Girona: A Little Tangled Adventure

I am a huge fan of Rapunzel, and upon learning that Tangled, my favorite Disney movie of all time, was being filmed in Girona, I knew there was no way I could not visit the city. Therefore, my friend and I (hey Kelly!) planned a weekend trip together to visit Girona, a city just one and a half hours away from Barcelona by train.

We left early in the morning, after a rushed run to the train station because I was running late, but eventually made it. Around 10 in the morning, we were sitting at a cafe in Girona, sipping café con leche while planning our two-day itinerary for the city.

Since we went there during the weekend of the Dia de Catalunya celebrations, there were lots of museums and free activities happening. We first visited the history museum and an art museum, admiring beautiful paintings. After that, we grabbed a kebab for lunch (I love kebab, best thing in Europe because you can find them in every corner yay!) and then Kelly went on to visit a museum in a nearby village while I kept wandering around the city.

I went to the castle and then to the great wall surrounding Girona, which I have to say was my favorite place. The view of the city was astounding, and the walk was such a peaceful and wonderful experience. I kept picturing a particular scene from the Tangled movie that I believe might have been filmed here. I am so curious to find out whether I am right once the movie comes out!

Once Kelly was back, we were able to watch traditional dances in a plaza. It was fun to see the whole community gather in circles and dance together. Then we headed to a free open concert of Catalan music, and I was heartwarmed to see so many young people wearing the Catalan flag and dancing and singing together. It was definitely a fun and great cultural experience!

After that, we both grabbed dinner together at a pizza place and stayed talking and playing cards until 11 P.M. (great conversations be doing that to you ahaha).

The next day, we visited the popular sights, including the famous cathedral featured in *Game of Thrones*, and that is definitely making it to the *Tangled* movie based on the behind-the-scenes videos that circulated online a while ago. I can understand why it was chosen. It is a beautiful architectural piece. There is kind of a retablo carved on the outside of the cathedral, as well as a big circular window. The view was definitely worth admiring.

Then we walked by the red bridge and also went back to the great wall to take in the view of Girona again. We then had xuixos from a local place that has been open for more than 100 years! They were really good. I tried a cinnamon and cardamom one and it was delicious. A good way to describe it, in Kelly's words, is: it's like a donut but way better ahah. A soft dough with a filling of your choice.

We then just kept exploring local shops and main streets before heading back to Barcelona on our afternoon train.

Overall, this was a very easy and affordable trip, and I definitely recommend anyone in Barcelona to take the time to do it and visit this charming city!!