Día 5
Día 5 · domingo
Unwind and Unpack
Sunday morning we packed up and said goodbye to our kooky Girona apartment. We walked our bags to the car and headed back to the square where we’ve been getting breakfast at Pdepá each morning. Today we eat and enjoy our coffee in the courtyard tables. The pigeons are fierce here and we spend some energy defending our meal from several of them.
Over the last several days, we’ve become accustomed to the church bell timekeeping. I have know the time constantly and been aware of its passing. While we are finishing breakfast, the bells begin to ring. It takes a minute for me to realize that it doesn’t stop. Ten solid minutes go by. This must be the call to mass here. After, we head towards the Cathedral again. Apparently this is where a few Game of Thrones scenes were filmed. Cersei’s walk of shame was right on this corner. Some of Braavos was filmed in the narrow alleys of Old Town. We checked out the Basilica which is massive with lots of gold altarpieces that are also impressive in size. I really can’t wrap my head around how enormous this building and its decorations are.
When we enter the cathedral, the pews are roped off for worshipers. We see the Cardinal and other officiants preparing in a side room. I’m the main hall, there are four models showing the grounds over time. From the 2nd century when it was just a Roman fort, to the 11th when the church began to be built up, to the 16th century as it grows in size and stature, and finally a model from 2003 and its modern architecture. We've been weaving around these areas for two days, and it’s lovely to see the progression from a bird’s eye view.
We depart as mass begins and walk back out to the Roman walls. Though much smaller than the Great Wall in China, you can walk along this one far into the grounds. We take in the views of the city and enjoy the history of where we are for a moment. And then it’s time to depart. We have a spa reservation at Aqva near the car park.
We return our car and get a train back to Barcelona. We have to wait a bit for our host to bring us actual keys - a novelty at this point. We get a Negroni at the bar next to our apartment 241 Diagonal.
Montse arrives with keys and I have flashbacks of my first night in Barcelona many years ago. The locks require turning the keys many times around and look like they’re from another century. The apartment is small, but with a loft for the bed, there’s a great use of space. Mike and I are exhausted. We find an Argentinian place around the corner for a quick bite. We watch some Catalan television and are in bed at a reasonable hour. We have the whole city to see tomorrow.
Step count: 10186