After my laps around Barça's Spotify Camp stadium on Monday, I went on an urban run through the city, close to what I did in 2018 except for the infamous commercial harbor that I had kept such a bad memory about when trying to run along or around it.
When you look at a map of Barcelona, you can't miss that diagonal which looks like a great place to log a few miles. I had forgotten how busy this main artery is, not just cars and buses, but also pedestrians and bikes. And, then, the countless intersections with busy streets themselves. I have to admit I was blown away by the discipline of the pedestrians, patiently waiting for the green light at each crossing. And confess that I ran a few (pedestrian) red lights as the stop-and-go mode would have taken me a while otherwise.
I left the Avingunda Diagonal for a few blocks, making a detour to admire the Sagrada Familia. I was so excited to finally see it finished but, first, there was still one huge crane above and, second, it was dark already and the cathedral was closed. As a matter of fact, it seems like you have to book in advance for a visit.
As in many other places, the weather was unusually warm, even for Barcelona, with many people dining outside, on the sidewalks. Despite the evening hours, there were so many runners along the beach, and a few fast ones: what a healthy city!
Overall, a nice 15-mile tour of the city, almost like my 2018 run but the ugly industrial harbor. Here is a Relive.cc flyover with a few pictures (Sagrada Familia, Torre Glories designed by French architect, Jean Novel, and the Torre Telefonica at Diagonal 00, marking the end or beginning of Diagonal, which has been extended to connect with the shoreline).
Superb and healthy Barcelona!
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