Take a Segway Glide Through Barcelona

I was slightly nervous about gliding a Segway through the narrow, cobbled streets of Barcelona. But, these dogs were barking from traipsing through the roads of London and I was happy to not be hoofing it for the next few hours, instead we were riding in luxury with Barcelona Segway Glides. Ok, maybe not luxury. But, at least I wasn’t walking.

The Segway is a self-balancing, electric-powered transportation. Sounds dangerous.

We met our trusty and very patient guide, Edgar, at Plaça Sant Jaume. And our 2 1/2 hour tour began.
 

It all started with a 30 minute training session, to make sure pedestrians and ourselves were safe. Good idea.

Lean forward, go forward. Lean back, go back. Throttle left and right. Okay, I’m ready, let’s go.

Learning to ride this two-wheeler was fairly simple, weaving in and out of the small streets of the Gothic Quarter proved to be a bit more challenging. For me.

But, no pedestrians or puppies were run over. Phew.

We made a quick stop for a history lesson of the Roman Tower, a round tower that was used to defend the Eastern part of the roman wall of Barcino.

Edgar was a wealth of information about Barcelona history, worthy attractions and even the best tapas in town.

Enough history, lets keep gliding.
 

We headed towards Barceloneta, the beach neighborhood in Ciutat Vella. As we waited at the crosswalk for a green light we noticed words painted on the street.

It translates to “In Barcelona 1 out of 3 dead people in traffic accidents was walking. Warning! All of us are pedestrian.”

That’s not scary at all. Nope. Not at all. Tell that to my shaky hands.
 

We hit a large sidewalk, the open road so to speak, yearning to be taken advantage of with the speed of my device.

Unfortunately, there are Segway rules and regulations that prohibit cruising at high speeds. I may have broken the law. Once.

We continued the trek through Barceloneta and the 197 foot Christopher Columbus statue pointed the way. Can’t really miss him.

Hoards of tourists hovered around the Nao Victoria replica which reminded me that there were other modes of transportation if so desired.

This replica sailed around the world, a journey of 26,000 miles. It needs a well deserved rest. Continue gliding.

There was some concern that we would look like a herd of dorks Segwaying through the streets, but in reality, other people were jealous. Their dogs must be barking too.

We made it safely to the beach which features unique structures, Spanish restaurants and uber-sexy W hotel.

 

One of the most striking structures was the Frank Owen Gehry’s shimmering Gold Fish (Peix) in front of Hotel Arts which was built for the 1992 Olympics.

It didn’t really look like a fish upon first glance, but from a different angle the curvature of the tail and fins were evident.

After a couple of hours, and an overload of Catalonia facts whirling through my brain, we headed back to our starting point.

I was sad to have to return my new rolling limbs, but happy that I chose to see the Barceloneta on wheels. Saved me a blister. 

Note: Segwaying through Barcelona…priceless. But, it reallys costs €60.

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Disclosure: My segway ride was complimentary from Barcelona Segway Glides, but all the words I write come straight from my, sometimes distorted, mind. Just as it should be.