Girona Blog

Ceret saturday market-best in area

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:56:00 +0000

Sometimes we have to accept that the French do it better, not bigger or louder, just with more style. Such is the case of the saturday morning market in the streets of Ceret, which is just across the border some 45 mins from Girona.

The stalls are more varied, the products look nicer, even when most of the fruit on sale is Spanish. You can find lots of interesting things for presents like candles and soap, then there is the selection of organic bread, fruit and vegetables as well as wines, honey, cheese, which is also never seen, or at least not promoted as such in Spain.

Add in the fact that Ceret is a charming village with some interesting old squares, narrow lanes and plenty of terraces to sit outside and eat and drink and the whole experience feels somehow more satisfying.

Winter is not the best time to visit as there are fewer stalls, and thus selection, but it is also less crowded and if you plan well, after indulging in lunch in one of the many tempting restaurants, the local rugby team may be playing which is a real treat.

Vive la France, and having it so close by!

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Ceret saturday market-best in area

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:53:00 +0000

Vive la France, and having it so close by!

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

Old Vic-wonderful architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:01:00 +0000

Vic is a town some 65 kms from Girona. Now that the road connecting the two is being upgraded it only takes 40 mins and is well worth the visit.

The town is dominated by a large square, in the style of the Plaza Mayor of Madrid and Salamanca, Vic's is surrounded with impressive buildings dating back to when wealthy merchants built grand houses on the back of agricultural wealth created in the surrounding fertile valley.

Vic is famous for its pork products, especially the traditionally cured sausages. This is still an important sector and large employer locally.

The Old Town of Vic is a great place to wander around. Make sure you look up since many of the terraces, tiles under the roofs, and other architectural gems aren't visible at eye level.

After walking around, go back to the Plaza Mayor. Be sure to pick a table in the sunny part of the square to sit down, have a drink, and watch the locals talk, eat, and enjoy themselves in this beautiful spot.

See the full gallery on posterous

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Old Vic- wonderful architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 09:28:00 +0000

Vic is a town some 65 kms from Girona and now that the road connecting the two is being upgraded it only takes 40 mins and is well worth the visit.

Dominated by a large square, in the style of the Plaza Mayor of Madrid and Salamanca, Vics is surrounded with impressive buildings dating back to when wealthy merchants built grand houses on the back of agricultural wealth created in the surrounding fertile valley.

Famous for its pork products, especially the traditionally cured suasages, it is still an important sector and large employer locally.

The Old Town of Vic is a great place to wander around, just make sure you look up as many of the terraces, tiles under the roofs and other architectural gems need a well trained eye to spot.

After all the walking be sure to pick a table in the sunny part of the square to sit and have a drink and watch the locals talk, eat, and enjoy themselves in this beautiful spot.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

Romanesque gems from the Pla de l'Estany

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:26:00 +0000

Winter weather here can be perfect with cold nights turning into warm clear days which is what we took advantage of today with a bike ride around some of the small villages between Banyoles and Figueres.

The Romanesque period (Xth to XIIth Century) left some wonderful examples in the churches of this area and these tiny towns are frequently a handful of houses gathered around the church and little else, normally on a hilltop to be able to spot any roving brigands and where the church bells fulfilled an important warning system.

At one stage we cycled along the pilgrim route more famous now as the Camino de Santiago which the Catalans are marking as the route which goes from the French border to the Monastery of Montserrat and across to Lleida before joining the better known part in Navarra and then on finally to Santiago de Compostela some 800 km's away. On the front of Santa Maria de Vilamari church is a statue from 1787 which clearly shows the pilgrim surrounded by the symbolic scallop shell and holding his walking staff and water gourd.

These old churches have a lot of charm and after all these centuries have blended into the scenery as much as the rolling countryside, fields planted with winter wheat and the oak tree forests.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

High fives for Catalonia!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:28:00 +0000

The last few days have been full of tension here in Catalonia as long awaited events have been resolved, one via the ballot box and the other on the sports field.

