Friday, June 2, 2023
I woke around 07:30 in our Hotel Claris Suite #216, took a shower, shaved, and dressed. Inna woke up next, got dressed, and we took the elevator downstairs to floor -1 for breakfast. We asked for a table for 3, as Alex would join us later.
I ordered 3 poached eggs with bacon, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Inna ordered a similar combination with 2 eggs. When Alex arrived, he ordered scrambled eggs with bacon, cheese, and tomatoes.
We enjoyed our breakfast, but I still felt bloated occasionally. I requested coffee with oat milk as I was tired of drinking my coffee black (to avoid milk).
After breakfast, we returned to our room to pack. It took us about 30 minutes to pack all our suitcases, and we eventually left our room and rode the elevator down to reception. After checking out of the hotel, we ordered a taxi to Barcelona Airport, where I made a reservation through costcotravel.com for Alamo Car Rental (4-day car rental for $160).
Our taxi dropped us off at the airport in about 30 minutes (for approximately 31.00 euros), and I went into the Alamo booth to review my reservation. Alamo did not have my car available, but they did have an Audi A3 with an automatic transmission for $20/day more. I could wait for a Citroen that would become available in 30 minutes, but my wife really liked the Audi A3.
We selected the Audi A3 and loaded our suitcases in it. After getting inside, we managed to get Apple CarPlay working so we could use on-screen navigation. The drive from Barcelona Airport to Girona typically takes about 75 minutes, but it took 105 minutes due to traffic.
The Audi A3 was an excellent car to drive, but I was surprised to discover it did not have a rearview camera. It would have come in handy in tight parking situations.
As I drove from Barcelona airport, I encountered heavy traffic multiple times, and my speed ranged from 10-15 km/h to 120 km/h. The maximum speed limit on Spanish roads was 120 km/h. The streets were nicely paved and smooth (much better than freeways in California).
We arrived in Girona at about 14:0,6 but were confused about the location of Hotel Museum Llegendes de Girona. I parked the car and walked around until I found the hotel. I eventually found the main entrance and spoke with the receptionist about parking. He assigned me car parking space #19, and I returned to the car to park it in the underground garage. It took some careful driving to park the car in the tight spaces in the underground garage.
We checked into room #302 and went upstairs to drop off our suitcases and backpacks. As we were hungry, we looked for a nice, inexpensive place to eat and settled on El Cerrito Barri Vell Girona. We sat at the counter and ordered these items from the lunch menu:
- Boris: Milanese Neapolitan (thin slice of beef with cheese and tomato)
- Alex: 4 different empanadas (beef, chicken)
- Inna: 2 empanadas
I had never tried a Milanesa, an Argentine dish made with a thin slice of beef covered with cheese and other ingredients. It's like a pizza with meat instead of the dough. Both Alex and Inna enjoyed their empanadas (which were freshly baked).
After lunch, we stopped by for some gelato at the nearby La Lleterea Gelato. Since. I tried to avoid milk, and I tried the milk-free sorbet, which included Chocolate and Mango. They were pretty delicious! Alex and Inna tried the authentic gelato and enjoyed it, too.
Alex had to prepare for a test, so he returned to the hotel while Inna and I wandered around Girona's old town to discover its wonders. We found many restaurants, gelaterias, and boutiques. We reached the ancient city wall at some point and decided to walk around the city to get a better view of the town. The long climb and the long wall traverse took about 45 minutes, during which we identified many old buildings and gardens. Most of the gardens lacked blooming flowers, so we only spent a little time there.
While resting near the Girona Cathedral (closed to the public), Inna received a text from Alex that he had finished his college test and was free.
We asked him to stop by Cafe l'Arc, where Inna and I sat and drank sparkling mineral water.
When Alex stopped by, we also ordered a few more items, including:
- Iberian ham
- Olives
- Aperol Spritz (yucky medicine taste)
- Sparkling Mineral Water
In the late evening, at around 8:30pm, we decided to try a highly rated, off-the-beaten-path gastropub called Hakuk Gastrobar. I did not know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the dishes, attention to detail, and our waitress's incredible hospitality.
- Beet cake with cold Gazpacho in a Wine Glass
- Salmon with Rice (the best-tasting salmon I ever tried)
- Pre-dessert chocolate
- Cheesecake (with real cheese)
We enjoyed a fantastic variety of exotic dishes, starting with a red beet cake with Gazpacho. My salmon was cooked to perfection.
