2023 Girona

AirBnB - ​Carrer de Sant Pau, 3, Girona, Catalunya 17007, Spain
Link to AirBnb Listing - Map Below

May 31st - June 1st
We are travelling by Flixbus from Turin Bus Station to Montpellier, France.
We were going to continue on Flixbus overnight to Girona but because we would arrive at 2:40am and the host of our AirBnb had people in, we could not get in to the Airbnb until after 4pm on June 1st
So we decided to get a cheap hotel in Montpellier within walking distance of the Flixbus drop off at Sabines Tram stop.

​Most Hotels were booked but we found a B&B (Chambre D'Hote) about a 7 min walk from the Sabines Tram/Flixbus stop
So the plan was to check in around 9pm-10pm on the 31st May and leave at 12 noon from the Hotel with a transfer from GetTransfer.com where we had some credit, to Girona, about 2.5 hours.
So I have a map below showing what's happening May 31st to June 1st :)

However, Flixbus cancelled our 12:15pm lunchtime bus and changed our tickets to 9:30pm so that we would get into Sabines, Montpellier at 4:30am! By then it was too late to cancel the B&B so we lost the money on that :(
We decided to keep everything the same and arranged a 11am pickup for our transfer from Montpellier to Girona that would get us in to apt about 1:30pm where we could drop off our bags but could not get back in until after 4pm.

OUR ROUTE BELOW AND PICS OF FLIXBUS Waiting and MONTPELIER!

June 1st - Arrived at AirBnb
11am we were picked up and driven to Girona...about 1.5 hours and dropped outside the AirBnb so we could drop off our baggage -Host had kindly let us drop off bags as we were not able to get in until after 4pm after cleaners had been.
We then decided to go to the Cafe/Bar 20yds across the road and have a drink and sandwich.
Just as we were going out the door, it started raining and by the time we walked across the road, it was tipping down!

We were greeted by a bearded gentleman, who I thought was the owner... so I asked him for a beer and a coke...OOPS!
He was just a customer and he said that the "Chica" who was serving was in the kitchen. I apologized and bought him a beer,,,we had a good laugh and I bought him a beer. It was smooth sailing after that :)
I had another beer then ordered a tomato and salami panini and a chicken and salad one for Wendy.
Jose, the guy I had mistaken for the owner spoke very little English and with my very little Spanish we got on well.
I told him we were here for a week as tourists and asked him where the nearest supermarket was...he said follow him... said that he had lived in Girona since he was 8 years old.

Leaving Wendy wondering what was going on, I followed him out of the cafe and down the lane about 50 yds where it opened into a little square with an Ice Cream shop and a couple of restaurants with tables outside. He said that all these places were for tourists and were not great and prices were higher...We carried on down past old stonework walls and narrow cobbled street and came to an ice cream shop...he told the lady (who he knew:) he introduced me to her and said that I would be along to sample her ice cream soon!
We passed various restaurants/fastfood/Pastry/Bread/Pizza/Crepes/Butchers and as we would go past he would say that it was a good place or a bad place :)

We came to the supermarket and he popped his head inside the door and said that I would be coming by later for groceries:) The alleyways and architecture were lovely...we had walked probably 200yds from the Cafe.
We walked back and Wendy was relieved to see me, thinking that I may have been kidnapped or held for ransom.
We ordered another beer and a Coke for Wendy and then he said he would show me his apartment as he had to let his dog out.
With drink in hand, I followed him out the door again...We turned right this time and 50yds up the road, past another Cafe, we crossed the road to a small 4 floor apt. block. He opened the door and we went to first apt and he showed me around his studio apartment with a separate bedroom and bathroom. His 8 month old doggie was called Gaba after the sparkling wine/Champagne that Jose likes. We took the dog with us back to the cafe and when I got back to Wendy, I wondered if she would still talk to me today!

The rain had stopped and it was now about 3:15pm so we decided to leave to go to the supermarket to pick up a few basics before we could get into the apt. at 4pm.
We said goodbye to our new friend Jose and the "Chica" Stephanie and went to the Supermarket.
Its a lovely place right by the river... we went to the store, which took about 3 mins walk and bought about $15 of basics.
We got into apartment and found there was a Krups coffee machine but no starter pods to get us going.
We were really tired not having slept much for 34hours or so, so we decided to crash.

Woke up later and decided to go for a walk at about 10pm... We walked up the river road and crossed on each pedestrian bridge from one side to another, zig-zagging our way up-river...lots of people out eating at the restaurants and quite busy.
I took a few pics to try and give you an idea of what it was like. Our Apt is about a 5 min walk at most, to the Cathedral.
We walked about 3 miles up and down the river and it was a nice evening after the earlier torrential rain!

We had arranged to meet our friends, Alfredo & Cati at another cafe tomorrow at 11am, just 40 yds down the road from our Apt.
Cati used to work for the Tourism Board in Girona and knew the area quite well.​