So Katie had the brilliant idea to jump on the  Montevideo bandwagon and buy some rollerblades. We have this beautiful Rambla and see the roller gangs all the time. It looks like a fabulous workout and fun!

Our friend Mariel has a neighbor who is super into the sport. He is a part of a roller gang that meets every evening at six. Naturally, I figured he would be a wealth of information. We talked for a good 20 minutes about wheel size, boot material, proper protection, and the fundamentals of rollerblading. It was a bit overwhelming. Whatever happened to the easy inline skates of my youth?!

Armed with knowledge and optimism, Katie and I headed to MVD Sport. As we walked in the door, we immediately saw the display of rollerblades. That was it! Our inner children came out to play and we harassed the poor saleswoman about sizes and colors and helmets! So I am now the proud owner of some kick-ass retro looking rollerblades.

I shall call them Cindy and Lauper.

Well, of course we had to try them out that night…here is the result.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlrXbr7xAoIVideo

Well, I kind of fell twice and have bruises all over my body.

Brings me back to my softball days.

The Rambla is not a paved surface and every little bump sends you flailing for your life. Not to mention we were the dumb asses who though rolling down the hill from my apartment was going to be a good idea. That being said, it was fun! And we did meet some cool fellow rollerblading peeps. We also ran into our friend

Mariel who is training for a marathon so we rolled beside her while she ran. I think with some practice and some more advice from my new friend Pablo, I’ll be rollin’ with the homies like a champ!