Girona

The bridges over the river Onyar : Pont de Sant Feliu with in the background the Church of Sant Feliu; Girona, Spain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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In contrast to the boisterous and animated Barcelona, Catalonia’s second city is not yet a major tourist destination – and that is it’s great appeal. With 80,000 Catalans living in Girona, visitors are warmly welcomed to participate in all it’s life and charms.

Girona was founded by the Romans and is divided in half by the Onyar River, which separates the old and new quarters. While modern side of town is certainly worth exploring, the true beauty of the place is in the old part. Along the Onyar, 19th-century buildings sit atop the ancient city wall at the water’s edge, freshly painted in cream, pale green, and ochre. Under the Eiffel pedestrian Bridge, built by the same company as the tower, lazy carp expect to be fed. On the far side, the old city waits to be discovered.

The medieval quarter demonstrates its history through the mixture of architectural styles. The Rambla, a wide pedestrian walkway hugs the river, with shops and restaurants on the ground floors of the colourful buildings. Renovated in the last 10 years, it is an area of book shops, antique stores, modern furniture shops, restaurants and apartments. You will not find a single T-shirt stall, postcard and film stop, or corporate chain outlet. Under stone arcades in the Rambla, vendors hawk vegetables, spices, and nuts. Nearby streets have names that each tell a story: Plaza of Chestnuts, Street of Ironworkers, Street of Traders.

Turning away from the river, a labyrinth of cobblestone streets rises up a slight hill, and stone buildings with red tile roofs form narrow passageways beneath boughs of wisteria.

When the Romans lived here, Via Forca was part of the Via Augusta, the Imperial path that led to Rome. In the 13th and 14th centuries, it was the main artery of the Call, or the Jewish Quarter. Today, Via Forca leads to the Museum of the History of the Jews, located where the last known synagogue in town was built. What’s most impressive about this town-run museum is that there are no Jews in Girona, and haven’t been since their expulsion in 1492. Yet their 600-year presence is lovingly documented and celebrated through exhibits, music and dance, a library, and a collection of tombstones from the medieval cemetery.

Further up the street, the cathedral stands on a Roman temple site. The cathedral’s architecture spans several periods: Baroque facade, Gothic interior, Romanesque cloister, and neoclassical bell tower. There is a stunning view of the town from its upper plaza. In this quarter, too, are 12th century Arab baths, a Benedictine monastery, and the Romanesque Church of Sant Nicolau.

Girona is an interesting town to simply stroll around in, and it is also an excellent base from which to explore the Emporda region.

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La Bisbal – Home of Ceramics in Catalonia

Weekly market on Main Square (Plaça Major) in La Bisbal d'Empordà (Baix Empordà, Catalonia, Spain) with the Santa Maria church. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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La Bisbal is the Costa Brava’s third most important inland town after Girona and Figueres, and comprises two distinct districts – the old and new.

The New Town is straggled along the main road and nearly every every shop offers products of the local ceramics industry. This competition has resulted in a wide selection of flower pots, tubs decorative tiles and kitchen articles etc being offered for sale at prices which are a fraction of those elsewhere in Catalonia and the Costa Brava. Large, traditional glazed garden tubs are just a few euro. This alone is a great reason to visit La Bisbal.

Although many people visit the town with the sole purpose of buying ceramics , the old town has much more to offer.

The Old Town’s original bridge over the River Daró is at the north west edge of the town. This 17th century bridge, Pont Vell, is now a footbridge and stands on the foundations of a Romanesque bridge which had been washed away by a torrent. Even in winter, the river is now hardly a stream and in summer it is virtually dry.

La Bisbal’s most important building is the fortified Palace of the Bishops of Girona, Castell Palau de la Bisbal, on the Plaça Castell. This heavily fortified castle provided the bishops with additional security by uniquely siting the chapel on the roof of the defences. A trap door in the chapel leads directly to the Bishop’s quarters below.

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Tamariu Beach

Tamariu is situated 4km north of Llafranc in a tranquil and secluded bay of the Costa Brava. It’s name comes from the presence of many Tamarind trees along the promenade.

Tamariu is south facing on to one of the most sheltered beaches of the Costa Brava, there are three small hotels and some good seafood restaurants and great pizzeria reasonably price great for kids and lots of small cafes & bars. The coarse-sanded Blue Flag beach extends nearly all around the bay is very clean. The crystal clear water is ideal for swimming as the beach, especially on the right hand side, shelves at a fairly gentle angle. It is also popular as a dive site as there are many caves to explore along with the submerged mountain of the Llosa de Cala Nova.

At high season Tamariu tend to be busy and parking can be a problem.