The calm before the city

After 2 days in Lloret, I need to 'reset' myself in nature and drive to the national park, about 1 hour before Barcelona, where I find an idyllic spot in the forest with a toilet and a fountain.

It's pouring rain and it's cold. For the first time, I use my portable heater. After about 15 minutes, the lights and the refrigerator go out. Well, it seems that my solar battery has run out of power. Learned something new again. I eat my vegan tortilla Española by candlelight, which I found today at the Spanish Lidl. It tastes really delicious with avocado and olive oil, I must say. :)

The next morning, the sun is shining again, inviting me to do a few sun salutations at the picnic tables. Here I enjoy the idyllic calm... Until 2 large tour buses arrive with school children. Next to them, my red bus looks really tiny :-D

After replenishing my water supplies, I continue driving and cook my breakfast at one of the rest areas further down.

Today, I would drive to Barcelona and visit my friend Kai there. I have a lot of respect for driving and parking in Barcelona, so today my schedule is geared towards being as calm and relaxed as possible when I enter the low emission zone.

Upon Kai's recommendation, I park for free at one of the last vacant parking spaces at the Archaeological Museum, a stroke of luck! There, I leisurely pack my things and ride my bike to Kai's apartment, about 20 minutes away. It's great to be so flexible with the bike... Barcelona seems very bike-friendly, the road network is full of bike lanes.

I'm excited to see Kai again, we have a lot to catch up on, and the evening passes by in a flash with a beer, pimientos, bread with tomatoes and olives, and an 8 km walk through half the city. :)