Wednesday 29 October 2014

Girona: Walls, Cathedral and Basilica

 Hello!


 In my last post I travelled from Perpignan to Girona to meet my mother who had flown into Girona to visit me. While we were there we thought we might as well see the city - she had never been and I had only passed through the airport - so we booked a night in a hostel.

 I arrived in Girona. The part of Girona Railway Station used for high-speed trains is really remarkable; you have to see it to believe it. It's a real labyrinth! I finally escaped into fresh air and found my mother. We set off together for our hostel.

Nice to see the Catalan (the top one)

 We arrived at Equity Point Hostel and were greeted by the lovely receptionist. She was really helpful and told us plenty of places to visit.


 We went up to at our room - it was really nice. We then headed up to the roof terrace to see what the view was like. It was amazing.








 



The terrace

Our very cool hostel






 We headed out to explore the city.


plis-plas!





What are they? Let me know!




 We decided to climb the ancient city walls.






























A steep climb!
















A very Chinese-looking building: with the mountains behind it, we could be looking down from the Great Wall of China (which I have climbed!)



















This garden felt so wonderfully Pan's Labyrinth-y!














 We then visited the Cathedral. Taking photos inside is forbidden but trust me, it was beautiful. Here are some of Cathedral Place, including the Cathedral from the outside and its gorgeous Madonna, one of the nicest I have seen.









Lovely






Another beautiful Madonna. Girona is good at them.









 Next, we decided to take a look inside the Basilica of Saint Felix. I was so glad we did. I liked it even more then the Cathedral. Again, no photos allowed but please believe me when I say it was stunning. It was quite small but I think that added to its really warm ambience.

 The guy who provided the English voice-over on the portable tour guide certainly added to the whole feeling of the place with his very dramatic and moving telling of the stories of the Basilica. There was also lovely choral music playing and overall it was an extremely special hour or so.



 We then prepared to find somewhere to eat and enjoy nightfall in Girona - but that is another story. This post is already so long - but there is so much to say about Girona! It is an amazing city.

 I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Look out for Girona Part Two!

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

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