For years our friends have told us what a beautiful city Girona is. It’s about 1.5 hours north from Barcelona by local train and an hour with express, but until now we’ve never made the trek. One of the things about having an entire month is the permission it allows for a day away from Barcelona, and this trip was definitely worth it.
Girona is an eminently photographic city. Its 2000+ year recorded history includes flourishing eras of Iberian, Roman, Moorish, Jewish inhabitants followed by plagues and persecutions. The ancient elements are well-preserved, and one can still walk the walls. Those moments in the gardens and on the walls felt transformative, though I’m still not sure I can really wrap my head around the history of Girona.
We were lucky that a “Weather Emergency” had been declared for the morning. I put that into quotations as it meant temps in the 40s, though we could see the snow-capped Pyrenees from the train. The old town was practically deserted, and though it was spitting rain and windy in the morning, we were able to get around. After lunch, the sun came out and the wind died down and the town’s colorful reflections came to life.
The cathedral is stunning, with a heady flight of steps (known to viewers from Game of Thrones). You can see that steps were everywhere, but we were luckily able to avoid most of them after consultation with Tourist Information. When we started traveling in the 1980’s with our Eurrail passes, we started every new city with a stop at TI. Nowadays the internet typically suffices, though I was glad we stopped in Girona to get an overview of accessibility. They pointed us towards an elevator that eliminated that initial ascent to the walls. We walked around the extensive Jewish quarter, and weaved our way over and across the river. It was the perfect town to explore in this unstructured way, especially given the lack of tourists.
We ate at Bubbles Gastrobar i Restaurant. Girona is a foodie destination and has a selection of outstanding eateries. The best known, Can Roca, demands reservations well in advance (six months was not enough). And even though the Roca Brothers had another restaurant more downscale called “Normal,” it also looked a bit too elevated for our daytrip needs. Bubbles ended up being a perfect combination of price and innovative quality. The photos don’t begin to do the meal justice. The chicken with bacon in mushroom cream sauce was incredible. Kitty packed a sandwich of the leftovers as they were too lovely to leave behind. We had three courses with wine, coffee and water for under €40.00 total.
When I planned this trip, I had real concerns about our ability to get around. I was pleased to see just how much mobility and stamina we’ve gained these past few weeks. I’d originally thought we’d need a bus to get from the station, but the old town is really an easy walk away, and with the elevator we found we could bypass most of the steps and manage those we couldn’t avoid. The train ride home was relatively fast, with a gorgeous sunset and posturing youths to entertain us as we headed back to Barcelona.
K & L's Travel Blog 
And now you’re back! Welcome home! I have enjoyed your photos and descriptions immensely. Thanks for taking the time and effort to keep us posted.
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Thank you for following and commenting!
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Breathtaking photos, what a beautiful place. happy you are enjoying all the activity! And still finding the energy to write your wonderful blog!
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Thanks, Susan. We are both surprised at how we built up stamina over the past few weeks and had such fun doing it! And no regrets scaling back the blog from our previous daily format! The photos alone take hours to organize and edit, and K and I are both writers who practice multiple revisions. All that said, we love the blog as it lets us share our travels with friends and maintain detailed memories to return to in the future.
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Thanks, Susan! We are just now catching up with comments. I think being able to walk everywhere was one of the things I loved the most.
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Girona looks fabulous. I can almost feel the history in those pix! Glad you are getting around well. By the time your time is up you will be in great shape.
To time if your life for sure best, eileen
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Hi Eileen, We’re trying to catch up with comments. Thanks for being such a regular reader! Girona was truly amazing and I’m so pleased you felt the photos captures some sense of it’s age and history.
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The photos are remarkable. Loved seeing the old sections
D
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Thanks. It is a beautiful and ancient spot.
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Thanks, D. This was a lovely town that felt a bit like being in a time machine. Photos at every turn! I was determined to capture the red bridge without pedestrians (designed by Eifel). Waited and waited for an opportunity and was about to give up when I realized I could use the steps and capture a portion. The photography has been such fun for me. I’ll be editing for months.
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It looks like you had the whole city to yourselves! Amazing!
Sent from my iPad
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Hi Mary, we are catching up with our comment responses. Girona was really amazing, and it was as though we had it to ourselves. walking on the ancient wall was sublime.
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Always fun to read your blog you all. Glad you’re having such a great time in Spain.
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Thanks Holly. This really has been a great trip.
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Oh, how lovely! Thank you so much for the tour. Your evocative words and pix make me want to be there. Glad your legs and hearts are holding out, too. What good news that you are getting some fitness gains as well as all the yummy food and beautiful, interesting adventures. Hugs, KR
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Hi Karen! Yes, I was worried about making it around Girona, but we are both in better health after all this walking!
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We visited Girona in 1989 and loved it. We were staying a half block from that cathedral, it was Good Friday, and a group of oddly dressed men stood there chanting and beating a bass drum for much of the night. We had a good paella before that. Beautiful city.
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We thought Girona would be a nice place to stay, but maybe not as quiet as one would think given Christian rituals. Once we stayed near an Epiphany bell that everyone who passed rang through the night.
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K & L: I cannot believe the only time I ever set foot
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Waiting to hear the rest of this one….
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