20/09/2007
Trip Start
Sep 18, 2007
1
3
7
Trip End
Sep 24, 2007
Girona,
Catalonia,
Spain and Canary Islands
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The old city is the obvious place to head for and you're very likely to approach it over the Pont de Pedra (Stone Bridge). If you're interested pause for a while and have a look along the river. We didn't have to wait long for the first of several sightings of Kingfishers. There were Cetti's Warbler and possible Savi's Warblers in the reeds on the upstream side.
There's an excellent Tourist Information office just past the bridge where we got an even better map and then headed on to explore the old town which is an attractive maze of narrow lanes, arches and ancient steps where there is a surprise around every bend. Stopping frequently to take photos we ended up on a square in front of the cathedral where we sat for a while listening to a couple of competent buskers (violin and guitar) who had attracted a small but appreciative crowd.
A couple of arches at the back of the square are irresistible and beyond them there is access to the town walls. Sensitively restored in part and not quite so sensitively in others, the walls are worth an hour or more of anybody's time, although some sections might be a bit much for vertigo suffers. We picked out a Short-toed Eagle over some nearby hills before setting off to explore the towers and elevated paths that took us round in a loop and eventually back down to the river near the Pont de Pedra.
We stopped at the first likely looking café and sat under the trees. JD enjoyed a bowl of mussels whilst CC tucked into a cherry crepe. Another stop at the bridge on the way back to the station gave us close views of a kingfisher that had caught a fish rather too large for it to deal with. It spent a considerable time bashing it against the ramparts of the bridge, even though it was dead, presumably to break the bones up enough for it to get it down in one piece.
We'd been advised to try a tapas bar in Barcelonetta by the Swedish woman we'd been talking to in Vendimia on the first night. She had lived in Barcelona for some time and declared it to be the best. We're not going to divulge its name because we didn't see any other tourists in there, but suffice it to say the place was lively and friendly and the food and drink was excellent. The house red wine was served like proper vodka in thoroughly chilled glasses, which worked much better than you might imagine. If you're intrigued by the sound of all this, go and find it for yourself. At worst you'll find somewhere else good in that intriguing neighbourhood. Our only clue is that it isn't on either the sea or the harbour front, but if you know the area you've guessed that already J
Later on we met Sarah and John again for drinks and to discuss our "plans" for La Mercé and ended up in the charming Aguelo bar on Avinyo.
