Girona

Girona was mainly familiar to me because it is where many of the professional cyclists winter, and also use as their base while riding in the big European racing season.  In fact, the bridge below is the one Lance and his team mates used to meet at evenings when they got together for dinner.

The Old Town of Girona is about seven streets and most handsome.  It is very historical and certainly a tourist destination, but while I was there, there was a creative flower show on.  It provided flowers to artists to make art  with.  This brought extra thousands into the old town and but it was a happy and friendly crowd on a beautiful warm day - one of the few of the entire trip.

One of the odd problems of driving in Euro cities today is that they have smartly adjusted to traffic. In most cities, the right line is reserved for taxis and buses, and heaven help you if you enter that lane. All streets are one ways assuring you will never be able to find your way back to where you were.  That leaves two lanes - usually - for pretty fast traffic.  So you are looking for a hotel, but the few parking spots available are permanently full and there is no where to even slow down.  Worse, you may well have the address of a hotel which is on a pedestrian only street and it requires a full miracle to find those streets and a way to get to them.  Most cities have undermined large areas and made underground parking areas, but of course, you have to know where you are and where you want to go, which is not always possible.
In Girona, the only hotel I could even find, was the Melia and it had a pull off spot right in front. In a world of tiny, minimalist, barren rooms, this was not only the best deal of the trip, but the best deal I think I ever had in a four star.It was a large, quiet and comfortable room with a beautiful bathroom, large buffet breakfast, free internet and parking.  Anywhere else that would have added up to $200++, but it was less than $100 in Girona.

I think I saw this in Girona and probably you should know about it too in case there is a test later.  It is St. Narcissus - Honest, I am not making this up.  I t appears to be his tomb.  He didn't look that cute, but must have been a knock-out at some time - or he thought he was - to get that grand title.