Christine and I headed back to La Rambla for breakfast. I had hoped that La Boqueria was open but being a public holiday it was closed. Instead we settled for morning coffee and pastry at Escribà.
The pastries and cakes are beautifully presented and the chef is quite a celebrity, making cakes in all kinds of artistic styles for personalities and special events.
After breakfast we headed off to see the Picasso Museum. On the way we walked through Plaça St Jaume in the Barri Gotic. This had been the location for the display of Castell building the previous aftenoon but were were lucky now to see another treat that is part of La Mercé, the parade of the giants!
The plaça was quite crowded, what with the giants and the spectators, but I managed to get a couple of photos.
The Picasso Museum was very interesting. There was a short queue to get in but then because of the holiday admission was free! It was particularly good to see so many of his early works all together. You can really get the feel for his development of technique and then the way in which his style was influenced over time by other artists and particular artistic movements. His later paintings and drawings somehow seem to show him "unlearning" all of that to arrive at the simplest expression of the artistic idea.
Then it was back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and head off to the airport. While we were waiting for the flight I bumped into Annette Edmondson and congratulated her on her olympic medal. She was a little amazed to be recognised but of course we had also seen her live in Melbourne at the world titles. Annette has also been up near Girona and was headed home.
Arriving in Dubai - to even longer queues at passport control... this is now surely one of the slowest airports in the world! Makes me think twice about stopping over there!
Along the way I had caught a cold and so Christine and I spent a very quiet day in Dubai, in fact I spent the entire day in bed, just venturing out for dinner at the Bayt Al Wakeel restaurant overlooking Dubai Creek. Fairly standard middle eastern food, but good quality and with a unique view, watching the abras and dhows plying the river. Spoilt somewhat by me being sick, but these things happen.
Then it was back to the hotel for an early night and an uneventful flight to Australia! Another great holiday comes to an end.
After the very late night - I took a little while to wind down ;-) I expected a late start from the others. SO when I woke up I caught the Metro down to the beach to see the Sunday morning sights. Joggers, cyclists, volleyball players... and lots of people just after a coffee and somewhere to sit.
As you can see it was a cloudy morning, although still quite warm. This area has lots of cafes and restaurants and I expect that at night time it is fairly busy.
I found quite a satisfactory pastry, fresh squeezed juice and coffee and watched the world go by. By the time I was finished the others were up so I headed back.
Julie and Keith were about to head off to Granada on the evening train and I felt like a quiet time so I sat down and watched the men's road race while Christine explored the Museum of Contemporary Art.
In the evening we headed down to find Imprevist - a restaurant down near Sant Antoni and the old market building.
Having found it and made a booking we killed some time - first a drink in a small plaza where a game of football raged (look out for your glass) and then down to show Christine the market building that is being renovated. This district is interesting with a large migrant population. In the street football game there were boys and girls of Spanish, Korean, Indian and other racial groups all from the neighbourhood.
Mercat de Sant Antoni
Dinner at Imprevist was lovely - a degustation menu of small courses, all of them lovely. I chose a Ribera del Duero which went down very well.
After dinner we walked down to near the Contemporary Art Museum where there were two stages running as part of La Merce. Only one was active at the time and it wasn't really our cup of tea so we headed home to bed.
As we had agreed the night before, the day started with a visit to the Boqueria Markets, a real treat of colours, tastes and smells. These markets are just off the Rambla so it was only a short walk from our hotel in Universitat however we decided to take the Metro as it was a good opportunity to explain the mechanics to those who had not used the Barca metro before... A single priced ticket for any journey, checked when you enter but not when you leave... making sure that you follow the signs to the right line and travelling in the right direction... all metros are somewhat confusing at first use and simple thereafter!
We emerged from the Liceu station right outside the markets and headed in.
We had a fresh juice from the bewildering variety available. They all looked pretty good. Two euros per large glass... suck that up Boost Juice!
It was crowded enough that we agreed not to try to stay together but rather to come back to the entrance after an hour.
Mixed mushrooms
Christine and I had breakfast of coffee and eggs. I had mixed mushrooms which looked and tasted fabulous. There were at least six different sorts of mushrooms in the mix, many of which you just don't see in Australia.
Not exactly short of oil in the cooking method though :-(
Lots of the usual variety of things to see, like most fresh food markets it is a great place to take a camera.
Baskets of snails - some trying to escape
Even eggs for sale can be presented attractively
We then made the short walk to see Barcelona Cathedral which has a really beautiful circular stained glass window.
The church was badly damaged by looting and a fire during the civil war, and at several earlier times in the tumultuous history of the city.
After that we did some souvenir shopping and people watching in the narrow streets of this area.
Based on what Keith, Christine and Julie had seen the previous day from the bus we headed up toCasa Batlló on Passeig de Gràcia ,a house designed by Gaudi. Like almost any Gaudi creation it has the ability to polarise opinion - I would find it quite liveable but other people were not so warmed :-)
Talk about warming, there is this lovely fireplace nook inside the entrance.
