We took an early start (for a change!) to head over to Casa Batlló, which, we had discovered (much to our pleasant surprise), had been kept open for public tours past the originally designated Año de Gaudí (2002). The reason being, it is still a private residence, and even so, it is only open from 09:00 to midday.
Nonetheless, it is a truly magnificent work of architecture – arguably Gaudí’s best finished work, especially in its downtown Barcelona setting. The whole home is based around a water/oceanic theme, and is quite fantastic in its use of perspective and natural light. Since it is still a private home, however, no photography is allowed on the inside – quite a shame, really.
Girona
Charlie and I then parted ways, and he headed out to London, while I hopped a train up to Girona, in order to catch a flight to Frankfurt. I did this on the cheap with Ryanair, and, as a result, it turned into a near-12-hour trip.
While I awaited the train in Barcelona, I had one last café solo, served by two lovely Barcelonitas – well in keeping with the rest of our visit.
Once in Girona, I played with the idea of renting a locker for the three hours until the Ryanair bus arrived, but I thought better of it, especially after a kiosko owner wouldn’t change a € 20 bill for me (typical Spain). So, I headed into the cobblestoned (but, thank God, relatively flat) streets of Girona with all my luggage in tow.
What I found was a beautifully sited mediaeval city on a small, central river, filled with narrow alleys, old churches and plazas, and even an Arab bathhouse and an old Jewish quarter – ‘the Call.”
What most impressed me, though, were the colourful hanging houses on the riverfront, which, viewed from the bridges, reminded me of paintings of Italy I’ve seen in the past. It was very peaceful and lovely.
The small Girona airport was nearly deserted, as there were only two flights leaving that afternoon, both via Ryanair. Apparently, its main prior function was for charter flights in the summer months, and my guidebook even said that no buses accessed it, which was obviously false, since I took a bus there. As I awaited takeoff, I had a last (this time for real) Spanish café solo, and watched on as lots of small children made friends with each other, despite their handful of mutually exclusive languages, and ran around the clean, large, fairly vacant hall.
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