domingo, 24 de noviembre de 2013

Hangin´ Out in Girona

As well as traveling around the area, Mommy and Sally enjoyed quiet days in Girona taking in all there is to offer. From walking on the medieval wall, museums, restaurants, the market and the many nooks and crannies of this beautiful little city.
The Devesa Saturday Market
Houses on the Onyar River
Sally enjoying nature wherever she goes
For me, having them around the places I go everyday makes their visit even more special and memorable:)

jueves, 21 de noviembre de 2013

Besalú

We had one bad weather day during their visit but managed to get a visit in to Besalú before the sky opened. After walking over the beautiful medieval bridge, we were soon distracted by the adorable little shops. By the time we got back outside, the sky was telling us to go back to the car. But, we got to do a quick walk around the town and down by the river first.
Besalú´s most significant feature is its 12th-century bridge over the Fluvià river. The church of Sant Pere, dating back to 1003, located on one of the large squares tells of the past importance of this town in the Middle Ages. There was a large Jewish community here and you can visit a mikveh, a ritual Jewish bath, dating from the eleventh or twelfth century, as well as the remains of a medieval synogogue, located in the lower town near the river.
And this doorway is just right!
Here is another view of the bridge as we finish our loop around town and start to think of a picnic spot.

lunes, 28 de octubre de 2013

To Tossa

First stop, shopping!
 

A few souvenirs are a must! Sally found a pretty necklace made by the owner of this little shop.

Meandering towards the old town, here they are in front of the tiny Santa Maria del Mar chapel. 
Tossa is one of the most beautiful towns along the Costa Brava, made even more dramatic by the 12th century fortress rising above the coastline. Contrary to what you would imagine to be the traditional way of life here, fishing, the economy here was originally based on agriculture: principally cork and grape vine.
We enjoyed the cobblestone streets, walking along the wall, meeting up with Jaume´s parents for pizza and a bit of lollygagging at the beach.

sábado, 19 de octubre de 2013

Out Dalí-ing Around

A little visit to Dalíland was a must so we set out for a day to visit the small castle he had bought for his wife Gala in Púbol. The lush garden with elephant statues, Wagner fountain, trompe l´oeil details, and her terrace with views of the countryside let you know that she had it pretty nice and was surrounded by Dalí even though he didn´t live with her there.
 
 On the inside, he had decorated the house for her and I imagine it was a very whimsical place to live. It definitely makes me start to think about decorating the apartment more creatively...
Here we are in Gala´s bedroom.

Then, we were ready for lunch and to wander around a couple of the charming villages in the area.

sábado, 12 de octubre de 2013

Solo se vive una vez!

After many years of waiting, my mom has finally been able to come and visit me and Sally happily joined in Mommy´s first trip to Catalonia. The weather in September was splendid and we have built wonderful memories together that I will have when I go back to the places we visited.
After getting used to a few stairs, after living in Florida for 20+ years it is hard for her to practise, Mommy enjoyed visiting Girona´s winding streets in the Jewish Quarter, wall, and many small museums. It was funny for me to see her being a tourist with a little green Ipad.
A trip here wouldn´t be complete without pa amb tomaquet, bread with tomato and olive oil, a base for many variations of meals. Here is Sally preparing our tuna sandwich picnic in S´Agaro, probably Mommy´s favorite day while here.  

It was still just warm enough to go for a swim at the end of our walk on the Cami de Ronda path along the Mediterranean.

lunes, 2 de septiembre de 2013

Gaëlle and Jörn in Catalonia


We realized it had already been 4 years since the last time they visited. It was time to come back! We enjoyed showing them a couple more places, swimming in the Mediterranean, the Banyoles lake and hanging out over some good meals. We loved having you here! Hope to see you again soon!

viernes, 23 de agosto de 2013

Summer nibbles

During warm summer nights it is perfect to take advantage of the Spanish tapas tradition. Eating a little bit of this and that is an easy way to have dinner and there´s not much to clean up afterwards:)


viernes, 2 de agosto de 2013

World Swimming Championships 2013

Seeing some events at the 2013 Fina World Swimming Championship in Barcelona is a rare treat! It also marks 10 years since the first summer I came here. This is easy to remember because 2003 was the last time the World Swimming Championships was held in Barcelona. The passing of time.

