Day 12 & 13
We woke up at 0430 hours sharp, and were suited up and ready to leave the hotel in very short order. The ferry from
Porto Torres to
Barcelona sails only once a day, and we had been forewarned by IMT Bike to make sure we are physically at the ferry terminal by 6:00 AM for check-in.
Unfortunately neither one of the Alexes had mentioned our early checkout the previous night, as we were riding out of the parking lot we were greeted by a locked gate blocking us in. What's worse, there was no one to be found at the front desk or for that matter anywhere on the premises to get us out.
Thankfully,
alemeno214 did some quick thinking on his feet, and used Google Translator to find the hotel emergency telephone number. After letting the phone ring for a good minute (the groundskeeper was obviously asleep), a very grumpy voice answered in Italian on the other end of the line. Somehow, without understanding what we were yelling in panic, the man eventually figured out from the security cameras to remotely open the automatic gate and let the two Americans go.
We made it to the docks at 0530 hours, with enough time to get coffee, croissants as well as chatting up a group of Spaniards from
Zaragoza. Then it was off to get our tickets and line up for boarding. Fate would have that we ran into our acrobatic friend from
Chile (he is the main attraction high-wire act alas
cirque du soleil, performing for a living on cruise ships) who had arrived on the same ferry as us two weeks ago in
Porto Torres. We traded stories and photos, and it was time to board.
As the return trip was a day time cruise, it felt twice as long since we were awake the whole time. It also didn't help that the entire cruise ship smelled like sweaty feet, I couldn't wait to get off the boat as we docked in
Barcelona at 8:30PM, a full hour behind schedule. We tried calling IMT but they had already left the office for the day, we found our way back to where we had originally picked up the bike and decided to just park the rentals blocking their company garage/driveway for the night.
I said my goodbyes to
alemeno214 since he was leaving later that night, and went back to my hotel to edit some footage. 9 days of actual riding in
Sardinia, here's what it felt like to me:
[YOUTUBE]aXV-gG56byE[/YOUTUBE]
Day 13 was a bonus day which I used to explore the wonderful city of
Barcelona by myself on foot and via the Hop On/Hop Off bus. I was absolutely blown away, touristy without every being over the top, the city had so much to see ~ both the history and the culture were positively overwhelming. The pictures should speak for themselves:
Delicious
Jamón hanging at the supermarket!
Sighted at Plaça de Catalunya, if only we had lightweight exicting toys like these on the tour, instead of the boring GS appliance bikes!!
~I hope y'all had a great time reading this here ride report, enjoy your Winter Holidays and until next time~
arty
I think most guided tours give out a route book and ask that you call if you’re going to be out after the streetlights come on. In that style of tour the O.G. types aren’t an issue and you can ride with the guide if you choose.