The January’s hill is lighter by bicycle

January 8th, 2019

The returning to the routine with some more kilos and less money could be very hard, because of that, the bicycle can be much more helpful than you think.

Photo by Kaique Rocha in pexels.com

This week a lot of people are returning to work, so it will be difficult to avoid the early mornings, the hurry and the work updates. In addition, if everything has gone as it should be these last dates, you have surely gained some weight, at the same time, our pockets and wallets have lost some volume.

So that’s our suggestion: put a bicycle in your life.

When you start to pedal to work every morning you will notice that you aren’t sleepy very quickly. You will avoid traffic jams and you will feel better physically, something that will help your mind to keep a high level during all day.

In addition, the bicycle will help you to burn these extra kilos which Christmas’ nougats have gifted you and without wasting money and saving us up the gym.

Have you been convinced? Be up for the #ToWorkByBike club, everything are benefits for you and your city.

#HappyNewYear pedaling!

December 31st, 2018

In this very especial date, we just want to wish you a happy new year 2019.

We wish you to achieve all your challenges with the same strength that we use to keep us pedaling.

In just five days we are going to finish the year, have you achieved all your challenges?

December 27th, 2018

We usually think about our objectives when we start the year, but it could be so much easier if you do that at the end of this year.

Photo by Gerd Altmann in Pixabay

Try to search in your memory, for sure that you can remember some of the challenges from last year, he ones you have not achieved yet. This week could be your last chance.

Trying to do that with a clear deadline and with the motivation of the good vibes of these dates, could be the best way to achieve these objectives once and for all.

This sprint could be, also, a warm-up exercise in order to keep you pedaling for your objectives constantly during your next year.

Try it! Close your year crossing out your objectives, this is a revitalizing way for starting the new year.

The Christmas’ holidays are closer, do you know how to take the maximum advantages of them?

13th December, 2018

Guides, blogs, social networks… They are huge sources of information which will help you to get inspired this Christmas.

Photo by StockSnap from Pixabay

If Christmas is a good time to spend with the family, we are sure that you can find some free time to relax yourselves and digest the big meals.

You can organize bicycle tours with the family and friends during the non-official vacation days, it could be a great opportunity to get to know closer places that, during our daily routine, we have no time to discover and enjoy.

In order to organize a route which adapts to you, there are thousands of resources in just over two clicks away. Blogs, guides, key #hashtags (tags) in the social networks… all of them are going to help you to discover up to the last corner of the places that, maybe, you think you already know.

This vacation you shouldn’t leave your bicycle at home. Digest the nougats pedaling, you will see how good it feels.

And if you need help planning your route… you know where to find us.

Barcelona will fill up with light

November 21st, 2018

Photo by Tim Mossholder

This 22^nd of November Barcelona will release the Christmas of this 2018 by the illumination of its streets. This year, the performance will be situated in rambla de Guipúscoa with Julián Besteiro street, in the neighborhood of Sant Martí.

It is not necessary to be very observant in order to realize that the shop windows are full of Christmas’ decoration. But among all this adornment, which tries to make us shopping compulsively, in the same city, we can also find some of the tradition of this celebration. An example is the illumination of the streets, which will arrive together with an official act from the city hall and a performance by the Efímer company.

And if the last year this illumination started at the city center, in Les Rambles, as a symbolism of the solidarity with the victims of the 17th of August attack, this year it’s being situated in the neighborhood of Sant Martí, in the crossroad of rambla de Guipúscoa with Julián Besteiro street. A neighborhood where, during these last years, the city hall has been working in order to transform it in a nicest place, with more green and pedestrian zones and, of course, with more kilometers of bike lane.

Take advantage of this season and ride your bicycle through the illuminated streets of Barcelona.

Returning to the routine of Barcelona, but by bicycle and with a smile

January 10th, 2018

Photo by Engin Akyurt

If, some days ago, we were elaborating a never-ending good intentions list for the new year, surely, with the return to the routine, this list becomes a hill. But don’t give up hope, here you have some tips, in order to don’t throw in the towel.

Achieve our good intentions list is not an easy work. We want to formulate 3 questions, which will help you to reach your goals.

Are your intentions specific enough?

Preparing another sublist with the specific and definite tasks, which we have to achieve in order to reach our goals, will help us to see our way easily.

Do you have deadline?

365 days are a too many days. If we delimit a clear date to every one of our task in our new calendar, we will be able to review all our progresses.

Are these intentions realistic?

The goals, the task and the deadline. Only us are conscious about our limits, but sometimes we err being too much optimistic. If you demand too much of yourself, it is possible that you feel overwhelmed, so, if you have too many intentions, leave some of them for the next year, you have all life for doing that!

