A Brief Stay In Catalonia: Two Days In Girona

The river and landscape in Girona, Catalonia, Spain

Spain has always been my family's holiday destination of choice, so to return to this familiar country was a no-brainer for me. Swapping out 2 weeks in a family resort in the Balearic Islands for 3 nights in a youth hostel in Catalonia, I felt as though I was looking at this home-away-from-home through a different lens - although this could just be the effect of my new cat-eye sunglasses.

Me in cat eye sunglasses in Poble Espanyol, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

As soon as my friend and I emerged from our hostel in Girona after an intense sleep, courtesy of a delayed night flight, I felt the warmth of the Spanish midday sun chasing the snowy memories of home away. The street was obviously busier than it had been in the early hours of that morning, and looked entirely different in the sunshine. It was only then that I realised just how great the location of our hostel was, tucked away on one of the main streets in the town centre and directly across from the bridge that offers one of Girona's most picturesque vantage points: the multitude of brightly painted, haphazardly stacked houses which framed the river.

The river and colourful houses in Girona, Catalonia, Spain

It wasn't long after we decided to just wander aimlessly that we changed our minds, and headed for the tourist information centre instead, looking for a map and some local guidance. My friend (who I'm going to call Meg, because that's her name) dusted off her A level Spanish and we soon found ourselves following the instructions we were given in the direction of an obligatorily steep stone staircase towards the heart of the Medieval old town.

Our ascent was slow (a result of my gym-stiff limbs) but worthy, as we stumbled across gift shops and bakeries nestled in labyrinthine streets, gorgeously crooked stone buildings, and a guided tour of the town's centrepiece - the cathedral (only €5 for students).

The streets of the old town, Girona, Catalonia, Spain

A view of Girona's old town, basilica and the mountains in Catalonia from the Cathedral

A high view of the Medieval old town of Girona, Catalonia, Spain

We had lunch and sangria on the sunbathed cobbles outside the university bar before delving into the history of the cathedral. By the time we had soaked in all that we could, the sky had started to pour warm rain on the slippery pavements, so we stood in an archway and waited for it to pass (having over-zealously packed for exclusively summer weather), smelling the rain mingle with the warm air and listening to the music of what I can only describe as 'spiritual buskers'.

After the blue skies of the morning, the rest of the day was overcast, lending a mysterious atmosphere to this old Medieval town as a fog settled over the mountains in the distance. We made note of shops we wanted to visit on our final day as we returned to our hostel in preparation for our first dinner in Girona, spent at Nibble (as recommended by a kindly British journalist we had met during the day) in the main square, Plaça de la Independència. Meal times are some of my favourite memories anyway, but I always cherish the simple joy of sitting in a town square somewhere in Europe with friends, drinking good wine, eating good food, and soaking in the town at night.

Panoramic photo of Plaça de la Independència main town square in Girona, Catalonia, Spain

Our second day of the trip was spent in Barcelona (expect a blog post soon) which made our final day in Spain our second and final day in Girona as well. Despite having to drag our luggage around with us after checking out of the hostel, we still managed to cover some ground, discovering new gems tucked up in the hills of the old town, including a green garden haven in the midst of the grey and brown stone, and were able to enjoy the best of the weather.

New stone house near the Basilica in Girona, Catalonia, Spain

Scenery and greenery in the sun in Girona, Catalonia, Spain

Tapas and beer, olives and patatas bravas, for lunch in the sunshine in the main square of Girona, Catalonia, Spain

We bid farewell to the old town and headed back towards the town centre for some last minute souvenir shopping and, of course, lunch back in the Plaça de la Independència. Taking our inspiration from our continental surroundings, we decided to lunch like the locals, and enjoyed some leisurely tapas and beer as we reminisced over our Spanish sojourn. However, whilst my mentality may be Mediterranean, my skin is unreservedly English, and I left our sun-drenched lunch table with more freckles than I started with, and the beginnings of a mild sunburn on my left arm.

Now that I'm back in the UK, writing these sunny memories in a cold kitchen under a cloudy sky, my only regret is that I kept my other arm in the shade.

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