As underwhelming as the Sacred Heart of Jesus church on Mount Tibidabo was on Monday, our trip to Girona was the opposite. I'm not sure you would want to spend more than a day in Girona, but to cut to the chase, the city is fabulous for a day.
We took the high speed train the 57 miles north to Girona from Barcelona. We got there in just 38 minutes. The train itself was a double decker and was very clean and modern. While the train was going on to Paris, France, I was surprised at the number of daytrippers and business people who disembarked in Girona.
(Editor's Note: Thanks for clarifying about Paris. I'm sure most readers wouldn't have realized you were talking about the Paris in France! Writer's Note: Good point. My readers are suave, sophisticated, and debonair! Of all the blog readers in all the world, mine are the best!).
It was a 15 minute walk to the tourist office. The place is popular, as they had four people working there, and yet we had to wait for a bit. The woman who helped us was very, uh, helpful, as she gave us a large tourist map, and walked us through the key sights before we, uh, walked through the key sights.
Walking through the Jewish Quarter on our way to the Cathedral, it was everything there is to love about cities in Catalonia -- narrow streets, arches, modernisme homes, coffee shops not named Starbucks, and more.
Then we got to the Cathedral. First, we got a snack (croissants, of course), sat at an outside table in the plaza below the Cathedral at Cafe L'Arc, and watched the tourists go by.
My Girona
We climbed the many stepped 17th Century staircase up (alas, I can't find a count of the number of steps up, but look at the picture below), paid our fee, and entered.
The audioguide tour was great. Besides the stairs from the plaza to the Cathedral, it is also famous as the second-widest nave in the world, topped only by St. Peter in Rome. At 72 feet wide, the Nave is impressive. But first we went into the church treasury, where we marveled at the various religious works of art.
However, they save the best for last in the Treasury. They have the 12th Century Creation Tapestry hanging up in all it's 900 year old splendor.
Upon entering the church, we were blown away by the ornate chapels, the huge organ, and the high altar. There are rose windows at each end, although my pictures of them did not turn out as well as rose window photos usually do.
Finally we made it out to the cloister. I've always enjoyed cloisters, but this trip has taken my cloister appreciation to the next level. Now I just gotta figure out how to build one in our backyard!
Anyhow, we can not say enough good things about how interesting and inspiring the Girona Cathedral is to visit.
Modermisme roof.
Don't freak out -- the frog is
not about to eat the pigeon.
I like whimsy. It speaks well of a city.
The classic photo from a Girona bridge
of the town. To the center left is the
tower from the Church of Saint Felix,
and to the right is the bell tower of
the Cathedral.
Typical view of a street
in the Jewish Quarter.
The Cathedral from the main plaza.
I told Carol if she could figure out
who this is, that would be key.
Somehow, I was more amused
than she was.
Tower of Saint Felix.
These next three pics are all from the
Creation Tapestry. I took a picture of
the whole tapestry, but the close-ups
are more interesting.
Part of an altar in a chapel.
The silver of the high altar.
A small rose window.
The cloister.
A couple of angels have lost their heads.
Shepherds and lambs.
This is a pretty cool shot.
Look at the window for some
perspective on how large the clock is.
Stunning side door.
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