In Barcelona, I always wake up a little earlier than usual. I don’t know what the secret of this city is, but the morning air here seems to ring with freshness, and the smell of fresh croissants from the nearby bakery immediately hits your nose. I was standing by the open window, looking at the lazily waking Eixample and suddenly caught myself thinking that today I wanted something different. Not the Gothic Quarter, not the Barceloneta beach, but old stone streets, bridges and silence. So I decided to go from Barcelona to Girona - spontaneously, without much thought, just following this morning mood.
A train that takes you to another time
The choice was obvious – the AVE train. Barcelona Sants station smelled of coffee and metal from train brakes, and the air was filled with the pleasant excitement of travelers who, like me, were in a hurry to go somewhere for new impressions. As soon as I got on the train, I immediately felt how thoughtfully everything was here: soft chairs, warm light, almost complete silence. As the train picked up speed, a real spectacle began outside the window. Huge golden fields gave way to green hills, vineyards looked like neat green squares on the carpet of the earth, and sometimes tiny villages flashed by, where laundry was drying on balconies. It was like leafing through a photo album of someone’s life. Just forty minutes – and I realized that it was not in vain that I chose the train: it felt as if you had really been taken not just to another city, but to another time.
Girona's First Breath
As I got off the train, I took a breath and realized that the air here was completely different. It smelled of stone, a slightly damp river, and the coolness of old walls. In Barcelona, the morning smells of pastries and the sea, but here it smells of history. The city greeted me with the ringing of bells and some amazing calm. The narrow streets were almost empty, only occasionally someone passed by with a basket of fresh bread or slowly rode a bicycle.
When I stepped onto the first bridge over the Onyar River, everything inside me froze. Imagine: colorful houses, their facades reflected in the water, and a light breeze bringing the smell of damp plaster and the river. And this is not the river that smells of fish and seaweed, but rather the smell of cold stone and cool morning freshness. I stood there, looking at the water, and felt like the city was telling me its stories, if only I stopped and listened.
A city where the past and the present live side by side
The most powerful moment was when I climbed the old city walls. From there, Girona looks like something out of a fairy tale: tiled roofs, church spires, tiny courtyards and narrow streets that snake into the distance. From up there, I could smell the smells – a mixture of sun-warmed stone and warm bread from the nearby bakeries. Somewhere below, I could hear children’s laughter, and this gave the city a surprising sense of life, despite its antiquity. I sat down on a stone bench, put my hand on the warm stone and caught myself thinking that perhaps this is the best way to travel – just sit and let the city be itself.
Thoughts on the way back
Returning to Barcelona on the same train, I looked out the window and found myself not wanting to rush back to the usual bustle. Girona left me with a feeling of peace, as if I had exhaled something unnecessary and inhaled something real. I realized that next time I would definitely stay here overnight, to see the city in the light of lanterns and try local dishes in a small restaurant that smelled of wine and fried garlic.
By the way, before the trip I found all the information on the Tripluster.com website. There were train schedules, route tips and even hints on what to see in Girona. If it weren't for him, I might never have decided to go on this trip - but now I know for sure that I will come back here again.
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