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Published: March 20th 2011
Alright, gotten a little bored with myself and my entries, so doing this in the perspective of my travel companion/mascot/pillow/stuffed dog, Ralph.
Woof! Greetings, all. Ralph here.
We took a train from Barcelona to Girona and gotten a hostel dorm with 5 beds to ourselves for the 3 days we were here! Being cheap, she's washed all her clothes in the sink and strewn them all over the room to dry, but didn't bother to wash my shirt which I have been wearing since our Romania trip! How rude! Well, from where we left off:
Train to Girona where, for some asinine reason, a ridiculous amount of tourists were travelling with giant suitcases on wheels, and none of them knew (1) how to navigate and watch for others (2) how to walk faster than a crawling pace and (3) how to successfully get on and off an escalator with their luggage. So Vanessa pushed one of them down on the "up" escalator, but they just kept falling and falling... The highlights of this, aside from watching utterly confused people try to get their wheel luggage on the stair next to them, was
also seeing them try to pull them in the streets of Girona, which are all medieval cobblestone, causing the luggage to bounce about, flip around, causing mayhem and giggles from our duo. Of course, Ness had a massive rucksack that could break spines and knock out unsuspecting people if she turns too quickly, but never mind..
Historical Girona
Explored the city a bit first day. River cuts through the town and one side is a church,
Esglecia Sant Feliu where a Peruvian man working inside had a lengthy conversation with Vanessa in Spanish about how she should play basketball because she is so tall. Then wouldn't let her leave without a surprise kiss! But according to legend here, "You can't be a resident of Girona until you've kissed the backside of the lioness"- which is an old lion statue that was outside of the church square. As the legend goes, if you are a visitor, a kiss guarantees you will return to Girona one day... so, guess who is returning to Girona some time!
The
Girona Cathedral was really impressive, but didn't allow anyone to take photos, but of course, she doesn't follow simple picture signs!
Passeig, Girona Streets
Part of the city i enjoyed, watching the wheeled luggage towers struggle up and down these streetsOutside of the cathedral was a passage to wander the medieval streets and buildings leading to an old bathhouse- used by the Muslims and still open these days, but not on this particular day. Wouldn't have mattered any way because any one that knows Vanessa knows she only has one bathing day a week and today was not it! Dinner was huge meal 4 "tapas" or samples of different food, a sangria, and a salad, all for 10euros! Sauced chicken meat on a stick, spicy sausage, shredded mystery meat in fried balls, and cut potatoes smothered in a mayo-ketchup sauce.
Roman and Greek City Ruins
Took a day trip to a town about an hour from Girona called L'Escala to an old city,
Empúries. At L'Escala, we walked to the Mediterranean coast, splashed in the cold clear sea for a bit, admired the cliff sides, then walked along the coast about a km to the ruins. First was the Roman city, with fortified wall (now a lot is missing from it) and other ruins. Walking into the 'city', the rocks had been worn to fit horse
carriage wheels and a "phallic symbol" was etched in the rocks as a symbol of strength. Inside was where markets and houses would have been set up and an area for the law makers of the city. The Greek city attached to the other side separated by lush gardens, and had water filter systems, sewer system to the sea, and ruins of where houses were. There was a museum inside with artifacts they found when excavating the city several years ago.. I had a few photo-ops with Greek god statues.
Dinner was a bit pricey, but on the coast so seafood had to be tried. Though not a fan of sea food, so she got calamari rings (looked like onion rings) chips/fries, and a bowl full of mushrooms and a few pieces of apple in sauce. YUM! And fancy icecream for dessert.
Salvador Dalí Teatro-Museo; Figueres
Since dogs weren't allowed, I had to stay concealed for this spectacular attraction, though from hearing Vanessa's mumblings, curses, and complaints, I'm glad i didn't have to deal with all the people. Insane children, moronic adults who stand in front of a postcard sized painting for 20 minutes despite other
moronic adults waiting behind to see... It was a nice place to people-watch and appreciate the weirdness of Dali's art. Also explored the only 2 other interesting museums in Figueres-
Museu Empordá with several silent films on projectors showing ordinary moments in the lives of people in Figueres. (It was ... odd ... ?) Then my favourite, the
Toy Museum! Lots of old toys, antique dolls, games, guerilla soilder dolls, even a box of random cheap toys from a wandering trinket salesman.
Girona Museums
Final day in Girona was basically to waste some time, as the overnight train to next destination, San Sebastian, didn't leave until late. And since it was a Sunday, options were limited. First
Museo de Historia de la Ciudad - The Girona City History Museum. Pretty interesting overall, showing everything from the industrialisation of the city to the initial peoples of the area, settling in, Romans conquering, the expanding of Christianity and arts, Modern Girona, and propaganda from the Civil War/Dictatorship era, with children's artwork depicting the war, which was pretty moving stuff for people with feelings (Vanessa) but I just sat limply in her bag, probably napping. (*Side note; Ralph does not
actually accompany Vanessa to EVERY excursion, so do not be concerned for her/my mental being!) Also wandered the
Jewish History Museum as Girona is set up along a La Calle, where Jews would gather and live together on certain streets, this street was one of those areas. The museum full of information on Jewish history of the surrounding area and the eventual expulsion of Jews from Spain.
Girona --> Barcelona --> Girona --> Barcelona
Then back to Barcelona (again!) via train, which luckily was still light out, because the bus station we needed was in a REALLY dodgy area the metro didn't reach. So Vanessa, with her giant, clumsy, bright orange rucksack, hustled along the streets of Barcelona to the station to sit and wait for overnight train to San Sebastian (11pm to 6am), where she chatted a bit with German girl who had just been mugged days before on the Barcelona metro! (First thought that crossed my/Vanessa mind was "oh no, if someone took my little bag, I would lose Ralph! And my laptop!") Obviously, priorities.. But being clever (or not) she puts money in about 5 different places, so every time she gets undressed, it's
Moorish Baths
Well, the wall and door to it a scavenger hunt to find a €20 in her shoe, €15 in a pocket, €30 in her wallet, etc etc... but if 'we' are mugged, at least there is money for cookies for comfort food, or get a bus to hostel, whichever..
So.. supposed to have gotten to San Sebastian at 6am.. did we make it? How exciting was the bus trip? Did anyone's luggage lose a wheel and tumble down the stairs, causing underware and shirts and travel soap to bounce everywhere? You will have to read the next blog to find out...
Until next time,
Ralph
^Út Í Óvissuna^
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