Some of the intentions that we think you cannot miss in your list for this new year are:

Going by bicycle to work, in order to improve your environment.
Practicing the ecotourism during your next trips.
Getting fit without wasting money or time (ok, this intention is the same that the first one…) ;P

For this new year, we wish that you achieve all the goals that you have decided.

Dear Three Wise Men…

January 3rd, 2018

After Christmas Day and the New Year’s Eve, there is another important moment of these days: the arriving of the Three Wise Men. What are you going to wish for? We will explain how to contact with them here.

If you are one of the persons who has been doing things in an unlimited way these last days –eating non stop, visiting your family and playing games with the kids-, surely, the first thing you will wish for is some outdoor activities.

These days Barcelona is full of activities referring to the Three Wise Men, because the people can walk through its streets and enjoy the last days of Christmas. The Three Kings’ toy factory will be active until the 4^th of January at the “Fabra i Coats – Fàbrica de Creació” facilities. Do you know anything about this place? It is a spectacular industrial building in the district of Sant Andreu, which has been remodeled to become a place full of activities, where different businesses and projects live together. Take advantage of this event to leave the center and discover a bit more of this city. In addition, you will enjoy a tour full of magic and you will see how the letters to the Three Wise Men are transformed into presents.

You can also deliver your wish list to the helpers of the Three Wise Men, Estel and Omar, who are at Plaça Catalunya from Tuesday to Thursday, in order to assist the Three Wise Men with their work.

And, certainly, you shouldn’t miss the Three Wise Men’s parade of the 5^th o January, which will start at 6 p.m. You can follow the planned trajectory or you can wait for their arrival at one of these points:

6 p.m. Av. Marquès de l’Argentera

6.10 p.m. Pla de Palau

6.25 p.m. Via Laietana

7 p.m. Pl. Urquinaona

7.05 p.m. Fontanella

7.10 p.m. Pl. Catalunya

7.25 p.m. Pl. Universitat

7.35 p.m. Rda. Sant Antoni

7.45 p.m. Sepúlveda

8.25 p.m. Paral·lel

8.35 p.m Pl. Espanya

8.45 p.m Av. Reina Maria Cristina

Remember to include non-sexist presents in your list, for example… a bicycle 😉

The future of Christmas is already present in Barcelona

20 de desembre de 2017

The end of the year is closer and with that our reflections about Christmas in Barcelona, pedaling our bicycles, increase.

You can contact with the Three Wise Man by email. Girls can order race cars and boys can order kids’ play kitchens. An original present is the one which is related to sustainability, education… There are a lot of examples about what we can find nowadays at Christmas, which shows that we are making progresses for a more equal and sustainable future.

In Barcelona, we are maintaining the tradition, but we also make aware about that, because this is not based on consumerism nor discrimination. So, in order to don’t miss this tradition, it is important to maintain the basic values, either at Christmas, at Carnival or Halloween.

So, we couldn’t avoid to do that, we have related a good Christmas with a bicycle.

The bicycle is for everyone, without regard gender or economic level, because we can find it with a very affordable price. It can be adapted to any situation easily. It is completely sustainable, it doesn’t contaminate or waste. And the energy that moves it is ourselves.

If you are agreed with these values, make the exercise of comparing your Christmas with your bicycle, what else do you want for your celebrations?

Are you worried about the best present for this Christmas? Look for it at the Christmas streets markets of Barcelona

December 14th, 2017

As every year, during these days, Barcelona is full of Christmas activities for everybody. One of the most important ones is the Christmas streets markets for their tradition, culture, proximity and sustainability. Discover the most popular ones and the alternatives too.

Photo by Gerhard Gellinger

If during these days you are in Barcelona, you shouldn’t miss these Christmas streets markets:

Santa Llúcia Market

One of the most important markets. Situated at the Catedral Avenue, this market, with a religious tradition, is where you will find all kinds of Christmas products, in addition to the Christmas trees and different gastronomic products.

Sagrada Família Christmas’s Market

With an enviable view towards the Sagrada Família, this market has all the traditional products of Christmas. So, you shouldn’t miss it!

III Market of Responsible Consumption and Social and Solidary Economy

Younger than the other two markets, this one has the innovative element of responsible consumption and social and solidary economy. If during Christmas we feel the solidary spirit, it doesn’t necessarily wake up every time we buy our presents. So, you know, go to the Plaça Catalunya and get new ideas and enjoy the other activities organized at this place.

