The train ride from Valencia to Barcelona was lovely, with views of the mountains most of the day. I'm amazed at how many castles and ruins are scattered throughout the mountains. The train arrived late, but thankfully we still made our connecting train.
Girona is probably the city we're the most excited about. It's supposed to be a hotbed for Catalan culture. It's also the birthplace of bandleader Xavier Cugat! We took it easy this afternoon and only saw a few things. The city isn't that big, so we want to save most of it for tomorrow.
We walked through the Girona Art Museum until it was time to sit somewhere and have a drink.
In one of the main plazas, we passed a bar that had signs posted to defend Catalan culture, so we stopped in for a beer!
Day 10: Oatmeal topped with lots of fruit to start the day. Although I'm not sure about this edible flower fad. They look poisonous.
We climbed up to the higher part of Girona and walked from one side of the historic walls to the other. I had seen a few pictures of them but I was still taken aback by how big they were.
We spent most of the day walking through the city, up and down the alleys. I loved seeing all the independence flags! We stopped in a store that had shirts with Catalan messages and Jay found one that says "Not one step back" (meaning to keep fighting for independence.) Here he is wearing it:
The steps going to the Girona Cathedral were used in a scene of Game of Thrones! There were a lot more than I could get in a picture.
For a small city, Girona had several bookstores. This one had the most interesting selection of used books in Spanish and Catalan, including some antique ones, and also a small shelf of English books.
Flowers were not in bloom yet, but there is a beautiful John Lennon Memorial Garden.
The Basilica of Saint Felix has a legend about French soldiers ransacking the city of Girona and tearing apart its churches. When they opened the tomb of Saint Narcís, a swarm of flies flew out and attacked them, causing them to retreat, and saving the city. Fly sculptures can be seen throughout Girona, but especially on the Street of Flies!
We stopped in a cafe next to the university and had a great view from our table:
For dinner I decided to be brave and go to one of the many Basque restaurants to try pintxos. Similar to tapas, but the food is all sitting out on the bar and you go up and pick what you want to eat. The waitress tallies the toothpicks from your food at the end to bill you.
My most interesting architectural find in Girona turned out not to be from the medieval city but in a working class neighborhood across the river. We were walking back to the hotel when I noticed an apartment building lined with beautiful ceramic depictions of workers of all trades. We circled the building but didn't see any indication as to what it was. Back in the hotel I was able to find online that the building was inaugurated in 1959, designed by artist Josep Martí Sabé in collaboration with ceramicist Joan Vila Clara. It is indeed meant as a tribute to the working class and has 31 ceramic pieces across the front and sides of the apartment building that housed workers.
Girona was amazing! It was nice to spend a few nights away from the busy cities. We are renting a car tomorrow to check out a few villages nearby and then head back to Barcelona for the remainder of the trip. The days have flown by.
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