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February 5, 2010

Girona's high speed train station

For anyone that has visited Girona recently, and especially by train, you cannot have failed to notice the major construction works that are going on all around the station. From the elevated train platform you get a great view of the works which will eventually connect Girona to Madrid and Paris via high speed train in some 4 hours.

The works going on in Girona are to build an underground station below the current one for both the TAV (Tren de Alta Velocidad) and later on conventional trains as well.

Why, you may ask, are they spending all this time and money putting a new station in the centre of Girona instead of 12 kms out of town at Girona airport for example, where car parking would be easy and no major tunnelling works would be needed? This is a complete mystery to me but knowing how things work in Spain I assume that the "powers that be" are behind it for ego as well as financial reasons...

Anyway, those that live in the centre of town will be inconvenienced for the next 2-3 years but hopefully Girona will become an even better connected and easier to visit city in the future!

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Gironas_high_speed_train_stati.zip (8030 KB)

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Filed under // Girona high speed train Madrid Paris TAV train station

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January 9, 2010

Winter walk- Calella to Llafranc

While the whole of Europe is experiencing winter storms here on the Costa Brava there were snow flurries today, something that only happens about every 10 years.

Despite the weather an easy walk from Calella de Palafrugell to Llafranc is a great way to clear the cobwebs and the sights are uplifting along the coastal path or "cami de ronda".

Some of my favourite Mediterranean pines are along this path, old, huge, mature and weather beaten but splendid in their setting and providing much needed shade in the summer months.

So come visit the Costa Brava this year, even in the depths of winter it's spectacular...

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Winter_walk-_Calella_to_Llafra.zip (22999 KB)

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Filed under // Calella de Palafrugell Cami de Ronda Costa Brava Llafranc Mediterranean pine

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January 3, 2010

Masia Freixa, Terrassa

Masia Freixa was also designed by the architect Lluis Muncunill in 1907/10 and shows clear influnces of Antoni Gaudi in it's organic shapes.

Commissioned by the industrialist Josep Freixa to convert an industrial space into a private residence it is now set in a public park and the building itself is used by the municipal music school.

It is extraordinarily interesting visually which shows the great imagination the Modernists used to create buildings which still surprise and give us pleasure many years later.

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Masia_Freixa_Terrassa.zip (3525 KB)

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Filed under // Antoni Gaudi Modernist Josep Freixa Masia Freixa Terrassa

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January 3, 2010

The Science Museum of Terrassa

The Science and Technology Museum has been established in the restored textile mill of Aymerich, Amat i Jover, which was the largest in Terrassa when it was built in 1907/08, closed in 1976 and bought by the Catalan government subsequently to house the museum.

The building was designed by Lluis Muncunill who was responsible for many buildings both private and public while he was the Terrassa city architect.

The mill itself is impressive both in its size (11,000 sq metres) and also in the details; the use of bricks in curved shapes, the large north facing windows to allow in the maximum amount of light and the simplicity of the metalwork throughout make this a delightful building to wander around enjoying all the various exhibitions.

Of special mention is the detailed explanation of how the textile mill worked from the raw material stage to the finished product with much of the original machinery on display.

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The_Science_Museum_of_Terrassa.zip (7134 KB)

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Filed under // architect Catalan government Lluis Muncunill Science and Technology Museum textile mill

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January 3, 2010

Terrassa a Modernist gem

Terrassa is only 28 kms from Barcelona and close to Sabadell which also developed in a similar way at the start of the Catalan Industrial revolution in the mid 19th Century.

Both these cities were at the vanguard of textile manufacture and as such the legacy they have left us is visible as textile mills, houses built for industrialists of the time and public buildings using architects that tried to reflect the new materials at their disposal (bricks, ironwork, glass, tiles) in a style which was collectively known as Modernism.

Terrassa has managed to preserve and re-use some of these buildings, turning them into wonderful public spaces like museums, art galleries and schools while others are protected but used as private dwellings or business premises. The tourist information offices have a map that highlights the main buildings and routes around town, all of which are marked with a signpost.

