘16 as we made our way to the George Washington Bridge.

We made it further into the city and things began to slow down. That said there was no time to switch off with navigation / environmental awareness. There were things happening all around us and we couldn’t lose concentration. People step from kerbs, drivers pull across us, car doors open, lights change, scooters zoom by in the bike lane – or not. It’s all normal stuff but concentrated in a city of this size.

We made it to the Marina area and The Student Hotel. This is a nice place to stay , we have been to the Amsterdam version in the past and they run things very well. We plan to stay here today (Wednesday 22nd) and get back on the road Saturday 25th.

Plans for the next few days (as well as sightseeing) :

We will meet Stefan (last seen in Sete on day 29), Grace – our lovely friend from home and Alessandro – former MSF lab tech now documentary photographer last seen right here in Barcelona 11 years ago. We will also visit the MSF Office before we crack on with the final 700 mile leg – the TOYOTA GIBRALTAR STOCKHOLDINGS (TGS) STAGE.