Girona on Sunday

April 14.

Breakfast at the hotel: the food was plentiful and tasty, although the coffee was a bit lackluster. Still, it was all nicely laid out -- we thought placing the plates directly below the food was efficient and also a good way to keep them clean. Tres cool!

juices, fresh fruit, cheeses and hot food

pastries, lots of bread, and coffee machines

Off to explore the city we made our way back across the river and into the heart of the old city heading for the Girona Cathedral. The cathedral is visible from pretty much everywhere in town so finding it wasn't a problem. However, we got sidetracked by the lovely streets and found ourselves skirting around the cathedral walking through various gardens, climbing stairs and ending up on a portion of the medieval walls. But still unable to get to church.

along the old walls

we could see it but we couldn't get to it from where we stood

Susie stuck on the walls

But we were comforted by the fact we couldn't get lost and just kept circling round till at long last we came to our objective for the day: the cathedral of Girona. For all you nave aficionados, you'll be pleased to know that this church has the widest Gothic nave in the world and the second widest nave of any church, after that of St. Peter's in Rome. 

view of the other major church, from the steps of the cathedral

looking down the steps with the cathedral entrance to our back

Paying our entry fee we slid inside leaving the warm sunshine for the cool darkness of church. We were greeted by four models depicting the development of the church beginning with its founding as part of the Roman city in the 2nd century AD through the 11th century to its present configuration.

We strolled past the numerous chapels while I was always keeping one eye to the floor -- the ledger stones were remarkable but unfortunately nearly all of them seriously worn away.

chapel of St. John the Baptist

tomb of Cardinal Beranguer de Anglesola 

a rare ledger stone that can be easily read since it's only 200 years old

no signage but he must have been important

We then left the nave and walked out into the cloisters. More ledger stones here as well as numerous small sarcophagi and memorial plaques on the walls.

Back inside we popped into the chapel of Hope.

an unnamed cleric just turning over

Leaving the church we walked down the main steps and made our way into one of the narrow streets dotted with shops and the occasional eatery. 

I should add that what you're seeing from this vantage point dates back more than 2000 years. There were stairs here as well as a temple at the very top where the church now stands. Just thought you'd like to know.

you'll be happy to know that HBO filmed several scenes for its series Game of Thrones here

Once back to the river level we made our way to one of the main streets, in fact one we had explored the previous evening, and settled in the shade at the Hygge Cafe for a glass of cool Catalonian wine.

Eventually we lost the shade and since our glasses were empty we paid and left. Making our way back to the hotel, Susie caught sight of a restaurant she thought might be worth considering for dinner. Located in another hotel but just a block or so from our place, a quick glance at the menu and checking inside to see if we needed reservations (no), we said yes, let's give it a try. 

In the meantime it was time to get caught up on being footloose and fancy free at the hotel until our evening stroll, what the Italians always called the passegiata.

Back out in the evening we made our way over to Plaça de la Independencia, and strolled along checking out the occasional interesting shop. One in particular caught our eye, a shop that focused solely on Ecuadoran chocolate, bringing to mind Patricia's Chocolates in Grand Haven. In the center of the shop was a table filled with large covered bowls, each with a specialty chocolate, all for sampling. We tried the 70% with pistachios and ended up buying a couple of small slabs to take with us.

We returned to our side of the river and headed back to the hotel to check out the rooftop bar. We were not disappointed. We found the last hi-top table in the shade and settled back with a couple glasses of local white wine. The air was breezy and a bit cool but we thought perfect for the evening with a nice view of the cathedral we had visited earlier in the day..

A little before 8:00 pm we headed out, walking the two blocks to the restaurant Blanc. Located in the Hotel Ciutat de Girona, the place offers a light and airy atmosphere, good service and tasty food. We had grilled vegetables with a romesco sauce for a starter. Susie followed that with a salad with tuna in olive oil, an egg and a side of crisp, light focaccia like coca bread with tomato (a regular menu item in Girona). I had cod au gratin with more delicious romesco. We finished off with crema Catalana (custard in a bowl) for S. and xiuxo (shoe-shoe) for me.  We see this Girona specialty every where - a custard filled deep-fried pastry rather like an Italian bombaloni.

Next: Steve gets sick.