Girona

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I made it to Girona late at night and found my way from the airport bus shuttle to my hostel by the river. I had a feeling the night was a bit eerie, a very unusual cold night with of fine snow drift and low cloud cover - yes, snow!

In the morning I got a map from the desk and decided to wander the city for the day. I'll take the train to Barcelona to meet Silvia when she's finished at work.

I headed out across the river to walk along the old city wall. It's icy so I was a little slow on the stairs. I walked around the university buildings and saw the cathedral, then headed up to a hill with a break in the wall and found myself in a maze of paths into the ruins of an old castle, where I wandered for some time.

I made it down to the old Jewish neighborhood, famous for steep narrow alleyways (which reminded me of my time in Guanajuato!) and continued to walk around. I settled into a plaza courtyard for a rest on a bench to read for a bit, then went to a bakery for some colorful macaroons, which subsequently melted in my pocket - they were still good, just messy. Near the river before the big shopping boulevard picked up were lots of small boutiques and artisan shops and I found a pair of earrings for myself - I don't think I've bought any since the feather ones I picked up in the street market in Palenque, Chiapas. I seemed to have the worst possible timing for the museums and didn't manage to make it in any of them, although I'm sure they're quite interesting. I did, however, find the Roman baths near the stairs to the big castle and went inside (1 euro with student ID, I think it was 2 without). Although it would have been nice to have a place to rest and warm up in, I enjoyed my day in Girona, snow and all. I can definitely see the attraction to living here - history, art, and humor are incorporated into the modern society and the vibrancy of life continues without taking the past too seriously nor ignoring it. I would love to come here again with Pablo, and see the city in another season.

Thanks, Silvia, for the tip to spend the day here instead of rushing to Barcelona right away!!!

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