Catalonia 2003

Girona * Barcelona * Figueres

30 April - 4 May, 2003

My flight to Girona was another kind of introduction offer by Ryanair, again including taxes it was under € 40. I decided to book a hotel in Girona, and make some excursions. Both Barcelona as well as Figueres are easily to be reached by train, and the city of Girona itself has some attractive sites as well.

Accomodation
I had booked the Hotel Peninsular, which came at a bit over € 40 per night - I didn't include breakfast, because my experience is that breakfasts in the South are often a bit lean. Instead I had breakfast either at the station, or in the old town, which leads us to the hotel's location, which was perfect for me. The Peninsular is almost exactly situated between the station and the old town, right near the Onyar river. It is located in a pedestrian area, and the noise level was sensationally low - seldom have I slept so well in a hotel. Room and bath were both close to perfect, although I would have preferred a shower over the bath tub, which seems common in Spain. Since the staff was very friendly and helpful, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Peninsular.

Sites
For a relatively small city (pop. 75,000), Girona has an astonishing lot to offer. The city has a distincly medieval flair. The center is dominated by the gothic cathedral and the Sant Feliu church, located nearby. Near the cathedral, you also find the small, picturesque alleys of the old town, particularly the former jewish quarter El Call. Until the jews were forced to leave Spain (1492), Girona was a center of hebrew philosophy and caballistic. This part of Gironas heritage is displayed in a remarkable museum, the Centre Bonastruc ca Porta
.The city also has a very nice wall, which for many parts is accessible for visitors. One also has to mention the former monastery Sant Pere de Galligants, which today holds an archaeological museum. In general, the

city has a surprisingly high number of museums. Girona should at least be worth a day trip to any tourist on the Costa Brava.

Excursions to Barcelona and Figueres
The catalonian capitol Barcelona can be reached by train in a bit more than an hour from Girona. I visited the cathedral Sagrada Familia, although i.m.h.o. one should save the entrance fee. It does look great though from outside. I was absolutely stunned by Gaudi's Parc Güell - it takes a little uphill walk which can be sweaty on warm days, but it is worth it. While the Ramblas of Barcelona are a bit overread for my taste, I really liked the harbour with the many yachts. And there are a lot of picturesque places in the little streets of the old town, the Barri Gotic. What is a nuisance though is the price level of the museums and other sites.
My trip to Figueres was mainly devoted to the Teatre Museo Dali. It takes about half an hour to get there by train from Girona. The museum of this excentric artist is definitely worth a trip, I particularly liked the wall with the Torre Galatea. What I didn't know before was that Dali also created jewellery - among that many wonderful pieces. Except for the museum, there is not that much to see in Figueres, apart from the rambla.

A few tips
Despite of all rivalry, there seems to be one thing Catalonians and Castilians both enjoy: the bocadillo. These slim, well prepared pieces of bread were my regular lunch both in Madrid as well as in Girona. In Castilia, I preferred the cold variety with ham, cheese or tortilla, while in Catalonia I liked most the warm Bocadillo Mallorqui. In general I enjoy iberian cooking, and so I had a lot to enjoy on this trip again. Unfortunately I lost all my bills, so I cannot recall most restaurants I visted. One that I do recall, due to its excellent tapas, is the L'Arcada, right at the rambla of Girona.