Serendipity in Barcelona and Girona

If there is something that follows me when I travel, I must say that it's serendipity!   Something spectacular happens or its the perfect time of year for this or that.  On our honeymoon it was a secluded beach where a simmering volcano exploded in Montserrat.  In Yosemite, the Spring sun created snowmelt  making the waterfalls reach their peak.  In Alaska, Denali showed its peak to us - something we were told only happens 5% of the time.  And in Newfoundland, our spontaneous August trip coincided with a time when whales feed on spawning crill, and literally everywhere we saw water we saw whales swimming, diving, and even a few playful young ones breaching.

Such is the case of our days in Barcelona and Girona, Spain with my husband, Art, where once again, serendipity followed us.

We arrived in Barcelona on a lovely autumn day.  It was a couple of days before we were to set sail on our TransAtlantic cruise, Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale.  At the airport we asked a friendly young woman at the information booth what might be a nice little town to travel to on Sunday.  We had already seen Barcelona a couple of times and wanted an easy short train ride somewhere different.  She suggested two smaller cities.  We decided on Girona, but wouldn't travel until the next day, arrival day of travel being a bit too exhausting.

We made our way to our Bacelona hotel - an awards night at a Holiday Inn in an obscure part of town.  We settled in and slept a bit.  This is rare for us as we normally hit the ground running and go until we drop, especially in Europe, wanting to savor every moment of time in our trip. The rest did us good...refreshing!

A taxi dropped us off at our hotel on a weekend day in what appeared to be an industrial area.  I first thought it seemed a bit of an odd, perhaps unsafe location.  But after our rest, we ventured out and found ourselves in the middle of a mini-Rambla.  People were out in drothes strolling, shopping and eating their tapas and sipping coffee.  We made our way to the subway into Barcelona, aiming for the stop Jaume.  This is where the hotel recommended a good restaurant.  We stumbled upon the restaurant which was not yet open.  Someone told us to return a bit later.  When we did, they said they were only accepting those who had reservations.

So, we spent the evening strolling through the Barrio Gotico of Barcelona.  There were plenty of restaurants to choose from, but for the moment we chose to stroll.  In the distance we heard music and suddenly there appeared crowds of people.  I asked someone what was going on. We were told the Barrio's autumn celebration was in full swing.  People lined the streets watching the dancing 12' "puppets" being paraded through the streets to the sounds of traditional Catalunian music.  I found  myself giddy and laughing just at the chance of falling upon such a lovely festival. 

Serendipity!

An autumn festival in Barrio Gotico of Barcelona
How lucky could we get!

 
We searched for a place to eat.  The evening chill seemed a bit much, so we weren't sure if an outdoor cafe would work.  But we didn't want to miss out on the music and festivities which would happen if we ate indoors.  We came upon a lovely outdoor restaurant that had pretty outdoor fire heaters that would surely keep the chill at bay.  I felt it was the right place, took a seat and smiled knowing that a wonderful meal wasn't too long away.  The music, the parade, the people watching - we couldn't have picked a better spot.  We shared a plate of beautifully grilled razor clams with just the right amount of garlic, olive oil and parsley along with a plate of Iberico ham, tomato bread, salads, and a small clay pot filled with a chunky beefy bean cassoulet. The perfect accompaniment... my favorite - a shandy!

After our meal we strolled some more and found ourselves lost with no idea where we were or where we were going.  It had been a long day, and it was time to return to our hotel.  We followed our ears and moved toward the sound of traffic, feeling sure a metro stop would be closeby.  And in a few steps, there we were at a metro station. 

We returned to our hotel and along the way, some of the restaurants and cafes were still open.  The earlier crowds were long gone and likely back in their homes.  What was left of the music spilled out onto the streets.  Men sat in cafes watching the soccer game and an occassional shout would come from one of those rooms.  We made our way into a little cafe, asked for a little something sweet to go with a cafe sin caffeine.  I don't know if that was French or Spanish, but they understood.  A few quick bites, sips and off we were, back to the hotel and a good night's rest. 

The next day would bring us Girona... another day of serendipity ahead.

.