The first important event were the elections for the Generalitat, the autonomous government of Catalonia, which saw a noticeable swing to the right which may well be reflected more generally in Spain over the next 6 months as other regions hold their own elections. This change was accompanied by a high turnout (60%) and emphasized peoples desire for change after 7 years of a Socialist coalition and a confused "head in the sand" approach to the general crisis which has swept Catalonia as well as the rest of Spain.

The second event was not political per se, but sporting, the football (soccer) league game between Barcelona and Madrid held at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona with over 90,000 fervent spectators cheering their respective teams. This particular game is far more than a football game, having been elevated to a status akin to a direct battle between the Catalan people and their oppressors, the central government as represented by the Madrid team who tax and control them excessively, so the general feeling goes. In actual fact the result was an absolute domination by Barcelona with a convincing 5-0 annihilation, and a show of skills which were spine tingling to watch and led to much celebration here for hours afterwards.

My feeling is that these two events could spark a feeling of renewed self confidence within Catalonia which might just help get them through the economic problems they have been engulfed in over the last few years, certainly they surprised everyone with the results of these two events, not least themselves!

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High fives for Catalonia!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:27:00 +0000

The last few days have been full of tension here in Catalonia as long awaited events have been resolved, one via the ballot box and the other on the sports field.

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Discover Girona

Romanyà de la Selva-a very special place

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Romanyà is a tiny village perched at 400m with sweeping views over the valley of Llagostera all the way to the Costa Brava in the distance is dominated by several large medieval houses around a Xth century church.

This is worth stopping to look at if you have time but from here is where things get interesting if you follow the signs to the menhir which is a large granite stone standing in a pine forest some 5 mins walk from Romanyà. Keep going along the marked path, past the village cemetery and you enter an old cork oak forest full of gnarled trees and filtered light. Soon you approach a small hill with what looks like some rocks on it and as you get closer it starts to take shape. This is the Dolmen of "La Cova d'en Daina" a 2,000 BC megalithic burial chamber surrounded by a cromlach of smaller stones forming an 11m circle around it.

The size and location under some huge cork oaks and pine trees was breathtaking. It is a place to just sit and wonder about, imparting a feeling of tranquility, peace and reflexion. It reminded me of Stonehenge before people were excluded from approaching the stones and the setting is Mediterranean instead of bleak England which makes it even better!

See the full gallery on posterous

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Romanyà de la Selva-a very special place

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 08:59:00 +0000

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

World Press Photo 2010 CCCB Barcelona

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:04:00 +0000

It's time for another World Press Photo exhibition which I saw in London last week and is already here in Barcelona until the 9th of December at the CCCB. There are some amazing pictures reflecting many of the "hot spots" from around the world in 2009. As always this exhibition is not for the squeamish, but then they only reflect the world we live in, unfortunately.

There are sections on landscapes and nature so not all the photos are grim war zone ones. Well worth a detour or even a special trip to see.

See the full gallery on posterous

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World Press Photo 2010 CCCB Barcelona

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:03:00 +0000

There are sections on landscapes and nature so not all the photos are grim war zone ones. Well worth a detour or even a special trip to see.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

Castellers-the human castles of Catalonia

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:52:00 +0000

Another part of the festivities during the week long celebrations of Girona's patron saint Sant Narcis are various exhibitions of castellers. These are teams from different towns of Catalonia that "compete" in the building of human castles in the air. It all starts with a base of big beefy men dressed in their white canvas pants with a big black sash around their waists and usually coloured shirt and a scarf on their heads. From this solid base several more layers are added progressively and can get as high as 9 or 10 people with each layer perched on the shoulders of the one below. Usually as the castle gets higher the size of the people climbing gets smaller with only young children used in the final assault of the top where they have to stay still and raise one arm above their head to claim the completed castle and then come down again in reverse order without the whole edifice collapsing.

The skills are several; strength of the base and all the supporting layers, speed of completion to avoid undue stress and dexterity of climbing up the backs and shoulders of the various layers hooking their bare feet into the sashes to get footholds. Not all end in success and the crowd usually rushes in to catch any falling participants if one collapses.

It is a spectacular sight and accompanied with typical Catalan music at the same time raises the pulse every time.