The whole meal felt like a 1-Michelin-star restaurant experience for a fraction of the price (35.00 euros per person). The dinner took us two hours, but we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Saturday, June 3, 2023
Exhausted from the day before, we got up at 09:30. At around 10:00, we left our room and first stopped by the Arab Baths (Banys Arab). I paid 3.00 euros/per person to enter, but there was little to see. I was expecting to see some colorful mosaics, but there were none. Next time, skip the Arab Baths.
After the baths, we wandered around a bit, eventually arriving at the Girona Cathedral. Alex needed to put on some lotion, so he returned to the hotel while Inna and I climbed the 90 steps and purchased entrance tickets. By the way, the steps to Girona Cathedral were used for filming the HBO Game of Thrones episode "Blood of My Blood."
I started listening to the English audio guide until I noticed a concert featuring a violinist and an opera singer. The music and singing were so enchanting that I decided to sit with Inna and listen. I really enjoyed the last 15 minutes of the concert.
When it was over, I continued the audio guide to learn more about this enormous Catholic Cathedral. This cathedral has one of the world's largest naves (23 meters wide). Before its founding, the hilltop was used by a primitive Christian Church and later became a Muslim temple (during the Islamic conquest of Iberia). Initial cathedral construction began in the 11th century in the Romanesque style, but later shifted to Gothic and Baroque over the centuries.
After touring the cathedral, we decided to have lunch and get ready to drive to Figueres to visit the Dalà Theatre-Museum. We stopped by the Federal Cafe (friendly to road cyclists) and ordered the following items:
- Boris: Matcha Latte, Fried Eggs, Spinach, Salmon
- Inna: Matcha Latte, Eggs Benedict
- Alex: Iced Matcha Latte, Avocado Toast
We enjoyed our delicious lunch, then hurried to our car to drive to Figueres. Although there was some traffic, we still managed to arrive at 14:30 (about 30 minutes late)
The Dali Museum was excellent, with many sketches, paintings, and sculptures. I expected more paintings, but there were fewer than in Florida's Dali Museum.
When we returned to Girona, we decided to try churros at the Xurreria de la Cort Reial. The churros were freshly baked and so delicious!
We also stopped by to try matcha lattes at Espresso Mafia Coffee. The matcha lattes were delicious!
For dinner, we decided to try the eclectic La Tabarra Girona Grill. After finding an outdoor table, we ordered the following items:
- Shared Tapas:
- Greek Olives
- Seaweed Chips in Tempura batter
- Salad with Burrata and Cherry tomatoes (mixed in a bottle)
- Salmon marinated in Teriyaki sauce
- Chicken Lollipops
- Bao Pork
- Inna: Sangria
- Boris: 0.5-liter Mineral Water
After dinner, Alex wanted to try some gelato. Still, Google Maps reported that our favorite, La Lleterea Gelats, was closed (this turned out to be incorrect, and Google Maps cannot be trusted with accurate opening/closing times of restaurants).
We walked over to Rocambolesc and waited in line. Unlike most gelaterias, this one focuses more on extras, like cookies, jams, and sprinkles, to customize the gelato. I prefer to enjoy the actual gelato flavor instead of having it obscured by extras, so this approach did not suit me well. However, Alex really liked it!
Later on, as we walked back to our hotel, we discovered that our local favorite, La Lleterea Gelats, was open, and we stopped by for a few scoops. I tried the Chocolate and strawberry sorbets. The chocolate was excellent, but the strawberry was way too sweet.
Girona Trip Review
Highlights
- Visiting Dali-Theatre Museum in Figueres
- Visiting the Girona Cathedral
- Walking the Girona City Wall
- Eating dinner at Hakuk Gastrobar
- Eating dinner at La Tabarra Girona Grill
- Tasting fresh gelato and sorbets at La Lleterea Gelats.
- Eating lunch at the Federal Cafe
- Drinking matcha lattes at Espresso Mafia Coffee.
- Eating freshly baked churros at Xurreria de la Cort Reial
Lowlights
- Dealing with recurring Ulcerative Colitis pain and bloating
- Google Maps indicates incorrect opening/closing hours for many restaurants
- Restaurants opening for dinner at 8:00pm or later
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