Chimneys
Central light well. The house is spread over five floors. There is a life and a lovely winding staircase.
I went back to the hotel to sort out some last minute dramas with tickets (it all turned out OK) and then watched the road world championships on the tele.
So - the big night - Barcelona vs Granada! We had an early tapas dinner close to the hotel and caught a taxi out to the stadium. The 9pm start isn't late by Barcelona standards, often their games start at 10pm. At night the Camp Nou is even more impressive than in the day time. We started off on exactly the wrong side so we had a walk around half the perimeter to get to our seats but we had plenty of time. You could feel the buzz of excitement in the crowd as it slowly built. Lots of people in Barca colours but a few wearing Granada strip. In Spain there is little or no risk of soccer violence and the fans of other teams are welcome - well perhaps not welcome but treated with respect.
Before the game
Photos with the children
The team is introduced
Xavi scores!
... and celebrates!
The final result was 2-0, I sang and clapped along with the crowd and had a fabulous night!
After the game we met up again with Keith and Julie, had a drink at a bar as we waited for the crowd to disperse somewhat, but it was still a queue, hot and crowded to catch the metro back to the hotel but I was happy anyway!
Based on Chloe's recommendation we made a visit to the markets. Lots of produce, including these sheep heads and lots of seafood, but nowhere attractive to get a coffee, so after a quick explore we headed off.
We checked out of the apartment and got the cashier to call a taxi for us. The taxi to the station was a bit of a circus: muttering about the amount of luggage, running into a concrete bollard at low speed, going the wrong way down some streets, a near miss with another vehicle but we made it!
By comparison the train trip to Barcelona was uneventful: we had missed the MD train but there was enough room for us to sit with all of our luggage. Barcelona Sants isn't too bad with luggage and we were soon out of the station. Catching a cab was easy.
We checked in at the hotel... the rooms were less than perfect but OK. Ours fronted onto what is risibly termed a light well so the electic light was needed most of the time. The rooms were fairly quiet except for bathroom noise in ours and street noise for K&J. We had a late tapas lunch around the corner which was pretty good.
I made a solo trip out to Camp Nou, primarily to get tickets for K&J. I also bought a new #8 shirt and scarf. This all turned out fine, and it gave me a chance to check out the metro route. C&K&J took the explorer bus so that they could check out the layout of Barcelona and decide what to go back to on subsequent days.
For dinner we tried to go to a recommendation from Trip Advisor, but they were fully booked, so we ended up with cheap and cheerful paella at a cafe in between.
The original plan had an optional trip to the coast and back today, however nobody took up the option! Fair enough too, there was plenty to see and do in Girona!
More stairs : everywhere you turn in the old city
We went down to the B12 restaurant and bar on Placa del Vi for breakfast. The breakfast was fairly standard but I noticed that they had a very good range of organic and artisan local beers so I had a lovely dark ale to finish the meal off. Some of our group were incredulous, others knew me better :-)
View from the walls
Next task was the laundry, so off to Chloe's place... she was full of hospitality and was really generous with her time and washing machine. She recommended the walk along the city wall so that was next on the agenda.
It took us a little while to find the stairs up to the top and there were plenty of them, but it was worth the effort. The city walls give great views over Girona and the surrounding area. We walked the entire length of the reconstructed wall from down near the river up to behind the cathedral, where it ends in some lovely gardens.
Cathedral main entrance
We then headed down to the river and had lunch at Konig, which had a good range of lunch options and good beer! After that we went our various ways, Christine and Julie back to the apartment and Keith and I wandering around. I found a gelato shop and indulged myself, then headed up the hill to visit the museum and the cathedral.
The museum was primarily religious art. Some of it was interesting, but nothing really stands out. In general I am not a fan of Spanish art until we get to the moderns (Picasso, Dali, Miro etc.)
NO photos of the interior of the cathedral. Why do some ban photography and others (Ripoll, Barcelona, Valencia etc.) don't? The Cathedral has interesting internal structure, a result of the multiple expansions over the centuries. The wide single nave is very impressive.
We all ended up back at the apartment (the clean laundry collected already) and then headed down the hill for a drink with Chloe. We met up at the bike shop and went to the River Cafe (across the plaza from Konig) for a glass of wine and a chat.
Chloe recommended a restaurant for dinner and we said goodbye as she was off to the English language cinema (a treat for her). She also recommended a visit to the local markets which we decided to do in the morning.
Dinner at El Cau del Llop was really good. It was hard to find, but we ended up still being fairly early for dinner which was great because it really filled up. Six of us for dinner, good food and wine with a very comfortable feel.
This day's ride turned out to be more difficult in reality than it did on paper. The reason was the rain of the previous night made the sandy surface fairly soft, requiring more effort for pedalling.
