Barcelona honey it's been swell but I need to move on!

It seems like I will always be missing something.

When we left South Africa on the 25th of January for Barcelona my heart was shattered and the thought was that we had bitten off more than we could chew. But either way the train was in motion and we were on it.

We left Cape Town with only a little excitement as you can’t make a life altering move like this - with such an amount of responsibility, loss and the unknown - and still be excited. Added to that, Barcelona was always only destined to be a pause on route to our bigger plan - Croatia and our new life as live-a-boards on GypsyDjango.

“4 Months in! What a roller-coaster. Who knew - I would have appreciated a heads up?"

This beautiful city has two facades; one of the historic buildings with exquisite architecture and plentiful visual references to the likes of Gaudí and Picasso. The other of the surrounding hills and mountains full of parks and trails offering pure pleasure and adventure. We arrived to a bleak leafless city with grey skies and will leave sparkling oceans and vibrant green tree lined alleyways and parks under blue summer skies.

The Spanish population have continued to delight and I will miss marveling at the mass of skater girls dripping with attitude and the rollerbladers zipping along the beach front in barely more than their "underwear". There is something so special about this nation who are so comfortable in their own skins and do not judge others or themselves. I have heard rumors that there are gyms but since arriving have only ever seen outdoor parks with training equipment. Again there is no need to look good but purely to make use of whatever they have at their means. I must look a little odd taking photos and hopefully not too much like a stalker while I snap away for this post 😊. Barcelona is certainly an eye opener and definitely a delight. The police are uber cool with their top knots and so comfortable maintaining the law while catching up with the locals on the promenade. And they aren’t bad looking either!

Here there is no pretense or parading - everyone is out there in any kind of get up pushing the limits (at least from a fashion sense ;-) whether they are fit or not. They are not slaves to brands and labels and are merely happy to be outside exercising in with whatever they have, or as little as they don’t have.

From the masses of open water swimmers, stand-up paddle boarders and surfers populating the sea, the power walkers, joggers and skaters on the promenade, to the yoga bunnies and HITT athletes on a patch of sand - the beach is the place to do it. And the best part is that the old and young are right there side-by-side (not withstanding the required 2m of social distancing) doing their thing without the slightest hint of self-consciousness.

Something has been bugging/intriguing me is how the walkers and runners are seemingly oblivious to us cyclists, which makes for fun when you are trying to dodge them like missiles. It was only today that I realized that they are never in a state of alert and there is no need to be aware of their surroundings as they are in a safe environment where they trust and can safely venture out on their own at any time of the day or night without having to look around. And so they are mostly in a world of their own just wandering along.

We have enjoyed trying to make the most out of our brief time in Barcelona on this journey, from exploring the surrounding mountains by MTB or running, walking the streets of Barcelona taking in the many attractions, skiing in the local resorts, to finally road-tripping in a camper van across the Pyrenees. We have created fond memories that we will never forget and we have been so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get acquainted with this majestic region of Spain.

Cape Town will always have a special place in my heart as the most beautiful city in the world, and now I have another. There is something to be said for not letting a moment pass you by, but the time to move on is fast approaching and it's a good sensation to feel the building excitement in my belly. Croatia it's you that's calling me and while you are only a short hop across the ocean you are still an insurmountable journey away - but the lock-down is easing...