Also saw some pigeons having a nice meal.

I walked back and picked up some pastries and coffee and we had breakfast.

Amy and I headed over to the Old Gothic quarter and explored the narrow streets.

We then met up with Luke and he became our tour guide as we continued to walk around the Gothic Quarter.

We finished our walk by heading down Las Ramblas, the main thoroughfare of the city that leads down to the harbor.

We dropped Luke off and got a little tour of his apartment.

Amy and I walked back to our place which is three minutes away from Luke’s to relax before Luke and I headed to the FC Barcelona match.

We met Luke’s friend from high school (who is also studying in Barcelona), Macario, and got on a packed metro and headed toward the stadium.

The stadium, Camp Nou, is huge!

Barca beat Getafe 1-0! \240Fun game, lots of people.

After the game we headed back to our respective apartments and called it a day.

Someone does not belong here… Apparently they started noticing the parakeets around 1975 as enough had escaped their cages or were let go that their wild population started growing. \240They are actually native to Argentina.

We then went over to Placa De Espanya at the foot of Montjuic, the hill that looks over Barcelona. \240There we checked out the former bull ring that was converted into a modern mall with great views on the top. Bull fighting was made illegal in Catalunya in the 1970s.

We walked up to Montjuïc and hung out in front on the Catalunya Art museum. \240It was closed, but had great views of the city.

We wanted to get back down to the city center and we knew there was a cable car that could get us there. \240Unfortunately, we were unsure of how to get to it. So after a decent hike we finally found it! \240The cable car offered cool views of the city and the harbor and took us to Barcelonetta, the community by the beach.

We walked back up Las Ramblas and checked out the Los Boqueria market with all its cool food stalls. \240We took the Metro back to our neighborhood, Gràcia, and checked in on Luke. \240We didn’t quite remember his address so we got a bit lost looking for it. \240We brought him some provisions and medicine and then went out to dinner. \240Whatever we brought him worked. \240We stopped by after dinner and he \240was feeling better and eating. \240We met his host mom, Anna. \240She invited us for dinner on Friday night, so we will get to know her a little more then. \240We called it an early night as we are going to try to get to Girona (a cool medieval town north of Barcelona) tomorrow and have to catch an early train.

Also, Ellie is getting in tomorrow night!

Amy and I got going early and caught the 9:10 train to Girona. \240Girona is a cool old medieval town whose \240origins date back to the Roman times. \240It’s best known for the two main churches (Girona Cathedral and Sant Felix Basilica) and it’s well preserved Jewish quarter (El Call). \240Game of Thrones used it for a location in season six.

We got to Girona around 9:50 and immediately headed for the Cathedral. \240It was cool to walk through the narrow winding streets and then come upon the cathedral with its grand staircase.

Scene from Game of Thrones

The interior was quite impressive. \240It is the second widest cathedral in the world after St. Peter’s in Rome. \240We were also treated to the organ playing, which made the atmosphere even more cool.

Play the above video and you can hear the organ music.

We had an audio guide that gave the history and context of the building. \240That attached cloisters were quite cool \240(and cold! It rained for bit today. \240You will notice that Amy bough a hat and scarf to stay warm).

After the cathedral we walked back through the winding streets to grab lunch at a pizza place.

Cool door knocker!

Scene from Game of Thrones below.

After lunch and warming up, we headed back to the old town and crossed the river Onyar on a bridge designed by Gustav Eiffel before he built his tower in France.

We then walked over to the Sant Felix Basilica.

While not as interesting as the cathedral, the basilica had some cool features.

Saint Narcissus casting a demon away (with a head for a rear end!)

A third century sarcophagus built into the wall.

Once done with the basilica we took a quick tour of the Arab Baths from \240the twelfth century.

Cool views from the roof of the baths.

I then took in the Jewish history museum while Amy walk around the city. \240There was a thriving Jewish community in Girona for 600 years until all the Jews were expelled in 1492. \240The Jewish quarter in Girona is one of the best preserved in all of Europe.

On the way back we walked to the top on one of the Roman walls with more beautiful views of the city.

And saw a Spanish Civil War era bomb shelter. \240

We caught the 5:20 train back to Barcelona.