Mumbai City - Fort Area

We’d put off visiting Mumbai City until the end of our trip to India. Arriving by plane from Goa, we planned to spend 2 nights in the central Fort area of the city.

We would be staying at the Hotel Residency, Fort, Mumbai.

At €59 per night (excluding breakfast), this hotel was considerably more expensive than anywhere else we stayed in India. However, it was centrally located and of a reasonably good standard compared to many of the alternatives we’d checked out online.

To avoid any stressful haggling with taxi drivers, we had arranged a transfer from the airport to the hotel for Rs. 1100 (€16). Our pickup was waiting for us when we exited the airport terminal at Mumbai (… a good start).

So, our first impressions of Mumbai would be gleaned through the windows of a very comfortable air-conditioned minivan during a 40-minute journey through the chaotic heart of the city.

Mumbai City – Urban Tenements

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In the Footsteps of Jason Bourne

It’s no doubt due to the seclusion and natural beauty of Palolem beach that this location was chosen for the shooting of The Bourne Supremacy – the 2nd of the Jason Bourne movies, in 2004.

The beach itself is immediately recognizable at the the beginning of the movie. Two years after the events in the first movie – The Bourne Identity – Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) and his girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente) have dropped off the grid, and are lying low in Goa, India.

Jason Bourne running on the beach – Watch out for that dog, mate!

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Girona Stopover - Where to stay & eat

Our Girona stopover allowed us just one night in Girona, before heading south to Barcelona-El Prat airport later the following day.

We therefore needed a hotel that was close to the bus and train stations, and still within easy reach of the attractions and restaurants that the city has to offer. We were also on a budget, so we wanted to keep the price down to around €50.

Girona Stopover – Lazy afternoon on the High Street

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Girona in Giro - What to see

What can you do in Girona if you have just 5 or 6 hours to spare?

Actually, quite a lot.

Our hotel was located in the centre of Girona, next to the Onyar river. We started out early after breakfast and followed the river northwards – passed the brightly painted façades of the houses – heading closer and closer to the unmissable Girona Cathedral.

Along the way we passed several bridges decorated with vibrant red hanging geraniums. Everywhere we looked, it seemed the locals were busy working on intricate and colourful street decorations. A common theme was chopped tree branches, which were painted in various colours and then arranged into interesting and surprising pieces of artwork. The whole town seemed to be alive with creative activity.

In fact, this was all in preparation for Girona Flower Time – the main event of the spring (from 7 to 15 May), with 179 floral projects spread throughout the city.