Girona m'enamora!
Writes about what there is to see and do around Girona/Costa Brava- one of the best travel destinations in the world!
Filed under
Cathedral
Rose Condo Girona ((no gallery))
On the edge of the Old Town of Girona, next to the River Onyar and Sant Felix church, this is a modern duplex that sleeps 6 people.
Fully equipped with all amenities including wi-fi and with a lift this restored warehouse has plenty of charm and the location is ideal for all the museums, Cathedral, Jewish quarter and bars and restaurants which are literally on the doorstep.
A 10 min walk to the train/bus station makes it easy to visit Figueres for the Dali musuem or a day trip to Barcelona which is only an hour and a half away.
Girona is a quiet, safe city with plenty to see and do from wandering the narrow streets of the medieval Old Town to the modern shopping and good communications provided by the airport nearby and soon the high speed train. The famous Costa Brava with it's spectacular beaches is less than a half hours drive away making this the perfect base for exploring the region.
Filed under //
apartment
Cathedral
duplex
Girona
Jewish quarter
Old Town
River Onyar
Rose Condo
Sant Felix
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Girona goes International-for a week
Girona only has a population approaching 100,000 and yet this week we have had and will have a truly international flavour with the 10th Religious and World Music Festival and the massive Tour de France cycling race hitting town tomorrow.
The Music Festival has seen performers of real status and has mixed many styles of music both classical and contemporary, from Fauré's Requiem choirs to the modern beat of Rokia Traoré (Mali) and Khaled (Algeria) both wonderful performers supported by excellent musicians.
During the festival there is also a temporary (shame!) food court set up with many cuisines from all over the world where you can eat either before or after the concerts and is right next to the cathedral steps and cloisters venues.
The setting for some of the concerts is the other part which makes this festival stand out-where else can you sit outside on a balmy night on the steps of a cathedral listening to top class acts while taking in the beautiful buildings around the Old Town? Not very many, let me tell you so get down to Girona quick!
On second thoughts with the Tour starting in Girona and finishing in Barcelona tomorrow will bring enough chaos to our small town, so just watch it on TV instead and come visit when there are fewer people around!
Filed under //
Cathedral
Faure
Girona
Khaled
Religious and World Music Festival
Requiem
Rokia Traore
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Lleida la Seu Vella cloisters
Lleida is on the westernmost edge of Catalonia and on the main roads to Zaragoza and Madrid from Barcelona. The plains around here produce many kinds of soft fruit like pears, peaches, cherries and apples as well as grapes from the D.O.Costers del Segre. The key to the agriculture is having the river Segre as a source for irrigation as without it only olive trees, almonds and vines can survive the extreme conditions.
Lleida itself has a hill in the middle topped by the Seu Vella, a Romanesque cathedral which was later abandoned and incorporated into a modern fort in the 17th century.
The cloisters are some of the biggest and most beautiful in Europe, built in the 13th and 14th centuries and from where there are magnificent views of the surrounding city and countryside. There is a small museum which houses some of the recovered archaeological remains found within the walls of the fort. The contrast of the thick walls of the fort surrounding the delicate arches of the cloister makes this a very special place.
So, if you are driving by make sure you make a detour and revel in the beauty of the cloisters of the Seu Vella, you won't regret it.
Filed under //
Barcelona
Catalonia
Cathedral
Costers del Segre D.O.
la Seu Vella
Lleida
Madrid
Segre river
Zaragoza
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Girona Flower Festival continued
This week Girona is the centre of the Flower Festival universe with concerts (mainly outdoors) and art exhibitions as well as most shops having some flowers in their displays which makes it a fun place to walk around for a few hours.
The Cathedral steps are pretty good this year as are the gardens around the Arab Baths and through the patios of the old Jewish quarter (the Call).
The Rambla and even the Onyar river get flower displays but Placa de Independencia is a safe spot to have a cold drink and a "menu" (fixed price lunch) while relaxing before joining the quest for more floral attractions later.
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Girona Flower Festival
Well, another flower festival is here, or better said another "Temps de Flors." Girona looks splendid at this time of year and, excepting the crowds, is a truly delightful place to wander around taking in the small patios, chapels, street installation art and public buildings.
It is the best way to see some of the nicest private gardens and courtyards which are normally out of bounds to the average visitor.
The first weekend is always very busy but after that things calm down and it is easier to get in to the main sights like the Cathedral cloisters and Arab Baths.
For those that want less crowded spots the Cathedral Gardens, Old City walls and the Devesa Park are all good and shady alternatives.
To compensate for all the hard sightseeing there are plenty of open air cafes, restaurants and ice cream parlours to tempt the needy.
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A walk through the Cathedral gardens, Girona
As befits a town that has been a settlement since before the Visigoths and later developed and influenced by Romans, Moors, Jews and Catholics ever since, there are many layers of building mixed together here in the Old Town of Girona.
The Cathedral gardens are nestled below the impressive town walls, walls that repelled many sieges over the years and are both high and thick enough to resist any but the best equipped armies. The local council has done a very nice job restoring and incorporating a walkway along the top of the walls, from which the views of the Old Town are one of the best ways to start your visit to Girona.The whole walk takes about an hour and involves some climbing of steps as Girona Cathedral is at the top of a hill with commanding views of the town below.Today we get a look at one side, the gardens, next time we will finish the rest of the walkway.
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