Lost & Found Market

And within our selection of alternative markets, we want to highlight this second hand one. Situated at the Estació de França, this is one of the shortest lasting ones, because it is only celebrated the 16^th and the 17^th of December. You shouldn’t miss this opportunity because it’s absolutely certain that you will find a good and original present here.

Christmas lights for paying tribute to the victims of the attack in Barcelona

November 21st, 2017

This year, 2017, the Christmas lights take on a new meaning. The City Hall of Barcelona has decided that this illumination will start on the 23^rd of November at 7 p.m. in a very specific place, La Rambla de Santa Mònica.

Photo by Rang Oza

If, until now, the Christmas lights disguised the beginning of the campaign of these dates, this time, they will be used in order to pay tribute to the victims of the 17^th of August attack. In addition, they pretend to pay homage to the Rambla’s shopkeepers in gratitude for their responses and for their generosity.

For this reason, this year, the illumination will include the dove of peace, symbolizing what represents the day of the attack and the next days, when the people of Barcelona and a lot of other people return to open the Ramblas with the motto of “No tenim por” -We are not afraid-.

Remember, if you want to participate in this act of solidarity, go to the Rambla Santa Mònica on the 23^rd of November at 7 p.m.

The final stages: pedaling through Barcelona with the Three Wise Men

January 3rd, 2017

The 5^th of January the Three Wise Men arrive in Barcelona and with them the Christmas days will finalize, so, take advantage of the last activities of the city.

The 5^th of January at 6 p.m. the Three Wise Men’s parade will start out from the Avinguda Marquès de l’Argentera and will go up through Via Laietana. It will cross the center of Barcelona and will continue through Sepúlveda street to Plaça Espanya, and it will finish at the Avinguda Maria Cristina at 8:45 p.m. If you want to get yourself ahead to one of these points, remember that the best means of transport to avoid the crowds of this day is the bicycle.

Although, if you are a foresighted person and you want to deliver your letter to the Three Wise Men before anyone else, from the 2^nd to the 4^th of January at the Plaça Catalunya, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m, the page Estel, and from 4 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. the page Omar, are the ones in charge of collecting the letters of kids and adults, advancing the work of the Three Wise Men.

Before writing your letter, remember some of the intentions for this New Year and ask for sustainable and non-sexist presents. In Barcelona, there are a lot of sustainable consumption fairs with original and proximity products.

And, if you don’t know what you could ask for, remember that the bicycle is a great present for now and for the future.

New Year and a healthy life: our list of intentions for this 2017 with which you will not be able to stop pedaling

December 28th, 2016

If you still don’t have your list of intentions for this New Year, from BornBike Tours we are going to suggest some key points to improve your health and your environment.

Go to work by bicycle in order to improve the environment

We know that. This point has appeared in our blog a lot of times. But, the daily bike displacements in Barcelona continue being a 2% in comparison with the other modalities (car, motorbike or walking) and, although during the last 10 years these displacements have been multiplied 4 times, there is still a long way to go with regard to pedaling.

Moving around by bike with intern displacements through the city, as well as when we go to work, is the key to improve our health and reduce the pollution and the bad mood.

Responsible and sustainable trips, the best ecotourism

Ok, yes, again nothing new. But, did you achieve this intention last year? Because if you have done it, forgetting it now is not right. Share your experience this year and you’ll be sure to go on your trip accompanied.

Remember, the best tourism is the one you do together with locals.

Keeping fit without losing money or time

This is for when you have finished the Christmas holidays. Although the gym is always a basic point in our lists, when we return to the daily reality, we forget it due all the expenses and the little free time. So, we can always take advantage of our daily displacements and take our bike, not only for going to work, we can use it for taking the kids to school or for going shopping and so on. You will enjoy the fresh air, which you cannot breathe in the public transport or in the car. You will share the public space with your neighbors, something very important for feeling integrated in the city. And, at the same time, you will lose the extra kilos gained on Christmas.

Now you know that, if you don’t have a bike for starting the new year, don’t forget to ask the Three Wise Men for one!

Christmas in Barcelona arrives in November

November 22nd, 2016

Photo by Maria Rosa Ferre

A lot of activities and expositions with a Christmas theme is already available in the main squares of the city. If you feel like enjoying these dates, in Barcelona this is possible.

Street markets and great mangers are already set up as of the 25^th of November.

From the traditional Santa Lucia fair around the Cathedral, to the curious poetic manger in the Sant Jaume Square are some of the activities which are already available to enjoy while taking a walk through streets of the center of the city. In addition, streets are already filled of Christmas lights.

Although for the most critical people, this can be a call to start with the consumerism before time, we have to mention that in addition to these events, the City Hall has also started its campaign to promote the sustainable consumption, purchases in little stores, and the purchase of non-sexist toys. An initiative that, for us, is basic.