See the full gallery on posterous

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Castellers-the human castles of Catalonia

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:51:00 +0000

It is a spectacular sight and accompanied with typical Catalan music at the same time raises the pulse every time.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

Let the party begin at the Fires de Girona!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:41:00 +0000

Girona is in full "fiesta" mode! The patron saint of Girona is Saint Narcis and to celebrate there are multiple events held all over town for the next week. The inaugural ceremony takes place in front of the Town Hall with the dancing of the giants, music and a few speeches. The giants are legendary figures from Gironas past such as King Carlemany and Queen Anna of Gironella who dance together surrounded by their loyal subjects.

Adolescents head straight for the Devesa Park where there are more contemporary attractions on offer like a fairground and cheap booze stands with a stage for bands to play until the early hours of the morning and since today the schools of Girona are on holiday the weekend has begun early.

Also on offer are a firework dance around town, the famous human castles and plenty of street stands selling all sorts of foods and art. If you are in party mood then head to Girona now!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

Let the party begin at the Fires de Girona!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:41:00 +0000

Also on offer are a firework dance around town, the famous human castles and plenty of street stands selling all sorts of foods and art. If you are in party mood then head to Girona now!

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Discover Girona

Worlds top 10 restaurants- 4 in Spain, 2 in Girona!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:28:00 +0000

The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards 1-50 (2010)

Rank	Change	Restaurant	Region	Awards
1	Up 2	Noma	Denmark	The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in the World, The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Europe
2	Down 1	El Bulli	Spain	Restaurant Magazine Chef of the Decade
3	Down 1	The Fat Duck	UK	The Chef's Choice sponsored by Electrolux
4	Up 1	El Celler de Can Roca	Spain
5	Down 1	Mugaritz	Spain
6	Up 7	Osteria Francescana	Italy
7	Up 3	Alinea	USA	The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In N.America
8	Up 33	Daniel	USA	The Highest Climber sponsored by Cocoa Barry
9	Down 1	Arzak	Spain
10	Down 4	Per Se	USA

Posted via email from Discover Girona

Worlds top 10 restaurants- 4 in Spain, 2 in Girona!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:28:00 +0000

The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards 1-50 (2010)

Rank	Change	Restaurant	Region	Awards
1	Up 2	Noma	Denmark	The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in the World, The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Europe
2	Down 1	El Bulli	Spain	Restaurant Magazine Chef of the Decade
3	Down 1	The Fat Duck	UK	The Chef's Choice sponsored by Electrolux
4	Up 1	El Celler de Can Roca	Spain
5	Down 1	Mugaritz	Spain
6	Up 7	Osteria Francescana	Italy
7	Up 3	Alinea	USA	The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In N.America
8	Up 33	Daniel	USA	The Highest Climber sponsored by Cocoa Barry
9	Down 1	Arzak	Spain
10	Down 4	Per Se	USA

Posted via email from gironaJ

Museum of Exile La Jonquera

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 16:18:00 +0000

What better day to visit the recently opened Museum of Exile in the border town of La Jonquera than on Catalan National Day where hundreds of thousands of political refugees are commemorated as they fled Franco's fascist Spain after losing the civil war in 1939.

The museum is full of pictures, drawings, news reports and films of the last days of the Republican government in Spain as Franco's troops swept all before them and the subsequent fleeing across the border, over the Pyrenees mountains that act as the border still today, into a less than welcoming France.

Some were lucky enough to get ships to S.America or N.Africa but many were interned in concentration camps in southern France and faced disease and malnutrition.

There are no precise numbers of the exiled that sought this route out of Spain but anywhere from 600,000 to a million people are estimated to have left their homeland for a very uncertain future in 1939, just as Europe was exploding in a world war. Some eventually joined the French resistance, others the armies of Britain or Russia, and some of the most unlucky ones were moved to work camps in Germany and E.Europe.

For the Catalans it was a particularly traumatic time as their President, Lluis Companys was held by the Gestapo in France and returned to Spain to be executed in 1940. It was not until after Franco's death in 1975 that democracy and a new political order meant that many of these exiles could return to their native country, although for many of them it was too late.

