l'Onyar

40 minutes before my train from Barcelona to Girona, Rosie and I find ourselves disassembling a supposedly secure box in the middle of a hostel room while no one so much as bats an eyelid- maybe not quite as secure as advertised then. We’re sat on the floor of the hostel with my Swiss Army knife in one hand, loose screws in the other, taking apart the hinges of the big wooden under bed lock box. Then again, we’re both almost crying with laughter so perhaps it doesn’t quite give off the vibe of a menacing theft…

At some point over the course of the morning Rosie realised that she’d accidentally locked the key for the padlock on her lock-box, in the lock-box. Two guys behind reception attempt to lop it off with bolt cutters and get absolutely no where (#NotSponsored but if you need a completely secure padlock, we’ve got you 😉). The reception guys shrug and tell Rosie they’ll buy bigger bolt cutters later. Never one for patience when I could just roll my sleeves up and get it done myself. Rosie and I haul the box out from under the bed and assess the situation. It becomes apparent that we can just remove all the of screws and pull the hinges off it, grab the key by lifting up the middle where the lid is hinged, take the padlock off, and then replace the hinges as good as new which is exactly what we do, allowing Rosie to go back down to reception and wave the padlock at them with a thumbs up and a smile before we head off to catch my train.

With the key to the padlock obtained and a resupply of memory cards (thank you Rosie!) I say my goodbyes to Rosie and hop the train to Girona.

Just 30 mins East of Barcelona lies the city of Girona with its medieval architecture and Roman remains. It lies in the northeast of the Catalonia region of spain, meaning much like Barcelona the language switches between Spanish and Catalan. Thankfully Catalan seems to be a mix between Spanish and French so while I can’t speak any, I can understand most of it which proves helpful when I check in as the kind lady at reception speaks no English.

I only have an evening in Girona so I take some time wandering the streets. Although it’s a city that’s become a pilgrimage destination for Game of Thrones fans due to it being used as a filming location, the city feels really quiet in comparison to the constant buzz of Barcelona.
Catalan flags are everywhere, almost no Spanish ones- a hint at the push for Catalonian independence. In 2017 the Catalonian Parliament declared independence, Spain stated it was unconstitutional and responded by removing the Catalonian government and imprisoning some of its members after trying hard to suppress the Catalonian referendum. Catalonia remains a thorny issue in Spanish politics as support for independence remains high in the region. It’s one of the main reasons Spain threatened to veto Scotland from joining the EU if our own independence referendum had gone through.

Wander around the old city complete, it’s off to bed early before a morning train to Lyon to break up the journey on to Switzerland which marks 15 countries and the half way point of my journey 😁Read more