Cool and lush
We awoke to clearing showers although it remained cool and cloudy for most of the day. We had breakfast at the hotel and then set off on the road until we could link up with the via verde. There was an American couple also riding the via verde who had arrived after me at Can Blanc. They set off first but in a "hare and tortise" effort we met them again a few times because of their inferior navigation. We used the footpath alongside a fairly busy road for a while, then turned down a quiet country lane. Almost immediately we were passed by a bunch of roadies out for a morning spin and I had to resist the temptation to sit on... oh well.
Onto the via verde which zigzagged through some small residential areas, almost certainly not the original rail route. Finally after a short sharp climb we were on the rail trail proper and the slow climb of a few kilometers to the saddle between one river valley and the next. This route passed through cuttings mostly, with glimpses of the rich farmland below.
A rolling Ortlieb advertisement
We regrouped at the top of Col de Bas and then it was downhill and flat thereafter. The secenery was lovely, a mix of farms and forest, but there was light drizzle and it was cool riding. We stopped at Sant Feliu de Pallerols for a warming cup of coffee and then continued. The cool weather and the heavy surface were taking a toll on strength and enthusiasm and it was fairly regular short stops thereafter.
The impressive entrance into Angles
At Salt the via verde transformed into various in-town cycle routes and we more or less followed our nose, riding on the road until we were back at the Girona Cycle Centre. It is hard to get lost with the Cathedral standing on the hill above the old city anyway.
We had some reviving beverages and returned the bikes. We bumped into Chloe Hosking again. Julie asked here if she knew where there was a laundromat and she said no, but then volunteered her washing machine in an act of real generosity! Having handed over the bikes it was up the hill to the apartment, this time of course without having to lug the bags up the stairs! We got cleaned up and walked back down the hill for a drink and then dinner.
The eight travellers all dined together: this was the last night where we would all be in the same place at the same time, so we enjoyed dinner at Artusi and said our thanks and farewells. The food was good although the portion size a little unpredictable: some wanted a light dish and got a mountain, others vice versa... it certainly didn't depend on price.
Wow what different riding compared to Los Ojos Negros!
Decrepit, but with a solar panel on the roof
Cow with bell
We breakfasted at the hotel and set out under coolish partly sunny skies. The first part of the ride was from Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses, about ten kilometers of slightly uphill riding through mostly farmland.
We saw donkeys, cattle and sheep and saw lots of farm workers and other users of the path, mostly on foot. This alpine region looks like parts of northern Italy or even Switzerland.
The surface was quite different to Los Ojos Negros also. For large sections it was sandy and not bound together. So a smooth ride but more rolling resistance than we had experienced down south.
At Sant Joan de les Abadesses the route moves off the rail trail (which continues on for another ten kilometers). We initially had to do some casting about to find the route down to the centre of town, over the quaint angular footbridge and then along the main street for one hundred metres or so to the turnoff. There we stopped at a bar for coffees and to use los servicios before tacking the next segment.
Footbridge on the route in Olot
A local dianthus on the side of the road
This segment is a quiet secondary road that winds up and up to the pass at Col de Santigosa. As we climbed higher we rode into the cloud so it was quite cool and pleasant for climbing. Even when you couldn't see far the sound of clanking bells on the sheep and cattle told you that farms were just off the edge of the road.
Along the way I stopped to snack on red currants and blackberries. The blackberries were not as good as the ones down south. We saw a couple of other cyclists and only very few cars on this road. None of the climb was steep but it didn't let up so most were glad for a break at the pass.
As experienced by some
As it actually is
Then it was downhill on slightly slippery road still in the cloud. You wouldn't call it rain but we still got wet. At a fork in the road we regrouped and had to remove Christine's chain guard which was preventing the front derailleur from moving onto the big ring. So the demon descender didn't get to set any new speed records :-(
The road kept on dropping and there was a lovely fast section almost into Olot. We managed to make the correct turn and joined the dedicated cycle route though town, although we soon left it to continue down the main street to find some lunch. This ended up surprisingly well! We found a nice looking restaurant, run by an Indian family that served mostly Spanish food. The menu del dia was fabulous, with many lovely choices. For first course I chose the potato blinis which were stuffed with a slice of morcella. Sensational! I think all eight of us were happy with the outcome. There was one token Indian dish on the menu (a chicken curry) but we talked to the waiter who was quite happy to be using English and he said they tone it down a lot for Spanish tastes.
We then rode out through town to Hotel Can Blanc which was down a quiet road with a very agritourismo feel, including a large restaurant, La Deu with nice grounds next door, which we used for dinner. This must be a popular destination for Barcelona residents to go for weekends. We checked in, and after the usual cyclist preoccupations (showers, washing and beer) we spend a relaxing afternoon. There were a couple of light showers in the afternoon and while we were having dinner it rained quite heavily, but luckily it let up for us to get back to the hotel about 200m away.
