A week in Catalonia

A lot of you - my beautiful readers - love to read about my travels. I wrote a blog post last year about my trip to the Netherlands, and one this year about the places I've visited abroad.

And in June this year, I went to Girona with my mum for an entire week. It was hot, beautiful and like no where else I've ever been. There was Cathedrals everywhere, hidden cobbled streets and sunsets that took my breath away almost every evening.

The food was delicious, and the night life was just so, European; hoards of people would sit out on table and chairs until dark, drinking, talking and eating. (Not falling about taking shots and downing pitchers of green cocktails like it would be over here) Cafe's and restaurants were open until past midnight, children would run and chase each other around Placa de independencia under the stars.

And there was me and my mum, Northern as f***, looking for the nearest corner shop to buy a jumbo bag of ready salted Lays and Peach Haribos to munch in the hotel room 😏

I know most people would be more interested to read a more professional type of travel blog, but you're not gonna find that here. I'm just gonna write about it as if it was a diary entry for you to snoop in. It was a truly unforgettable trip, and so here it is for you, in chronological order with all of my photos from our holiday. I hope you enjoy  😎

An absolute must as a Northerner

Before going to Girona, I hadn't been on a plane in almost 10 years. I've always been a bit nervy about flying, and felt like the longer I went without travelling by plane, the more frightened I was of doing it again. So I tried to keep it in mind that the flight from Manchester airport to Girona was only two hours long. And I had taken enough things with me to keep me distracted on the flight. Plus, my mother was way more terrified of flying than me, so I felt like I had to compose myself as much as I possibly could so I could look after her when the plane took off.

So we get into the airport, and go through customs etc, get some food, watch planes through the window heading down runways, and all the time I was just waiting and waiting to be scared. But it didn't happen. And I still wasn't phased by the time we were actually boarding on the plane and finding our seats. I found myself feeling like an excited little kid. I couldn't wait to take off. (Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for my mum as she got more and more anxious as the minutes went by!) and before I knew it, we were up and up in the air. I was so excitable at this point I was practically vibrating.

View from my window seat

The food cart eventually came to us, and of course I just had to have a brew. I listened to music and gazed out of the window for the entire flight. I was astounded at how beautiful the view was, and equally astounded at how much I wasn't bothered at all about flying. I didn't feel panicked, or nervous or that it was 'unnatural'. I felt weirdly content, but I guess that's because I knew that the plane was taking us to a beautiful place I'd never been to.

We got a taxi from the airport to our hotel, and checked in around 8pm. It was far too late to head out into Girona town centre, so we ate at the restaurant in the hotel. We had a tomato Gezpacho as a starter, (which would have been delicious if it wasn't made entirely of onions 😟) I left it, and had a chicken burger instead with a glass of Coke (you can take the girl out of England etc...)

We then went and sat by the pool as it went dark, listening to the cicadas and watching the bats fly above us, feeling oh so relaxed and happy to be somewhere so gorgeous and warm. We then went back to our hotel room, listened to podcasts, ate loads of sweets and passed out with the air-con on 😅

                                                  

Day 2

                                     

We got up the next morning, bleary eyed and starving. We headed down to the restaurant area and filled our plates with pineapple, strawberries, yoghurt, croissants and chocolate filled donuts and coffee for breakfast. We then got a taxi to Girona town centre to start our long day of exploring.

We went straight to Girona Cathedral first. It was absolutely magnificent. Hoards of tourists were posing for photos up and down the steps, others were sat outside the cafe nearby drinking coffee and iced cold drinks. Me and my mum just couldn't believe how BOILING it was (28 degrees!), and headed up the cathedral steps quickly to get inside the cool interior.

                                               

We went to the till to pay, my mum asking for 2 adults for entry to the church. The cashier then turned to me and said, "You're a student yes?" I said, "No."

"You're not aged 16 to 25?"

I laughed and said, "Nope. I'm 27."

She went bright red, and said, "Oh!" 😂 Bless her. Of course I was flattered, but didn't think I looked that bloody young. That's what I get for wandering around Girona with bright pink hair and no make up. It clearly takes the years off me 😏

We headed inside to the gift shop first where I bought myself and my mum matching bracelets with Catholic saints on. We each took an audio guide and wandered into the nave (which by the way, is the widest Gothic nave in the world, spanning 22 metres!)

We explored the entire building together, sometimes each of us wandering off alone to have a look at everything. It was very ornate and gorgeous, but also a little bit spooky. For any of you Game of Thrones fans reading this, you may be interested to know that a lot of season 6 was filmed here in Girona in and around the Cathedral!

Once it got to lunch time, we headed to the cafe at the bottom of the Cathedral steps called Cafe L'arc.

Mum ordered an ice lemon Fanta and I got a tea and some carrot cake. The inside of the cafe was so beautiful, as you can see from my photos! We then decided to head to the building right across from the cafe called Pastor's house (Future museum of Art - modern and contemporary) that had an art exhibition on by the Catalonian Artist Joan Mateu. The building itself was so gorgeous, and really reminded me of the Rome level in the game Tomb Raider Chronicles (trust me to make a link to a bloody video game somehow)

                                             

                                             

Mateu's art work was so stunning. Myself and my mum found ourselves staring at his pieces for ages, taking pictures of almost every single one and discussing what we loved about them so much. Here are a few photos of his work for any of you art lovers.

