Follow your heart Do you ever notice how little we sometimes look into people's eyes? All our information seems to be at our fingertips. But can our smartphones smile back at us, or hold a gaze enough to lift our mood? I've been wanting to create a new heart-route in Barcelona since 2013. At the end of October, my heart finally spoke... The World's Biggest Eye Contact Experiment took place on Saturday 29th October around the world, a beautiful annual event run by The Liberators & Good Vibrations Barcelona. The idea is simple, share 1 minutes eye contact with a total stranger to help regain human connection. I grew up extremely shy, always avoiding eye contact... which is why I went last year to the event. I was a bit nervous at having to stare into a stranger's eyes for 1 whole minute, but the more I did it, the more my confidence increased, convincing me to return again this year. The event was back again in Gracia, one of my favorite neighbourhoods in Barcelona, the perfect place to cycle my heart out! Cycle your heart out... and share 1 minute! Location Gracia, Barcleona If you live in Barcelona you can use their local bike hire scheme called Bicing. I love how much freedom it gives me, and has saved me from going crazy without a bike these last 2 months. If you’re visiting Barcelona there are also plenty of good bike rental shops to choose from. Heart route On the morning of the event I was looking at my map of Barcelona and the route just jumped out at me, it was probably the fastest route I've ever made. I cycle frequently up Passeig de Gracia and Gran Via which I think helped in creating the route. These 2 streets are super wide and I love how bicycle friendly they are. View Heart Route Map Length: 8.22km Cycle your heart out I really love this new route, you get to cycle past all the popular spots of Barcelona, while still making use of the wide bicycle paths. Highlights include Passeig de Gracia, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, Gracia, Placa Del Sol (where the event was) and the Sagrada Família. I love eating in Gracia, one of my favourite spots to eat is Sol Soler in Placa del sol, the same place the Eye experiment was in. I love their Bravas and being able to sit and relax on the terrace. I discovered this rooftop at Royal Hotel with a friend last winter and instantly fell in love with its views. It's the perfect spot to sketch as the heaters keep you nice and warm, while the views of the sea keep you in a state of pure bliss. Spread the love Thank you to Emma Bradford, one of the Co-organisers of Good Vibrations for taking the time to share her thoughts on the event in my video (see below). Emma is also a NLP coach and runs an online Facebook community which offers free guidance and support, to find out more you can visit her website here. I am also grateful to all the people I shared 1 minutes connection with at the event. I really admired one lady who told me she has trouble looking into people's eyes, which was why she came to the event. A big thanks also to my friend Guiu for sharing the event with me for the 2nd year in a row! The song in the video below is called Pillow Talk by Guh, it's been part of my morning playlist for over a year now. Would you like to create your own heart route? Click here for my top tips!
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13/2/2016 0 Comments Cycle Your Heart Out With... Nic!Meet Nic, a Beauty Therapist from EnglandFollow your heart This Valentines day Nic decided to cycle her heart out to follow her artistic dreams! Cycle your heart out... and dream! Location Barcelona, Spain Bike rental: Mondo rent, Barceloneta Heart Route 11km, view heart route Cycle Your Heart Out Highlights: Crying with laughter watching Nic chase her heart (watch the video below to find out more). Riding past many of Barcelona’s main highlights, including Arc de Triomf, Barceloneta Beach and Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia. Sketching our hearts out at the rooftop of the Barcelona history museum at the 1881 Sagardi terrace. Ending the ride at the TedX event all about following your dreams! Watch the video below to find out what Nic ended up sketching! Spread the love Feeling inspire to create a heart route with your friend? Click here to see my top heart making tips! Follow your heart "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” - Dalai Lama I was having coffee the other week in Barcelona with Positive Psychologist Miriam Akhtar. As we discussed the huge topic of happiness and wellness, she mentioned a fantastic UK Wellbeing Organisation called ‘Action for Happiness’. With the inspiring Dalai Lama as their patron, they promote positive social change, bringing together people who want to play a part in creating greater happiness. The more I learnt that only we have the power to control our own happiness, the more I knew a heart shaped route was the answer! Cycle your heart out ... and flourish Location Madrid, Spain Bike rental: Rent and roll (next to Puerta de Alcalá) Heart Route An easy 6.13km traffic free route, view my map on Wikiloc Cycle your heart out Highlights - Cycling through the beautiful Retiro park, past Monumento Alfonso XII , Palacio de Velázquez, Palacio de Cristal, La rosaleda del Retiro, Real Jardín Botánico - Museo Nacional del Prado (walked my bike along Calle de Alcala to avoid traffic!) - Ending the ride at Puerta de Alcalá to drop