Michelle

-first bike ride of the year ended up in Hollywood, Fl - most bike rental shops are closed on Sundays for some reason - got bikes on the Broadwalk but no helmets - busy bike traffic along the beach with all kinds of bikes rented from the same shop "The Bike Shack" - electric bikes and fat tires were common sightings - realized fat tires are for beach sand - so many cars with Quebec license plates in the parking lot - crossed the bridge to get to Anne Kolb Nature Center - some rocky mountain biking 🥵 - went through West Lake Park to go into the quiet streets of Hollywood Lakes - signs of banning short term vacation rentals - fulfilled the dream of biking on Hollywood Blvd - crossed another bridge back, many people walking on it with beach gear, smart no need to pay for parking - less crowded on the other side of the broadwalk

-chilly morning with fleece on - so much uphills, fleece is no longer needed - Peralada was still waking up when we passed by - got over some medium hills to get to Garriguella - nice break with cortados on the main street of Garriguella - bar filled with locals eating breakfast mostly a sandwich with ham or egg ( francesa) - ready for another climb - restaurant in Mollet De Peralada is still closed, doesn't open till 12:45pm - stopped by a winery started by young people - lots of cars with "E" parked in the lot - peeked inside and saw groups doing wine tasting - today is a Saturday so mostly young people doing the wine tour - we got a white and red grape juice bottled on site - lunch in Cabanes was quite adventurous with no written menu so we got by with our limited Spanish - most ride today was on the road so a lot more road bikers passing by at higher speed - traffic increased as we approached Figueres, Dali's hometown

- customized loop day for us today, need to rest those legs 😂 - dude at bike shop said Empuriabrava is like Venice but it felt more Fort Lauderdale to us 😂 - scenic beach towns with hilltop houses on one side and the sea on the other side - Houses by the beach look like the ones in Florida or Los Angeles - so many French license plates 🇫🇷 - also some German license plates 🇩🇪 - beautiful backdrop of the Pyrenees - cut through a park to come back with a few cars

- back on the fields with apple, pomegranate and olive trees for our morning ride - the clouds are ominous - stopped at a castle in Bellcaire and learned about their internal conflict and eventually took over by the French - it was an uphill ride to the castle so not going back down to cortado in Bellcaire - spotted some bikers in front of a cafe in the town of Albons - got cortado as usual, locals at the cafe doing a zoom call - some drizzles but the sun came out eventually a bit windy heading to the Greek and Roman Ruins in L'Escalaa - the ride by the seaside was fantastic - the Greek ruins predates the Parthenon - rectangular tanks digged for storing fishes - statue of Greek god of medicine - Asclepius was made with two different kinds of marbles for the body and the drape - Roman city of ruins had nice bath house - and well-preserved mosaics too - lunch in Sant Martí right next to the church on a hill( again) - tried their local specialty L'Escala anchovies with tomato bread 👌 - pizza was exceptional with its own kick - the windy ride began after lunch 🥵 - just keep on pedaling on the open fields - some hikers on the way must be doing GR-92 - later found out "traumantana" north strong wind is common in autumn and winter - a relief once we arrived in the town of Castelló d'Empúries

We started a chilly downhill ride from the hotel to undo all the uphill rides we did yesterday. Then a huge seemingly endless hill to our next destination - Palafrugell. The square was filled with cafes and outdoor seats so we sat down for our first cortado. We locked our bikes right next to the town's church and started my quest to find individual persimmons in the fruit market. The kakis were mostly busting so I picked two that were soft and we are them on the bench right next to the church 💯 Briefly checked out the cork museum and saw the famous Can Mario tower which used to supply water to its cork production. Saw a sundial like structure but after translating the plaque it seems to be a symbol for "The Battle of Palafrugell" between Catalan and Castillos in the 1600s 😐 The ride to the next town Pals was more uphill. It was much more medieval than the previous town but with lots of souvenir shops and of course tourists. The stoned church and the tower were the main attractions. For lunch, we tried their famous rice in a nearby restaurant. It reminded us of jambalaya from NOLA. Crossing the highways was a bit scary to get to next town where we replenished our water bottles with a well looking thing in the center of the Palau-Sator. Then we rode on the fields to reach Gualta, which has a rice mill protected by a fort which we found it odd. To reach to our destination, we rode next to the canals which at this time of year has lots of bugs flying into our face 😔

Very pleasant weather when we left by 9am since the sun only came up at 8am. Perfect stop to fuel up with apples by the beach at San Antoni. Runners are speaking English. Passed the town of Palamos and turned back. We walked our bikes into the town and found a cafe for two tallats. Locked out bikes to explore vegetables and fruits markets. Got some spices to cook at home and tried out local fruits such as figs and oranges. Market is full of energy with mostly women shopping for produce. Lunch only starts at 1pm so had to walk our bikes around town. Another beachfront restaurant stop for 2 tallats and headed to small train rail. That brought us to another beach with northern Cali cliff with trees vibes. Last two miles had some steep hills 😅

We took the Girona Greenway ( Carrilet Olot), a former railway line all the way to our destination today. It was entirely separate from the cars. Some asphalt and some gravel roads. We rode through farms, forests and small towns in Catalonia. The region is known for its cork production from cork oak tree, which we spotted on thanks to AI. Quick first stop with Spanish almonds and cortado or tallat in Calatan in the town of Selva. Then quick lunch in the town of Llagostera. People were friend and said "Hola" or " Bon Dia" to us. We also saw Southern Magpies with beautiful black and white feathers also thanks to AI. Ending the ride today at the coast and seeing the body of water for the first time was a nice treat.

Brooklyn Bridge - Prospect Park - Lunch at De Hot Pot -Brooklyn Promenade -Iced Cortado at % Arabiaca -Brooklyn Bridge

Non-electric Citi bikes serve as speed bumps on Brooklyn Bridge. Scenic brownstone ride through South Brooklyn. Sandwhiches for lunch at Ends's Meats. Cortado from Tadaima. Sake flight tasting at Kura Brewery. Belt Parkway Greenway ride with neighborhoody ppl along the waterfront. Some pot holes but easily avoided.

Peaceful ride for a peaceful Monday