I will try to reflect the variety of buildings and capture some of the beauty of the details in the pictures below:

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Terrassa_a_Modernist_gem.zip (6354 KB)

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Filed under // Catalan Industrial Revolution mills museum science museum Terrassa walking routes

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November 27, 2009

Girona m'enamora!

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Filed under // cathedral Girona holidays La Rambla Old Town romantic breaks shopping video

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November 23, 2009

Cycling around wineries in the Empordà

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Filed under // Bodegas cycling D.O. Emporda Emporda olive oil tasting wine tour wineries

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November 22, 2009

La Gola del Ter

La Gola is where the river Ter flows into the Mediterranean Sea, having started in the Pyrenees mountains around the ski resort of Vallter 2000 some 220 kms away.

The fields on either side of the Ter are very flat, fertile land where cultivation of fruit, wheat, corn and rice takes place. There are also wetlands which although cultivated, are also part of the Aiguamolls Nature Reserve, famous for a wide range of migratory birds.

There are many paths signposted telling you where to go and being flat the area is perfect for cycling and walking.

Of course no exercise is possible if at the end there is not a meal contemplated and in this case the local specialities involve rice and seafood which is one type of "arroz" and in other parts of Spain would be called a "paella".

A delicacy called "angulas" are found where eels breed in fresh water rivers producing millions of tiny eels which are caught at night in nets and currently retail for 500€ to1,300€ a kilo depending on season, if you can find them.

The small restaurants around La Gola are some of the few places you will be able to taste this amazing dish cooked in olive oil and garlic and hot peppers, once tried never forgotten!

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La_Gola_del_Ter.zip (9351 KB)

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Filed under // Aiguamolls Nature Reserve angulas arroz cycling La Gola La Gola del Ter Mediterranean Sea paella Pyrenees river Ter Vallter 2000 walking

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November 22, 2009

Charming spots: Sant Andreu de Pedrinyà

Many people visit the Dali/Gala castle at Púbol but do not realise that only a couple kilometres off the road there is a charming church hamlet to visit without any tourists, Sant Andreu de Pedrinyà.

Set off a country road which turns into a gravel path shortly after, but in a peaceful and beautiful location next to a stream with plantain trees which offer a cool place to rest and contemplate the small church.

Currently part of La Pera diocese there are some 20 inhabitants in the few houses surrounding the church.

The village goes back to the year 971 and the present church is documented from the 11th century and is a good example of Romanesque features revealed during the restoration in 1975.

The interior is simple stone with fragments of the original murals having been transferred to the museum of Girona for safekeeping.

The gardens are well kept and it is a nice spot to picnic if you are walking or biking in the area.

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Charming_spots_Sant_Andreu_de_.zip (7653 KB)

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Filed under // castle church cycling Dali Gala Girona La Pera Pedrinya Pubol Romanesque Sant Andreu de Pedrinyà walking

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November 12, 2009

Bike ride Celra to Bordils along river Ter

Both Celra and Bordils are not most people's idea of scenic villages as they pass through in their cars along the main road to the Costa Brava from Girona. However, get a little out of the town of Celra and a remarkable transformation takes place, with fertile land planted with different seasonal crops as well as a tree and shrub nursery which covers many hectares.

It is like cycling in Holland as the roads are paved and the area is flat but you see all sorts of interesting trees and plants being grown in straight rows with irrigation and space for tractor access.

There are plenty of other sights too, the church in Bordils is one of my favourites and there are many large farmhouses and chapels worth admiring.

The main purpose of our meandering along these paths once we reach the river Ter is to look for mushrooms in between the rows of poplars, hidden by the cover of fallen leaves. We spot a particularly tasty variety which needs to be consumed quickly as once picked they tend to deteriorate. When they are a few days old they are inedible as they slowly melt into an inky black mess which is how they got their name, the "ink" mushroom.