off my bike & enjoy some tasty carrot cake next door at Vailima cafe - After my heart route I rode along the River to Casa de Campo and enjoyed a nice cold beer with olives at La Bicicleta Restaurant overlooking the lake - I also highly recommend drinks in the centre of Madrid at La Bicicleta cycling cafe, they have the best chai Late! Scroll down to view my photos and watch my video of the route. Spread the love Grateful to: - Miguel at Rent & Roll & Lucas for pointing out all the best cycle paths & sights to see! - Positive Psychologist Miriam Akhtar for telling me about the beautiful Action For Happiness initiative! If you have been inspired by this post and fancy having a go at creating your own heart shaped bicycle route, check out my 5 step video guide here! Follow your heart Listening to your intuition is the main key to guiding you along your heart route. Last summer after a breakup I decided to cycle my heart out somewhere I've always longed to visit, and embrace change. Cycle your heart out and embrace change! Location Formentera, a Spanish island next to Ibiza in Spain Travel : I took a ferry with Baleria from Barcelona to Ibiza, at one point 2 dolphins even danced alongside me. To get to Formentera I took a peaceful boat ride from Es Canar in Ibiza. Bike Hire: Moto Rent Mitjorn check out this link for information on bike hire. Accommodation: Camping La Playa in Es Canar, Ibiza, a beautiful campsite that even have teepee's for you to sleep in! The Heart Route After picking up my bike and map I had around 6 hours to make my heart route before my boat left. After studying my map and asking a few friendly locals for the best bike paths, my 11.14km heart route came to life! I took time along my route to simply live in the moment... noticing the colour of the sky, the sound of the waves, the feeling of the wind on my face. Every time my mind wandered I would bring it back to my breath, and the feeling on my upper lip as I breathed in and out. After I left Formentera I took a boat to Santa Eulalia in Ibiza and discovered the amazing Passion Cafe. The cafe is full of beautiful quotes and healthy food, it was the perfect way to end my heart route. Back at my campsite I discovered there was also a Yoga festival going on so enjoyed the next few days of my holiday meeting some beautiful souls! Spread the love The most important part of your heart route is to remember all the beautiful people who made your route possible. - My friend Guiu for his helpful Formentera map tips - The friendly man in the cafe who advised me on the best bike paths & beaches - The mystery cyclist who helped me when I got lost on my route - All the lovely ladies I met at the Camping La Playa campsite for believing in my project - To learn more about mindfulness and cycling check out this great link here for 5 tips. Are you craving for some change in your life? Would you like to create your own heart route? Click here for my top tips! Remember your heart routes don't need to be perfect, because neither is life, just try your best and follow your heart. Follow your heart On Sunday me and Mirian from Quiroyogasatori decided to help spread the love on International Women’s Day with a heart shaped ride! Location Barcelona, Spain Heart Route A 7.81 mile route which I actually created back in 2013! click here to view the map Cycle Your Heart Out The ride took us on a relaxing journey past many of Barcelona’s main highlights, including Arc de Triomf, Barceloneta Beach and Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia. The best part of the ride however was keeping a look out for women to surprise! Spread the love To help spread the love, Mirian a masseuse and yoga teacher from Quiroyogasatori gave out free massage vouchers to the women, "I want to say thanks and be thankful to all the working women who are bringing happiness to others with a simple smile". I thought it would be a lovely idea to also give them my 'Cycle Your Heart Out in Barcelona' book of my sketches from the route. Thank you so much also to everyone that came along and cycled their hearts out! 11/2/2015 0 Comments Cycle Your Heart Out in Seville!Follow your heart
It’s been nearly 4 years since I started creating heart shaped bicycle routes around the world. After my Barcelona route back in 2013, I have been itching to complete another route in Spain... and I'm really excited to reveal to you heart number 13! Location Seville Heart route When I started plotting my heart route I knew It would be super easy since Seville was recently voted in the Guardian as the cycling capital of Southern Europe! I downloaded a map of Seville from Seville Traveler and had fun plotting out a nice small 4km traffic free heart route around Plaza de España and Parque de María Luisa. The stunning Cathedral and Alcázar are also only a short cycle away from the route. Cycle your heart out After renting our bikes with friendly bike company See by Bike near the Museo Taurino, Justo was very helpful in giving us a map and pointing out all the great cycle lanes around the city. Feeling super excited at this point, me and my friend headed off along the river to the Palace De San Telmo for the start of the heart route. I turned on the Wikiloc Gps bike tracker and we were off! Check out my gallery below! If you would like to create your own heart route click here for my top tips! |
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