After flying into Barcelona and spending the night...where we literally walked in to our hotel above the train station and fell asleep (which was fine b/c the room wasn't much to look at or enjoy), we headed off by train to a little town about 1.5 hrs away from the big city. We weren't sure what to expect from Girona, but it truly was a gem! Our stay in this charming town was amazing...even with the cathedral chimes waking us up in the middle of the night.
It all began as we took a taxi from the train station in Girona and were amazed as it woun up the hills to the top of town. These road has literally enough room for one car, so when someone came the opposite direction they performed quite a dance in order to both get where they needed to go. Our hotel was at the top of what was called the "Jewish Quarter" which was full of charming narrow streets filled with cute restaurants and little shops. Just before we reached the top of the hill, and our hotel, we saw a wonderful old cathedral that was built in the early 1700s. It was just steps from our hotel and the base of which became our morning hang out...where we drank ourcoffee and watched the crazy tourist groups who flocked to the church (and blocked the roads as they walked aimlessly without concern for those cars which were trying to maneuver the steep narrow roads of the city).
Finally we reached our hotel and I can not recommend it enough! From the charming rooms with exposed stone, to the modern amenties, to the awesome location, to the great staff...it was truly one of a kind! Inside the hotel you could see the signs that this town is training grounds for many professional cyclists...there were signed jerseys thanking this small hotel (maybe 12 rooms?!) for their great accomodations while they trained on the nearby hills.
Our days were spent seeing the sights of this beautiful city...charming gardens, the wall you can walk on that runs around the city,and all sorrts of beautiful little nooks and crannies. We also took a drive...yikes...where steve drove (a stick shift...which he is not used to) and i navigated (of course I am directionally challenged). It was quite a trip! We saw a beautiful town called Pals that looked like it came out of a movie set, and also a seaside town called Begur that plays home to the tourists of N. Europe during the summer (although it was almost deserted when we stoppedy by...luckily we missed the busy tourist season!) Our last stop was the Mediterranean Sea itself as we visited the beach of Aguiablava and it's green blue water and white washed homes with spanish tile roofs standing beautifully in stark contrast.
Here are some of the sites.
This is the crazy leg that sat in every restaurant. They carved the meat right off that hoof that sat on the counter...I'm not sure what I think about that!
Steve and I walking the wall that ran around the city
The beautiful building of Pals
Steve driving on our way out of Girona on our adventures
The view from the balcony of our hotel
The cobblestones that covered the roads
a typical Girona street
The Gardens of Girona
More Girona streets
The River Onyar divides the old and new parts of town and is lined with colored apartments that result in quite a site!
Beach at Aguiablava...our trip to the coast.
Begur...a resort town just up from the coast.
Mediterranean sea...how beautiful!
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