Bikes and Vineyards: {A Day in the Penedes Region}

{Happy Memorial Day! I hope you're enjoying a relaxing day with friends and family. I'm honoring our veterans by working, so you all can buy lovely natural groceries for your cookouts! And since I'm working today, I thought I'd go ahead an use my lunch break to finish telling you about our time in Spain. Can I go back there already?}

We decided to splurge on one special "excursion" during our time in Barcelona, and after some online research, we narrowed it down to the Routes and Tastings tour from Spanish Trails. We love riding bikes, we love drinking wine, and we love getting off the beaten path while traveling. This tour did a fantastic job covering all three of our loves, and was the most memorable part of our trip!

We started the day by taking a commuter train to a small village about an hour outside of the city, where we met our guide, Albert. After a quick ride in his van, we got to our starting point and pulled out the bikes. The route is planned so that most of the riding is downhill, or on flat terrain, which was good for us. We love riding around Chicago, but it's super flat here and so easy to cruise. From there we rode through some of the most lovely areas, soaking up the beautiful scenery. I had to keep reminding myself to watch where I was biking, because I was getting too distracted by the setting!

Really loving life right about now...

After touring two cava wineries, we settled down for a casual and delicious Spanish lunch. There was nicely aged cheese and some mind blowing cured meat, plus the "tomato bread" that is so popular in this area. The tortilla was homemade and pretty much perfect. The best part of lunch was the setting (in the caves below the winery) and the company (our Spanish guide and his sister who works at the winery). The setting was so unique and far from home, and our hosts were so gracious and interesting to talk to. By the end of lunch we were stuffed full, tipsy from the wonderful wine, and beyond satisfied with our little day trip.



Thank you Albert for a fantastic experience!

If you are ever headed to Barcelona and want to know more, just email me. And take me with you. Seriously, I need to go back ASAP! Have you done any memorable travel experiences like this?