Girona on Sunday

April 14.

Breakfast at the hotel: the food was plentiful and tasty, although the coffee was a bit lackluster. Still, it was all nicely laid out -- we thought placing the plates directly below the food was efficient and also a good way to keep them clean. Tres cool!

juices, fresh fruit, cheeses and hot food

pastries, lots of bread, and coffee machines

Off to explore the city we made our way back across the river and into the heart of the old city heading for the Girona Cathedral. The cathedral is visible from pretty much everywhere in town so finding it wasn't a problem. However, we got sidetracked by the lovely streets and found ourselves skirting around the cathedral walking through various gardens, climbing stairs and ending up on a portion of the medieval walls. But still unable to get to church.

along the old walls

we could see it but we couldn't get to it from where we stood

Susie stuck on the walls

But we were comforted by the fact we couldn't get lost and just kept circling round till at long last we came to our objective for the day: the cathedral of Girona. For all you nave aficionados, you'll be pleased to know that this church has the widest Gothic nave in the world and the second widest nave of any church, after that of St. Peter's in Rome. 

view of the other major church, from the steps of the cathedral

looking down the steps with the cathedral entrance to our back

Paying our entry fee we slid inside leaving the warm sunshine for the cool darkness of church. We were greeted by four models depicting the development of the church beginning with its founding as part of the Roman city in the 2nd century AD through the 11th century to its present configuration.

We strolled past the numerous chapels while I was always keeping one eye to the floor -- the ledger stones were remarkable but unfortunately nearly all of them seriously worn away.

chapel of St. John the Baptist

tomb of Cardinal Beranguer de Anglesola 

a rare ledger stone that can be easily read since it's only 200 years old

no signage but he must have been important

We then left the nave and walked out into the cloisters. More ledger stones here as well as numerous small sarcophagi and memorial plaques on the walls.

Back inside we popped into the chapel of Hope.

an unnamed cleric just turning over

Leaving the church we walked down the main steps and made our way into one of the narrow streets dotted with shops and the occasional eatery. 

I should add that what you're seeing from this vantage point dates back more than 2000 years. There were stairs here as well as a temple at the very top where the church now stands. Just thought you'd like to know.

you'll be happy to know that HBO filmed several scenes for its series Game of Thrones here

Once back to the river level we made our way to one of the main streets, in fact one we had explored the previous evening, and settled in the shade at the Hygge Cafe for a glass of cool Catalonian wine.

Eventually we lost the shade and since our glasses were empty we paid and left. Making our way back to the hotel, Susie caught sight of a restaurant she thought might be worth considering for dinner. Located in another hotel but just a block or so from our place, a quick glance at the menu and checking inside to see if we needed reservations (no), we said yes, let's give it a try. 

In the meantime it was time to get caught up on being footloose and fancy free at the hotel until our evening stroll, what the Italians always called the passegiata.

Back out in the evening we made our way over to Plaça de la Independencia, and strolled along checking out the occasional interesting shop. One in particular caught our eye, a shop that focused solely on Ecuadoran chocolate, bringing to mind Patricia's Chocolates in Grand Haven. In the center of the shop was a table filled with large covered bowls, each with a specialty chocolate, all for sampling. We tried the 70% with pistachios and ended up buying a couple of small slabs to take with us.

We returned to our side of the river and headed back to the hotel to check out the rooftop bar. We were not disappointed. We found the last hi-top table in the shade and settled back with a couple glasses of local white wine. The air was breezy and a bit cool but we thought perfect for the evening with a nice view of the cathedral we had visited earlier in the day..

A little before 8:00 pm we headed out, walking the two blocks to the restaurant Blanc. Located in the Hotel Ciutat de Girona, the place offers a light and airy atmosphere, good service and tasty food. We had grilled vegetables with a romesco sauce for a starter. Susie followed that with a salad with tuna in olive oil, an egg and a side of crisp, light focaccia like coca bread with tomato (a regular menu item in Girona). I had cod au gratin with more delicious romesco. We finished off with crema Catalana (custard in a bowl) for S. and xiuxo (shoe-shoe) for me.  We see this Girona specialty every where - a custard filled deep-fried pastry rather like an Italian bombaloni.

Next: Steve gets sick.

Train to Girona

April 13. 

The short walk from our hotel in Paris took just about a block or so to the Gare de Lyon where we could catch our train to Spain.

The Gare was jam-packed with travelers going every which way, a somewhat chaotic ebb and flow of humanity it seemed to us. Anyway, Susie spied the big board with our train platform location and before long we found ourselves searching for car no. 11 and our reserved seats. Once aboard and seated we discovered, much to our chagrin, that we were in fact in car 12! A quick seat change which fortunately did not require moving our bags and we settled in for the 6-hour journey to Girona in Catalonia, Spain.  

The train was full and one can see why reservations are required. Anyway, the seats were comfortable with plenty of legroom and the passing scenery remarkable (once we were out of the industrial part of south Paris). We did get to see BOTH the Alps and the Pyrenees, albeit at a distance of course! Still to see both mountain ranges - still with snow -- in one day was nothing short of remarkable. But then I'm easily impressed. . . 

The train dropped us off on time in Girona and we walked the short distance to our hotel. The map made it seem farther than it actually was. 

We checked in, dropped our bags and made our way back out in search of a glass of wine and something to snack on before dinner.

The Hotel Gran Ultonia.

From our hotel it was a very short walk to Plaça de la Independència, which seemed to be one of several happening spots on a Saturday evening.

the Enjoy It bar under the back portico

dedicated to the defenders of Girona 1808-1809

one of several student tour groups waiting for their tour guides apparently

We opted to sit outside at the Enjoy It bar and grab something light to eat and a glass of wine. We opted for two glasses of cool, crisp verdejo and ordered artichoke confit with a scrumptious red sauce, cabrales cheese croquettes as well as a foccacia-like bread with tomatoes. 

After dinner we left the plaça and joined the throngs of folks out for the evening passegiata (that's what the Italians would call this evening stroll). 

After stopping in a a couple of shops to pick up a few of things (sweets, a digestif and socks) we made our way to one of the classic sights in Girona, the Red Bridge over the Riu (river) Onyar.

this was one serious-looking Paris Brest

view of the Girona cathedral, which we hope to visit tomorrow

We returned to our passegiata and soon found ourselves crossing another bridge, this one much older and wider with serious art vendors.

Leaving the river and its lovely views we wended our way back toward our hotel looking for a place to eat. Just around the corner from our hotel was L'Argada Bala, la braseria de Girona and it looked promising. It was just 8:00pm (20:00) and had just opened its doors so in we went. 

We settled in and with the recommendation of our server -- born and raised in nearby Costa Brava -- we ordered a couple glasses of red wine. Susie chose a baked cod with peppers and tomato and I opted for a Paul Christopher specialty, entrecote avec frites (steak and fries). Both dinners were delicious and when Susie asked about the sauce, our server returned with a large slice of toasted bread for us to help us get the most out of the dish. And when we asked about a local digestif, she gave us each a tasting of the Catalonia specialty, ratafia. She did warn us that there were several but the one they carried was very hard to find. Coincidentally, we had bought a bottle of ratafia earlier that evening! It turned out to be a different brand, but still. . . 

Next: Our first full day in Catalonia.