Figueres and Girona

I didn't fancy the restaurants with the multilingual signs outside. Persevering, I found El Trull d'en Baserba (re: photo, cute woman, but nobody I know, unfortunately) on a side street offering a 3 course lunch for €8. But the most promising augury was a local passing by and catching my eye to give me a thumbs up for the establishment. The meal was tasty and filling. The red wine was plentiful. Somehow I managed to waddle back to the station, picking up ½ kg of strawberries on the way at the market. I nearly fell asleep on the train but got back to the hostel without undue public attention.

In the evening I explored the Universitat de Girona, situated above the old city.

I like evening light, it is gentler on landscapes.

This stone walkway was interesting. Possibly part of an old city wall.

After dinner at the hostel, the most memorable part of which was a gooey cream dessert, I went to enjoy the night air in the old city.

While I was sitting at the Plaça de Indépendencia a girl came up to ask something, it can't have been important as I didn't note it down in the diary. It seemed as if the Catalans weren't shy to ask even if you didn't look like a local. Or maybe because Girona is a university town, there are many foreign students who know the terrain.

The old city wasn't as charming as Gent in Belgium but the weather was better.

I thought I spotted one of the women hostellers, who had caught my attention the day before with her baby blue slip of a dress, looking for an eatery but she disappeared down a side street. The hostel seemed to have quite a few students, staying there while looking for better lodgings.

I realised that I had stopped thinking about the Canary Islands already. I no longer had feelings of unreality that had plagued me on past trips; I was in the present. I had also forgotten about Sydney, come to think of it.