See the full gallery on posterous

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Museum of Exile La Jonquera

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 16:17:00 +0000

Some were lucky enough to get ships to S.America or N.Africa but many were interned in concentration camps in southern France and faced disease and malnutrition.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

Le Train Jaune through the Pyrenees

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:22:00 +0000

The yellow train is a tourist institution celebrating its centenary in 2010 and is the highest train ride in France going through the Pyrenees from Villefranche de Conflent to Latour de Carol. You might well ask what does this have to do with being based in Girona for a holiday, well it is less than an hours drive to Perpignan from where you can get an ordinary train and in 45 min arrive in Villefranche where the "Train Jaune" begins.

The whole trip from one end to the other takes over three hours winding through the mountains from 400m altitude to 1,600m with spectacular scenery all the way.

The train itself is special as it is built for sightseeing all year round and taking skiers up to famous ski resorts like Font Romeu and Les Angles. The fun part is choosing a town along the route to get off and explore a bit more on foot. Mont-Louis is one option where you can discover the fortress building skills of Vauban, the foremost military engineer of the 17th century. He worked consolidating France's borders from a defensive perspective and was duly rewarded by his patron, Louis XIV, making him a Marquis.

Villefranche also has an impressive Vauban fort to walk around and these as well as 6 others have been made UNESCO world heritage sights in 2008.

Le Train Jaune is a great excursion for all the family; there is something for everybody from the train ride and scenery to all the different villages, fortresses and ski resorts to explore.

See the full gallery on posterous

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Le Train Jaune through the Pyrenees

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:21:00 +0000

The whole trip from one end to the other takes over three hours winding through the mountains from 400m altitude to 1,600m with spectacular scenery all the way.

Villefranche also has an impressive Vauban fort to walk around and these as well as 6 others have been made UNESCO world heritage sights in 2008.

Le Train Jaune is a great excursion for all the family; there is something for everybody from the train ride and scenery to all the different villages, fortresses and ski resorts to explore.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

Costa Brava from the air

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:19:00 +0000

The very best way to see the spectacular scenery of the Costa Brava, without spending hours fighting the crowds at this time of the year, is to do it from the air.

Microlight sightseeing trips are offered in various places but the one I took is based outside l'Estartit (www.ultraligeros.net) and Javier was a perfect pilot and guide. The 15 min flight takes in a remarkable variety of scenery; from the River Ter estuary discharging into the sea; the wide beaches to Pals, and then the rocky coves of Begur, Aiguafreda (great views of the Parador) to the tiny Sa Tuna beach; back to the amazing Isles Medes (underwater national park); Estartit harbour and along to the Castle at Montgri and below the town of Torroella and finally down the river Ter and the vivid green rice fields of Pals back to land at the tiny airstrip.

On a clear day there is no better way to get a feel for the splendour of the coastline and seeing it from a very different perspective, as a seagull would, was a real treat, thank you Javier, I will be back for more!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

Costa Brava from the air

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:18:00 +0000

The very best way to see the spectacular scenery of the Costa Brava, without spending hours fighting the crowds at this time of the year, is to do it from the air.

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Discover Girona

My favourite photographer: Jacques Henri Lartigue

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:55:00 +0000

This photographer captures movement and situations like no other, Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894-1986) was truly a master of his craft.

Combining beautiful technique with humour and thrilling subject matter (he loved fast cars, sailing, swimming, tennis and winter sports) as well as beautiful women. He realised that everything he valued such as happiness and youth, light and beauty were fleeting and so by capturing the moment on film he could preserve it forever.

Enough said, the images speak for themselves and it is amazing to think that they are almost 100 yrs old!

They are exhibited at the Caixa Forum in Barcelona until October 3rd-get there!

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Discover Girona

My favourite photographer: Jacques Henri Lartigue

noreply@blogger.com (Jaksag) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:55:00 +0000

This photographer captures movement and situations like no other, Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894-1986) was truly a master of his craft.

Enough said, the images speak for themselves and it is amazing to think that they are almost 100 yrs old!

They are exhibited at the Caixa Forum in Barcelona until October 3rd-get there!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