Día 4 · sábado

Delays and Discoveries

I wake up to thunder and rain outside the apartment. The same storm is in Banyoles. The WhatsApp announcements are pinging repeatedly. Racing is delayed. This doesn’t affect me too much; my race isn’t scheduled until 18:11. By 10 racing has been delayed, rescheduled, restarted with no on-water warmups, and returned to normal only 52 minutes behind. The organizers did an amazing job of keeping everyone updated.

With almost the entire day to kill, we head out to explore Girona’s cathedral and Roman ruins. Girona was originally a Roman fort. The walls full of turrets are still here, now incorporated into the Cathedral and Basilica grounds. There’s standing water everywhere, but we walk where humans have been treading for more than two thousand years. We get lost in the walls and find ourselves at the Girona museum. Full of medieval and Roman art, the building itself it is hundreds of years old. The museum represents its city well with twists and turns, random staircases to nowhere, and lots of steps.

I’m now starving and we head back to our breakfast square for lunch. Potatoes three ways and a protein veggie burger later, im ready to head back to Banyoles. When we arrive, we take a windshield tour of the town. There’s not much here outside of the rowing lake, though there seem to be a fair few sunflower farms around. Fields and fields of sunflowers. Beautiful.

We’re on venue early, as I always am. I take some time to warmup and get my head together. I need to row as hard as I can. No settling. Foot on the gas the whole way. We go through all the steps again. Bow number, oars, boat. Have some issues with tightening the shoes, but whatever, let’s launch. I’m better prepared today. I have my water and remembered to take of my warmup gear. Check!

I do my warmup starts and immediately realize the shoes are not ok. Many thanks to Dixie for giving me a Fillippi coxswain tool many moons ago! It takes some doing but in the staging area I’m able to sort it finally. Thanks, Dixie!! Happily my main competitor, Sheila Calvin out of St. Michael’s in Ireland is in the lane next to me. She finished 10 seconds faster than I did Thursday, though in a different heat. I know she’ll be tough, and I just have to stay with her.

I have a pretty good start. Sheila is ahead already but no worries. The first 250 is at a 40 stroke rate. I settle to a 36 and I’m charging the whole first half. I’m definitely dying after the halfway point. Every muscle is screaming. I’m channeling all my teammates and my ancestors (to steal Katie’s phrase - thanks!). I sneak a look a couple of times. She’s right there. I’m so happy to see the red buoys. I’m charging. I hear the horn but I know it’s not mine. I hear the second one and look back at her. She’s heaving. I made her earn it. I’m happy with it. I didn’t have anything else I could have done. I can barely row back to dock. As I do, Floor, the Dutch woman who was in both of my races paces with me. We commiserate about the regatta and exchange numbers at takeout.

After returning all the equipment, we head towards the car. We have dinner reservations in Girona at 2130. I ask Mike if we have time for a beer. At the beer stand we run into Kerry Brown from ARC. She’s here with her Canadian rowing friends, all former olympians and a group of lively women. We have a few beers and they are kind to give me kudos for racing here solo, medals or no.

Back in Girona, we clean up and get to our second Michelin star restaurant in 36 hours. This is definitely now how I travelled Spain last time. This is a family place, Joan and Laura aware at the table personally ensuring everything is wonderful. And it is. Some cava to celebrate the end of racing and a fantastic meal with a few bonus appetizers and desserts from the chef. Oh! And the cheese!

The restaurant feels similar to Ostería Francescana in Modena, Italy, at least in the room organization. Our room is all two tops, all four tops are in the next room. They are all doing the tasting menu, and the beginning of the desserts is a cheese course. Joan wheels around a table of various cheeses. He finally brings it to us and six cheeses later, we are satiated and cheese-a-rific. As we're waiting for la cuenta, all but the table next to us has left. We chat with the couple, an American guy and his Basque wife. We chit-chat about travel and how really great Girona is. They are locals now. He went to UGA. Funny how you come across the world to find people from home. Besos! Mañana a Barcelona!

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