We thoroughly enjoyed the three Andalusian jewels of Granada, Cordoba and Sevilla; however, it is time to start heading north for fun and some more business. I am in Girona (north of Barcelona) for two reasons: to catch my Ryan Air flight from Spain to Sweden + my landscape architect buddy said it was beautiful and worth the trip. Leaving my apartment in Sevilla I was having regrets that I hadn't found a quicker way to Sweden, without two days of additional hotels while I await the flight. However, now that I am settled in a beautiful modern hotel in the old section of town, the downtime will be good. It's hard to stop working cold turkey like this as I have been at full bore for so many months now.
Visiting Barcelona a couple of weeks ago, I didn't fully realize how much more French it feels here, than the very Spanish feel of Andalusia. Take the food. For some reason I thought Spain would have spicy food. Andalusia had Middle Eastern influences with cumin, curry, and cinnamon in its meats and vegetables. If you have had Indian food, you would recognize the Andalusian menu (except that there would be ham on everything). Girona, on the other hand, has crepe shops and I had onion soup for lunch. The Moorish influence on architecture that was critical to understanding Andalusia, is not present here. There is no tilework or river stone paving. Regardless of the weather, tables and chairs are pulled outside of restaurants and people sit there more than inside.
Since I had not had my typical hours of walking, I headed out to explore Girona. I passed through the former Jewish section of the city (9th - 15th century) and stopped into the Museum of Jewish History in Girona. It was very interesting and made the neighborhood around it spatially make sense. Unlike the Moorish filigree of southern Spain, here the rock walls and architecture are much more plain. I climbed to the towers on the historic city walls and saw panoramic views of the city below. You can see the red tiles roofs, the river, the large park (biggest in Catalyuna), the ubiquitous cathedral spire and mountains beyond. Walking back to the hotel, I walked through the University of Girona campus and felt at home with all the college kids, their backpacks, sitting everywhere, drinking coffee.
I flew Ryan Air this morning and I guess I shouldn't be shocked based on their reputation, but the entire flight was a commercial. After my choice of expensive menu items, I could buy lottery tickets, then telephone cards and assorted other stuff. It just kept coming. I have never seen anything like it. Flight attendants were busy in sales for most of the flight.
Since I had not had my typical hours of walking, I headed out to explore Girona. I passed through the former Jewish section of the city (9th - 15th century) and stopped into the Museum of Jewish History in Girona. It was very interesting and made the neighborhood around it spatially make sense. Unlike the Moorish filigree of southern Spain, here the rock walls and architecture are much more plain. I climbed to the towers on the historic city walls and saw panoramic views of the city below. You can see the red tiles roofs, the river, the large park (biggest in Catalyuna), the ubiquitous cathedral spire and mountains beyond. Walking back to the hotel, I walked through the University of Girona campus and felt at home with all the college kids, their backpacks, sitting everywhere, drinking coffee.
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