His official website is here if you want to learn more: http://www.joanmateu.com/

Once out of the gallery, we had a wander around the Jewish quarter of Girona and took lots and lots of pictures of the buildings and the shops. Everything was so closed in, and the air was filled with the luscious smell of mimosa.

 

 

 

We wandered over one of the bridges over the Riu Onyar and walked around Placa de la Independencia until we hopped back into a taxi to the hotel for a dip in the pool.

Although the general pool area was gorgeous, the water was so cold that I was actually shivering, and got attacked by wasps the whole time I was there, before giving up and heading back inside the hotel.

We got changed and ready to go for dinner at the riverside cafe which was full of Bruce Springsteen memorabilia. We ordered a huge chicken wing/chicken strips platter with BBQ sauce and Pepsi. Was so delicious.

 After we'd eaten, we headed back into the town of Girona and wandered around until it started getting dark. We sat and stared at the Cathedral whilst baby bats swooped down above us, and talked and laughed into the night.

Wasn't sure how, but Girona was even more stunning at night time. Just look at these photos I managed to get. And a photo can only encapsulate a tiny amount of the magic that we actually felt whilst exploring this gorgeous place. Even at night, the air was still heavy with the smell of mimosa, and it was still so warm, only dropping down to 22 degrees once the sun went down.

Placa de la Independencia

We went back to the hotel with bags of Haribo and a jumbo bag of ready salted lays crisps, and enjoyed a decaf tea once tucked in bed. A great end to an amazing first day exploring!

Day 3

The next day, we got up and had breakfast and headed straight to the heart of Girona again. Barely digesting breakfast, we went to the ice cream parlour that we'd visited before, and I got candy floss and banana in a tub 😍 honestly was the most LUSH ice cream I've ever had (except from the banana ice cream I had in Utrecht 😉)

           

           

We had another wander around the centre and then we went on a guided tour around the Museu d'Historia dels Jueus. We had such a lovely experience with the tour guide who was very informative and spoke in both Catalonian and English. The building was beautiful and was surrounded by ancient Roman walls. It was a perfect morning, and afterwards we grabbed some lunch, and sat in the shade.

We stayed in Girona for the whole day until it got dark. We didn't do much else but explore until heading back to the hotel.

   

     

The hotel pool at night

                                               

Day 4

Once we had breakfast we headed back to the town centre and visited the Banys Arabs (another location that was part of a Game of Thrones episode!) It was enchanting inside, and we stayed for ages sat on the cool steps and talking. The history of this place was fascinating; Here is an excerpt about its history taken from www.patrimoni.gencat.cat.

"The building is in the Romanesque style but follows the model of Roman baths, the Arab baths and the Jewish mikvahs from a tradition that was restored during the 11th century, with the development of the urban areas and the need to improve hygiene.

The building is divided into several rooms that allow one to move from the areas with the coldest water to those with the hottest. Visitors enter through a small vestibule that leads up to the apodyterium (the undressing room); it is without doubt the most emblematic space in the baths, with a central pool of 8 sides and 8 columns crowned with beautiful decorated capitals.

Until the 14th century, the building maintained its activity as public baths. In the 20th century, the Arab baths were restored to return them to their original appearance."

Yes, I threw a penny in and made a wish like a true tourist

 

We spent the rest of the day wandering and exploring, then headed back to the hotel to relax by the pool again.

         

     

Day 5

Figueres

We woke up bright and early Tuesday morning to meet our tour guide Miquel, who we'd booked for the entire day to drive us to Figueres and then to Cadaques. It was another boiling and beautiful day. We were left alone to explore the Salvador Dali museum which was jam packed with people! It was beautiful inside and the long corridors filled with Dali's sculptures and paintings seemed to never end.

   

Dali's grave stone. He is buried here in his own museum

         

         

After about half an hour, Mum and I started to become irritated with the sheer amount of tourists who were barging into us and taking photo after photo posing in front of paintings, blocking the view completely. We tried to get through it and see everything as quickly as possible, but I won't lie, we skipped a few areas because of the amount of people that were there. 🙈

                                                

                                                

                                                

Once we were done, we headed back to the car and Miquel drove us to Cadaques, all the while telling us about the history of every mountain and area we passed on the way.  I can't describe to you how stunning the whole route was. We drove up and up winding vineyards, the sky a beautiful cerulean blue and the Mediterranean ocean twinkling on the horizon. 

Finally an hour later, we arrived in Cadaques.

                                                                          Cadaques

 

First of all, let me just say how this place absolutely took my breath away. It was so quiet compared to the noisy hustle and bustle of the museum, and all we could hear was the roaring ocean. 

We walked around the cobbled streets, and then stopped to take pictures outside the church named Parroquia de Cadaques that was overlooking the harbour. 

