Balancing Act
Two wheels are definitely good in Barcelona, better still if they belong to a Segway. This nifty personal transporter is the perfect eco-friendly, sweat-free way to see the city
Featured July 08Two wheels are definitely good in Barcelona, better still if they belong to a Segway. This nifty personal transporter is the perfect eco-friendly, sweat-free way to see the city
WORDS BY PAUL MURPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CIARAN GRIFFIN
IN THE OPTIMISTIC DAYS OF THE 1960S, WE WERE TOLD THAT IN THE FUTURE, PEOPLE WOULDN'T WALK ON THE STREETS OR USE OLD FASHIONED MOTOR CARS, instead they would have personal transportation devices, which would glide along effortlessly. The future is right here, right now, in Barcelona, and it is called Segway.
The Segway was created in 2001 by Dean Kamen, a maverick American inventor said to be the Willy Wonka of the mobility world. And just like Willy Wonka, the Segway stands out in a crowd. Barcelona, of course, is no stranger to futuristic, controversial, eccentric designs, but here in Europe's style capital I can't help but feel that the Segway-which looks like a sawn-off scooter with oversized wheels-is maybe a little geeky. I go to step on but, as if it is reading my thoughts, an angry red face glares back at me from its console. "Machine say no," laughs Edgar, the Segway tour guide and instructor. "It's charging up-just wait a couple of minutes and it will know all about you!"
"A Segway is very easy to use," reassures Edgar. "Just do the same things as you do walking naturally; lean slightly forward and the Segway moves forward, lean back and it slows down. It's simple!" Unconvinced, I step gingerly on and, hey presto, it responds smoothly to my movements. A series of gyroscopic sensors picks up the slightest tilting of the device, which indicates a departure from perfect balance. This then transfers to the wheels so you are always catching up with your centre of gravity. Just like a Weeble: you can wobble, but, unless you're seriously uncoordinated, you won't fall down. The best thing is that not only do they cover flat terrain perfectly well, they're also adept at handling inclines. "Watch this," says Edgar, rolling backwards uphill. "The only thing you might get wrong at first, as it is not a natural body movement, is twisting the steering grip the wrong way." And so, in a tranquil plaça, in front of what is apparently the oldest church in Barcelona (Edgar is full of cultural information), our group of Easy Riders test their ability to turn izquierda and derecha, and to go forwards and backwards while remaining upright. A couple of bemused tourists wander through the square, staring at these strange goings-on.
We set off down one of the city's typical dark, narrow alleyways, washing and Catalan flags hanging high above us. One of the group twists their grip the wrong way and careers towards the wall; "Keep to the centre," shouts Edgar reproachfully. "When I started my tours three years ago, we used to go through the heart of the old town, the Barrio Gòtic, but now it is so crowded that it's impossible." Instead, we duck through another couple of squares, down a couple of narrow alleys. Ahead is a giant smiley lobster (pictured left) and beyond that a giant Roy Lichtenstein sculpture called Face of Barcelona (pictured overleaf). By now, we're all getting the hang of turning and, as Edgar promised, moving forwards and backwards is a breeze. It's a warm May day and already the waterfront is full: beautiful, young local things jogging and strolling, old boys playing dominoes, visitors watching a South American band in front of a yacht harbour full of rich boys' toys. Edgar tells us he even saw Woody Allen and Scarlett Johansson here recently shooting Vicky Cristina Barcelona (out in September). Beforehand, I thought I might look like a nerd riding a Segway in such fashionable company, but actually I feel pretty exalted, and the extra 20cm of height that the Segway gives doesn't hinder any kind of superiority complex.
We scoot on, past the Wounded Star artwork (three rusty garden sheds perched on top of each other) before stopping to watch the shooting of one of Barcelona's favourite TV soap operas-the scene we witness consists mainly of hirsute hunk and sultry bimbo canoodling on the promenade. During a break, a cameraman sidles over to Edgar and compliments his Segway.
Our group makes a quick pit stop in front of the Olympic Port's twin skyscrapers-the Mapfre Tower and Hotel Arts Barcelona, built for the Olympic Games in 1992. "People thought it was unfinished because the outside is covered in scaffolding," smiles Edgar. "They didn't realise it was part of the design. "And what's this strangely shaped roof next to it?" someone asks. "It's a fish from this angle," Edgar replies, then moves forward a little "and a Conquistador's helmet from here; 1992 was also the 500th anniversary of Colombus you know."
An ancient cyclist in bright lycra and crazy-eye sunglasses pulls up to us and asks about the Segway. He's in his mid-80s and cycles every day-the day he stops, he'll drop dead, he proudly tells us. He asks how fast this strange machine goes and seems decidedly unimpressed when Edgar tells him that, although it has a top speed of 20kph, the town council restricts him to 13kph. "Por qué?" asks the old man and Edgar explains that it is because (according to Barcelona's council) Segways fall into the same classification as motorised bikes. Never mind that they produce zero carbon emissions, almost zero noise and have never hurt a single person in the city, unlike some of the homicidal cyclists here-present company excepted, the old chap is assured.
We cut back inland, through the elegant leafy Parc de la Ciutadella, with Edgar again reciting facts about the city's history: how this was once the home of the hated Bourbon Castle (hence its name); how every child in Barcelona comes to have their picture taken in front of the life-size, 100-year old statue of a mammoth; and how Snowflake- Barcelona Zoo's famous albino gorilla (recently deceased)-was the model for Peter Jackson's King Kong…
As our machines glide to a halt, we compare notes on the Segway experience. "We loved it," coo a Scandinavian couple. "We want to take it home, but sadly they are not licensed in our country." "Mine neither," I commiserate; Great Britain has yet to follow the Segway trend.
Maybe we need a spokesperson to tell people to get out of their cars and on to their Segways. Until then, you'll have to come to Barcelona.
Segway tours are run by Barcelona Glides, (Tel. +34 932 689 536/34 678 777 371; www.spainglides.com). Tours cost €60 and last two and a half hours.
Wheelie Good
If you're keen to hop on two wheels in other easyJet destinations, Segway tours also run in Madrid (www.madsegs.com) and Paris, Budapest and Vienna (www.citysegwaytours.com).
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