For €13 each way we rode a high speed train 38 minutes to Girona. I really like travelling by train in Europe, they are fast and hassle free. I lament the lack of efficient trains in the states.
We walked from the train station to the cathedral. The inside is dark and very gothic. The inner portion of the basilica is sparse with all of the gold and art contained in the transepts. The church had few pews and stained glass windows, but the scarcity of opulence made the windows that much more colorful.
The streets of Girona are very narrow near the cathedral. Several episodes of Game of Thrones were filmed here. The twisting, dark, stony streets provide the backdrop for Arya’s battles with the faceless men. After wandering the streets a bit, we climbed around and overlooked the city from the outer walls.
The Arab baths nearby were also featured in GoT- also dealing with the faceless men. The baths themselves were built Romanesque in the 12th century. They were later acquired in 1618 by the Capuchin monks.
After all that climbing, we were hungry for lunch. We walked down to a square across the river. The square had a Christmas market set up. We browsed the shops for a few minutes before picking a place to get some food. We sat down outside and enjoyed some patatas bravas and sobrasada.
Then we headed to the Sant Pere de Galligants Monastery which is also the history museum. The museum had a few roman pieces that were in fair shape. The inner courtyard was beautiful. One of the columns featured the original Starbuck’s mermaid. In the monastery, a GoT tour was finishing up and they had an iron throne with a sword and cloak for pictures. Of course, we weren’t part of the tour so we couldn’t get the cloak but we snuck up for a pic on the throne.
Girona was a beautiful city. I think it would be great place to spend a few days and really explore. I think one of the GoT tours might be a nice touch in such a historic city.