Dali statue 💙

After having a couple of Pepsi's and a Margharita pizza for lunch, we got back in the car and drove the short distance to Salvador Dali's house located in Portlligat. As soon as we got out of the car, a thunderstorm came out of no where and the heavens opened and poured onto us. We took shelter under a door way whilst we waited to join the next group for a guided tour or Dali's house 😂

After the storm had passed 

Salvador Dali's house

Thanks to my mother's insatiable love of art, I grew up knowing and loving each and every piece of Dali's work. blown up versions of his paintings 'Metamorphosis of Narcissus' and 'Le Sommeil' were framed and hung up in our house, and for years my mum spoke about wishing that one day she could visit his museum and his house. Finally that day came and I must say, the whole thing felt like a dream. As soon as we stepped inside, I couldn't actually believe we were there. Wandering around the house that he designed and created, walking through rooms he walked through and standing in the room he slept in, looking out of the window overlooking the ocean that he gazed at over 30 years ago. No pun intended but the whole thing was surreal! I didn't want to leave. There was a magic about that place that I'll never forget and one that I will probably never re-capture.

This furry fiend greets you at the entrance

Part of his studio left almost untouched

Gala 

A room with a view indeed 

Don't the happiest of couples have their own bed?

As soon as we stepped outside into his garden, I literally gasped. It was so fricking stunning and exactly how I would want my garden to look if I was an eccentric millionaire.

The swimming pool was incredible. Imagine swimming the length of that whilst the sun sets, or swimming it whilst it's dark and looking at all the stars. See what I mean about it being magic?

Once the tour was over, we went back to the car to head back to the hotel and rest. I snapped this photo really quickly before we left. Every time I look at my photos I cannot fathom that I ever saw somewhere so beautiful as Cadaques. It stole my heart and I can't imagine ever getting tired of it if I visited a hundred times over. Also a special thanks to Miquel our tour guide and driver for the day, who was very charming and informative, and made our day a truly unforgettable one. His website is here if you're interested or visiting Girona any time in the future! https://www.gironatrips.com/

Lake de Banyoles

Day 6

Wednesday was a very special day, because it was the first day of our trip where I got to choose where we went! And I chose Lake de Banyoles (Sweet baby Jesus am I glad I chose there!)

Because the bus services were so utterly ridiculous, confusing and irregular, we paid close to €50 to get a taxi there! It didn't take us long to find the nearest place to eat (thanks to Miquel's advice the day before on where to go!) and so we ordered enormous apple and spinach salads with root vegetable crisps and 2 bottles of ice cold Pepsi's. (Don't even want to think about how much Pepsi we consumed on this trip). In between scoffing my food, I got up and took countless photos and videos of the water of the lake. It was absolutely stunning and crystal clear, I couldn't wait to take a dip in it later on in the day.

After our lunch, we walked a mile or so the length of the lake to find the nearest place we were allowed to swim. (A lot of it was tapered off because of the depth and overgrown reeds). On the way we found a little ice cream truck and stopped for 5 minutes to cool off. 

Once we arrived to the swimming area, Mum and I put our towels down and stuck our feet into the water, relishing the feel of the cool lake against our skin.

There was a life guard on duty and a couple of families sunbathing and swimming in the lake, which was nice as we were worried we would be the only ones there on a Wednesday afternoon 🙈

The colour of the water and the view of the lake captivated me. We spent a good couple of hours talking and laughing, and I had a proper dip in the lake, (and by proper I mean I managed to get waist deep before I shit myself because a fish touched my foot, and I basically flew up into the air like a f*****g tool 😂 )

We walked back into town, got some pastries for the trip back and hopped onto the bus back to Girona. We spent the evening stuffing our faces at the nearest Konig (we must have eaten there 8 different times during the whole holiday 🙈) and then had an early night. We were coming to the end of the trip and exhausted doesn't even come close to describing how utterly pooped we were from walking up to 8 miles every day! But hey, I ain't complaining. I am one lucky girl to have been with my mummy 💚

Last day

I don't have any photos or recollection of what we did on the Thursday. I don't think we went anywhere because as I said, we were very exhausted and were running low on money. So on Friday, our last day, we headed into town one last time to buy gifts for everyone, and then went to the Girona art museum. It was so lovely inside, filled with paintings from the 1400's and onwards, sculptures and centuries old tapestries that were in incredible condition. I did take a lot of photos of the art but it's all saved on one of my highlight stories on my Instagram! (You can find and follow me @Officialvioletking )

 

Heading home

                                              

Although I had one of the most unforgettable and incredible experiences in Catalonia, by the time we were heading home, I was definitely ready. I missed my family and Yorkshire tea and the general sense of community which I felt is what some of the people of Girona lacked. For those of you wondering, I probably wouldn't visit Girona again, just because we went into the town so much that I now know it like the back of my hand! But I would definitely go back to Cadaques. In fact, I'm going to try and convince my mum to go again maybe next year! It was like something out of a Mediterranean dream, and I would go back to Dali's house in a heartbeat. It was all so magical that it feels like it couldn't have happened. I am so ridiculously blessed to have my mum here with me, who spoils me to no end and flew me across the ocean for a beautiful holiday. So thank you mum, this blog is dedicated to you. 

Until next time,

Violet x