Enjoy Christmas walking through the most beautiful streets of Barcelona and having fun in its street markets and mangers. And (in order to give you an idea) if we are looking for a non-sexist and sustainable present, which respects the environment… ¿what about pedaling through Barcelona?

Some suggestions so as not to get so fed up with Christmas

Photo by Nikola Jelenkovic

After weeks of suffering talking about how close the Christmas days are, with the advertisement, with all the nougat candy which won’t arrive on the night of the 24^thnight, with the indiscriminate present shopping, with the surprising number of invisible Santas that we have…finally we definitively arrive at the point of being two weeks away from the Christmas festivity with a significant overindulge.

In order to avoid this overindulge, from BornBike, we want to present you with some different suggestions for enjoying this Christmas. And, with this winter of short sleeves in Barcelona, all the suggestions will be related to the outdoors.

Take a walk through the activities of the city

As we have explained during the last weeks, this year Barcelona is betting on a series of supportive and fair trade activities, which look for an alternative Christmas. If you are looking for getting away from consumption these days, you can enjoy the fairs, activities and performances distributed throughout all the districts of the city. This week: International Chess Tourney in Horta-Guinardó, a photographic and interactive Manger in Sant Andreu Nord, dynamic and educational activities at different schools of the city as of the 24^th and the Christmas Fairground at the Joanic Square, in addition to all the performances and activities which are being carried out at the different fairs of the districts.

Ride your bicycle through the gardens and parks

Take the bike and take a ride that, apart from avoiding the boring Christmas films of all the afternoons, will help you to digest the big meals and to enjoy the fresh air. In addition, in a lot of parks you will also find fairs and activities. Even though, if you are trying to avoid that, you can always go to enjoy the roads of Collserola. We have told you about them many times.

Get down to the beach with your bicycle

Inaugurating winter, what is more original than riding your bike around the beach? Furthermore, this year’s temperatures and physical exercise will allow us to almost wear short sleeves. Of course, this is a great way to escape from Christmas, if this is what we really need.

So, there are no excuses! So, whether or not the Christmas spirit is accompanying you, don’t stay at home and take advantage of these holidays days!

A different Christmas in Barcelona

As we have announced last week, we will inform you about the different activities which will be carried out in the city during the next Christmas’ weeks. This week it’s the turn for the Fira de Consum Responsable (Responsible Consumption Fair) at Catalunya Square.

This year, the center of the city has become a place of reflection and change, but, of course, enjoying games, activities and performances related to Christmas to the maximum.

The Responsible Consumption Fair, which will start this Saturday, 19^th of December, and which will be prolonged to the next 4^th of January, is the best example. With the objective of making public a lot of companies and associations which work within a supportive and social economy, everyone who gets there will be invited to participate in their activities (in the mornings and in the afternoons) and to buy a Christmas present, because, which is a better present than the one that collaborates with a fairer society?

Again, we want to remind you, that from BornBike we want to strengthen this kind of local market and work in favor of citizens and visitors living together and getting acquainted at places like that, promoting, at the same time, a kind of ecotourism which favors everyone.

We are convinced that we will take our bike and we will go and see what is going on at the Catalunya Square. Will you come with us?

With Christmas days so close, Barcelona bets on supportive and responsible consumption activities

Let’s have a look at the coming activities to be celebrated in the centre of the city, such as the Altaveu per a la Cohesió Social (the Loudspeaker for the Social Cohesion) at the underground lobby at the Universitat Square.

Photography by Kate Zaidova

If, during these last years, Christmas has been the reflection of a society who lives a model of consumption and excess, this year it seems that Barcelona wants to make the population aware of the necessity of a more supportive and sustainable model through the activities organized during this festivity.

As bicycle lovers, because of this being an example of sustainability, ecotourism and effort and self-improvement capacity, we want to do our bit to help this initiative add efforts to promote this kind of activities and talking about them these next weeks.

So we will start emphasizing that this Friday, 11^th of December, La Fàbrica del Sol and Eduxarxa has organized a number of activities at the lobby of the Universitat Square underground, all of them aimed at promoting the good neighbourliness, under the name of the Altaveu per a la Cohesió Social (the Loudspeaker for the Social Cohesion).

If you are from Barcelona, you should take your bicycle and go there to participate in the great Scrabble with supportive words and enjoy the Planet Impro performance. And if you are not from Barcelona, but you are around here these days, also come by bicycle to get some ideas for your city.

Let’s all together achieve a more supportive and sustainable Christmas.

Born Bike Tours Barcelona

Bike tours & bike rental in Barcelona

Tag Archives: Christmas