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October 24, 2009

"Fires i Festes" de Girona

The "Fires i Festes" of Girona are the week-long (24th oct-1 nov) city festival which are also referred to as Sant Narcis, Girona's patron saint. Legend has it that a massive swarm of flies came out of the tomb of Sant Narcis and drove away the invading French army and so the fly is duly celebrated as Girona's emblem.

Every year there are a multitude of events held mainly around the Devesa Park with a fun fair with all the latest scary attractions; what started off as an agricultural fair has now expanded its ambit to most products for home and garden and the "Barraques" an area devoted to serving food and drink to raise money for a variety of local groups. This last area seems to be where most of Girona's youth experiments with excess alcohol consumption and loud music.
There are street parades, free concerts until late, guided visits to the main cultural venues, activities for children and dancing the traditional "sardanes" for all ages. 
Plenty of choice to be had at the food stalls full of tempting snacks, cheeses, breads, chocolates, wines, beers and other local products to consume there or take home.  The bars and restaurants are full and everyone is incredibly tired of partying by the end of the second weekend where the firework display on the evening of sunday 1st nov announces a festive end until next year.  

       
Click here to download:
Fires_i_Festes_de_Girona.zip (6208 KB)

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Filed under  //   Barraques   concerts   Devesa   Devesa Park   Festes   Fires   fireworks   Girona   Sant Narcis   sardanes  

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August 31, 2009

Sant Feliu-Girona-Olot bike path Part3

From Amer (211m), which has an interesting church and old town, it is a short run to the river Ter below where it emerges from the Susqueda dam, a major hydroelectric plant. It also means that the bulk of the downhill is over and from here on it is flat with hazelnut and walnut plantations or sunflowers and corn fields on either side of the path which meanders through the fertile river valley.

El Pasteral (179m) with its old station building still intact and along to La Cellera de Ter and finally to the outskirts of Angles. 
Angles has an interesting old town (a few minutes detour) and was famous for the textile factories which were established at the end of the 19th century but have almost all been closed in the last few years as the competition from China destroyed their business.
Now the path follows the river Ter or the parallel canal which was established to serve the small sub- hydroelectric stations and factories that needed water and electricity along the route.
There is an interesting restored ice-house around km 10 which explains how ice was preserved in the era before electricity. We now take ice and refrigeration for granted but it used to be a luxury item. 
Girona looms large and there is no way to avoid crossing it from the Devesa park (tallest trees in a public park) and then follow the other river, the Onyar out of town to the south-east towards Quart. You pass the new Science Park of the University of Girona with some impressive modern buildings.
The next part takes you to Cassa de la Selva and Llagostera which are both famous for the cork processing factories which have been there for over a century, using the cork collected in the Gavarres hills nearby.
From Llagostera the path drops fairly sharply to the coastal plain around Castell d'Aro and it is a short haul into S'Agaro and then finally Sant Feliu de Guixols where all the dust from the path can be washed off with a cool dip in the Mediterranean!
Only the foolish or very strong should consider cycling back to Girona (36 kms) as there are a good 8kms of climbing, much easier to have lunch on a terrace and then put the bike on a bus which leave every hour from the bus station and arrive in Girona fresh and happy!

           
Click here to download:
Sant_Feliu-Girona-Olot_bike_pa.zip (8902 KB)

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Filed under  //   Amer   Angles   Cassa de la Selva   Castell d'Aro   Devesa   El Pastoral   La Cellera de Ter   Llagostera   Quart   river Onyar   river Ter   S'Agaro   Sant Feliu de Guixols   Vilanna  

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