Not sure if they got the Canadians´names right here...
It is exciting to see such great athletes perform in person. It is also nice at the end of the day, during the two week championships, to see something other than football(soccer) on the news at night! 

viernes, 5 de julio de 2013

David in Girona

cycling in girona, bikecat cycling tours
When family and friends visit, it gives a chance to see with new eyes all of the things that I love about the area. We enjoyed bringing him cycling and to a few of our favorite places while he made a weekend trip up from Madrid where he was sent for work for two weeks.

viernes, 10 de mayo de 2013

Girona - Temps de Flors 2013



Each year, in the middle of May, Girona dresses up its patios, houses, windows, and churches for the 9 day flower festival, El Temps de Flors. Parts of the city that are normally behind closed doors, like private houses in the Jewish Quarter ¨El Call¨ and the Saint Daniel Monastery, open up their patios to share their beauty.


The days before, as the groups of volunteers begin their creations, expectations grow as they add new parts to their designs until they are all ready for the start of the festival.

Bikecat cycling in Girona, Girona jewish quarter, Girona holidays and traditions

Now it´s time to enjoy the expositions and the liveliness and the little hidden corners that make you want to stroll slowly through the streets.

jueves, 4 de abril de 2013

Setmana Santa



Bikecat, Cycling in Girona, Setmana Santa in Girona
Portal de Sobreportes

Easter Week in Girona. A pensive time to wander the streets and see the amazing and solemn centuries old spectacle presented on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Confraries de Setmana Santa de Girona
Roman soldiers, or Manaies, lead the procession through the streets of Girona. They are followed by the Confraria, the Brotherhoods of Girona with children and penitents, wearing cone hats and cloaks to protect their anonymity. Each group carries its effigy of Christ or Virgin Mary in a grueling 2 hour parade across cobblestone. 

Cycling in Girona, Vadevi tours, Bikecat
Penitents
It is said that you have to inherit your spot in the ¨fraternities¨ that you can´t just join one. Even the children, if you try to catch their eye and smile, they are great professionals and stay in character, they´ve been preparing for this all their lives.

viernes, 22 de marzo de 2013

Excursion to Sils Nature Park

L´estany de Sils Now the Spring days are calling for us to be outside to enjoy nature and the precious cool sunny perfect days that always seem to go by too fast. Yesterday, Lara, Leia and I took an excursion to the Sils wetlands, a great little known birding spot and an easy few stops away on the train. Luckily the abundant rain we´ve been receiving has filled in the area and we saw lots of birdies and I had actually remembered to bring my monocular.

L´estany de Sils              Thanks to Sally (thank you Sally! and thank you for getting me interested in birds in the first place), I have this incredibly easy to carry around monocular which is perfect for me. We saw falcons, green woodpeckers, black-winged stilts, egrets and grey herons.                                                       L´estany de Sils                               
Going to a nature park with a small child, Leia is my amazing 21 month old niece, is a wonderful experience because you slow down even more and that is why you come here, just to be in nature. She definitely goes for the more up close things, like she loved seeing lizards on a bridge and just walking up and down little hills.   

L´estany de Sils
The Sils Lake, L´estany de Sils, is a natural area protected by the Catalan government said to have once been the largest lake in Catalunya at about 7 square kilometers. But it was drained out to create more farmland and now there is a year-round small lake and floodable wetlands. There is a nice flat path and it is just a little loop to walk around and you can make stops at the bird viewing platform and also the three bird viewing houses located near the best birding spots. A lovely morning excursion! Thanks Lara and Leia!